Hang Time

Jonathan Jones is a former student-athlete turned professional turned speaker. A TEDx Alum, he uses his life experiences to help develop current student-athletes through engaging and interactive sessions. Jonathan shares how he moved from an elementary after school to retail to speaking engagements. The two discuss his brief stint in phonebook sales in the Texas heat, as well as how his experience...

Dr. Jeff O’Brien is the Vice President for the Institute of Sport and Social Justice (ISSJ), and serves as a facilitator and leader in a variety of other capacities, including NCAA Leadership Development, Huddle Up, and more. Jeff shared how his background and experiences led him to the work he does today. The two discuss the importance of active learning, particularly in spaces of social justice...

Lauren Partch is an actor, producer, writer, singer, and she is the cousin of our trusty sidekick - Melissa! Lauren shared with us her experiences in the arts and how COVID-19 has impacted the “normal” practices of the industry. Tayler shares a story about accidentally scaring Melissa when they lived together, and Lauren agrees that having Melissa as a roommate leads to many shenanigans. The two d...

Harvie Herrington is a Youth Motivational and Leadership speaker. A former professional football player, Harvie has also worked as a coach, a fitness instructor, and a teacher. He shared with us some of his life experiences, including his recent bout with kidney cancer. The two discuss how his coaching career led him to his current endeavors in motivational speaking. Harvie shares his insights on...

Tim Sinclair is the public address announcer for the Indiana Pacers, the Chicago Fire, and the Fighting Illini. Tim has also served as the voice of the 2020 NBA All-Star game and the 2020 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. Tim shares his experiences being in the NBA Bubble in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tayler asks whether he ever sleeps with all that he is involved with. The two discu...

Dr. Susie Koch is in her residency at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, a former barista, and just a really swell lady. Tayler shares the Susie-based jingle that was stuck in her head prior to the interview. Susie discusses how her background and upbringing led her to pursue a career in medicine. The two talk about the ridiculous expenses associat...

Mark Trumbo is a student-athlete development professional and the mastermind behind Purpose Design. He’s also recently been rocking the alter ego of DJ TRUMBEATZ while facilitating some leadership development programming, which he and Tayler discuss. The two talk organizational involvement and the power of a great network. Mark gets into the “how” and “why” of his Purpose Design and how it came to...

Cathy Onion (Tayler’s mom) is a lifelong learner, former college professor, farm kid, and all-around great lady. Tayler jokes that she wanted to interview Cathy to find out what it was like to have the perfect daughter. Cathy shares with Tayler some of her life story, including several stories Tayler didn’t know prior to the interview. The two talk about Cathy’s love of organizational involvement,...

Dr. Ed Horne is a former tennis student-athlete and a current higher education professional. Tayler and Ed talk about his research interests. Ed talks about youth sport and the coach/parent relationships. The two discuss the ins and outs of the professional tennis circuit and how taxing it can be for the athletes. In the recap (which almost didn’t happen), Tayler and Melissa talk about mispronunci...

Jen Fry is a former student-athlete turned volleyball coach turned academic administrator turned social justice educator. She is the founder and owner of Jen Fry Talks, which is a social justice education firm that uses conversation to educate and empower audiences through an anti-racist lens. The two talk about their shared bitterness of losing the 2011 NCAA Volleyball National Championship to UC...

Today’s episode is our first-ever panel-style episode of The Bloom Pod! Our guests are college athletics and student-athlete development professionals from around the country: Lamarr Pottinger, NCAA Leadership Development (@Lamarr_Lead) Resa Lovelace, University of Maryland at College Park (@RBLTheory09) Dr. Kristina Navarro, University of Wisconsin-Platteville (@DrKMNavarro) Dr. Lacee’ Carmon-Joh...

Kari Jo is a veterinarian practicing small animal medicine, and she is also the founder and owner of Rosebuds Tees, which is a company that makes “graphic tees for small town lovin’ women.” Since its inception in 2016, Rosebuds Tees has created a variety of graphic tees, tanks, and sweatshirts, and has garnered nearly 19,000 followers on Instagram. Kari Jo tells us how she came up with the name “R...

Will Baggett is a professional speaker, an author, and the founder of The Executive Image. His book is titled The Blueprint for a Successful Career , and it has earned a solid five star rating on Amazon. As the founder of Executive Image, Will leads workshops on professional presence and development for college student-athletes. Tayler and Will discuss his career path to date, and the process of w...

Dr. Ashlesha Lokhande is a Doctor of Philosophy, a higher education professional, and an entrepreneur. She currently serves as an academic advisor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Tayler and Ash talk about Ash’s experience as an international student and her  journey in and out of (and eventually back into) the world of college athletics. Ash discusses her adventure in cand...

ONIONS! If you’re a sports fan, you’ve likely heard that catchphrase from Bill Raftery. Episode 4 features a different kind of sport-related Onion. Connor Onion is a sports broadcaster, and currently serves as the “TV Voice” of the Southern Illinois University Salukis. Connor has worked with an array of sports at the collegiate and semi-pro level including the Quad City River Bandits and the Kane...

Tim Bryson is a Student-Athlete Development professional, and currently serves as Program Director for Student-Athlete Career Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. Tim is a speaker, future Doctor of Philosophy, and a craft beer fanatic. Tim and Tayler discuss Tim’s career path to date and his PhD research interests. Tim talks about his blog (timothyfbryson.com) and how his pinne...

Michelle Bartsch-Hackley is a professional volleyball player and a member of the USA Volleyball National Team. Affectionately known by her family and teammates as “Bartschy,” she was recently inducted into the 2020 Illini Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Barstchy tells the BloomPod the anticlimactic way she found out about her induction, and talks about the night her husband proposed. Tayler and Bart...

Melissa Lutz is the Owner/General Manager of the Generous Coffee Shops in Denver and Golden, Colorado. Melissa tells the BloomPod how she met Tayler, and how she used to pretend to be the libero on the volleyball team at the University of Illinois. Tayler makes a big ask of Melissa as her first guest on the show, and Melissa builds suspense by waiting until the end of the episode to mention the re...

Not sure if The Bloom Pod is for you? Have a listen and confirm your suspicion! Each episode will bring you new people talkin' about stuff . Stuff that makes them who they are. Stuff that makes their ideas move. And then probably just some other general stuff, too.