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Coaching with Belonging: Lessons from Owen Eastwood

Last week I was fortunate to sit in on a Zoom with Owen Eastwood, a performance coach whose work I greatly admire.

Some coaches fall into championship environments while success seems to follow others wherever they go. Eastwood is one of the later. He worked with the Celtics, last years NBA champion, England's national soccer team through their most successful stretch in decades. Perhaps most famously he helped create the environment that allowed Europe to overcome long odds against the Americans in the 2023 Ryder Cup. Success follows him wherever he goes.

Eastwood wrote a wonderful book called Belonging: The Ancient Code of Togetherness. It's the book I most frequently recommend to leaders and coaches who are looking to improve culture. It does an excellent job of outlining his philosophy to build thriving environments.

I wanted to share some of my insights from his book and various podcasts he has appeared.

I feel that the beauty of how Eastwood builds and maintains championship culture is in its simplicity; who are you and where are you from? This is the basis for everything he does.

He does not lead from the front but forges great relationships with team leaders and empowers them to lead the team.

Great teams are built on more than just talent and strategy—they are forged in a culture of trust, connection, and shared purpose.

The Power of Whakapapa

One of Eastwood’s core principle is the Māori concept of whakapapa, a lineage or chain of belonging that links people to their past, present, and future. I love to apply this concept in sport.

For coaches, this means fostering a sense of continuity and connection within their teams. Athletes should feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves—an ongoing story of those who came before them and those who will follow.

He does a wonderful job of researching the history of the teams he works with and connects the current team to the teams that came before them.

Eastwood's techniques for establishing Whakapapa

Share stories of past players and team successes to build a sense of history.
Create rituals that connect players to the team’s legacy, such as special pre-game traditions or alumni involvement.
Emphasize that every player contributes to shaping the culture and future of the program.

Establishing a Strong Team Identity

Eastwood emphasizes that teams perform at their best when they have a clear and meaningful identity. He talked about how the challenge with the Ryder Cup team was to embrace the identity of being the underdog and feed off the emotions of the home crowd.

In his book he talked about a simple exercise to help everyone connect to the team's values. Passing a token representing each of the team's values and having each player (starting with the leaders) explain what that value meant to them. This is a powerful way to bring the teams values to life

Players must understand what the team stands for and what is expected of them beyond just winning. The best teams don't simply set standards, they embody them.

Eastwood's Techniques to Apply This:

Work with your athletes to define core values that guide behavior on and off the field.
Reinforce these values daily through actions, discussions, and recognition of players who embody them.
Develop a team motto or mission statement that reflects the collective purpose.

Psychological Safety: Creating an Environment of Trust

Athletes perform best when they feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of harsh judgment. This is known as psychological safety. It is deeply rooted in our need to belong. In ancient times, getting kicked out of the group meant death.

Our brains still crave this level of acceptance.

Eastwood highlights the importance of creating a culture where players feel valued and respected.

Eastwood stressed the importance of onboarding athletes when they are new to the team. Frequently in the world of professional sports players arrive on a team and there is nothing to make them feel welcome them to their new environment. Just instructions on when practice or the next game is. This leaves athletes feeling uncertain and placing added pressure to perform to gain acceptance.

The New Zealand All-Blacks make sure that their new players feel welcome upon their selection to the first team. They hold a ceremony where the captain presents the new player their jersey highlighting those who came before them.

It powerfully signals they belong before they even pull the jersey on.

How to Apply This:

Aggresssively onboard. Build safety by making sure athletes understand how the team works.
Encourage open communication and active listening between coaches and players.
Avoid a fear-based coaching style—focus on constructive feedback and solutions.
Make vulnerability a strength by sharing personal stories and acknowledging challenges.

The Role of Leadership: Coaches as Culture Builders

Culture isn’t built overnight—it requires consistent stewardship.

Eastwood’s work underscores the importance of coaches being intentional about shaping the team environment.

He believes that the key to this is empowering great leaders within the team.

When the stakeholders are driving culture it is the key indicator of an environment that is flourishing.

How Eastwood Applies This:

Lead by example in embodying the team’s values.
The stronger the relationships the stronger the team.
Invest time in understanding each player’s background and motivations.
Recognize and celebrate small cultural wins, such as acts of selflessness and resilience.

Bringing It All Together

Every coach, regardless of level, has the ability to create a culture of belonging within their team. By integrating Owen Eastwood’s principles—embracing whakapapa, building a strong identity, fostering psychological safety, and leading with purpose—you can develop a team culture that enhances both performance and personal growth.

A strong culture doesn’t just make better athletes; it creates better people. And when people feel they truly belong, they give their best—not just for themselves, but for the team.