The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

Nate Browne didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a Division I head coach. He grew up racing cousins in a church parking lot in Iowa. He chased a scholarship. He switched from the 400m to the 800m and found his event. He built All-American credentials.

And then he walked into the business world.

📉 Yellow Pages sales.

📉 Subprime lending.

📉 A $12,000 year and $30,000 in credit card debt.

Until one morning he realized something powerful:

He loved the hour and a half coaching more than the eight hours in the office.

In this episode, Nate walks us through:

🏃‍♂️ The race that turned him into an 800m runner

📚 How a mentor changed his life—and redirected it

💼 Why making “good money” still felt wrong

🎤 The moment he realized coaching was his calling

🧠 How he learned to coach the whole person

👩‍🏫 The lesson that changed how he coaches women

👥 Why assistant coaches must be developed—not managed

🏆 What makes UC Riverside a life-changing experience

This isn’t just about winning Big West titles.

It’s about building champions for life.

“When I stop being excited to wake up and impact young people, that’s when I’ll get out of coaching.” – Nate Browne

If you care about mentorship, leadership, or becoming a better coach and person—this one is for you.

🌟 Explore Our Library:Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, DiljeetTaylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan,as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou(Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) andmany more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!
🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode:Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode,which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill ConnectionsPodcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected: Wantto get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Twitter (@MikeCunningham),email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com,or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍