Podcast Summary: Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford

Episode: How Setbacks Shape Champions: The Untold Side of Making It to the Big Leagues
Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Matt Hannaford
Guests: Zach Cole (Houston Astros), Joe (mindset coach)

Episode Overview

This episode delves deeply into how dealing with adversity, setbacks, and personal growth is vital in the journey to baseball’s highest level. Host Matt Hannaford, joined by his client and friend Zach Cole, recently debuted with the Houston Astros, and Joe, Zach’s mindset coach, expose the untold side of what it means to become a “champion.” The discussion centers not just on physical skill development, but on mentality, identity, perseverance, faith, and the critical influence of family and coaching support. This is a candid, inspiring conversation for athletes, parents, and baseball enthusiasts.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Zach Cole’s Story: From Struggles to Dream Debut

• Debut Highlights: Zach homered on the first MLB pitch he saw and robbed a home run in the same inning—a “storybook” debut.
  [00:27] Matt: “You arguably had the best debut of anybody that I can remember… you hit a home run in your very first pitch… you robbed a home run in the very first inning, which… set the tone for the debut.”

• Setbacks Before Success: The year before, Zach ended his season on a low—back-to-back games with four strikeouts (the “golden sombrero”). [01:40] Zach: “I specifically remember getting the gold sombreros two games in a row to end the season…”

2. Early Adversity and Parental Influence

• Not a Childhood Prodigy: Zach struggled to stand out as a kid and even considered quitting at age 10 after sitting out an entire tournament. [02:29] Zach: “From a young age, I struggled for a long time. I remember a specific instance, particularly when I was 10 years old with my dad… I never touched the field one time for an entire weekend… It was a wake-up call.”

• Turning Point: Instead of quitting, Zach doubled down, practicing with his dad every night. He made the starting lineup the next year. [03:30] Zach: “We went out and bought a bonet, set it up in the garage… we hit every night… the next year I came back [and] eventually played myself into a starting position…”

• Supportive but Non-Pushy Parents: Zach’s father, rather than forcing baseball, always left the decision to Zach, fueling intrinsic motivation. [08:19] Zach: “He always gave me the opportunity… after that first time, it was always me who went to go get [the bat] after that… My dad was never like that [a ‘pushy parent’].”

  [10:51] Zach: “I don’t think you can force a baseball career. I don’t think you can force almost anything in life. The separator… is mentality 100%, it’s the sixth tool that you can’t teach.”

3. Mental Health, Identity, and Mindset Shifts

• The Cost of Making Baseball Your Identity: Zach describes how athletes who tie their identity to baseball struggle most with adversity. [22:35] Zach: “You gotta decide who you are as a person. Am I somebody who plays baseball, or am I a baseball player? Baseball does not make a good god… If you worship the game, it will turn its back on you.”

• Learning to Handle Failure and Not Running from Adversity: In both college and the minors, Zach considered leaving Ball State after lack of playing time, but stayed. This decision became foundational. [17:39] Zach: “It would be easier for me to just turn tail, run, run away from adversity… but if I couldn’t make it here, I definitely couldn’t make it in pro ball.”

• Mindset Work and Clarity: Joe’s coaching helped Zach become self-aware and intentional, focusing not on avoidance (of strikeouts) but on positive presence (“the hardest out in baseball”). [46:41] Joe: “I know what you don’t want, which is you don’t want to strike out. What do you want? … [Zach:] I want to be the hardest out in baseball.”

  [47:01] Zach: “We were taking our agency back… I could stay the same person the whole time.”

• Faith and Surrender: Zach’s journey involved releasing control and “letting go” for real transformation. [28:28] Zach: “For the first time in my life, I started to look at it as just something that I did. And it was an avenue to do the Lord’s work… If I don’t make it to the big leagues, I’m going to be okay.”

  [34:13] Zach: “I feel like [God] was waiting for me to just give it up. He was waiting for me to just hold out the baseball career and say, do with it what you want, because before I level you up, you gotta be ready to handle what I’m about to give you.”

4. Practical Mental Tools and Unlearning Old Stories

• Awareness and Language: Zach realized the negative effect of labeling experiences as “good” or “bad”; instead, reframing as “data” to stay neutral and adaptive. [47:01] Zach: “It’s just data, it’s just information, it’s just feedback. You don’t have to put emotions on it… If we can just look at it as what’s happening around us… we can make an adjustment without falling apart.”

• Power of Choice and Agency: Both Joe and Zach stress the importance of agency in navigating baseball and life, encouraging others not to give away their power.

5. The Power of Community and Coaching

• You Can’t Do It Alone: The episode repeatedly underscores that, to reach “mountaintops,” everyone needs help—be it family, faith, or outside mentorship. [38:50] Joe: “You really can’t do it alone… Most people would say, you’ve been in AA too long, so maybe that’s a sign of who you are… But we were like, no, let’s go build something brand new.”

  [64:29] Matt: “Credit also goes to you for being open… How many players are in the same place that you were who don’t ever do it?”
  [65:31] Zach: “More than the majority. Yeah, absolutely right...we’re so resourceful, we’re so smart… but eventually you’re going to be put into something in your life where you can’t overcome it by yourself.”

• Unlearning Limiting Mindsets: Zach talks about realizing even “old” strategies that brought early success might have to be “shed” (like rocket boosters) to reach new heights. [67:52] Zach: “I think of a rocket ship when it’s going into space. Certain parts have to fall off so it can keep going up. But those certain parts… are what got you off the ground… But we’re not on the ground anymore…”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Intrinsic Drive:
  [12:24] Zach: “A lot of kids get burned out...they’re out there because they think their parents want them to...for me, it was always about the game.”

• Owning Your Uniqueness:
  [13:48] Zach: “He sat there and said, ‘Where are all my professional athletes?’ And I was the only guy that raised my hand in the whole auditorium. And people laughed at me. I could hear them. And I was like, you know what? Screw it.”

• On Surrendering Dreams:
  [29:08] Joe: “You can’t really get the thing you want until you’re willing to truly give it up. And it’s such a paradoxical idea...”

• Rock Bottom to Mountaintop:
  [39:18] Zach: “Every time I open my mouth, I feel stupid because...Joe is always like, well, you’re labeling yourself, or you’re creating your own barriers...You don't realize that you’re even creating these barriers and labels and trials for yourself until you really dive in.”

• On Consistency:
  [76:53] Zach: “How can you be a consistent baseball player if you can’t be a consistent person?”

• Advice for Parents and Players:
  [77:33] Zach: “If you really love the game, then go for it...Don’t be intimidated by anybody and don’t let anyone tell you what it is or is impossible.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:27] – Zach’s MLB debut and 2024 adversity
• [02:29] – Childhood struggles & practicing with dad
• [10:51] – Why you can’t “force” a baseball career
• [17:39] – Overcoming struggle at Ball State; fear of regret
• [22:35] – The mental identity crisis of being a “baseball player”
• [28:28] – Faith, surrender, and breaking free from “big leagues or bust”
• [30:32] – Mindset coaching: focusing on clarity, not negative avoidance
• [46:41] – Becoming the “most competitive out” and agency in adversity
• [64:29] – Being open to help; most people don’t do the inner work
• [67:52] – Rocket analogy: letting go of old strategies
• [76:53] – Consistency in life leads to consistency in baseball
• [77:33] – Closing advice for parents and players

Tone and Takeaways

The episode is direct, candid, and loaded with hard-won wisdom but remains warm and affirming, with real vulnerability and mutual respect among all three speakers. It blends baseball grind stories and competitive insight with honest talk about depression, surrender, and faith. The repeated message: greatness on the field is impossible without true transformation off it.

Final Advice to Players & Parents:

• Focus on becoming a complete person, not just a player
• Seek help when you hit a wall; everyone needs a team
• Don’t let external voices define your limits
• Faith, honesty with oneself, and the willingness to “let go” turn setbacks into stepping stones

Memorable Final Word – Zach Cole [77:33]:
“If you really love the game, then go for it… Don’t be intimidated by anybody and don’t let anyone tell you what it is or isn’t possible.”

[End of summary]

(This summary excluded all non-content sections such as intros, outros, and ads, and used natural language reflecting the speakers’ tone.)