Matt Tometz Performance Podcast

No matter your current job situation (looking, thinking about what's next, or perfectly content), there are things you can be doing today to help set yourself up for the next step of your career tomorrow. It's one thing to talk about "networking" and wanting more for yourself and your career, then it's another thing to actually go out and DO IT. In this episode I share stories, lessons, and experi...

David Rosales understands the one key separating professionals in strength and conditioning: communication. After a conversation with Eric Cressey, this new mindset lead him to his degree and mentorship all about writing and storytelling. Combining this with his love of hockey, David is now the Head Editor of the Strength and Conditioning Association for Professional Hockey (SCAPH), Co-Owner and W...

Brad Leshinske, the guy who does it all, shares some incredible stories from his career in performance. Starting with getting fired (twice), to receiving an athlete's championship game-worn cleat, to watching his athletes/interns achieve their goals, Brad shares a lot of insight on this episode. As the Director of Performance at St. Laurence High School, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the...

There's a theme that has led Dr. John Abbott to the path of his PhD and consequent coaching/sport science which has brought him to the Chicago Cubs: always have a plan. And not that plans don't change, but the diligence and intent behind making a plan leads to preparedness which leads to execution. Multiple of his stories encapsulated how his success achieved in the moment was the result of his pr...

Adam Virgile, from his first job with the New York Rangers to now crushing his PhD, has seen and done a lot in strength and conditioning and sport science. A consistent theme of working hard for the right people and making things happen no matter the circumstance are apparent throughout his stories. On his way to big things, get to know Adam! Empowering you to take control of your story! YouTube:...

Alexa Lobato has had anything but a traditional start to her career in sport science. An OG of the podcast, she takes us through her 20 month journey of being the Director of Sport Science as a sport science start-up business. From talking to investors, to wearing many hats, to creating all the protocols herself, she gives her biggest takeaways from those experiences. Empowering you to take contro...

Finally, this episode has come to prove that Steve "The Wizard" Breitenstein is real. It would be unrealistic for me to try to describe the amount of impact Steve has had on me as a person and as a professional in just 4 years working together and 2.5 years of mentorship. As a husband, father, dog dad, director of coaching, speed coach, leadership consultant, plus everything else that has com...

A challenge all coaches face is the limited time they have with their athletes. But what if you can use that time together to also impact the time when they're on their own? Using a "question-based-interaction coaching style" is an awesome tool for you to use to help accomplish that. Not to give it away, but changing how you use your words, coaching, and interactions to this new style can greatly...

Justin Wickard, from the beginning of his search to be a college track graduate assistant to now a business owner, has had quite the journey. As his career and life progressed over time, his vision and goals have changed; this theme of evolution illustrates how important it is to be open as a coach and to be willing to change your path when needed. A super cool journey, check it out. Empowering yo...

Ryan Banta has a lot of stories from his coaching over the years and actually was the first guest in TSP history to give me options to pick from for his "coolest story." But his stories all have one theme: a pivotal conversation between athlete and coach. And these conversations have an impact to this day beyond the track and his athlete's athletic careers. Listen along to learn how you can make s...

Dr. Brendan Thompson's journey going from completely shattered knee to All-American sprinter paramount to his current and future career. Combining performance training with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Brendan takes us through his stories of the injury, to walk-on tryouts, to becoming an All-American, to now being a business owner. Empowering you to take control of your story! YouTube: https...

Kaitlyn Cunningham's story has one main theme: belief, others believing in her and her believing in her athletes. From literally the beginning of her journey to even now catching up with her old athletes, hearing all the dots connect along the way with this one theme was pretty special. Traveling across the country for internships to now almost 10 years at Clemson, Kaitlyn has some awesome stories...

Adam Vogel's story from construction, to arena football, to psychology, to reluctantly getting into coaching and how his program has developed into what it is now is truly an interesting one. "Tools in the toolbox" combined with his school's "carry the hammer" go together well to illustrate how Adam does his job and what he believes in. From being the first high school in the country to use Catapu...

Chris Korfist shares his coolest story, the story most fundamental leading him to now, the story he's most proud of, and his 3 action steps to get better on this episode of TSP. The stories that made the cut from all his experiences from coaching high school track, to consulting all over the world, to all his business ventures, the lessons learned and shared are incredible. Empowering you to take...

With the recent trend of sport science, I condense my previous and current sport science experiences into a podcast summarizing the biggest concepts when it comes to not only understanding but actually integrating sport science. "What do I believe in as a sport scientist?" and "What are common themes I say when talking about sport science with others?" were questions that guided this episode. Nice...

Intervention-based speed and agility coaching is a spin on coaching to give the athlete what they need day. Inspired by conversations with Lee Taft and Steve Breitenstein, this concept begs the question "are we coaching the program or are we coaching the athlete?" In this episode I share my experiences coaching this style of speed and agility; my successes, failures, considerations, etc. There's p...

Cory Kennedy takes us through the journey of his career from the private sector in Canada to coaching Olympians at the Canadian Sport Institute to now his S&C/Performance Science role with the Chicago Cubs. Needing every step along the way and how they all go together, Cory shares why and how he does his job including both thinking about and communicating data. Empowering you to take control o...

In the 77th edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, Angie Brambley-Moyer reflects on her 17 years in strength and conditioning about the challenges and fulfillments of her job (both positive and negative) tying it into the bigger picture of different S&C careers. Basically her entire career at Princeton and current role as Associate Head S&C Coach, she brings many insights from helping build...

In the 76th edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, WeStrive App Founder and CEO Cory McKane takes you through the entire journey starting from the conversation with his roommates (that he almost skipped) to now competing with apps like TrueCoach and TrainHeoric. Every step from turning an idea into a business, to angel investors, to overseas software developers, to low bank accounts, to needing...

In the 75th edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, Dr. Aaron Cunanan shares his journey from wanting to be "the next great American weightlifting coach" to his current role with the San Francisco Giants. With pro sports not even being on his radar until recent, the principles of science are universal and making those connection points between his PhD and pro baseball helped him get to where he is no...

In the 74th edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, I explain why I believe "evidence-based" has lost its meaning and how a new understanding of "evidence-based" can be mutually valuable for both yourself and your peers. It's not a matter of calling it "evidence-based" or not, it's a matter of what it means and the actions it drives. There are principles behind "evidence" and the scientific-method th...

In the 73rd edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, Michael Wood shares stories and lessons from being from England and coming to the US for sports, being at TCU for 7+ years, and what he believes is the true role of a strength coach both in and beyond the weight room. His story is composed of the power of timing, learning from failure, and creating opportunities. There's been many influential people...

In the 72nd edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, I share a live consulting call I had with college strength and conditioning intern Nick Stone. We discuss how to create and maximize opportunities to continue improving his coaching. It does require a little bit of thinking outside the box, but "a closed mouth doesn't get fed" and people can't help you achieve your goals if they don't know what your...

In the 71st edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, I share a process I found that has really helped me start to make changes in my life both personally and professionally. The process being: WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHAT. I reflect on my successes, failures, experiences, and the performance world in general. Explaining this process and taking you through examples gives a lot of value for how YOU can start ma...

In the 70th edition of The Talking Shop Podcast, Dr. John Wagle of the Kansas City Royals shares stories, lessons, and experiences from the Royals, his PhD, DePaul, speaking at Altis, and much more. Things like being an "elite question-asker," "a closed mouth doesn't get fed," and being a "math and science nerd" all encompassed this episode. Very well-respected in the field, Dr. Wagle brings a lot...