The View From Here with Jared Sinclair

The View From Here: Jose Luna on Coaching, Community and Giving Kids What He Never Had

contact@smackwise.com (Jared Sinclair, Jose Luna) — Tue, 3 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Growing up in Anaheim - Jose's baseball was a broomstick and a tennis ball in the street, with one shared team glove. Sports kept him mentally away from the streets.

"Daddy ball" to the board - He started as a dad on the field when his oldest son, Ezra, joined baseball. He worked up through assistant coach and manager, and is now field maintenance chair and vice president of Escondido American Little League. All of the board roles are volunteer.

Team vs. program - Jose runs the Hidden City Bashers travel teams (12U, 13U and 14U) as a family-style team rather than a pay-to-play program. He knows every player by name, along with their siblings and parents. He says kids earn their spots, not their parents' wallets.

What he looks for in players - Coachability. He wants kids who listen and ask questions.

Coaching his own sons - He is harder on his own kids so he can hold the whole team to the same standard. At the field he's "Coach," not "Dad."

A trial period instead of tryouts - New players practice with the team a few times to see whether it's a good fit for both sides.

Building failure into learning - He tells players they will fail before they get it right. He also points out that showing up to every practice adds up over time.

A new chapter - He recently began coaching at Escondido High School. He wants the Bashers to act as a feeder team into the program, and he's working toward a CIF team.

Community - The Bashers share holiday traditions, including a Basher Thanksgiving and a Christmas party. A 12U team is headed to Cooperstown next year.

Key takeaway

Show up for kids, hold them to a standard, and help them see what hard work can do for them.

Links

Instagram: HiddenCityBashers_12u-13u_14u

About the Host: Jared Sinclair, EdD, MBA is an organizational effectiveness consultant with smackwise.com, where he provides organizational effectiveness assessments and consulting services. To connect with Jared regarding this episode or to request a guest appearance on this podcast, please send correspondence to contact@smackwise.com.

The View From Here with Jared Sinclair: Adam Schmaltz on Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Running an Accountable Gym

contact@smackwise.com (Adam Schmaltz, Jared Sinclair) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Episode Highlights
How it started: Adam's first jiu-jitsu exposure was a box set of Gracie VHS tapes from a garage sale around 2002. He and his friends practiced on an upside-down trampoline in the backyard.Early training: A gym was too far away and too expensive on a minimum-wage job. When one finally opened in his neighborhood, he trained constantly, and a sparring round ended in a choke.

Adding judo: A visiting judo leader urged him to get ranked. About two years of extra work later, he earned his judo rank.

Spotting a legitimate school: He explains what to look for, including federation certification, background checks, CPR and safe sport courses. He also covers why he's wary of instructors who discourage cross-training or competing.

Rethinking how jiu-jitsu is taught: Kinesiology and motor-learning research showed him how far jiu-jitsu lags behind other sports in practice methods, which led him to open his own gym.

Rankings beyond belts: He and a student built a patented, chess-style performance rating system called Casual Rankings. It pairs people by skill instead of belt color.

Accountability by design:

White mats that show the dirt
A wall clock that runs class times
No fees for belt promotions
Cameras throughout the gym
One-in, one-out bathrooms
No rides home for minors

Links:
Website: www.missiongrappling.com
Instagram: @MissionGapplingClub
Adam's personal Instagram: @jmny_crkt

The View From Here With Jared Sinclair: Zesty Harper On Putting Students First

contact@smackwise.com (Jared Sinclair, Zesty Harper) — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Zesty was born and raised in Escondido. She attended California State University, San Marcos, where she graduated with a Bachelors in Liberal Arts and received her teaching credential. Zesty taught 5th and 6th grade in Escondido and worked one-on-one with under-served youth in the community.

Zesty has a passion for working to ensure that all Escondido students receive a quality public education. Zesty is married to her husband, John, and is mom to Aubrey, Lilly, and Penny. Zesty is the current President of the Escondido Union School District and focuses on bringing practical solutions to complex problems. When not attending EUSD functions, you can probably find Zesty at the softball fields cheering on her daughters.

Coming Soon!

contact@smackwise.com (Jared Sinclair) — Sun, 4 Oct 2026 21:44:37 +0000

Coming Soon! The View From Here with Jared Sinclair brings you face to face with fascinating, intelligent, and successful people. Founders, leaders, experts, and thinkers who've climbed high enough, researched deep enough, and experienced enough to see and understand things the rest of us might miss. We sit down for real, unscripted conversations about how they think, what they've learned, and the hard won perspective behind their knowledge and success. Every episode hands you a front row seat to perspective, ideas, and knowledge you won't find anywhere else, the kind of insight that shifts how you think, sharpens how you make decisions, and gives you an edge most people never get. No filters, no fluff, just candid conversations with people worth listening to. About the Host: Jared Sinclair, EdD, MBA is an organizational effectiveness consultant with smackwise.com, where he provides organizational effectiveness assessments and consulting services. To connect with Jared regarding this episode or to request a guest appearance on this podcast, please send correspondence to contact@smackwise.com.