New Book · Available Soon
A Playbook for Leadership, Culture, and Mindset in Sports and Life
"Championships don't create champions. Champions create championships." A field-tested guide for coaches and teams who want to build identity, culture, and mindset before they ever chase a scoreboard.
Publishing by Coaches Choice · Available soon on Coaches Choice and Amazon
“Who are we becoming?” Not, what are our goals. Not, how many games will we win. Long before a team ever wins a championship, it becomes one.Matt Booth — from the Introduction, the question he asks every team before the first whistle
The Book
Being Champions Before Championships is a practical, field-tested playbook for leadership, culture, and mindset in sports and life. Built across three sections — Prepare the Soil, Cultivate the Soil, and Rooted and Rising — it gives coaches, captains, and teams the tools to build identity and trust long before the scoreboard ever gets involved. Foreword by Dr. Jerry Lynch.
Leadership · Culture · Mindset
Official cover art coming soon
What’s Inside
The book is structured the way growth actually happens — the soil comes first, then cultivation, then the rise.
Section 1
Laying the Foundation
Section 2
Continuous Growth and Learning
Section 3
Reaching Our Peak
Free Companion Curriculum
A complete companion curriculum — one for coaches, teachers, and facilitators, one for the athletes themselves — so every chapter turns into a real conversation on your team, not just a read.
For Coaches, Teachers & Facilitators
22 ready-to-teach lesson plans, one per chapter, each built for a single 45–60 minute session — Opening, Story & Concept, Activity, Reflection, and Close — plus a Coach Tip and Learning Objective for every session. Works for any team, any age, no adaptation required.
For Student-Athletes
A 22-session reflection journal that follows the book chapter by chapter — Big Idea, Essential Question, My Reflection, This Week I Will, and a Culture Habit for every session — closing with a personal Season Blueprint.
Get Both Guides
Both guides are free for readers of the book. Find your unlock code inside Being Champions Before Championships and enter it below.
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About Matt
Matt Booth has spent more than 24 years coaching, leading, and developing athletes across multiple levels of sport — as an Athletic Director, Director of Strength and Conditioning, Head Track and Field Coach, and Coach Developer. He currently serves as Director of Strength and Conditioning, Assistant Track Coach, and Dean of Athletics at Canterbury School in Fort Myers, Florida.
Throughout his career, Matt has worked with athletes who went on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels — earning NCAA National Championships, Super Bowl titles, and a gold medal in the long jump at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. He spent seven seasons with the American Track League alongside world-class athletes including Asafa Powell, Ashton Eaton, Sandi Morris, Sam Kendricks, and Lolo Jones.
In recent years, Matt has expanded into the coach-development space, working with coaches, athletes, and parents to strengthen leadership, culture, and mental performance. He's an Assistant Trainer with the Way of Champions organization, led by Dr. Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan. His mission: help people look beyond the scoreboard and focus on what truly matters — character, meaningful relationships, and becoming the best version of themselves in sport and in life.
Featured On
The Way of Champions Podcast
A deep dive with hosts Dr. Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan on how Matt brought Way of Champions culture work into every program at Canterbury School.
Just A Cup
On building behaviors before outcomes, the "Protect the Circle" ritual, and how culture held together through Hurricane Ian.
#ELB Education Leadership and Beyond
A conversation on fatherhood, leadership, and the book that would become Being Champions Before Championships.
Keynote Speaking
Matt speaks to teams, coaching staffs, schools, and organizations who want their people to build champion habits before they build a championship record.
Leadership
Leadership isn't reserved for the naturally gifted few — it's a skill anyone can build with the right support, guidance, and repetition, title or no title.
Culture
Building a shared language and standard that eliminates selfishness and creates genuine unity across a roster.
Mindset
Practical mental performance tools that transfer from the field to the classroom, the workplace, and beyond.
Available as a keynote, half-day workshop, or multi-session program for teams, coaching staffs, athletic departments, and youth or professional organizations.
Check AvailabilityConsulting
Matt works directly with coaches and organizations to install a culture and leadership system that outlasts any single season.
STEP 1
Assess the current culture, communication patterns, and leadership gaps inside your program.
STEP 2
Install a shared language, team standards, and a captains or leadership development structure.
STEP 3
Ongoing mentorship, workshops, and accountability check-ins so the culture holds after Matt leaves the room.
Praise for the Book
"Championships don't build character; character builds championships." Matt's work consistently calls coaches back to what matters most — self-awareness, shared language, standards, trust, and the courage to develop people from the inside out.
Matt draws not only on his own incredible experiences, but also shares lessons from the leading minds in sport and performance psychology, paired with practical tools anyone can use immediately. A must-have for anyone looking to elevate themselves, their team, or their organization.
Matt Booth has been doing extraordinary work training team captains and leaders at the Canterbury School for years — work that has made a massive difference on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities.
An infectious energy and unwavering commitment to student-athletes, coaches, and teams shine through every page — practical, inspiring, and grounded in real-team experience.
Matt Booth is the ultimate craftsman — his constant search for new material, better technique, and superior functionality is reminiscent of the great masters in any craft domain. A masterpiece.
Matt Booth is one of the hungriest learners I've ever met — constantly curious, constantly pushing, and it shows in this book. Simple but powerful tools that make a big difference for you and your team.
Get in Touch
For keynote speaking, workshops, consulting engagements, or press inquiries about Being Champions Before Championships, reach out directly.