Hernando Planells, aka “Coach H,” has a new gig that’s all about motivation and improvisation. Drawing from an extensive résumé that includes more than 20 years of basketball coaching and leadership experience at the professional, collegiate, and high school levels, Coach H is lighting up the speaking circuit with a contagious energy and integrated approach to motivation. No wonder he was just named among Yahoo’s top 10 motivational speakers of 2021.
Hernando Planells’ new platform, Be Contagious Leadership, works with organizations to help grow and strengthen their leadership, connection, and culture through in-person workshops, speaking engagements, and the power of improvisation. Bringing a wealth of experience developing and strengthening individuals and teams, Hernando Planells is already a regular speaker at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) convention. He also recently organized Moving Up, an annual conference on leadership, and he hosts a leadership podcast called the Be Contagious Leadership Experience. His first book, “High Performance Gratitude,” was published in October 2020.
“Hernando is more than just a speaker,” says a prominent sports client, “he’s a triple threat. He inspires, coaches and influences, delivering engaging improv-based talks that give the audience the tools they need to be successful. His transformative interactive approach leads to life-changing actions. He teaches people to lead, communicate, manage conflict and grow a winning culture immediately.”
Hernando Planells’ ability to connect with an audience has even made it to the big screen, where he has choreographed and consulted on the basketball scenes in movies such as “Coach Carter,” “The Longest Yard,” “Rebound,” “Spider-Man 3,” and “Semi-Pro,” among other credits.
Whether coaching actors, athletes, entrepreneurs or employees, Hernando Planells gives 100%. He has coached at the University of Illinois at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California, where he was named Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Co-Coach of the Year after winning the program’s first conference championship and leading the team to the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in school history. Prior to this, Coach H was an integral part of the Duke University women’s basketball program, serving as the associate head coach and helping the Blue Devils to five NCAA tournament berths.
Simply put, Hernando Planells believes in finding the right people, then developing their talents and motivating them to success. After that, he says, winning becomes contagious. “Stop sitting through lecture learning that only promotes fatigue and complaints,” he advises his clients. “Become engaged, motivated and inspired!”
In other words, be contagious.