Kids These Days: Effective Strategies for Coaching Gen Z and Beyond

by Betsy Butterick

“Betsy shares some of the best tools out there to navigate the crucial conversations that so often arise when working in a high-performance environment. Over the years, she’s given us small shifts in our communication skills that we could put into practice immediately - with big results! Without a doubt, we had great success as a team because of her.”

Lisa Cellucci, Head Coach, Field Hockey - University of Iowa

If you’ve ever said the phrase, “Kids these days…” this book is for you.

In Kids These Effective Strategies for Coaching Gen Z and Beyond, communication specialist Betsy Butterick helps coaches and leaders bridge the generational gap. With clarity, compassion, and humor, she explains what makes today’s athletes different—and how to adjust your approach without compromising your standards.

Drawing from years of coaching experience and consulting across teams and organizations, Betsy dives into the social, cultural, and technological forces that shaped this generation, offering real talk on issues like communication styles, mental health, work ethic, and motivation. Each chapter offers actionable strategies to better communicate and connect with “kids these days” for individual and team success.

This book gives you the tools to coach today’s athletes with tomorrow in mind, turning the challenge of “kids these days” into a distinct competitive advantage.

Key Selling Points:

Immediate Practical Value – Each chapter ends with a “Practice Plan” so coaches can implement what they’ve learned right away.Research-Backed & Field-Tested – Based on years of work in the field with athletes at all levels and grounded in data on Gen Z and Gen Alpha.Empathy Meets Strategy – Helps coaches move from judgment to understanding with actionable strategies to communicate and connect more effectively.Timely & Relatable – Addresses today’s real short attention spans, instant gratification, social media pressure, and more.Professional Resource – Expedite athlete development, while making coaching healthier, more sustainable, and a whole lot more enjoyable.

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2025

Reviews

[Krystle Robleski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actionable, accurate and already working for me. I need to go thru and highlight, tab and mark up for easy reference to the key action items. Everyone who teaches others should read this book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for anyone who works with this younger cohort of Gen Z young adults/college aged kids. I found this to be valuable and validating in my experience working with collegiate athletes for the past 15 years. The majority of "kids these days" are different than even those who came through 6 years ago, and I'm glad there is evidence for the patterns I've picked up on (and have been venting to colleagues and friends about) for the past few years.

The author has realistic and helpful (but not pushy) suggestions for tweaking the way information is presented or language you might use in conversations in connecting with these kids. She gives smart insight to real examples shes encountered herself. I think it is very palatable for anyone, especially including coaches who might be more stuck in their ways or unsure of and hesitant to change.

Work provided a copy for me to read and I have already been recommending it to my coworkers all over the athletic department. I think it could even be valuable for people who might be managing young adults in the workplace these days, especially when feedback doesn't seem to land, you need new hires to "buy in", or if expectations need to be clarified/reframed.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a coach who will be working with young athletes or even want a better understanding of how to work with the younger generation, this is a must read! I appreciate that Betsy doesn’t insist that her ideas are the best and the only way to manage young athletes - she wants it to be a resource for utilization when needed. She provides insight from interviews and interactions with coaches and young athletes alongside well documented research from other experts then, gives practical interventions and realistic ideas for coaches to improve their communication and relationships with younger athletes. Betsy also doesn’t shame coaches or athletes for their short-comings - she calls you to reflect on yourself and gives you a call to action that doesn’t seem out of reach!

[Siera Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supportive strategies for coaches

The ideas Betsy shared in this book are easy to implement at any place and time. As a youth coach, I find this book to be extremely relevant to current events in the youth sports world. I appreciate the way Betsy delivers her messages with direct information and positivity. A must-have for coaches!

[Anne Versprille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is geared towards coaching but I think it’s good for everyone to read. Easy read with so many tips! A must for coaches!

[Joanna Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever said "kids these days" then start reading. Real-life strategy from one of the best. Want a real treat? Check out the audiobook. You'll be able to listen to Betsy all day.

[Erin O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as part of the coaching staff so I’m counting it towards my goal. Some good advice and ideas in here

[Alison Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read in a long time! Highly recommend, I’m going to read it over and over and over again.

[Dan Schofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book along with other members of the athletics department. It had some good ideas and valuable tips.

[Tina Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coaching Gold

This book is a must read for coaches. I can’t wait to incorporate many of the suggestions with my team. Thank you!