Almost Pro Podcast

Modern Sport: Competition or Entertainment? Attention is the new currency. Modern sport isn't just competing against other sports anymore - it's competing for our time. Against Netflix. YouTube. TikTok. Gaming. Every notification on our phones. So has something fundamental changed? In this episode of Almost Pro Bites , we explore whether modern sport is shifting from competition towards en...

After a standout collegiate baseball career at Dartmouth, Joe Sclafani was drafted by the Houston Astros and spent six seasons climbing through professional baseball - reaching Triple-A, earning an invitation to Major League Spring Training, and representing Team USA on the international stage. Today, Joe is the Director of Player Development for the Toronto Blue Jays, helping athletes maximize th...

Technology has changed sport forever. Goals are reviewed. Offside lines are measured down to the millimeter. Athletes train using more data than ever before. Sport is arguably more accurate than it's ever been. But is that automatically better? In this episode of AP Bites, Laura and Frances explore one of the biggest debates in modern sport: has technology improved sport, or is it changing wha...

🥇 Olympic Gold & What Comes Next A lemon farm in Chile probably isn't where you'd expect an Olympic Gold Medal story to go. But for Rosie Popa, that chapter may have been just as important as standing on top of the podium in Tokyo. From missing the Rio Olympics to winning Gold, studying at Berkeley and Oxford, and navigating life beyond elite sport, Rosie shares a refreshingly honest...

This week at the French Open, players battled temperatures in the low 30s°C, with several openly discussing the impact of the heat. One player even left the court in a wheelchair after suffering severe cramps following a five-set match. As temperatures continue to rise around the world, we're asking a simple but increasingly important question: Do sport heat policies need to change? In this ep...

What happens when your body suddenly stops doing the thing it's always done? Andy Bass was drafted into professional baseball and living the dream he'd worked toward his entire life. Then, in his very first professional outing, he developed the yips. What followed wasn't a physical injury or technical problem. It was a loss of trust in his own body. In this episode, Andy shares his jou...

Confidence is essential in elite sport. But at what point does confidence become ego, entitlement, or superiority? In this episode of AP Bites, we explore whether elite sport accidentally rewards arrogance — and why swagger, dominance and confidence can sometimes become confused with leadership. From athlete culture and entertainment… to self-belief, humility and the next generation watching it al...

What happens when ambition outgrows the environment around you? In this episode of Almost Pro, we sit down with Malhar Atre — a national level swimmer from India whose journey through swimming, cycling, water polo and sport management has taken him from elite competition to the organisational side of sport. Growing up in India, Malhar experienced both the passion and challenges of pursuing high pe...

Can an athlete’s beliefs actually cost them their career in sport? In this episode of AP Bites, we explore one of the biggest conversations in modern sport: how athletes are now being judged not just on performance, but also on what they say, post, support, and sometimes even what they stay silent about. From contracts and sponsorships to social media pressure and athlete identity, this conversati...

This week on Almost Pro, we’re joined by Laura’s brother, Jake Spellacy. Jake’s journey through rugby has taken a few turns. He grew up playing rugby league, moved into rugby union through school, and like a lot of athletes, had his sights set on where the game could take him. But things didn’t go to plan. A serious spear tackle left him without feeling in his legs for hours, followed by ongoing s...

Are you actually improving… or just showing up? A lot of athletes default to one answer: “I just need to work harder.” But what if that’s not the problem? In this AP Bites episode, we unpack a question almost every athlete and parent faces: Is your training environment actually helping you grow? Because you can be busy. You can be consistent. And still not be getting better. We get into: • the dif...

Ceara Larson didn’t just play college softball. At the same time, she was building a path in science. In this episode, we unpack what it looks like to balance both, and what happens when those two worlds don’t unfold the way you expected. From navigating college softball through COVID, injury, and uncertainty, to working in sports science with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ceara shares what it actually t...

Why is everyone talking about load management in sport? From athletes being rested to minutes being managed, it’s one of the biggest conversations across sport right now. But while it might protect performance and extend careers, it’s also raising questions for fans, teams, and athletes at every level. In this episode of AP Bites, we unpack what load management actually is, why it’s become so comm...

What happens when your sports dream changes? In this episode of Almost Pro, Ashley Ljesevic shares her experience of chasing Division 1 college basketball — and what it feels like when that path doesn’t unfold the way you thought it would. This is a conversation about the space that follows. When the structure is gone. When the identity shifts. When you’re left asking — what now? From basketball t...

Welcome to the very first episode of AP BITES . Short conversations on the BIGGEST questions in sport. Today we’re tackling a question that sits right at the heart of junior sport: Do we overvalue winning? Because what we say matters… but what we celebrate matters more. Join us for a short conversation on an issue shaping youth sport participation around the globe. We’d love to hear your thoughts...

As part of Podcasthon 2026 — a global movement where podcasters dedicate one episode to a charity they believe in — we’re proud to spotlight an organisation creating meaningful impact in Australian sport. In this episode of Almost Pro , we sit down with Rachel Condos-Fields , Founder and CEO of The WattleNest , a purpose-driven organisation bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. Because...

What Every Coach Should Know | Emily Kile In this episode of Almost Pro , we welcome back Emily Kile for a powerful conversation about coaching and the human behind the athlete. After our first episode with Emily, we found ourselves diving deeper into a conversation about equipping coaches with the knowledge and tools to develop not just great players, but great humans too. Then an email landed in...

How Athlete Skills Transfer into the Workplace Sport is often said to prepare us for life — building discipline, resilience, and work ethic. But when the jersey comes off, the reality can feel very different. In this episode of Almost Pro , we unpack one of the biggest questions athletes face after sport: what skills actually transfer into the workplace — and what doesn’t? After years spent traini...

Some athletes follow one path. Angus Yeates has followed several and made each one count. From state field hockey in Tasmania to competing overseas in Germany, from seriously pursuing the PGA pathway in golf to building a career with Adidas, Angus has navigated change with a calm confidence that defines this conversation. This episode is about adaptability. About leaning into opportunity. About ca...

In sport we talk about mindset, discipline and resilience. But what happens when stress and trauma are shaping performance beneath the surface? In this episode, we’re joined by Emily Kile, physiologist, PhD candidate in psychology, founder of Workzbe and author of Bitter to Better . Together, we explore how the brain and nervous system respond under pressure, why coping can quietly become a perfor...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr Damien Taylor, we continue unpacking the six-part infrastructure that underpins sustainable high performance. Following Part 1’s focus on sleep, nutrition, and exercise, this episode turns to the remaining pillars: quiet time and rest, environment, and community. These elements shape how we regulate ourselves, make decisions, maintain standards, and sustain pe...

In this episode of Almost Pro, we are joined by Dr Damien Taylor, a global leadership researcher and performance practitioner with decades of experience in elite sport. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part series exploring the six foundations that support high-performance athletes, not just in competition, but across their entire sporting journey. In Part 1, we focus on the first three foundations...

Early specialisation is becoming the norm in youth sport but is it actually helping young athletes or quietly doing more harm than good? In this episode of Almost Pro, we unpack one of the most debated issues in modern sport the pressure to specialise early. From year-round training and talent pathways to rankings and selection, early specialisation is often framed as the only way forward. But wha...

What happens when tennis breaks free from tradition? The Australian Open is back, and this year it is doing things a little differently. From record crowds to bold entertainment ideas, the Happy Slam continues to shape its own identity within the Grand Slam landscape. In this episode of Almost Pro, we step off the court and into the heart of modern sport to explore what makes the Australian Open u...

We’re kicking off our first guest episode of 2026 with a story that captures everything Almost Pro is about: family, community, commitment, and the people behind high performance sport. In this episode, we’re joined by Dave Jones, who shares his family’s journey through shooting, from discovering the sport to becoming deeply involved at club level, and ultimately supporting his daughters through t...