Learn21 — What D1 Soccer Taught Me About Life and Learning

A good day to you!

I want to share a story of starting from behind — and what the experience taught me about life and learning.

In the second semester of my freshman year in college I walked on to a D1 varsity soccer team. I had been a four-year starter in soccer at a small high school in southwest Virginia — plus excelling in football and basketball. I thought I had what I needed to make the D1 soccer team.

At the end of the spring season, I got cut.

This was devastating, but I continued to play with the club soccer team my sophomore year — then received an invitation to rejoin the varsity team at the start of my junior year!

When I was invited back onto the varsity team, I realized something: I was the only guy on the roster who hadn't played club soccer his whole life. Although some of the skills transferred from football and basketball, I was missing the technical and tactical skills that the other guys had; I was playing catch-up from day one.

What I did have was intensity. The coaches saw that I would grind every single practice, that I would push the guys around me to get better. They gave me a chance — and they gave me coaching. My incredible coaches helped me develop technical and tactical skills I never would have found on my own, helping me become good enough to contribute in games.

Through this effort, I became the only two-time winner of the Coach's Award in the program's history. I was definitely not the most talented; I won the awards for showing up every day and doing the work for my own development, plus helping the other guys in many ways.

What I Learned

Interestingly for my soccer career, I never fully closed the gap between where I started and my teammates. I started some games my senior year, having a few good performances — but I was always a better practice player than a game player. The guys with a decade of club training had knowledge and skills that I couldn't replicate in three years.

But I learned something more valuable than soccer skills: I learned how to improve when you're starting from behind. I learned that effort alone isn't enough; effort needs direction, feedback, and a system. I learned that the right coaching can help you see in ways that you would never find on your own.

Why This Matters for Learn21

I built Learn21 for people who want to get more out of life.

Maybe you're watching others pick up skills that seem impossible for you; maybe you're putting in effort but not seeing the progress you expected; or, maybe you've wondered if you're just not built for this.

I've been there and know the feeling. However, I've spent the last 12 years as a teacher and coach — honing my understanding why some people stay stuck and other people improve.

Though talent matters some, the difference between being stuck and improving is rarely talent. The difference is having a system that makes your effort count.

Learn21 gives you that system. In 21 days, you'll understand how learning actually works — and you'll apply that understanding to a real project you care about. You will build a learning system you can use for the rest of your life!

The first cohort begins Thursday, February 5th.

​Learn more and reserve your spot here!​

If you have questions I haven't answered, simply reply to this email — I read and respond to every one.

[If you want to see the exact breakdown of the schedule, use this link.]

All the best!

Nathan

If you want to get a preview on some of the foundational ideas in Learn21, check out this essay: That’s How Learning Works?!?! A Comprehensive Model for Understanding the Learning Process.