The Positive Coach – 2025 Year in Review

At the start of 2025, I didn’t know how much would change by the end of the year. What I did know was that I needed to stay open. Open to learning, to letting go, and to what came next. Looking back now, I see a year defined by consistent leadership, values-based decision making, and growth through women’s sports and coach education.

This is my 2025 year in review, a reflection on the moments that shaped me as an educator, coach, and founder of The Positive Coach.

Finishing Well: Closing Coastside Leadership Academy

In January, LaRue and I announced that our school, Coastside Leadership Academy, would close at the end of the school year. I felt grounded in the decision and deeply proud of what we had built. Our microschool served students with intention, care, and joy, but it was time to move on.

While I imagined an ending filled with time in nature, our students needed something different. Supporting their transition back into traditional school settings became the priority. This season taught me one of the most important leadership lessons of the year: finishing well matters, especially when the ending is hard.

Women’s Sports as a Leadership Path

As the year unfolded, my connection to women’s sports and coaching leadership became clearer. In April, I was invited to speak on a panel at the San Francisco Giants’ Kids’ Day, alongside Giants players Sam Huff and Lou Trivino. The panel was hosted by sports journalist Amy G, making the experience especially meaningful.

We discussed my career in playing softball and coaching, the growth of women’s sports, and leadership lessons learned through athletics. Hearing questions from young athletes, and connecting with fans afterward was energizing. That experience affirmed what I already felt in my body: uplifting women and girls through sports is where I’m meant to focus my work.

Community and Belonging in Professional Women’s Sports

May marked the inaugural season of the Golden State Valkyries, and having season tickets gave me something to look forward to each week. The sense of community in the stands was powerful, and I also go to connect with friends and family who joined me to the games. Watching the Bay Area rally around a professional women’s basketball team was a reminder of how sports can bring people together and create belonging.

Later in the year, the Valkyries made history by becoming the first WNBA expansion team to win more than 17 games and qualify for the playoffs. Even after a tough loss in the postseason, the standing ovation from the crowd was unforgettable and brought tears to my eyes. The support for women striving for excellence was overwhelming in the best way.

Letting Go and Making Space for What’s Next

June brought the physical and emotional process of closing CLA. Cleaning out my garage, selling the school van, and saying goodbye to a role that had defined me for years felt heavy. In just three years, I had opened a school, led a nonprofit, served as a principal, and then closed it all with care.

This chapter taught me that grief and pride can coexist, and that leadership sometimes means making space before the next step becomes clear.

Coaching Education and The Positive Coach

This summer, I led a coaching seminar at Pacifica Ignite Volleyball Club’s Coach Bootcamp, my first independently organized, non-softball clinic through The Positive Coach. I shared my Coaching Toolbox, focusing on communication, leadership, and team culture. Connecting with coaches across sports reaffirmed that coach education and uplifting coaches is where I want to continue growing my impact.

Developing Leaders Through Coach Education

This fall, I worked with the Women’s Coaching Alliance (WCA), leading leadership academies for both first-time and returning coaches. I developed a new curriculum focused on writing a personal coaching philosophy and values-based leadership.

Hearing the returning coaches reflect on their seasons and read their coaching philosophies aloud was incredibly moving. Their commitment to supporting athletes as whole people confirmed something I deeply believe: when we invest in coaches, especially women who coach, we shape the future of sport. Creating and teaching my own curriculum strengthened my confidence as an educator and leadership coach. Seeing my work build others’ confidence was one of the most meaningful outcomes of the year.

Speaking, Learning, and Growing as a Coach

Through the WCA, I was invited to speak at Generation Thrive and the Golden State Foundation’s Coaches Unplugged, sharing practical tools for building community and positive team culture. My favorite part was meeting coaches from all over the Bay Area and hearing their stories. It was amazing to see how deeply they cared about their players and wanted to learn more about how to best support them. 

I also attended additional coach trainings with organizations I admire, including:

• The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport, focusing on emotional safety.
• Girls Leadership, emphasizing belonging and leadership development for girls in sport.

These experiences reminded me that great coaches are lifelong learners, and I want to continue creating and participating in spaces that support that growth.

A Full-Circle Moment: Learning from Coach Natalie Nakase

Coaches Unplugged is a valuable free resource for coaches in the community, and I was excited when Golden State Valkyries’ Head Coach and WNBA Coach of the Year, Natalie Nakase, and her coaching staff were the speakers at the last session of 2025. Hearing Coach Nakase speak felt like a meaningful culmination of the year for me. I had spent the season cheering on the Valkyries, admiring her leadership from the stands, and it was surreal to then hear her speak on the same platform I had presented on just months earlier.

I love learning from other coaches, especially those I deeply admire, and Coach Nakase embodies the kind of leader I respect. She is disciplined, challenging, truth-giving, and deeply loving. Every moment of the panel made it clear how much she and her staff care about their players and their game. Their passion was contagious, and I didn’t want the conversation to end. Sitting in the front row, listening to reflections on the inaugural season, felt like a powerful reminder of why women’s sports leadership and coach education matter so much to me.

Leadership Lessons from 2025

Experiences like these reminded me that leadership isn’t just about what you build, it’s about the mentors you learn from, the consistency you show, and the passion you carry forward into the next chapter. This year taught me that leadership doesn’t always look like building something new. Sometimes leadership looks like:

• Finishing well
• Listening deeply to myself and others
• Choosing alignment over momentum
• Staying consistent with your values through change

In 2025, I learned how to lead myself through transition while staying rooted in what matters most.

As I look ahead to 2026, I feel called to continue supporting coaches, women and girls in sports, and emerging female leaders. A refresh is coming, and I’m ready.

Happy New Year,
Claire Rietmann-Grout
Founder, The Positive Coach