Built for More
Than Basketball
How Coach Mike Hopkins brought Dear World to the University of Washington Men's Basketball program to deepen trust, identity, and connection through the P(o)rtrait Process.
The Culture Question
Elite programs do not rise on talent alone.
When Coach Mike Hopkins took the helm at the University of Washington, he understood that recruiting skill was only part of the equation. The deeper challenge was culture.
How do you build trust between young men who come from different cities, different families, different pressures?
How do you create connection in a world that trains athletes to hide vulnerability?
How do you build unity before adversity tests it?
The coaching staff wanted more than chemistry.
They wanted alignment.
They brought in Dear World to help create it.
The P(o)rtrait Process
Not a motivational speech. A facilitated storytelling experience designed to strengthen identity and trust inside high-performance environments.
The name reflects its purpose: Portrait + Inner Truth.
Reflect
Players were guided through structured prompts designed to surface personal meaning.
- What do you carry that no one sees?
- What shaped you before you got here?
- What pressure do you feel but never say out loud?
- Who are you becoming?
Silence filled the room before words did.
Write
Each athlete chose a message to write on their body — a declaration of identity, struggle, gratitude, or intention.
Not for social media.
Not for performance.
For truth.
Words became anchors.
Reveal
Each player stepped forward for their portrait. Then they shared.
Stories teammates had never heard were spoken aloud.
Posture shifted. Eye contact deepened. Barriers fell.
The locker room became a place of brotherhood.
When Young Men Feel Seen
There is a moment in every P(o)rtrait session when the room turns.
It is subtle.
A teammate who only knew someone's jump shot now understands his childhood.
A leader who seemed confident reveals fear.
A freshman speaks and veterans listen.
“When young men feel seen beyond the stat sheet, everything changes.”
Coach Mike Hopkins
Trust was no longer theoretical.
It was personal.
The Results
While culture is not measured in box scores, its effects are undeniable.
Increased peer accountability
Stronger communication during adversity
Deeper empathy across class years
More authentic leadership voices emerging
A shared emotional vocabulary
Players referenced each other's written words during practices and team meetings.
Identity became visible. And visibility built responsibility.
Robert X Fogarty
Robert X Fogarty is the founder of Dear World, a global storytelling movement that has photographed and interviewed more than one million people.
He has worked with survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, professional athletes, Fortune 500 executives, and university leaders.
His role is not to speak at teams.
It is to create rooms where truth is safe.
Inside those rooms, performance becomes personal.
And personal becomes powerful.
Inside the Experience
Designed for High-Performance Programs
Every session is custom-built to align with your team's mission and values.
Schedule a ConversationYou Cannot Defend What You Will Not Reveal.
If you are building more than a roster —
If you are building a culture —
Let's talk.