Fred Quartlebaum is known by many names. Officially, he's KU's Director of Basketball Operation, but most people call him Coach Q. He's also known as the Motivation Monday guy for the uplifting text messages he sends to hundreds of people each week. Some people call him the Positivity Pole guy after he started posting his weekly message on a neighborhood light pole during the COVID pandemic—and still does. He also shares his message in a weekly social media video.
Coach Q is also an author. His book, "The Positivity Tribe In the Locker Room," co-authored with Christopher J. Wirth, follows a fictional basketball team on their journey to the National Championship game. Though the book is about sports, it inspires everyone to try to follow their dreams.
Lawrence City Lifestyle talked with Coach Q about his positivity mission and its importance to him.
LCL: Have you always been a positive person?
Coach Q: A lot of my personality comes from my mother. She's a breast cancer survivor, and I recall being 13 years old and just seeing staples across her shoulder and through her chest. She had to feel depressed. Anxiety. Stress. I'm sure she had all those emotions going on then. But as a young kid, I recall how strong she was, and even though she was going through a personal challenge, she just continued to smile and be positive. Maybe behind closed doors, it was different, but she was such a strong lady in front of me and the people who came by the house. She continues to impact our world in so many ways. She'll be 80 in August, and she bowls twice a week. She's a fireball.
LCL: So, do you have a particular mantra that you follow? Does it change?
Coach Q: It has evolved, obviously, throughout my lifespan, but I always reflect back to the belief that service to others is what we're here for. Giving back and having a great attitude to me are the highlights of being a great human.
LCL: How do you deal with difficult days?
Coach Q: I try to go back to trigger words that have helped get me back to center. I have buzz words: Gratitude is probably the most important. When things were tough, I think, be grateful, and that kind of brings me back to thinking, 'OK. Get over yourself, bud. Stop sulking. Stop pouting. Life is pretty good, man. Yeah, you know, be grateful. OK. Alright, let's go. Let's go. Let's go. No pity party.'
LCL: How do you help the basketball team deal with difficulties?
Coach Q: I start in the summertime when it's nice and beautiful. The sun is out. You're wearing flip-flops and shades. Everything's great. But understand what's coming. In the next few months, it's going to be rain. There are going to be storms. It could even be an avalanche. What we're doing here this summer is to prepare the best way we possibly can to face these storms, to fight through these storms, to plow through these storms. And we've had them, whether it be losses on the court or in life.
We're preparing to be strong, preparing to lean on one another and to comfort one another. You know, all these difficulties are going to come up. So, how do we respond when things aren't going well, whether it be individually or collectively? I always go back to our values. Our expectations are that, regardless of the circumstances, we will show up for one another. We're going to show up for ourselves. It's non-negotiable.
LCL: Why did you decide to co-author the book?
Coach Q: Becoming an author never crossed my mind. But [co-author Christopher Wirth] kept after it, and I finally said, "You know what, Chris, this could be a cool idea. It could probably help a lot of organizations, companies, teams, and just people in general. It really could be really impactful."
The storyline is great. It's obviously about basketball, and it deals with the ups and downs of the season. But there are also ups and downs in life too, so I think it definitely connects in so many different ways.
LCL: What are some of the critical components of a positive life?
Coach Q: I think it starts with the fact that we are all gifted. We're gifted the opportunity of life. I start my day by thinking thank you for the blessing of life and the opportunity to do something with my life. And I always believe if I can do three things every single day that impact the world, which is our community, uplift my family, which is my home, and work to become the best version of myself daily, I think I've had a good day.
I also believe that, like anything else in life, you must practice gratitude. You have to practice patience. You have to not shy away from difficulty and challenges because on the other side of those challenges is probably where you want to be. Those moments are the growth moments. The goal moments. And we know that our time here is limited. We all have expiration dates. For while we have the opportunity, let's go for it.
Coach Q’s book is available at The Raven Bookstore on Mass Street and on Amazon. To find him on social media, search for @qfit50 on Instagram and @fq212 on X.