Over the past few weeks, during the inevitable overlap of sports seasons, I’ve had a small window — very small, if I’m honest — to reflect.
Recently, College Sports Communicators has been recognizing its Lifetime Achievement Award recipients and 25-Year Award honorees. Those recognitions matter. Longevity matters. Impact matters.
But it also made me consider something else:
No external honor replaces internal regulation.
If we cannot manage ourselves — our emotions, our reactions, our perspective — then no award, title, or job will ever feel like enough.
So today’s post is about that. About regulation. Especially in busy seasons.
And for those in the middle of a job search, this is equally important. Self-compassion and self-management are foundational. The job is just one piece of the puzzle. Managing yourself well will always be more rewarding — and more sustainable — than any title you hold.
When Things Get Intense, Most People React
They fire off the email.
They send the text.
They snap in the meeting.
They make the call they can’t undo.
In athletic communications — and in leadership — intensity is not an exception.
It’s the job description.
Game nights.
Deadlines.
Coaches who need something now.
Administrators who needed it yesterday.
Student-athletes navigating emotional highs and lows.
Pressure is built into the profession.
The differentiator isn’t who avoids stress.
It’s who regulates under stress.
Don’t React. Regulate.
When the temperature rises, your first responsibility is not to respond.
It’s to regulate.
Slow your breathing.
Move your body — even if it’s just a walk down the hallway.
Step away from the keyboard.
You are managing your physiological state before you manage the situation.
Because once you hit send — once you say it in the meeting — once you post it publicly — you don’t get that moment back.
Emotional control is a competitive advantage.
Control the Controllables
After you regulate, shift your focus.
Ask a simple question: What can I actually control?
Not the officiating.
Not budget limitations.
Not institutional politics.
Not the last-second loss.
You control:
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Your preparation
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Your effort
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Your attitude
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Your honesty
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Your follow-up
In athletic communications, that might look like:
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Double-checking the stat line instead of rushing it.
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Owning a mistake instead of deflecting it.
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Delivering difficult information clearly instead of softening it into confusion.
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Maintaining a consistent tone when others do not.
Professionals don’t burn energy wrestling what’s outside their lane.
They execute what’s inside it.
Stress Is Not the Enemy
Stress is part of the arena.
If you care about outcomes — about serving coaches, administrators, and student-athletes well — you will feel it.
The question isn’t whether stress shows up.
The question is: How do you show up when it does?
Do you become reactive?
Or do you become steady?
Your reputation is built in those moments.
Not when things are calm.
Not when the scoreboard favors you.
Not when inboxes are quiet.
But when everything is loud — and you choose composure anyway.
The Choice Is Daily
Regulation isn’t a one-time decision.
It’s a habit.
You build it in small moments:
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Pausing before replying.
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Asking one more clarifying question.
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Taking responsibility without excuse.
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Choosing professionalism when venting would be easier.
Over time, that consistency compounds.
In crowded applicant pools.
In high-pressure environments.
In leadership conversations.
Composure stands out.
Stress is part of life.
Intensity is part of the job.
How you show up in it?
That’s a choice.
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