Voodoo Power

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of the Voodoo Power Podcast, Steven Thompson sits down with Platteview High School strength and performance coach Nick Crouse to talk long-term athlete development, high school strength culture, and building better athletes from the ground up. Nick shares his journey from Northwest Missouri State baseball to earning his master’s degree in Human Performance and Well...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven sits down with Mike Niklos to unpack what it really means to coach movement, not just lifts. Mike breaks down his philosophy of reverse engineering performance—starting with the end goal and building athletes backward from there. The conversation dives into how great coaches identify deficits using KPIs, why technique should be a bypr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Dr. Toby Brooks, Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor University, to unpack one of the most overlooked aspects of athlete development—identity beyond sport. Dr. Brooks brings a unique blend of experience in athletic training, sports psychology, and mental performance to the conversation,...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Plates and Pancakes, we sit down with Jim Kramer, former Director of Athletic Performance at North Dakota State University, to break down a career built on consistency, culture, and championship-level development. Over 22 years at NDSU, Kramer helped power 13 conference titles, 10 FCS National Championships, and the development of 16 NFL Draft picks. But his imp...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven Thompson sits down with Jason Mangin, strength coach at Kimberly High School in Wisconsin, for a deep dive into building one of the most consistent and successful high school performance programs in the country. Mangin shares how his upbringing on a dairy farm shaped his work ethic and coaching philosophy, and how those values translate into developing toug...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Bryce Biel, Director of Performance at Legacy Carbon, to break down what it really takes to develop youth and high school athletes in today’s evolving sports landscape. Bryce dives into his training philosophy, explaining how he balances max effort and dynamic effort work while using velocity-based training to...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features an in-depth conversation with AJ Roberts, one of the most dominant strength athletes in powerlifting history, as he breaks down his journey through the sport, the mindset behind elite performance, and the lessons learned from competing at the highest level. AJ reflects on his historic achievements, including his 1,205-pound world record squat and all-time rec...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven sits down with Jay Paterno—former Penn State assistant coach and author of Blitzed—for a deep dive into the rapidly evolving landscape of college football. From NIL deals and the transfer portal to skyrocketing coaching salaries and mounting financial pressures, Paterno breaks down the forces reshaping the sport. The conversation expl...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Brian Mann—one of the leading voices in strength and conditioning—dives deep into the evolution of modern training methodology, from the weight room to the classroom. Now a clinical associate professor at Texas A&M, Mann reflects on his transition from coaching to academia and how that shift has shaped his impact on the field. The conversation explores the...

Send us Fan Mail Steven sits down with championship cross-country coach Bryant Wright to explore the philosophy behind building one of the most successful high school distance programs in the country at Festus High School . Wright shares how his program grew from a long championship drought into a dynasty that produced 11 state titles and eight consecutive championships from 2014–2021. The convers...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ryan Banta shares his coaching philosophy shaped by years of success in high school track and field. He breaks down the critical differences in training boys and girls, explaining why coaching cannot be one-size-fits-all and how understanding physiological and psychological differences leads to better performance outcomes. The conversation dives into periodization...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Plates and Pancakes, Steven Thompson sits down with Ross Garner for a wide-ranging conversation on high school strength and conditioning, coaching realities, and athlete development. They break down the challenges of modern coaching—from college football turnover and program inconsistency to building buy-in at the high school level. Coach Garner shares practical...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded 12/30/25 In Part 2, the conversation dives deeper into elastic speed, force production, and long-term athlete development. Steven and Brandon break down how true speed is built through the integration of acceleration mechanics, plyometrics, and strength training — not just weight room numbers. They discuss how to identify whether an athlete is elastic-dominant or strength...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 1 of this in-depth conversation, Steven sits down with Brandon to break down the true foundations of sprint speed. The discussion centers on acceleration mechanics, horizontal force production, and why the broad jump may be one of the most underrated indicators of sprint performance. Brandon shares his philosophy on training sprinters based on their natural tendencies—whet...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership isn’t theory — it’s built under pressure, tested in adversity, and proven through service. In this episode, Steven sits down with Eric Everard, a veteran leader whose career spans military health systems, enterprise IT transformation, and high-level wrestling coaching. With over 25 years of experience in process improvement and organizational leadership, Eric brings a r...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven sits down with Stephanie Grubbs, the first woman to serve as Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Houston Astros, to talk about what it really takes to prepare athletes for the demands of Major League Baseball. Stephanie shares her path from collegiate athletics to professional baseball, detailing how coaching in the MLB requires a different...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven sits down with veteran strength coach and former NFL nose tackle Scott Kellar for a wide-ranging conversation on training, recovery, and long-term athlete development. Coach Kellar brings decades of experience from both professional football and the weight room, offering insight into effective football training cycles, microdosing for multi-sport athletes,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Seth Ford, strength and conditioning coach and head powerlifting coach at Huntington ISD in East Texas, for an in-depth conversation on developing strong, fast, and resilient athletes. Seth shares his coaching philosophy on training high school athletes for long-term success across multiple sports, not just sport-specific performance. We dive into...

Send us Fan Mail Voodoo Power Podcast — Featuring Josh Stoner How do you separate legitimate ideas from hype when every trend promises the next breakthrough? On this episode of the Voodoo Power Podcast, Coach Stoner joins the conversation to unpack how experience, self-testing, and collaboration shape real high-performance environments. He explains why the best filters for trends come from coaches...

Send us Fan Mail Waffle Iron Gym isn’t just a place to train — it’s a proving ground. Hosted by strength coach and community‑builder Stephen Rose, this podcast digs deep into the art, science, and soul of athletic development. From the garage‑gym roots that sparked a local movement to the hard‑earned lessons forged under the bar, Stephen brings raw honesty, practical wisdom, and decades of hands‑o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven sits down with Coach Alex Gibson of APG Strength for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, athlete development, and building a training culture that truly works. Coach Gibson shares her journey in the strength and conditioning world, including how APG Strength grew into a thriving facility with a balanced mix of male and female athletes by prioritizing c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Morris of Missouri State to dive deep into what it truly takes to build a championship-caliber football program from the inside out. From establishing core values like attitude, discipline, accountability, and love, to developing young players with vastly different backgrounds, Dr. Morris breaks down the systems and standards that drive the Be...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Plates and Pancakes, we sit down with legendary strength coach Ron McKeefery to explore the intersection of performance, leadership, and faith. From his early days chasing quarterback dreams to shaping elite athletes at the University of Washington and beyond, Coach McKeefery shares hard-earned wisdom on building culture, navigating adversity, and staying ground...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Hunter Haralson of Collinsville Public Schools sits down with Steven to talk about the evolution of high school strength training, athlete development, and what it truly takes to build a winning culture. Hunter shares his journey from Lawrence, Kansas, to wrestling at Lindenwood University, to becoming a sixth-year Head S&amp...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steven sits down with Maddie Harrelson, Coordinator of Strength and Conditioning at Owasso High School, to explore her journey from Washington, Iowa, to the heart of one of Oklahoma’s most competitive athletic programs. Maddie shares how her experiences at Lindenwood University, Quincy, and Mississippi State shaped her nine-year coaching career and her passion for...