Lanier Coleman coaches from a simple truth: intent drives intensity. Now in his role as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the National Football League (NFL) Jacksonville Jaguars, Coleman brings the same determination he embodied as a collegiate defensive lineman. He shares how early adversity shaped his standards, teaching him to lead with discipline, cultivate deeper relationships, and “build a fire” in every athlete he coaches. During his coaching tenure at Florida State University, mental and emotional endurance became cornerstones of team development — these are lessons he now carries into professional football. Coleman describes the shift from building collegiate foundations to coaching with precision at the NFL level, where he fine-tunes elite qualities to manage injury risk. He also stresses the importance of unified performance staffs to support athletes through this fast-paced and demanding sport. Gain inspiration to strengthen daily purpose, be a spark in your facility, and support athlete readiness across high-performance environments.

Reach out to Lanier via Instagram: @l_coleman98 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  

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“It's not just what you learn about, how you learn to clean or how you drive up your numbers in the weight room. It's the standard and the discipline that it takes to be the best you can be in the gym, which also translates to how you learn in the classroom at school, but also how you learn in the classroom in the football facility around football, how you manage yourself and the intensities of football. But also, how you manage your mind and your emotions and the intensities of life as that comes to you as well.” 4:55

“I think building those relationships allows you to create not just more buy-in and belief to what we're doing, but what I think is really important when you come into the gym is to have the intent about what we're asking the athlete to do that day. So, to not get out of bed without a fire to yourself, to not come into the building without a fire and intensity towards what you're trying to achieve, to not address the bar, to not put your pads on, to not go anywhere without an intensity and a purpose and an enthusiasm to what you're trying to accomplish. And that would mean having a deeper understanding about what's going on and having a process to making sure every part of you is geared towards the success of that goal.” 11:35

“Don't try and look at the long-term thing. Have your goal in mind, but focus on each individual day and have a success in that individual day.” 15:20

“Be dynamic enough to understand where people are in their situations and help them through those individual spots.” 22:40