Success isn’t just about winning—it’s about building a culture of excellence that shapes lives beyond the game. From her days as a student-athlete at UC Santa Barbara to her role as head coach of UCLA Women’s Basketball, CORI CLOSE has spent over 30 years mentoring, coaching, and inspiring young athletes to reach their full potential. In this dynamic conversation, Close shares her transformational journey, the leadership lessons she learned along the way, and the power of sports to instill resilience, discipline, and purpose.

Close’s career has been shaped by legendary coach John Wooden, who mentored her for 15 years, leaving an indelible impact on her coaching philosophy. She will explore how those lessons helped her turn players into leaders, create a winning team culture, and balance the pursuit of championships with developing strong, confident young women. She will also reflect on the work-hard, play-hard culture at UCSB, sharing how that mindset prepared her for success and shaped the way she inspires her teams today.

More than just a talk on basketball, this conversation is a masterclass in leadership, culture-building, and personal growth. Whether you're a coach, business leader, athlete, or professional looking to cultivate a winning mindset, Close’s insights will leave you with actionable strategies to lead with passion, integrity, and impact.

Coach CORI CLOSE knows all too well what it means to ‘show up’ no matter the circumstances. In this talk, she discusses the importance of ‘showing up’ day in and day out when you’re trying to achieve a goal. She pulls from her own personal experiences as the head coach of the UCLA women’s basketball team and how she became the winningest coach ever in UCLA Women’s Basketball history. This talk will leave your audience inspired.  

CORI CLOSE like many of us, draws her inspiration from the late great John Wooden, someone who was a major influence on her success. He served as a mentor to her throughout her coaching career. In this talk, Coach close dives deep into focusing on the process and doing your very best each and every day.