We had a fantastic time talking to Samantha Ciaccia on all things KB’s, life altering moments, her brave decision to create her own KB certification, the lens she uses to break movements down, and so much more.

Sam is an emergency medicine physician assistant gone rogue. She talks about how she had to be able to break down challenging complex disorders to patients and how she was able to take that skill and use it to become an expert in KB teaching. She truly believes that small changes and details. make a huge difference. She talks about how the principles she uses carryover into all realms of movement. She said, “I stopped my career in emergency medicine to focus on this because I find that what I have to offer is more valuable than what I was doing as a PA, and that’s just the honest truth.”

We discuss her choice to create her own certification and the mental fortitude that is required to do that. She talks about how she has always dreamt big. Her passion in helping others is the backbone of her course and certification. She recognized that trainers need more than a certification which is why she has incorporate so much information on not just skill development but being able to coach effectively and think critically. She sees her certification as complimentary to the current certifications.

We dive into ballistics and the importance of power work and how KB’s are a great tool that is easily accessible for so many people. From a clinician standpoint she says, “power is probably the number one thing as we get older that we should continue to train.” We discuss the bell and how it is a good assessment tool. 

She shares how she would process through her steps to getting a client to a point where they can master a ballistic move. She shares an example of a swing in particular. What we learned is that throwing a bell into someones hands and having them to start swinging is about 6 steps ahead. 

She also discusses the limitations of KB’s in regards to weight and size limitations. She truly takes a principle based approach. 

We dive into her personal journey now and her trip around the world to build relationships that help her build her certification and name. We joke about the differences in travel 20 years ago vs. today and how great it is that she is leveraging her business while traveling and how she manages to stay focused. This will make you laugh for sure!

Her next course starts September 6th and you can expect her first certification in April of 2023. Kettlebell Foundations Course

Sam's Instagram

You can catch the episode on YouTube.