The Sport Fuels Life Podcast

Practical Lessons from Former Arizona Diamondbacks Head of Mental Performance Zach Brandon on Confidence, Focus, and Resilience In this episode of the Sport Fuels Life Mental Performance Series, we sit down with former Arizona Diamondbacks Head of Mental Performance Zach Brandon to explore the mental skills that help athletes perform at their best when the pressure is highest. Throughout the conve...

Lessons From Elizabeth Zanolli on Injury, Rehabilitation, and Athlete Well-Being as the subtitle/opening line in the description. In this episode of the Sport Fuels Life Podcast, we sit down with Elizabeth Zanolli, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at Stony Brook University, to discuss an important topic that every athlete, coach, and parent will encounter at some point: injury. Whil...

Dr. Larry Lauer, Director of Mental Performance for the USTA, joins Sport Fuels Life to discuss one of the most important areas of athlete development: the mental side of performance. In this conversation, Larry shares insights on resilience, emotional control, self-awareness, confidence, and competing under pressure. He explains why mental toughness is not about eliminating emotions, but learning...

Michael Urban, Director of Mental Performance for the Los Angeles Clippers, joins the Sport Fuels Life Mental Performance Series to discuss leadership, communication, emotional consistency, and creating environments where athletes can grow and perform at their best. Throughout the conversation, Urban shares lessons from his journey through collegiate and professional sports, including stops at IMG...

In this episode, mental game coach Tami Matheny joins Sport Fuels Life to discuss the mental side of performance and what separates athletes when pressure is at its highest. Drawing from her experiences as a college tennis coach and mental performance coach working across sports, Tami shares practical insights on confidence, communication, focus, resilience, and leadership. The conversation explor...

Grit Overcomes Circumstances: Paralympian Lindi Marcusen on Resilience, Perspective & Elite Performance Lindi Marcusen’s story is one of grit, perspective, and the power of refusing to let circumstances define you. A former gymnast turned Track & Field Paralympian, Lindi shares how a life-altering accident led to an unexpected new path in sport—and how rebuilding physically, mentally, and...

Building Championship Culture — Lessons from Chris Young Chris Young built his program the right way. As the former head women's tennis coach at Oklahoma State, he led his team to a National Indoor Championship and a #1 ranking in the country—but what stands out most is how those results were built. Through culture. Through accountability. Through a clear standard of excellence. In this conversati...

Ryan Shazier: From the Steelers to Overcoming Adversity Ohio State Football • Pittsburgh Steelers • NFL Linebacker • Spinal Cord Injury Survivor • Founder, Ryan Shazier Fund Ryan Shazier’s story isn’t just about adversity — it’s about how you respond to it. From Ohio State to the Pittsburgh Steelers to a life-changing spinal cord injury, Ryan has experienced both the highest highs and the toughest...

Tom Rees, Head Men’s & Women’s Tennis Coach at Georgia Gwinnett College and NAIA National Champion, joins us to share what coaching both sides has taught him about communication, culture, and building trust. This conversation goes beyond gender — it’s about understanding the athlete in front of you and adapting how you lead. In this episode, we cover: Why buy-in starts with explaining the why...

Brian Garber, ATP Tour coach and current coach to Ethan Quinn (World No. 56), joins us for a powerful conversation on what it really takes to develop competitors — not just players. From becoming a Division II head coach at just 23 to working across the WTA and now the ATP Tour, Brian shares a coaching philosophy built on simplicity, ownership, and trust. In this episode, we dive into why less ins...

Jennifer Ketterly, Associate Director of Sports Performance at the Duke Sports Sciences Institute and performance nutrition consultant for the Charlotte Hornets, joins us for a practical, science-backed conversation on the three pillars of performance nutrition: fueling, hydration, and recovery. With more than 25 years of experience across collegiate and professional sport, Jennifer explains why c...

Dr. Jack Groppel joins us for a compelling conversation on performance, recovery, and what makes coaching a truly noble profession. One of the world’s leading sports psychologists and human performance experts, Jack shares his journey from self-taught athlete to pioneering leader in performance science—and the moment when just 17 words from a mentor changed the trajectory of his life. In this cand...

The Miracle League: When the Game Includes Everyone, Miracles Happen The Miracle League is more than baseball — it’s a movement rewriting what’s possible. What started with one field in Georgia has grown into 345+ communities worldwide, giving every child, regardless of ability, the chance to play. Through a powerful buddy system, players with disabilities are paired with peers, breaking barriers...

"I'll Find a Way or Make One": Dana Mathewson's Story of Grit and Greatness Champion wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson shares her remarkable journey from diagnosis with transverse myelitis at age 10 to becoming America's most accomplished wheelchair tennis player. With candid humor, Dana discusses her initial reluctance toward adaptive sports and how her mother's persistence led her to the c...

Fear Is a Passenger, Not the Driver: Jenn Drummond’s World Record Climb In 2018, Jen Drummond survived a car crash that should have ended her life. Instead, it sparked a world-record journey that would redefine what’s possible—physically, mentally, and emotionally. In this episode, Jen shares how that near-death experience became her “line in the sand” moment, propelling her from business owner an...

The Champion's Mindset: USTA's Dr. Larry Lauer on Mental Performance The difference between good and great in tennis often comes down to mental skills. Dr. Larry Lauer, Director of Mental Performance for the USTA, has revolutionized how players approach the psychological side of the sport. "How you do what you do is way more important than the outcome," Lauer emphasizes. "You can't really get the...

Unstoppable: Shelby Baron's Journey to Paralympic Tennis From struggling to keep up in PE class to becoming a two-time Paralympian, Shelby Baron’s story is a powerful testament to resilience, discovery, and the transformative power of adaptive sports. Born with spina bifida in Hawaii, Shelby found new possibilities through wheelchair tennis—ultimately representing Team USA in Rio and Tokyo. In thi...

ATP Coach Craig Boynton on Building Champions Great coaching isn’t just about drills and strategy—it’s about connection, trust, and mindset. ATP coach Craig Boynton, who has worked with world-class players like Jim Courier, John Isner, and Hubert Hurkacz, knows that success starts with putting the player first: "It’s not about the coach—it’s about the athlete." He helps players balance physical sk...

Game-Changing Coaching: Bill Riddle Previews the National HS Tennis Coaches Conference We’re thrilled to have Bill Riddle join us today on the podcast! Bill is not only one of the most well-respected coaches in the country but also played a key role in helping us put together the National High School Tennis Coaches Conference. His passion for growing the game and his wealth of experience have been...

CJ Beatty’s journey is the ultimate playbook for resilience, grit, and redefining success. Born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC, CJ discovered his love for baseball at just five years old. Fueled by passion and relentless determination, he worked tirelessly to elevate his game. A pivotal turning point came when a coach recognized his potential, challenging him to dream bigger and push further. Thi...

Ted Rath: The Blueprint for Peak NFL Performance (Former Eagles VP of Performance) Gain exclusive insight from Ted Rath, former Vice President of Player Performance for the Philadelphia Eagles, as he shares his extensive 16-year NFL journey. From securing two NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year awards to playing an integral role in the Rams' healthiest season and back-to-back Super Bow...

Parker Byrd Doesn’t Let a Prosthetic Leg Stop Him from Playing College Baseball and More In sports, injuries are an unfortunate reality. While we often brace for accidents on the field, the most unpredictable ones can happen far away from the game. Parker Byrd's life took an unimaginable turn before his freshman season at East Carolina University when he was involved in a life-threatening boating...

From Army Veteran to Pickleball Pro: Jonny “Pickleball” Andrews’ Inspiring Journey Today’s episode is all about pickleball—the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.—as we sit down with Jonny Andrews, also known as Jonny Pickleball. From serving his country as a U.S. Army veteran to carving out a niche as a professional pickleball player, Jonny found a new sense of joy, purpose, and community in a spor...

ATP Tennis Coach Chris Eaton Shares How He Transforms Teams Into Champions Some say that coaching is both an art and a science.  In today’s Sport Fuels Life podcast, we hear from Chris Eaton, a British professional tennis player who continued his tennis journey as a coach in the U.S. at both the NCAA and professional levels.  He shares how he has been able to successfully influence team dynamics,...

Jean Francois Menard: Mastering High Performance from the Circus to the Olympics In this Sport Fuels Life podcast episode, we have a very special guest who shares the valuable lessons he learned from working with Cirque Du Soleil.  This extraordinarily demanding contemporary circus provided a master class on high performance. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Jean Francois Menard is highly regard...