Kids These Days: Effective Strategies for Coaching Gen Z and Beyond

“Betsy shares some of the best tools out there to navigate the crucial conversations that so often arise when working in a high-performance environment. Over the years, she’s given us small shifts in our communication skills that we could put into practice immediately - with big results! Without a doubt, we had great success as a team because of her.” Lisa Cellucci, Head Coach, Field Hockey - University of Iowa If you’ve ever said the phrase, “Kids these days…” this book is for you. In Kids These Days: Effective Strategies for Coaching Gen Z and Beyond, communication specialist Betsy Butterick helps coaches and leaders bridge the generational gap. With clarity, compassion, and humor, she explains what makes today’s athletes different—and how to adjust your approach without compromising your standards. Drawing from years of coaching experience and consulting across teams and organizations, Betsy dives into the social, cultural, and technological forces that shaped this generation, offering real talk on issues like communication styles, mental health, work ethic, and motivation. Each chapter offers actionable strategies to better communicate and connect with “kids these days” for individual and team success. This book gives you the tools to coach today’s athletes with tomorrow in mind, turning the challenge of “kids these days” into a distinct competitive advantage. Key Selling Points: Immediate Practical Value – Each chapter ends with a “Practice Plan” so coaches can implement what they’ve learned right away. Research-Backed & Field-Tested – Based on years of work in the field with athletes at all levels and grounded in data on Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Empathy Meets Strategy – Helps coaches move from judgment to understanding with actionable strategies to communicate and connect more effectively. Timely & Relatable – Addresses today’s real challenges: short attention spans, instant gratification, social media pressure, and more. Professional Resource – Expedite athlete development, while making coaching healthier, more sustainable, and a whole lot more enjoyable. View Less