Speaking

Invite René Vidal to Speak Live

Coach René Vidal speaking to a team

René Vidal is a Division I head coach who has won seven conference championships at four programs: Boise State, Colgate, Mississippi State, and McKendree.

Recent coaching achievements include:

  • 2026 Horizon League Singles Champion

  • 2026 MAC Finalists

  • 2026 MAC Player of the Year

  • 2025 MAC Indoors Singles Champion

  • 2024 MAC Semifinalists

  • 2024 MAC Freshman of the Year

  • 2023 GLVC Freshman of the Year

  • 2022 GLVC Champions

  • 2022 GLVC Player of the Year

As founder of CAI, he brings the standards of a championship program to leadership teams and organizations: clear expectations, radical candor, and a plan to win.

An internationally recognized high-performance coach in sports and business, René is the author of four books and host of the Down 40 Love podcast.

or contact Viola Cipriani at viola@corporateathletesinternational.com


Our Services
01Lead to Win

Great leaders develop talent from the top of the roster to the bottom. René shares the leadership habits behind seven conference championships and how to apply them in your organization.

  • Develop every person on the roster, not just the stars.
  • Set clear standards and hold them with radical candor.
  • Build a team that holds the standard when you're not in the room.
02Culture: Creating Championship Environments

Culture is what your team does when no one is watching. Using the 3 C's (Character, Competence and Chemistry), René shows leaders how to define the standard, build trust and make excellence automatic.

  • Define the identity and values that fortify Character.
  • Build the effort and skills that scale Competence.
  • Create the trust and communication that fuel Chemistry.
03The Psychology of Winning

Winning is decided long before the scoreboard moves. René shares what he has learned coaching elite athletes through pressure, adversity and epic comebacks, and how leaders can use it.

  • Perform under pressure when it matters most.
  • Turn adversity into competitive advantage.
  • Build confidence on evidence, not hype.

Talks

Keynotes, Performance Labs, and Lunch & Learns: customized for your audience.

Books

Down 40 Love book cover by René Vidal

Down 40 Love

Private Lessons on Turning Adversity into Competitive Advantage

Most players quit when things aren't going well. René's winning playbook shows leaders how to transform setbacks into bouncebacks and become unshakeable.

Execute to Win book cover by René Vidal

Execute to Win

How Leaders Get Results (with Steve Finkelstein)

A practical toolkit for turning knowledge into action and driving bottom-line results, because poor execution is the number one reason leaders and organizations fail.

Play Smart to Win in Business book cover by René Vidal

Play Smart to Win in Business

Leadership Lessons from Center Court to Corner Office

Sports analogies that help leaders and organizations think, train, and operate like elite athletes.

Play Smart to Win book cover by René Vidal

Play Smart to Win

Better Tactics Lead to Better Results

A tennis treatise on intelligent play, for high performance coaches and players of all levels.

“Motivational, practical … a road map to winning for anyone who wants to improve.”

— Rod Ray, on Down 40 Love

“The concepts are powerful, the explanations simple, and the execution clear.”

— Frank V. Danzo, on Play Smart to Win in Business

“If you do a small fraction of what they suggest, your business will be way ahead.”

— T.S. Lefry, on Execute to Win

“What makes this book special is how he connects stroke-making and strategy.”

— Bobby Bayliss, on Play Smart to Win