Everyone expected us to lose.

We were the 5 seed facing the #1 team in the league.

And after falling behind 5–0 early…

even our own players started believing the game was over.

But then something changed.

In Episode 90 of Summit After the Storm, Bart shares the emotional rollercoaster of a dramatic 13–13 tie against the best team in the league and the leadership lesson hidden inside it:

Sometimes the greatest victory isn’t the scoreboard…

it’s belief.

This episode explores:
⚾ Leadership under pressure⚾ Youth sports and confidence⚾ Momentum swings and resilience⚾ Why belief changes performance⚾ The mental side of competition⚾ How adversity reveals identity

From bases-loaded pressure to a game-saving catch in foul territory, this became more than a baseball game.

It became proof.

Proof that fear can be overcome.
Proof that underdogs can compete.
Proof that sometimes a tie feels like a breakthrough.

Because before people can win difficult battles…

they first have to believe they belong in them.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks
Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Leadership #Baseball #YouthSports #Resilience #Motivation #Mindset #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Sports #LifeLessons

I almost checked my son out of school early for baseball practice.

And honestly…

it turned into a much bigger conversation about childhood, parenting, memories, and what really matters years later.

In Episode 89 of Summit After the Storm, Bart shares a story about balancing academics, dyslexia support, baseball, and family priorities after a local coach invited Noah, Rhys, and Skyler to a special practice session.

That moment triggered a childhood memory Bart never forgot:

A fishing trip with his father…
an argument about homework…
and one simple sentence:

“The homework can wait.”

This episode explores:
⚾ Parenting and balancing priorities⚾ Childhood memories that shape us forever⚾ Why connection matters more than productivity⚾ Raising kids in a high-pressure world⚾ Leadership lessons from family and baseball

Because years later…

kids may not remember every assignment.

But they will remember how we made them feel.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks
Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Parenting #Leadership #Baseball #Family #Dyslexia #LifeLessons #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Motivation #ChildhoodMemories

A former player quit our baseball team a little over a week ago.

Yesterday…

I stayed at his school event just to tell him something simple:

“I still care about you.”

In Episode 88 of Summit After the Storm, Bart shares a deeply personal story about youth sports, anxiety, leadership, compassion, and why people need to know they matter beyond performance.

After learning the quiet battle one young athlete had been fighting internally, Bart reflects on:
⚾ Anxiety and hidden struggles in kids⚾ Leadership beyond wins and losses⚾ Why encouragement matters more than we realize⚾ The importance of showing up for people⚾ Caring about the person more than the performance

Because sometimes the most important moments in leadership happen far away from the scoreboard.

And sometimes the greatest thing we can give someone…

is simply presence.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks
Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Leadership #YouthSports #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Parenting #Coaching #Faith #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #LifeLessons

Yesterday I discovered something I never expected.

35% of Summit After the Storm listeners are from Japan.

And across all podcast platforms, ~45% of this audience is from Asia.

Honestly… it stunned me.

This podcast started as simple stories about storms, mountains, leadership, faith, resilience, family, and the lessons I learned climbing Kilimanjaro.

And somehow…

those stories traveled halfway across the world.

In this special short episode, Bart reflects on:
🌍 The unexpected global reach of the podcast⛰️ Why struggle connects people across cultures🙏 Faith, resilience, and universal human storms✈️ Traveling the world while never having visited Asia… yet🎙️ An invitation for listeners across Asia to share their stories

Because mountains may separate us geographically…

but storms connect all of us.

If you’re listening from Japan or anywhere in Asia, Bart would love to hear from you:
bart@summitafterstorm.com

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks
Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Japan #Asia #Leadership #Faith #PersonalGrowth #Motivation #Resilience #Podcast #Kilimanjaro #LifeLessons

We were three outs away from winning.

Up 6–4.

Then everything unraveled.

Routine mistakes.
Missed fundamentals.
Carelessness under pressure.

In Episode 87 of Summit After the Storm, Bart reflects on a heartbreaking 8–7 baseball loss that became a deeper lesson about leadership, discipline, focus, and life in the valley between the summits.

Because most failures in life don’t begin with catastrophic moments.

They begin with small lapses repeated over time.

And eventually…

pressure exposes everything underneath.

This episode explores:
⚾ Leadership during setbacks
⚾ Why fundamentals matter in sports and life
⚾ How adversity reveals character
⚾ The danger of losing focus
⚾ Why valleys often shape us more than victories

From youth baseball to Kilimanjaro, this is a conversation about perseverance when life gets harder and the climb gets steeper.

Because the summit may get the picture…

but the valley builds the climber.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks
Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Leadership #Baseball #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #Mindset #Motivation #LifeLessons #Faith #Sports #SelfImprovement

We celebrate the milestones.

21

30

40

50

But what about everything in between?

In Episode 86 of Summit After the Storm, Bart reflects on Mother’s Day, celebrating his mom, helping host a hilarious 40th birthday party, and the realization that life is mostly lived in the valley between the summits.

The laughter.
The memories.
The people around the table.

Too often we become so focused on achievement, success, leadership, and reaching the next mountain that we forget to enjoy the climb itself.

This episode is about slowing down, being present, celebrating the people beside you, and remembering that joy is part of the journey too.

Because one day, the moments we treasure most may not be the summits at all…

but the laughter in between them.

🎙️ Summit After the Storm with Bart Wilbanks

summitafterstorm.com

Leadership. Faith. Resilience. Perspective.

#Leadership #PersonalGrowth #MothersDay #Mindset #Faith #Resilience #LifeLessons #Motivation #SelfImprovement #SummitAfterTheStorm

Down 8–7 in the final inning.
Time expired.
One run ties it. Two runs wins it.

In one of the most intense youth baseball endings I’ve ever coached, everything came down to pressure, trust, split-second decisions, and the courage to commit before certainty arrived.

After Noah steals home to tie the game, Asa takes over with a clutch single, steals second, steals third, and stands ninety feet away from victory with two outs and a 1–2 count at the plate.

One more strike… and the game ends in a tie.

Then came the pitch.

This episode isn’t really about baseball.

It’s about leadership under pressure.
Trust built over time.
Faith in uncertain moments.
And the reality that sometimes the biggest decisions in life happen before you know if you’re right.

If you’re a coach, parent, leader, athlete, entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to lead well when the pressure rises, this episode is for you.

⚾ Walk-off win
⚾ Stealing home
⚾ Leadership lessons from youth sports
⚾ Trust and pressure in coaching
⚾ Parenting and leadership
⚾ Faith under pressure
⚾ Summit After the Storm podcast

Hebrews 11:1 — “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Keep Climbing. Pole Pole.

#Leadership #Baseball #YouthSports #Faith #Coaching #Parenting #MentalToughness #SportsPodcast #ChristianPodcast #Motivation #Resilience #SummitAfterTheStorm#YouthBaseball

I opened the dryer yesterday…

and a lot of clothes were ruined.

Yesterday started strong.

I got in a hard workout.
Pushed myself.
Stayed disciplined.

Trying to keep moving toward my fitness goals.

Then I came inside…

and found a purple ink pen in the dryer.

And immediately…

I knew.

Something had gone very wrong.

One by one…

I started pulling clothes out.

Purple ink everywhere.

Shirts.
Shorts.
Laundry covered in stains.

Including my favorite Peter Millar golf shirt.

Completely ruined.

And then I looked inside the dryer.

Purple ink…

all over the drum.
The walls.
The door.

For a second…

I honestly thought:

“It would be easier to just buy another dryer.”

But instead…

I grabbed hand sanitizer, scrubbing pads, and went to work.

An hour later…

the dryer survived.

The clothes didn’t.

And honestly…

there was probably enough value in the ruined clothes to buy a cheaper dryer.

But that’s life in the valley.

You work hard.
You stay disciplined.
You try to move forward.

And sometimes…

something completely unexpected knocks you backward.

In this episode of Summit After the Storm, we talk about:

• Why progress rarely feels smooth• How setbacks test your mindset• The reality of “life in the valley”• And why momentum matters more than perfection

📖 Galatians 6:9 — “Let us not grow weary in doing good…”

Because life is messy.

You can do everything right…

and still take a hit.

But the goal isn’t perfection.

It’s persistence.

🎙️ Follow Summit After the Storm on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music
🌐 SummitAfterStorm.com

Keep climbing. Pole pole.

#mindset#resilience#leadership#personalgrowth#lifelessons

#discipline #growthmindset #keepgoing #selfleadership #motivation