renevidal – CAI

René Vidal

7x NCAA championship coach and high-performance advisor to organizations operating under pressure.

“The hardest setback for me was the death of my father when I was thirteen years old. My entire life changed with one stroke. When I heard the news, I was dumbfounded. I had no clue what was going on, yet somewhere deep inside I did know. Life was about to get very difficult. I lost the greatest leader and mentor in my life. The whole game shifted.

I went from being a solid student and Ivy League prospect to attending three different New York high schools. I dropped from serving as a top 100 nationally ranked junior tennis player to a has-been overnight—having access to the best coaches, resources, and training academies to searching for hitting partners or the local backboard. My life became a total mishit.

When you experience devastating emotional and existential crises like this, every other kind of challenge pales in comparison. You become unstoppable by the mere fact that you are still breathing. Today, I’m on a mission to help others turn adversity into competitive advantage.”

René is one of America’s top coaches.

—Dick Gould, Stanford University

René Vidal is a seven-time NCAA championship coach and high-performance advisor to leaders and executive teams operating under pressure. He is the founder and CEO of Corporate Athletes International, a boutique high-performance advisory firm that helps organizations sharpen decision-making, accelerate execution, and sustain excellence.

René advises CEOs, founders, and leadership teams across industries by applying elite performance principles drawn from championship sport, leadership psychology, and organizational execution. His work focuses on elevating standards, building performance identity, and creating environments where individuals and teams consistently perform when the stakes are highest.

In collegiate athletics, René has led four NCAA programs to seven conference championships, earning GLVC Coach of the Year honors and producing Top-25 national results. In 2022, he guided the McKendree men’s tennis program to its first-ever GLVC Championship, a school-record 21–3 season, a program-best No. 22 final ITA ranking, and its first NCAA Regional Round of 32 appearance. In 2024, he led the NIU men’s program to an 18–6 record, a MAC Championship semifinal, and a Top-100 national ITA ranking.

René is the author of Down 40 Love, Execute to Win, and Play Smart to Win in Business, and the host of the Down 40 Love podcast, where he explores leadership, resilience, and sustained performance with bold thinkers and operators.

A New York native, René lives in Chicago with Sara Kalkenova and is the proud father of three sons.

René Vidal

René is one of America’s top coaches.

—Dick Gould, Stanford University

Coach Vidal's 5-Point Philosophy

Keep winning and losing in perspective.

Lead by example.

Value character as well as ability.

Go for respect over popularity.

Work hard and enjoy what you do.

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