Michael Davie is the Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach for the 2021 NBA CHAMPION Milwaukee Bucks!

For 7 years he has been part of the program, watching the franchise rise from humble goals to the pinnacle of the sport.

Prior to the NBA Mike was part of the Queensland Academy of Sport where he held key roles supporting Australia's elite swimmers, divers and female soccer players on their Olympic journey.

Mike talks about the necessity of an open mind, a broad skill set and a willingness to learn in order to adapt to the challenges of working with elite athletes.

His 3 words for strength and conditioning success: Care, Love and Humility

Dr. Duncan French is a hugely impressive figure in the applied sport science/performance support industry.

With a strength and conditioning background, Duncan currently heads the hugely impressive UFC Sport Performance Institute.

Duncan talks through how support staff can act as 'humble servants' to athletes and coaches in the pursuit of their goals. With athletes at the center of everything he does, his experience in college sport (University of Notre Dame), Olympic sport (English Institute of Sport) and professional sport (Newcastle Football Club) all add to his approach and philosophy of athlete engagement throughout the iterative and evolving sports science process

3 Qualities of an Applied Sport Scientist: Team Orientated, Problem Solver, Inquisitive

In his fourth season with the NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies as the director of performance Chris Chase has one of those roles many of us truly aspire to,

With previous stops at the Atlanta Hawks, the University of Southern California, and the University of Connecticut he shares his insights and reflections on strength and conditioning and athlete support.

This podcast reflects a lot of the discussions Chris and I have had since we met, including the integration of technology, getting coach buy-in, and building bonds with athletes for improved outcomes, He adds key reflections based on his specific experiences of the differences between working in small and large team contexts

Chris's 3 Words for Successful Support Staff: Humility, Confidence, Intelligence

Australian basketballer Marianna Tolo is a 2 x Olympian and 2 x World Championship representative for the Australia Opals,

As an athlete who has played across the globe in leagues including Australia, the USA, Turkey and France, and as an athlete who has been through 2 ACL surgeries, Marianna has a wealth of experience of support staff and sport science and what makes a difference.

Her 3 words for scientist success: Knowledgeable, Practical, Friendly

Larry is the Senior Athletic Trainer for the University of Memphis College Football Program. Since 2013 Larry has carved out an impressive niche within the program, rehabbing athletes coming off serious injury and guiding junior staff through the perils of transferring from school to work.

Larry's open mindset is a key to his success. From applying sport science technology to track recovery or enhance athlete engagement, to exploring complimentary forms of health and wellness such as aromatherapy and dry needling, Larry continues to look for every way he can better contribute to each athletes journey.

Larry talks honestly about the challenges of working with an athlete at their lowest point following an injury, and the role Athletic Trainers have in rebuilding both the body and mind to return to performance.

He highlights consistency, compassion, and curiosity as the cornerstones of everything we do in applied sport.

Gwen's dominance of the sport of triathlon was shown through an unprecedented 13 consecutive wins in 2014 and 2015 on the international ITU circuit, culminating in winning the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics,

Since Rio she has switched her focus to running, making the final of the Olympic trials for the US in the 5K in 2020 and has her sights set on the marathon in the coming years.

Gwen's speaks openly about the array of scientists who have contributed to her journey, highlighting the importance of trust, experimentation, and innovation in helping athlete performance.

Sara Ann is studying her Masters at the University of Memphis and has just successfully run the gauntlet from student to her first paid position in sport science. This episode will resonate with and inform all sport science students as she talks openly about her challenges and lessons learned in applying for multiple jobs from writing resumes through to performing in interviews. We talk about what she did as a student to put herself in a position to succeed and what we should all do as students to get a chance to carve a path in this competitive industry.

Dan McFarlane's story is one that every young sport scientist should hear.

Dan and I started together as post graduate scholars at the Australian Institute of Sport, as part of the elite sport science production line of Australia.

Dan went on to be a successful performance analyst in multiple professional football codes, culminating in fulfilling his childhood dream of being part of an Australian Football League premiership win with the Sydney Swans.

Shortly after this, Dan chose to leave the industry, slightly jaded and questioning the appreciation and work/life balance decisions required to continue succeeding in the industry.

Dan's very honest and very real story shares the wonderful highs and tough lows that exist, to help us all understand what is required to succeed in elite sport.

Dr. Dave Martin is a titan of the sports science industry. With a background in physiology, he influenced a generation of applied sports scientists from all disciplines who have followed in his foot steps at the Australian Institute of Sport. There he was not only a scientific leader, but also challenged us to think about our true roles in the performance team.

Dave is renowned for encouraging us all to think about technology, science and influence within the context of success, exploring the application of all scientific principles to athletic performance.

Here is a link to the video which Dave references 'How Wolves Change Rivers' which is a part of his thought process about how as 'wolves', sport scientists have the ability to change sporting ecosystems for the better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

Kirsten (KP) is wonderfully open in this pod, discussing the good and bad of working in elite sport, as well as being brutally honest about her successes and failures across her 22 years of working in elite sports across the globe.

With expertise across a wide range of areas of sport psychology, KP helps us understand some of the psychological principles which underpin a lot of the discussions we have had this season with coaches and athletes. Specifically, she helps provide scientific foundation to the need to build relationships and understanding with everyone we are working with for long term success.

KP also talks athlete wellness, mental health, and mental flexibility, as well as sharing the nuances of applying complicated and delicate concepts to elite coaches and athletes within high performance contexts..

Check out her latest venture at: https://www.kirstenpetersonconsulting.com/