The Good Athlete Podcast

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with Peter Callahan. Peter is a Belgian-American middle-distance runner who competed for Belgium at the 2016 European Athletics Championships. He first attended and ran at Princeton University, where he graduated in 2013. While at Princeton, he was coached by Steve Dolan and set the school record in the indoor 1,000 meters. Callahan earned 7 I...

Episode 61 – Robin Lyons: Know Your Why goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with Robin Lyons, Founder and Director of Coaching at MTN Lab. She has over 18 years of combined experience as both an athlete and a coach. Prior to starting MTN Lab, Robin was a coach for Opex Fitness in Arizona. She holds a Master degree in Sports Conditioning and Human Performance and is a certified s...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with Paul Zientarski, education consultant and retired teacher. Paul was first inspired when he heard a Harvard professor speak about the positive influence physical activity has on the brain. He teamed up with a few like-minded individuals and together they developed the Learning Readiness PE (LEPE) program to prove physical activity has a po...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with Charlie Tilson, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox. He was born and raised in Wilmette, IL and attended New Trier Township High School where he played baseball and football. He graduated in 2011 and was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the year for the state of Illinois. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 79th over...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with former Former NFL Running back and ESPN Football Analyst. At Idaho State, Merril was a four-year football starter who set 44 school and conference records and two NCAA football records, one for most receptions by a back in a season and the other for most receptions by a back for a career. In 1987, Merril was drafted by the Pittsburgh Stee...

Episode 57 – Rachel Balkovec: Riding the Wave of Strength & Conditioning goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down with former Major League Baseball strength & conditioning coach Rachel Balkovec. Rachel had just completed her third season with the Houston Astros this fall before she relocated to Amsterdam, Netherlands to pursue her second master’s degree in research and biomechanics....

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we welcome back Hugh Williams, former linebacker and defensive captain for the Northwestern Wildcats. Today, Hugh works for Avison Young in Chicago. He sits down to talk with us about a wide range of topics including the public perception of Tim Tebow, current controversies surrounding college admissions, and his thoughts on the NCAA and amateurism in spo...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Tom Sroka, World Class Strength Athlete and Owner of The Strength Agenda in Elmhurst, IL. Tom earned his bachelor’s at Aurora University in health and physical education and was a three-time All-American with their Track and Field program. He then transitioned to the sport of weightlifting where he won the superheavyweight division at the...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Andy Milne, health and physical education teacher at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, IL. Andy has been teaching health and physical education teacher for the past twenty years and in 2017 was recognized as the SHAPE America National Health Teacher of the Year. He received his BA in Sports & Recreation at Staffordshire Universi...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Dr. Aaron Horschig, founder of Squat University and physical therapist at Boost Sports Performance in Kansas City, MO. Aaron works with such athletes as olympic weightlifters, powerlifters, CrossFitters, international level soccer players, MLB and NFL athletes. Aaron published his first book “The Squat Bible” in spring of 2017 and has als...

goodathleteproject.com Episode 52 – Dana Santas: Mobility Maker For today’s episode we sat down with Dana Santas, AKA the Mobility Maker. She is a breathing, mobility and mind-body coach in professional sports, the yoga expert for CNN Health, a best-selling author, and an international speaker/presenter on ways to help people breathe, move and feel better in their bodies and be happier and healthi...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Creator of the Hero Initiative and strength and conditioning coach, Raph Ruiz. The Hero Initiative program serves preparation for selection, current Special Operators, elite SWAT LEOs and Fire Rescue, as well as return to quality-of-life for the retired. Raph also works with athletes ranging from youth to the professional level. He has wo...

goodathleteproject.com For Today’s Episode Jim and Alex sit down to talk briefly about the past year as well as giving some insight into what’s next for the project. Please visit at as our website goodathleteproject.com to learn more about the project, find our other podcast episodes, pick up some merch, and reach out! If you’d like to donate to the Good Athlete Project, follow this link: https://...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with 13-Year NFL Veteran Charles Tillman. He played college football at University of Louisiana at Lafayette before being selected by the Chicago Bears with the 35th pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Tillman spent his first 12 years with the Bears, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2011 and 2012. Charles was also named the 2013 NFL Walter Payton Ma...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down Darien Pyka, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at USC. Prior to working at USC she served as Performance Director at ProSport Performance and Physical Therapy in Laguna Hills. Darien played four years of NCAA Division 1 soccer at Loyola Marymount University where she received her bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Sciences. She went...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sit down once again with Jared Ka’aiohelo, better known as Coach K. He joined us at the 2018 NSCA National Convention in Indianapolis. Coach K is the owner of Athlete Inc. in Oklahoma City. Prior to starting Athlete Inc. Coach K was a strength coach at University of Central Oklahoma, University of Kansas, and Rice University. He is also a former profes...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Carrie Sampson-Moore, Director of Physical Education and Wellness at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to working at MIT, Carrie served as Assistant Director of the Aquatics Program at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and Program and Event Director at Miami University in Ohio. In November 2017, Carrie received the...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Zach Even-Esh, Founder of the Underground Strength Gym in New Jersey. He is also the creator of the Underground Strength Coach Certification and the author of the “Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning”. Zach has nearly two decades of coaching experience in strength and conditioning including serving as the head strength c...

goodathleteproject.com We have a bonus episode for you today! We will be talking about a recent panel Jim was a part of regarding the opioid epidemic, our upcoming clinic on Sunday and the Power Athlete Symposium going on in Austin, Texas this December. Hope you enjoy! There’s still time to register for the Beyond Strength Clinic, head to goodathleteproject.com and click the “Beyond Strength Clini...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Justine Finn, Founder of Relation-Shift. Relation-Shift’s mission is to help make schools places where every student can thrive; teachers are empowered to prevent and respond to sexual bullying and harassment; and administrators are successful in their implementation of policies to create safe, healthy environments for their students. Pri...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Mike Powell, Executive Director of Beat the Streets Chicago. Beat the Streets Chicago (BTS) is a non-profit organization that aims to develop the Urban wrestling community into a self-sustaining entity that is based on the core values of wrestling: hard work, dedication, discipline and determination. Prior to his work at BTS Chicago, Mike...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Eric Torres. Eric is a PhD Student at Harvard University and a former sponsored Rollerblader. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and his Master’s Degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. Eric has taught classes in adult education at various non-profits in Aust...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Lisa Feldman Barrett. University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to her book "How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain", Dr. Barrett has published over 200 peer-reviewed, scientific papers appearing in S...

goodathleteproject.com Episode 41 – Brandon Lilly: Power, Purpose, & Growth For today’s episode we sat down with Brandon Lilly. Brandon is a top ranked powerlifter, author of "The Cube Method", and "365STRONG", as well as a respected strength coach. Brandon is ranked as one of the strongest powerlifters of All-Time, having world class totals in multiple weight class, raw, and equipped. He has work...

goodathleteproject.com For today’s episode we sat down with Kyle Jean, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to working at Notre Dame she earned her Master’s Degree in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and served as the strength and conditioning coach for the UMHB softball team as well as the graduate assistant for the unive...