Performance Talk with Dr. Ewell Gordon

What does it take to prepare elite Paralympic athletes to perform at the highest level?

On this episode of Performance Talk, Dr. Ewell Gordon sits down with Morgan Blatnik, strength and conditioning coach at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Morgan shares his experience working with the U.S. Men's and Women's National Goalball Teams, coaching visually impaired athletes, and adapting training without compromising intensity or performance. The conversation also explores the value of vision training, clear communication between coaches and athletes, building trust in the weight room, and the collaborative approach that helps Olympic and Paralympic athletes stay healthy and compete at their best.

Whether you're a strength coach, athletic trainer, therapist, or sports professional, this episode offers practical insights into simplifying coaching, understanding athlete feedback, and creating a performance environment where everyone works together toward one goal: helping athletes reach their full potential.

Listen now to Performance Talk with Dr. Ewell Gordon.

From breaking his arm during PT school to becoming a board-certified specialist working with elite athletes, Brent Rachall's journey is a masterclass in resilience, humility, and lifelong learning.

In this episode of Performance Talk, Dr. Ewell Gordon and Brent Rachall explore what separates good clinicians from great ones, why mentorship matters, how rehabilitation is about people—not just protocols—and why true performance comes from collaboration between therapists, coaches, athletic trainers, and physicians.

Whether you're a clinician, coach, athlete, or parent, this conversation offers valuable insights into building trust, embracing growth, and helping athletes return stronger than before.

Listen now and discover why the best rehabilitation starts with understanding the person—not just the injury.

In this episode of Performance Talk, Dr. Ewell Gordon sits down with veteran trainer and gym designer John Damon for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to create effective training environments and develop athletes. With decades of experience working with elite athletes, John shares his philosophy on gym design, individualized training, foundational movement, exercise selection, and the importance of knowing what you actually know.

From designing a facility around its mission to choosing the right exercises for an athlete's sport, position, body type, and goals, this conversation challenges common training assumptions and emphasizes a simple principle: good performance starts with good information.

🔑 Key Takeaways

We’re bringing back a powerful conversation in this Encore Episode of Performance Talk 🎙️

Dr. Ewell Gordon reconnects with Joe Drake—fitness educator and co-founder of a training and performance company based in Boca Raton, Florida—for an in-depth discussion on how exercise science has evolved and where it’s headed. Together, they explore why building a strong foundation is critical for athletic success and share practical perspectives on developing young athletes the right way.

From long-term athlete development to smart, sustainable training principles, this episode offers timeless insights for coaches, practitioners, and performance-minded athletes alike.

🔔 Don’t miss this encore conversation packed with real-world performance wisdom.

In this episode of The Performance Task, we sit down with JP Echeverria, Minor League Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Boston Red Sox, for a deep, honest conversation about what it really means to develop athletes.

JP reflects on his first 10 years in the profession—finding his coaching identity, staying in his lane, and shifting from “rah-rah coaching” to an athlete-centered, habit-driven approach. We dive into topics like training age, auto-regulation, stress management, in-season lifting, sports science vs. feel, and why availability is the ultimate performance metric.

This is a must-listen for coaches navigating the early years of the profession—or anyone who believes development is about more than numbers on a spreadsheet.

🎧 Tune in for real talk on growth, resilience, and coaching that actually transfers.

In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode of Performance Talk, host Dr. Ewell Gordon welcomes Dr. Mike Israetel—renowned sports scientist, professor, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, and competitive athlete. From high school wrestling roots to academic mastery in performance science, Mike shares his journey through education, self-discovery, and relentless pursuit of truth in training.

Gain insider insights on the evolution of strength and conditioning, the misconceptions of overtraining, and why recovery is the unsung hero of peak performance. The conversation dives into the modern athlete’s toolkit—from high school weight rooms to AI-powered programming—and challenges long-held myths in sport and fitness culture.

In this episode of Performance Talk, Dr. Ewell Gordon sits down with John Flagg, founder of Rebuild Stronger, to discuss the differences between powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and strongman training. John shares his journey from athletic training to coaching elite strength athletes and how he helps them recover from injuries while maximizing performance. Tune in for expert insights on training, injury prevention, and the mindset needed to excel in strength sports!

In this episode of Performance Talk, Dr. Ewell Gordon welcomes Dan Pope, a physical therapist and strength coach, to discuss the intersection of strength training and rehab. Dan shares his journey from fitness enthusiast to PT, the misconceptions about strength training in rehabilitation, and how the industry is evolving. 

Episode Overview

Join host Dr. Ewell Gordon on this episode of Performance Talk as he welcomes guest, Dr. Steve Nightingale, a sports scientist and performance coach with the NHL's New Jersey Devils.

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What does the next era of sports psychology look like? In this special roundtable, Dr. Hillary Cauthen, Dr. Brent Hogarth, and Dr. Eddie O’Connor join Performance Talk to break down where the profession is headed—covering trust-building with coaches and athletes, the rise of the CMPC, and why service, self-awareness, and collaboration are redefining what it means to perform at the highest level.