Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance
Advice and Inspiration from the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Coach of 7 NCAA Championship Teams
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Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance
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Narrated by:
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Valorie Kondos Field
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Written by:
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Valorie Kondos Field
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Steve Cooper - contributor
About this listen
Highly acclaimed UCLA women's gymnastics Coach Valorie Kondos Field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success.
How did a professional ballerina become one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history? Valorie Kondos Field - or Miss Val, as she's affectionately known - has never even tumbled, flipped, or ever played any type of organized sports, and yet she has been able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, attention to detail, and unwavering care for the overall well-being of her athletes. For Miss Val, it's not about the X's and O's, it's about choreographing your life and owning the choices you make.
Miss Val has shaped her UCLA gymnastics program as a life-skills class, and now she's sharing those lessons with you, whether you're an athlete, business leader, or simply someone who wants to own his or her destiny. Miss Val's philosophies are timeless. Her coaching style is unorthodox. Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is a thought-provoking, fun journey through the personal stories and anecdotes of the 35-year career of a dancer/choreographer turned athletic coach. Included are Miss Val's favorite memories she experienced with her mentor, legendary Coach John Wooden; as well as some of her most unforgettable stories of the Olympians and student-athletes she's coached. In 2014, Miss Val was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she explains how she made it one of the best years of her life - really!
Miss Val reveals how her head-coaching journey started off disastrously, spending years mimicking other top coaches while her team suffered because of her lack of authenticity. In time, she realized being a gymnastics immigrant wasn't a detriment, it was a gift. When she embraced and honed her own uniqueness, Miss Val led her Bruins to six NCAA championships and became one of only two active coaches to ever be inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2016, Miss Val was named Pac-12 "Gymnastics Coach of the Century".
Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is packed with brutally honest advice delivered in an inspirational tone for which Miss Val is known. Did we mention she's a ballerina who's never played sports?
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Valorie Kondos Field (P)2018 Hachette AudioWhat the critics say
"It's really easy to give up when things are not going your way, or when things are challenging, or when you have adversity or struggle, but she always stays positive." (Nastia Liukin, Olympic gold medalist)
"Miss Val's coaching technique really appealed to me because it was very different than elite gymnastics. She always reminds me before meets, never take life for granted and to cherish every moment." (Simone Biles, four-time Olympic gold medalist)
"Miss Val is a force of nature. Her journey to the top is a riveting story. Her demand for personal excellence and her ability to create belief in her student athletes provides for a great read and success model for all." (Sue Enquist, founder of ONE Softball, former UCLA head softball coach, 11-time national champion)
What listeners say about Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 2018-12-03
great book!
Love miss Val's narration, very real and honest. I really enjoyed the whole beginning but was felt it sort of dropped off at the end... maybe that's just me! it had me hooked until the chapter 21 and then lost my interest.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gugu
- 2019-03-18
The Essence of Leadership
The core of Miss Val’s story is the essence of ‘true’ leadership. She shares an authentic story on how she achieves this. She touches on all aspects that make us completely human; - the spiritual, the physical, the mental and the emotional. This book is about motivating and inspiring these aspects of any team or individual.
I believe anyone in the position to influence, impress or mentor the younger generation should read this book.
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