PA CHALK UP

For years I’ve heard the same frustration from coaches at every level. We learn the science. We read the research. We earn the qualifications. But nobody really teaches us how to coach. That’s exactly why I’ve spent the last year building something new. This episode is your first sneak peek. Christina shares advice every coach should hear, and over the coming weeks you’ll hear from some of the bes...

We sit down with Federick "Fed" Brooks — CSCS, Master's in Kinesiology, Marine Corps veteran of 10 years, and founder of Sound Sports Performance and Training in Washington State — to talk about building a coaching career from scratch, why empathy might be your most underrated credential, and what it really means to create opportunity when the traditional path isn't available to...

We sit down with Tucker Bachand — Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Westfield State University, the first ever to hold the role there — to talk about what it actually takes to build something from scratch, coach 18 teams with no budget and no force plates, and why Division III might be where the most honest coaching is happening. In this Playbook: Buy-In Isn't Built on a Whiteboard: Standa...

We sit down with Bree Vaughn — aspiring strength and conditioning coach, University of Louisville student, former football performance intern, and mum — to talk about what it actually takes to stay the course in this industry when life doesn't follow the textbook path. In this Playbook: The Non-Linear Path Is Still a Path: Bree took time away from the field to raise her son. She came back. She...

We sit down with Silas Newby — Athletics Performance Coach at Baylor University, working with Equestrian, Track & Field, and Softball, and formerly at West Point — to talk about building athletes from the ground up, programming for sports most coaches never think about, and why the best thing you can do for your athletes is get under the bar yourself. In this Playbook: You Shouldn't Be Abl...

We sit down with Mesa McNely — former strength and conditioning coach turned studio manager at Body Rock Lexington, a hybrid reformer Pilates studio — to talk about what happens when you leave elite sport, trust your instincts, and find something even more rewarding on the other side. Note: Mesa was a returning guest — one of the earlier guests on the podcast — and this conversation picks up where...

We sit down with Michelle Boateng — Assistant Strength Coach at Howard University working with women's soccer, volleyball, softball, and football — to talk about reading the room before you coach it, the injury prevention mindset she carried over from her athletic training roots, and what it meant to be part of the 10th class of the NFL Women's Forum. Since this episode was recorded, Michelle has...

We sit down with Coach Maddox — Associate Director of Football Sports Performance at USC, former head strength coach at Alcorn State, and director at Valdosta State — to talk about building culture before chasing strategy, programming with and without resources, and why recovery deserves the same aggression as the weight room. In this Playbook: Standard Over Feelings: At USC, the standard is non-n...

We sit down with John Patrick — Director of Strength and Performance at Seckinger High School (Gwinnett County, Georgia), former collegiate director across 20+ years to talk about building programs from scratch, earning the barbell, and why no free lunch is more than just a saying. In this Playbook: No free lunch: Nothing gets handed out. Not in the weight room, not in the profession. You earn the...

We sit down with Marques White — Associate Director of Football Performance at Boise State University — to talk about what it really means to be built different: showing up with love, manufacturing adversity, and executing the basics at an elite level every single day. In this Playbook: It's not what you do, it's how you do it: Marques isn't chasing the flashy stuff. Push, pull, squat,...

We sit down with three of the most influential minds in sport science — Dr. Mike Stone (ETSU, USOC, Edinburgh), Meg Stone (first female head S&C coach in the US, Scottish national coach, ETSU), and Alex Borges (ETSU PhD, football performance) — for a wide-ranging conversation on the past, present, and future of sport science, coaching education, and what it actually takes to build something th...

We sit down with Britt Ducroz—private S&C consultant, four-time Olympic cycle coach with Great Britain Diving (Rio, Tokyo, Paris, LA), and former college director—to talk about what it actually takes to make elite athletes 1% better, why the consulting side changes everything, and how to build a coaching eye that no data can replace. In this Playbook: Wringing out a dried cloth: When your athl...

We sit down with Dr. Jackson Morris—Coach Mo, Director of Football Performance at Coastal Carolina University—to talk about what actually builds winning programs: culture, relationships, and the relentless pursuit of excellence both on and off the field. In this Playbook: Four years for the next 40: Mo's mission isn't just rings and diplomas — it's developing leaders. His framework: at...

We sit down with Raven Chance —Towson University strength & conditioning coach (baseball + football)—to talk about what actually matters when you walk into a program start-of-season: buy-in, auto-regulation, and building systems that keep athletes healthy and confident. In-this-playbook In-season baseball when you’re the “new coach”: Raven joined Towson right as baseball kicked off—long season...

We sit down with Bo Sandoval —ex-UFCPI S&C, now Texas A&M (Professor of Practice) + facility design consultant + co-founder of Workbuilt —to talk about what actually moves the needle: execution, integration, and standards. In this Playbook: • Execution is the separator: Bo’s framework: enter → execute → exit . If you can’t control those three, “more load” is just chaos. Positional accuracy...

We catch up with Jack Wulhouse—UK-based S&C coach who’s gone from commercial PT → rehab-led performance → UW internship → MSc → University of Warwick S&C —and they get real about what coaching looks like when you don’t have NCAA resources, huge training ages, or unlimited time. In-this-playbook • The “samurai sword” build: Jack’s whole model is boring-on-purpose—stack fundamentals for long...

We sit down with Dom Thomas—former collegiate S&C coach turned Cirque du Soleil performance coach in Las Vegas —to unpack what it really takes to keep 80–90 “artists” show-ready year-round. Think: Olympic-level skill, mixed training ages, and 10 shows a week with almost no true off-season. In-this-playbook • “Artists” are athletes—on insane volume: ~10 shows/week, ~500/year, with only small “d...

We sits down with Mirek Babiarz—Poland-to-US S&C coach turned gym owner and NSCA Poland chapter lead—to talk real training vs. “movement-only” culture, why conditioning is the most sport-specific quality, and how to build performance systems that actually peak when it matters. In-this-playbook • US vs Europe: “motor prep” to real S&C: Europe’s movement-first bias (soccer culture) vs. US st...

We welcomes back Madison Peele—FSU BVB & VB S&C—to talk real-world load monitoring, athlete buy-in, and building a unified performance staff without drowning in data. In-this-playbook • Sports science → decisions, not dashboards: pick a few metrics that matter, track them weekly, and deliver a coach-friendly action plan (not “here’s a spreadsheet, good luck”). • A weekly monitoring rhythm...

I sit down with Rodney Hill—ex-Florida football S&C/sports science—to get practical on sprint exposure, hamstring health, return-to-play, and using data without the hype. In-this-playbook • Sprint exposures that travel across sports: Derek Hansen’s 10×10 for accel/decel, repeat-sprint conditioning, RTP checklists and handoffs (physio ↔︎ S&C), plus end-range strength for hypermobile athlete...

No fluff, just coaching that works. I sit down with Paudie Roche —former Arsenal & Munster S&C—to cut through tech hype, fads, and social-media hot takes. They get into using AI as an assistant (not a replacement), coaching female athletes the right way, navigating growth & maturation, and the real craft of coaching: tone, buy-in, and adaptability. In-this-playbook Female athletes ≠ sm...

Jump testing without the faff. Manny sits down with West Point’s Jared Woods and Kenna Smoak-Minnici to get real about force plates vs. jump mats, which metrics actually move programming, and how to build systems that don’t steal training time. If you coach jumping sports—or just want cleaner decisions from messy data—this one’s a blueprint. In-this-playbook The two metrics that matter (MRSI + pea...

Kosta (tactical S&C, based in Italy) went from banged-up high-school hooper to the guy tactical units trust to get strong, stay healthy, and still have a life. He’s blunt about the college grind, ruthless about simplicity, and laser-focused on building careers that don’t burn you out—or your athletes. In-this-playbook: •  Tactical template that adapts itself. Build a 5-day master plan, then st...

Dave Snyder (Baylor Basketball) is an athletic trainer with two decades in the trenches—football to hoops—who turns injuries into clear, fast return-to-play plans. He’s a systems guy: objective data, ruthless practicality, and athlete buy-in so players actually stay on the court. steal-this-playbook: • High-performance that works. One team across AT, S&C, nutrition, mental health, and sport sc...

Tim Suchomel is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a rare research-meets-weight-room operator—equal parts lab brain and barbell coach. He builds stronger, faster athletes by turning messy training into clean data and making strength science brutally practical. steal-this-playbook: • Weight room = lab. Monitor in real time, adjust in real time. Track sets/reps plus simple ou...