621. His Coaching Is a Game Changer for Dads

Ray Matz

As a street kid in Philly, Ray learned to be quick on his feet. When the 2008 real estate collapse began, he knew how to change his playing field and follow his passion. Instead of running from challenges, he figured out how to skate right through.

Ray Matz is dedicated to motivating and encouraging husbands and fathers to lead, love, and live. He is pursuing his passion of coaching and developing mastermind groups, and he has published his first book, “Game Changing Dads: Get Off The Bench and Into The Game!.” He also has a podcast, “Game Changing Dads.”

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

To borrow an old sports line, Ray went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Not immediately, of course, but he recalls, “Hockey is probably the only reason I graduated from high school.” As a pre-teen growing up in a tough Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhood, he often got beaten up. “I guess, from getting beaten up and running away from bullies back in the 1970s, I came to love hockey where, yes, there’s a little violence, but there is also the camaraderie of a team sport.” Learning to rise to a challenge, he and a friend from down the block in Philly started a landscaping business. At 16, he also started learning his father’s grocery business. His mom, always in his corner, also had a sharp eye for business opportunities that would capture his imagination.

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

Looking back on his growing love of coaching, Ray tells how his high school ice hockey friends convinced him in his twenties to join them in the emerging extreme sport of rollerblade hockey. Playing on Team USA, his team won three consecutive World Championships in 1995, ’96 and ’97. After that, Ray began coaching through Team USA clinics, traveling around for several years. “I discovered I really enjoyed working with kids, and just working with people!” Then, two years ago, he met Dan Miller and his Coaching With Excellence concept of coaching and mastermind groups. “Dan laid it all out for me. He showed me how to make a new start. He helped me figure out a niche where my passion would be. That’s where Game Changing Dads came about.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

“I don’t want fathers and husbands to miss out on their big opportunities—number one, with their spouses, and number two, with their kids. To find your soulmate is a blessing, but to have kids and nurture them from birth onward is incredible. I love being a stay-at-home dad, spending time with my kids. A lot of guys miss out on that. Of course, I understand making money is important, but your kids and your spouse are way more important. That’s where my passion comes from.”

Steps to Success from Ray Matz

1. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. Make sure the people you seek out in life are the ones who will challenge, support and love you.

2. If you’re searching for your passion and what life is all about, find someone who has that same passion and learn from them.

3. Have some faith in yourself. Go out and make it happen.