Resilient Performance Podcast

A former FBI agent and police instructor, Bill Rogers is the founder and chief instructor of the Rogers Shooting School. Bill has been a world ranked IPSC shooter, a state trap champion, and has over 50 years of shooting competition experience and over 40 years teaching shooting. Bill has invented many of the holsters and equipment used by police and military worldwide. He also invented the target system and the method of instruction used at the school. His teaching methods are utilized by some of the most highly trained tactical teams and military units in the United States and throughout the world. Topics Covered: The difference between precision shooting/marksmanship and tactical shooting for law enforcement and military personnel Why the manner in which many military and law enforcement personnel are trained to employ firearms is not sufficiently realistic Why he has somebody with zero firearms experience train on the exact same range and targeting system as a seasoned special forces operator. Yes, you r

Andy Ryland is USA Football’s senior manager of education and training and has been with USA Football since 2010. He has consulted with programs at every level of competition, and is widely recognized as a foremost expert on developing the fundamentals necessary for a successful shoulder tackle. He is a former Penn State linebacker and member of the U.S. Men’s Rugby team and is a primary instructor in the Advanced Tackling System. Topics Covered: Andy’s position with USA Football and how his athletic career influenced his view on long term athletic development What football coaches can learn from the sport of rugby Andy’s teaching progression for tackling Developing offensive and defensive lineman while respecting contact restrictions during practice Evaluating quarterback play while considering differences in scheme, ability of receivers to get open, protection, etc. “System” players Andy’s thoughts on the NFL combine How Andy would structure a training week to account for individual skill development, phys

Download Episode File Dr. Mike Roussell is known for transforming complex nutritional concepts into practical nutritional habits that his clients can use to ensure permanent weight loss and long lasting health. Mike holds a degree in biochemistry from Hobart College and a doctorate in nutrition from Pennsylvania State University. Mike’s academic background coupled with his broad range of experience from consulting with pharmaceutical and food companies, medical schools, top rated fitness facilities, professional athletes, and individual clients, gives him the unique ability to translate scientific findings into relevant, understandable, and actionable strategies that get results. As a scientist, his research has been published multiple times in the premiere clinical nutrition journal in the world, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. He is also a sought after continuing educator, speaking across the country to physicians, dietitians, nurses, and other health professionals on the most recent advances in th

Christie Aschwanden is the author of GOOD TO GO: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn From the Strange Science of Recovery and co-host of EMERGING FORM, a podcast about the creative process. She’s the former lead science writer at FiveThirtyEight and was previously a health columnist for The Washington Post. Christie is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. She’s also been a contributing editor for Runner’s World and a contributing writer for Bicycling. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including Discover, Slate, Consumer Reports,  New Scientist,  More,  Men’s Journal, Mother Jones, NPR.org, Smithsonian and O, the Oprah Magazine. A lifetime athlete, Christie has raced in Europe and North America on the Team Rossignol Nordic ski racing squad. Topics Covered: How do we define and measure “recovery” Does “optimal” exist and should we be seeking to attain it Recovery and fragility The conflation of science and marketing Biomarkers and metrics as reflective indicators of performance Wea

Download Episode File Dr. Bryan Carmody is a lifelong Virginian. Born and raised in Richlands, VA, he attended college at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, where he majored in chemistry before attending medical school at the University of Virginia. During his medical training, he became fascinated with kidney disease and renal physiology. After completing his residency training at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, he returned to UVA for a fellowship in pediatric nephrology, then came back to CHKD to join the children's kidney center and to be a part of Virginia's only freestanding children's hospital. Topics Covered: The relative efficacy of different learning models in medicine What is the point of a standardized test (not a rhetorical question) Evidence that standardized tests in medicine do what they say they do Who are the stakeholders in the standardized testing world Is memorization still important Revising medical education to better reflect clinical practice Do systemi

Download Episode File Tony Holler has been a teacher for 38 years and presently teaches Honors Chemistry at Plainfield North High School in Plainfield, IL.  He also has 38 years experience coaching football, basketball, and track. Tony is presently the Head Track Coach and Freshman Head Football Coach at Plainfield North.  He is a member of the Illinois Track and Field Hall of Fame and coached multiple teams to state track championships. A coveted author and speaker, Tony is also co-director of the Track-Football Consortium. Topics Covered: How teaching chemistry and coaching track and field at the high school level are similar and different Do teaching curriculums reflect modern educational priorities How Tony personally gauges if his students are learning and the degree to which standardized assessments constrain the teaching experience Strategies Tony employs to keep students engaged in chemistry class and track and field practice Essentialism in coaching and teaching Principles that unite the dif

Mladen Javonovic is a physical preparation coach from Belgrade, Serbia. He has held positions as a strength and conditioning coach and data scientist for Port Adelaid Football Club in Australia and as a football physiologist for Aspire Academy in Qatar. He is currently completing his PhD in Sports Science at the University of Belgrade. Topics Covered: How Machiavelli’s “The Prince” influenced Mladen’s coaching philosophy Other philosophy-based books that have influenced Mladen’s approach to physical preparation How Mladen determines when to prioritize macro level concepts vs. micro level ones to audit himself as a coach How Mladen reconciles his respect for modeling, statistics, and data with his skepticism of scienticism and blind faith in quantification Mladen’s thoughts on “injury prevention” Explanatory vs. predictive statistical modeling What evidenced based practice really is Statistics resources for non-researchers Links of Interest: Mladen’s website Mladen’s Twitter Uncertainty, Heuristics, and In

Michael Lauria is currently completing his final semester at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. Outside of school, he works as a critical care flight paramedic and provides training to multiple emergency service organizations. Prior to medical school, Michael served in the U.S. Air Force as a Pararescueman at the 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, UK, Air Force Special Operations Command. During this assignment he deployed to OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM as part of a Combat Search and Rescue Team and in support of the C Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). In 2009, Michael was named Air Force Special Operations Command Outstanding Airman of the Year and Pararescue Airman of the Year. Topics Covered: How can civilian medicine and military medicine learn from one another The extent to which combat and medicine present similar systemic challenges in terms of interpersonal dynamics, leadership, and stress management How mental models to facilitate communication without ove

Dr. Lisa (Guth) Pitchford is an exercise physiologist and research scientist. She started her research career as a student in the Ball State University Human Performance Lab. She became interested in the relationships between exercise and genetics, which led her to pursue her Ph.D. with Dr. Steve Roth at the University of Maryland. She then did a post-doctoral fellowship focused on metabolism at the University of Michigan before taking on her current role as a Research Scientist at Metabolic Technologies, Inc. in Ames, Iowa. Her scientific expertise ranges from applied human physiology to molecular biology and genetics, and her research in exercise performance, metabolism and nutrition has spanned human, animal, and cell culture research models. Outside of science, she enjoys running marathons, traveling with her husband, and trying new microbreweries.    Topics Covered: How Lisa become interested in genetics Conceptually how researchers in the field go about studying individual gene function and the inte

Jason Brezler is the Founder and President of Leadership Under Fire. He has specialized in leadership development, character development and optimal human performance for over 10 years and frequently addresses leaders and organizations across North America. He calls upon his extensive operational experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and New York City as he prepares leaders from public safety organizations, business corporations, athletic teams and academic institutions to perform at their best. Jason serves as a FDNY Special Operations Firefighter in Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to becoming a firefighter and creating the Leadership Under Fire Team, Jason began his career as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has led Marines on several deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan where he was decorated for his combat service and continues to serve as a Major in the Marine Corps Reserves. Jason received a Master's of Science from Oklahoma State University and a 2nd Bachelor's of Science from the University of

John Baker is a former Major League Baseball player that has played for the Marlins, Padres and Cubs. He also spent time in the minor league organizations of the Athletics, Dodgers and Mariners. John's baseball career has taken him across the country and over seas. In the name of baseball, he has spent time in Holland, Belgium, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Iraq and Kuwait. After attending De La Salle High School in Concord, CA, John was a walk on at Cal in 2000, he later earned a scholarship for the 2002 season. He was drafted by the Oakland A's in the fourth round of the 2002 MLB draft and made it the Major Leagues in 2008 with the Florida Marlins. Besides writing about and discussing baseball, John enjoys reading, playing the guitar, exercising, watching MMA and spending time with his two young children. John now serves as the Mental Skills Coordinator for the Chicago Cubs.   Topics Covered Include: The professional baseball initiation process John's responsibilities as a mental skills coordinator in Ma

Derek is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist that has been working with athletes in speed, strength and power sports since 1988. Originally working with Track and Field athletes, Derek expanded his services to assist athletes in all sports with an emphasis on speed development. He has since worked with some of the top performers in the world as a coach and a consultant – including Olympic medalists, world record holders, Canadian National team athletes, professional sports organizations and professional athletes from numerous sports. Locally, Derek has produced some of the top sprinters in British Columbia and continues to work with some of the fastest athletes in various sports. Topics Covered Include: Why should organizations audit themselves from the outside Derek's responsibilities as a consultant Managing issues at the micro and macro level Organizational communication and leadership Obstacles to implementing change Advocating for the organization without taking sides

Dr. Antony Davies is associate professor of economics at Duquesne University. Dr. Davies authors monthly columns on economics and public policy for the Philadelphia Inquirer and U.S. News & World Report, and co-hosts Words and Numbers, a weekly podcast on economics and policy. He has written over 300 op-eds for, among others, the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Washington Post, and Huffington Post. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Davies was Associate Producer at the Moving Pictures Institute, Chief Financial Officer at Parabon Computation, founded several technology companies, and is co-founder and Chief Academic Officer at FreedomTrust, a non-profit educational institution. Dr. Davies earned his B.S. in Economics from Saint Vincent College, and Ph.D. in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany.   Topics Covered Include: Is health care a right or a service? Does it matter? What metrics are most representative of quality health care Conflating health ca

Phil White is an Emmy-nominated writer who frequently contributes to The Inertia, SUP the Mag and Canoe & Kayak. He is the co-author, with Dr. Kelly Starrett, of the forthcoming books Flight Plan and Waterman 2.0, and is also collaborating on Game Changer with University of Michigan football performance director Dr. Fergus Connolly and Bridging the Gap with Sue Falsone, the first female athletic head trainer in Major League sports. His other books include Whistle Stop, which Larry King said, “I can’t put down,” and Our Supreme Task, which The Times Literary Supplement called “Illuminating.”   Topics Covered: Determining what data is worthy of collection Starting with a question or using data to generate questions The ethics of wearable technology- privacy and security Tech law Tech and communication etiquette Virtual reality Phil's upcoming projects

Dr. Greg Lehman is a physiotherapist, chiropractor and strength and conditioning specialist treating musculoskeletal disorders within a biopsychosocial model.  Prior to his clinical career Greg was fortunate enough to receive a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council MSc graduate scholarship that permitted him to be one of only two yearly students to train with Professor Stuart McGill in his Occupational Biomechanics Laboratory subsequently publishing more than 20 peer reviewed papers in the manual therapy and exercise biomechanics field. Greg was an assistant professor at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College teaching a graduate level course in Spine Biomechanics and Instrumentation as well conducting more than 20 research experiments while supervising more than 50 students. He has lectured on a number of topics on reconciling treatment biomechanics with pain science, running injuries, golf biomechanics, occupational low back injuries and therapeutic neuroscience.  Topics Covered: Common mis

Dr. Fergus Connolly is the Performance Director for University of Michigan Football. Prior to joining UM, Connolly spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers as Director of Elite Performance. Connolly has also worked as a performance consultant for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, New York Knicks, and multiple English Premier League, Australian Rules, and professional rugby teams. He also served as sports science director with the Welsh Rugby Union and was Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Bolton Wanderers FC. Topics Covered: Has sports science delivered on its promises The false equivalence between science and technology Limitations of physiological metrics in team sports Why it's better to be a settler than a pioneer Manipulating space and meneuver Adaptive reserve, functional capacity, and recovery Limitations of traditional peaking models in team sports How coaches can promote self-discovery Fergus' personal experience with Colin Kaepernick

Jack Murphy is an eight year Army Special Operations veteran who served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group. Having left the military in 2010, he graduated from Columbia with a BA in political science. Murphy is the author of Reflexive Fire, Target Deck, Direct Action, and numerous non-fiction articles about Weapons, Tactics, Special Operations, Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism. He has appeared in documentaries, national television, and syndicated radio.   Topics Covered Include: What makes the Special Forces mission unique What is SOFREP and what was the impetus for starting it? Balancing transparency and operational security. Avoiding identity politics and why the military shouldn't be exempt from scrutiny Discrepancy between mainstream media reports of special operations missions and the reality on the ground Maintaining a sense of purpose at the tactical level in the face of strategic ambiguity The

Dr. Andy Morgan received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1986; He completed his residency training in psychiatry at Yale University in 1990. He then joined the faculty of medicine at Yale University & the National Center for PTSD where he worked for 25 years. Dr. Morgan has received grants and has published over 100 peer reviewed scientific papers on learning, stress, PTSD and performance in Special Operations forces. Dr. Morgan served on the National Academy of Science Eyewitness Identification Committee (2013-2014). For his work Dr. Morgan was awarded the US Army Award for Patriotic Service in 2008 and awarded the 2010 Sir Henry Welcome Medal and Prize for his development of interventions to buffer the negative impact of stress on human cognition, memory, learning and operational performance.  Dr. Morgan served as an intelligence officer (2003-2010) for the US Government and was a government advisor to the US Intelligence Science Board. The products developed from hi

Kelly Starrett is a coach, physical therapist, author, speaker, and creator of Mobility WOD, which has revolutionized how athletes think about human movement and athletic performance.  Kelly’s clients have included Olympic gold-medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world and national record holding Olympic Lifting and Power athletes, Crossfit Games medalists, ballet dancers, military personnel, and competitive age-division athletes. Kelly’s background as an athlete and coach includes paddling whitewater slalom canoe on the US Canoe and Kayak Teams, and leading the Men’s Whitewater Rafting Team to two national titles and competition in two World Championships. His 2013 release, "Becoming a Supple Leopard" has become a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. This blog was voted #4 in Outside Magazine’s Top 10 Fitness Blogs of 2011, Breaking Muscle’s Top 10 Fitness Blogs of 2011, and Health Line’s Top 100 Health Blogs of 2011. Kelly and his work have been featured in Tim Ferris’ Four Hour Body, Competit

Drawing from his experience as a physical therapist and strength coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Zac is a global load manager who advises athletes and organizations about all aspects of the performance continuum: rehabilitation, training, nutrition, sports science, sleep, stress management, and the learning process.   Topics Covered: The challenges of working in pro sports/misconceptions associated with medical and performance professionals in this environment The impetus for Zac's sleep initiative this past NBA season What measures Zac proposed How Zac was able to persuade the coaching staff to implement measures that challenged sacred basketball traditions Changes in individual and team performance associated with improved sleep quality Resources to learn more about the science of sleep Eliciting organizational and individual behavioral change