FREE FOR THE MILITARY COMMUNITY
SERVICE MEMBERS ⢠VETERANS ⢠MILITARY SPOUSES â˘Â GOLD STAR FAMILY MEMBERS
ABOUT THE EVENT
LAST YEAR, SOMETHING BIG STARTED
In 2025, Soldiers to Sidelines hosted its first-ever Coaching Summit in Nashville.
More than:
â 170+ service members and veterans attended
â 80+ coaches earned their STS certification for the first time
â elite coaches from the NFL, SEC, NCAA, UFL, MLS, and others shared their knowledge and experiences
But what made the Summit special wasnât just the speakers or sessions.
It was the people in the room.
Veterans, service members, and military-connected leaders coming together around a shared mission to continue serving through coaching.
THE BEST COACHES DON'T JUST Â DEVELOP ATHLETES. THEY DEVELOP PEOPLE.
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
Continue Your Mission Through Coaching
Some attendees are stepping into coaching for the first time. Others are continuing the journey they started through Soldiers to Sidelines. But everyone is here to become a better leader, communicator, and coach.
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Learn From Coaches Who Understand the Mission
Throughout the weekend, youâll hear from coaches and leaders who understand both the military experience and leading athletes.  Real conversations, practical development, and people who care about coaching the right way.
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Whether Youâre New to STS or Already Part of our CommunityâŚ
This Summit will help you grow as a coach, expand your network, sharpen your leadership and continue your journey forward. For those new to Soldiers to Sidelines, the Summit also provides an opportunity to complete Soldier Coach Certification in person.
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READY TO JOIN US?Â
RESERVE MY SEAT
WHERE & WHEN
In Person:Â Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University
Dates:Â July 23-25, 2026
Thursday Evening:Â Opening Ceremony
Friday:Â Certification, Sport-Specific Breakout Sessions & Networking Opportunities
Saturday:Â Certification, Sport-Specific Breakout Sessions & Networking Opportunities
NEW TO STS?
GET CERTIFIED IN PERSON!
If youâve never attended a Soldiers to Sidelines seminar before, this Summit gives you the opportunity to complete your Soldier Coach Certification in person while participating in the full Summit experience.
Certification is designed to help members of the military community begin translating their leadership experience into effective coaching and athlete development.
Once certified, Soldier Coaches gain access to:
â The STS coaching community
â Future STS events and coaching development opportunities
â Continued coaching educationÂ
â Coaching job opportunities nationwide
SEE THE SCHEDULEÂ â
WHAT TO EXPECT
â Sport-specific breakout sessions
â Leadership & communication development
â Sports psychology & performance discussions
â Networking with coaches and mentors nationwide
â Soldier Coach Certification opportunities
â Access to the broader STS coaching community
SESSION TOPICS INCLUDE...
â Football
â Basketball
â On Court Basketball Coaching Sessions
â Soccer
â Sports Performance & Endurance
â Lacrosse
â Sports Psychology
â High Human Skills
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RESERVE MY SEATEVENT SCHEDULE
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THURSDAY
  6.00pm - 8.00pmÂ
â OPENING CEREMONYÂ
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FRIDAY
  8.00am - 10.00am
â CERTIFICATION SESSIONSÂ
  10.00am - 5.30pm
â SPORT SPECIFIC BREAKOUT SESSIONS
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SATURDAY
  8.00am - 10.00am
â CERTIFICATION SESSIONS
  10.00am - 5.30pm
â SPORT SPECIFIC BREAKOUT SESSIONS
PLEASE READ THE FAQ'S AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE for all event questions or questions related to verifying with ID.me.
If you're new here: Once your eligibility is verified, you will receive a registration confirmation email AND an email with instructions to create your STS account.Â
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SECS
SOLDIERS TO SIDELINES COACHING SUMMIT 2026
HOSTED AT NASHVILLE MARRIOTT AT VANDERBILT
RESERVE YOUR SEAT
After submitting the form below, you will be securely redirected to ID.me to confirm your eligibility.Â
THE SPEAKERS
Just check out this line up......
David Lee
Veteran NFL Coach
Harrison Bernstein is the founder and Executive Director of Soldiers To Sidelines (STS), a non-profit organization that helps the military community become character-based sports coaches in their communities.
After resigning from coaching professional football, he dedicated himself fully to the STS mission. Harrison has coached football and sports performance at the NFL, NCAA Division I, II, III, and high school levels. He taught in the master's program of Exercise Science at George Washington University for seven years.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Economics, he was captain of the football team, earned All-American honors for three years, and was named Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.
He authored "The Everyday Coach: Harnessing the Magic of Influence," providing it free to STS Soldier Coaches and donating all profits to STS.
Harrison lives in Lewes, DE, with his wife, Laura Olendeski, and their son, Keturi Bernstein.
Fran Fraschilla
ESPN Analyst & Former NCAA Coach
Harrison Bernstein
Founder & CEO
Soldiers to Sidelines
Harrison Bernstein is the founder and Executive Director of Soldiers To Sidelines (STS), a non-profit organization that helps the military community become character-based sports coaches in their communities.
After resigning from coaching professional football, he dedicated himself fully to the STS mission. Harrison has coached football and sports performance at the NFL, NCAA Division I, II, III, and high school levels. He taught in the master's program of Exercise Science at George Washington University for seven years.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Economics, he was captain of the football team, earned All-American honors for three years, and was named Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.
He authored "The Everyday Coach: Harnessing the Magic of Influence," providing it free to STS Soldier Coaches and donating all profits to STS.
Harrison lives in Lewes, DE, with his wife, Laura Olendeski, and their son, Keturi Bernstein.
Nate Palin
Endurance Performance Director
Soldiers to Sidelines
Nate Palin is a Strength and Conditioning Specialist for the U.S. Space Force and founder of Any Given Day, where he focuses on building physical, mental, and emotional resilience for warfighters and their families. He also serves as the Endurance Sports Director for Soldiers to Sidelines.
A former leader in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Nate completed seven years of service and five combat deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, gaining firsthand insight into the physical demands of military performance. He has coached Special Operations Forces, worked as a performance specialist with EXOS, and led the National Strength and Conditioning Associationâs Tactical program, where he co-authored Preparing for the Army Combat Fitness Test.
Nate has also served as an adjunct professor in tactical strength and conditioning and held leadership roles in coach development, continuing to shape the future of tactical performance training.
Dr. Ben Freakley
Soccer Director
Soldiers to Sidelines
Dr. Ben Freakley, CMPC, is a leader in the field of applied sport and performance psychology with a career spanning over two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Ready, Set, Resilient, which provides sports and performance psychology services to individuals, teams, and organizations. Throughout his career, Dr. Freakley has held several significant positions. He served as the Head of Mental Performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, where he led the development and delivery of mental skills programs. He was also the inaugural head coach and general manager of Tormenta FC in the United Soccer League (USL). His expertise extends to tactical environments, having worked as the performance psychology coach with the 75th Ranger Regiment of the United States Army Special Operations Forces. Dr. Freakley holds a doctoral degree in Sport and Performance Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He is also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Before his full-time work in sport and performance psychology, Ben spent over a decade as an NCAA College Soccer coach demonstrating his versatility and depth in coaching, psychology of performance, and team culture.
Aaron Brady
Football Director
Soldiers to Sidelines
Coach Aaron Brady is a former Rutgers standout and two-time All-Big East honoree who has coached at Duke, Georgetown, and Clarion, as well as guest coaching in the CFL. As a head coach at top high school programs, he has helped over 125 players advance to college football and developed numerous future coaches. Internationally, he led Team USA to two World Championships and has trained teams from China, Sweden, and Kuwait. A national speaker with over 200 Glazier Clinic talks, he is also a mentor with Soldiers to Sidelines and a veteran coach at elite camps including the Manning Passing Academy and FBU All-American Games.
Johannah Zabal
Sports Performance Director
Soldiers to Sidelines
Johannah Zabal, MS, CSCS, NSCA - CPT
Johannah, âCoach Jo,â comes from a diverse athletic background, with a demonstrated history of coaching in high school, collegiate & private industry for over 20 years. She is currently a contract Strength & Conditioning Specialist for the Army at Fort Liberty.
Coach Jo has a passion for helping & guiding people. She strives to embody the word âcoach,â which is, in its origin, a carriage, something that brings a person from one point to another on their journey. Her identification with sport, teamwork, competition, and the discipline that fuels all of those areas steered her toward this career. Jo fell in love with the art of coaching, & her pursuit to be a lifelong learner, a better communicator, & an inspiring coach drives her every day.
Leigh Klein
Basketball Director
Soldiers to Sidelines
Leigh Klein is the Basketball Director of Soldiers to Sidelines and a Clinical Professor of Marketing at Pace University. From 1992 to 2016, he served as CEO of Five-Star Basketball Camp, the premier training ground for youth basketball players (ages 9â18), known for producing more NBA and Division I athletes than any camp in history. He also edited five basketball books, including The Five-Star Basketball Coaches Playbook (three editions), Five-Star Girls Basketball Drills I & II, and the My Favorite Moves series. Earlier in his career, Leigh was a student assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island (1986â1988) and the University of Texas (1988â1991), contributing to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 and Elite 8 run. He was inducted into the University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 along with the 1988 team. Leigh also worked as a sports journalist covering the NBA Draft and college basketball, featured in Slam Magazine, Basketball Times, 247 Sports, and Metro Magazine. His on-air work includes appearances on WPIXâs Sports Desk, FOX 5 New York, CBS WLNYâs Sports Update, and SNYâs Oh Yeah!. He was a featured panelist for the 2017 Jr. NBA Leadership Conference and a member of USA Basketballâs Youth Development working group.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you verify my eligibility?
Will I receive anything after completing the in-person certification at the Summit?
What does "Certification" mean?