This episode is a conversation with Jason Burton. I found this to be a conversation filled with grace and strength. Jason Burton and his program underwent true heartbreak in his first season as head coach at Texas A&M-Commerce, with two student-athletes, Aubree Butts and Devin Oliver being killed in a car accident. Coach Burton shares his story of heartbreak and loss in moving towards greater ways of serving and being with each other. Along the way, he explores what it means to invest in people, combining support and challenge, and the power of a hug.
Jason Burton is the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he’s entering his 7th season as head coach of the Lions. Coach Burton is coming off the most successful season of his tenure, which featured a 28-3 record, conference coach of the year honors, qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row, and becoming the winningest coach in school history.
Just as Willis Wilson helped to inspire this podcast for me, so too did Coach Burton. His openness in use of words like love, heart, and listening as core concepts to his leadership jumped out at and resonated with me. He was open about this vision for leadership and servant-leadership in a way I hadn’t heard before in college basketball. And after connecting with him further, I felt that others might be able to benefit from a similar dialogue.
Further Reading:
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