Podcast
performance Health Podcast is how I started!
It only makes sense I open with the podcast and what we talked about!
We did 40 episodes this year broken up over 4 seasons. I shifted from interviewing guests to doing more monologue/roundtable style with Corey Hobbs. Part of the reason for that is I was getting a ton of requests to be on other podcasts. There are a ton of podcasts that just interview guests each week. When a tide is going in one direction, you have to be willing to go in another direction. The blue ocean here is not interviewing the same guests, it is finding your voice.
The big reason was I wanted to work through some ideas and how to explain them properly. Being able to articulate your thoughts is important. A big aspect is getting your reps in. I have never shied away from hard work and commitment to something. I look at my podcast as a means to improve my communication. I want to discuss higher-level topics with guests and my means to do that is by being able to think and communicate more effectively.
Season 3 General Programming. I wanted to have a season where my friends and family could understand basic programming. I a proud of those 10 episodes, I had to stretch my ability to communicate simply on something so complex. If you work through those episodes as a strength coach, my sincerest hope was you would be able to send an episode to an athlete/client to help explain something that was not clicking the way you wanted to.
Season 4 was all about the S&C Profession. I just finished How to Become a Strength Coach the book and my Foundations course. I wanted to get my reps to explain the profession of S&C and how to engineer. your career. Having a resource for coaches to go to when they were struggling with a decision was the intention.
Season 5 was all about the Advanced Program Design. I think this is my biggest area of expertise. It is the area I get the most requests for. Truth is with this season I wanted to practice communicating advanced topics like evaluation, basic program design to advanced program design, and the logistics associated with it.
Season 6, the current season, is about Facility Design. I have designed multiple facilities. I consult a lot of gyms on building out their dream facility. It is incredibly obvious when you get down to facility design how subjective the process is. I get it, you can make something from nothing. But little time is spent on what is the best program you can write based on the staff you have and the athletes you work with.
Listen to all Episodes Here: pH Podcast
Blog
I wrote 25 blogs this year.
Tommy Moffit asked me on his podcasts if I consider myself an author. At hesitated for a moment, but then it dawned on me that I probably am. At what point does it register that you are something? I have two books and a third that is completed just going through editing. I have hundreds of blog posts circulating the internet.
I would not go as far as to say I am a good writer, but I do write enough to constitute myself as an author. Much like my podcasts, my blogs are a means to communicate my thoughts. I read a lot; 30-40 books a year for the last 25 years. There is a ton of information coming in and there has to be an outlet to express that. That’s where blogs come in.
I write for Strength Coaches. I do not care to be everyone’s favorite. I just care about creating things that are going to help S&C Coaches do their jobs more effectively. That is why I have broken up the blog into three sections. Filter your information. Use what applies and discard the rest!
- What I am Reading: a journal of the books I have read
- Strength Coach Chronicles: opinion piece on topics or concepts directly related to S&C
- In the Lab: S&C experiments I am running on myself
If you are reading this newsletter you are probably an S&C coach. The message I want you to understand is that this platform is not for general consumption. It is for you. I have a narrowed focus on providing solutions to the problems S&C coaches deal with.
Read all the blogs here: pH Blog
Speaking
I spoke 7 times this year:
- Bridge Athletic Virtual Summit
- University of Kansas Performance Seminar
- University of North Carolina Exercise Selection Seminar
- Fordham University NSCA Seminar
- The Lab Alternative Resistance Seminar
- Metabolic Elite Minds Seminar
- performance Health Level I, Foundations – SPEAR
That is pretty much every other month I am doing a speaking engagement. I got to be honest, that is pretty cool to say that out loud. I enjoy speaking. I think it is an adrenaline rush to go out there and speak in front of others. I think it is an incredible challenge to be put out there with the best and see how you stack up.
I take a lot of pride in coming up with a new presentation each time. I want people that go to each event to have a new topic. That puts a lot of pressure on me to prepare and not look like an idiot. I get that it probably does not matter a whole lot to do the same thing, but I do not want to be typecasted with a specific thing. That is important to me because I want to be well-rounded as a speaker and coach.
I will give you my keys to success in public speaking.
- Pull as many research articles, and books as possible and make a document
- Pull at least 1 relevant and unique detail from each resource
- Then, Compile it into a bullet point list
- Then, Convert that to a story with a beginning, middle, and end
- Then, Convert that to slides
- Put something that will trigger your thoughts to speak freely and candidly on
- Rehearse
- Practice by reading slides in your head
- Then, Practice by doing a mock presentation
- Then, Practice by recording yourself
- Then, Practice in front of someone else
- Day Of
- Wake Up Early, Run through slides
- Then, Take a shower and go through the entire presentation in your head
- Then, Relax and stay loose
- Then, Present
Preparation makes all the difference. You want it to appear easy. That is the secret. Public speaking is confidence. Confidence in the subject matter, confidence in the message, confidence in your preparation. If you have put the work in, you will be fine. If you have not, it will show.
