Strength coaches get taught how to make athletes faster, stronger and healthier. Nobody teaches them how to run a department. Daniel Guzman sits down with Mike Potenza, Director of High Performance for the San Jose Sharks, to talk about everything that happens above the whiteboard: managing 15 staff across medical, strength, nutrition and minor league operations, holding your ground in a room full of scouts and GMs, and learning to translate performance data into language decision makers actually act on. Mike is candid about the mistakes that shaped him, why part of the job is telling people what they do not want to hear, and how he protects family time in a role where the phone never really switches off.

Timestamps

02:05 The class nobody took: climbing into leadership with no management training
03:35 Unreasonable Hospitality, Multipliers, and treating the athlete experience as a customer journey
04:54 In the room with the GM, the head coach and 18 scouts
05:23 Why delivering bad news is the job
07:49 The combine mistake: numbers alone do not draft a hockey player
09:40 Learning to speak coach: anaerobic threshold, power output and the real cost of a drill
13:43 Mentors, interns and the third mistake rule
16:41 Always on call: building a day that protects family time
22:19 Legacy: work ethic, and treating the rookie exactly like the star

Links

House of Genes: https://instagram.com/thehouseofgenes
GENEFIT: https://instagram.com/genefit.pro

Daniel Guzman sits down with legendary strength and conditioning coach Vern Gambetta, a coach who has worked across 22 sports worldwide, from pro soccer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny to Olympic swimmers and track athletes.

Recorded live at PVT, this conversation goes far beyond training methodology. Vern shares decades of hard won lessons on buy in, pressure, mentorship, and why the best coaching has almost nothing to do with wins and losses. From mentoring Carlos Valderrama at the Tampa Bay Mutiny to the quiet moments before an Olympic final, Vern breaks down what actually happens in the conversations no one prepares you for, and the two relationships he says changed how he thinks about his entire career.

Timestamps:

05:37 Getting reluctant athletes to buy in without forcing it
08:22 Inside the pressure of an Olympic final
09:48 Being the fifth wheel: funding, federations, and World Cup politics
20:22 Where training trends really come from
23:15 Giving credit to the root idea, not the most recent rebrand
30:34 Sam Wilson's story: the season that mattered more than any medal
35:04 Being hard on athletes because you care, not despite it

Links

House of Genes: instagram.com/thehouseofgenes
GENEFIT: instagram.com/genefit.pro

Recorded on-site at People Vibes Times™, Daniel Guzman sits down with Dr. Jacob Goodin, professor of kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University and director of its athlete monitoring initiative.

They cover the injury that redirected Jacob's track career into strength and conditioning, the move to ETSU to study under Dr. Mike Stone, and his three things for anyone graduating into this field: train yourself systematically, build a framework for filtering what you consume, and cultivate the right relationships.

Timestamps:

00:01:10 Inside the athlete monitoring setup
00:02:25 Westmont and Prevail Conditioning
00:03:45 The injury that redirected the whole path
00:05:48 Packing up for ETSU to study under Dr. Stone
00:10:05 Advice for new grads, thing one: train yourself with intention
00:11:43 Continuing education and the framework for filtering information
00:13:02 The three types of relationships every young coach needs
00:21:04 The three traits behind high performance

House of Genes on Instagram: @thehouseofgenes
GENEFIT on Instagram: @genefit.pro
Dr. Jacob Goodin on Instagram: @drjacobgoodin
People Vibes Times on Instagram: @people_vibes_times

Joey Harty built his career in elite team sport from the ground up, working his way from assistant strength coach to Director of High Performance at Sporting Kansas City before founding his own company, Hardy Performance, where he now consults with collegiate and NWSL programs.

In this episode, host Daniel Guzman sits down with his longtime friend Joey to unpack the part of high performance that rarely gets talked about: leading people instead of managing programs, why humility earns more trust than having every answer, hiring for character over the flashiest resume, building deep relationships in bite-sized chunks, and staying a present husband and father while chasing the edge.

Timestamps:

00:03:31 What the Director Role Actually Demands
00:05:05 Why You Can't Fake It in Front of the Room
00:06:46 Hiring for Character, Not Just the Resume
00:08:15 Building a Real Network as a Young Coach
00:10:45 The Push and Pull of Work and Family
00:13:15 Coach First: Energy Is a Choice
00:15:46 Relationships in Bite-Sized Chunks
00:18:02 Building Hardy Performance
00:19:33 Legacy: Consistent, Loyal, Humble

The House of Genes Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehouseofgenes
GENEFIT Instagram: https://instagram.com/genefitsport
GENEFIT Website: https://genefit.pro

Brek Shea built a long pro career on more than talent, from a boyhood chase for free cleats that led him to the IMG residency, to an MLS Cup final run with FC Dallas and years across the Premier League and MLS.

In this episode, host Daniel Guzman sits down with Brek at TST in Raleigh to unpack what actually keeps an athlete in the game: humility over ego, resilience over results, being the teammate everyone remembers, and staying curious enough to test his genetics as a dad who still trains hard.

Timestamps
00:02:24 The Residency, and a Chase for Free Cleats
00:04:21 What Residency Actually Taught Him
00:06:00 "I'm No Better Than Anyone" and the FC Dallas Run
00:08:30 Building The Ground
00:12:39 The Car Ride Home
00:13:19 Attitude, Effort, and Building Armor
00:15:10 Why He Took a 3X4 Test
00:15:54 Recovery, Training, and Backcountry Hunting
00:18:16 Legacy: Just Be a Good Dad

The House of Genes Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehouseofgenes

GENEFIT Instagram: https://instagram.com/genefitsport

GENEFIT Website: https://genefit.pro

Brek Shea: https://instagram.com/brekshea

Brian Mazza has built his life around high performance, from his own playing days to the way he now runs a youth club and coaches his two sons. In this episode, host Daniel Guzman sits down with Brian to unpack what actually develops a young athlete: resilience over rankings, reading every kid differently, and using genetics to train and recover smarter.

Timestamps
00:02:03 The Coach Who Made Him Believe
00:03:39 Coaching Your Own Son
00:06:40 The Car Ride Home
00:12:01 Holding Parents to the Standard
00:13:52 "No One Cares That You're Tired"
00:16:05 His 3X4 Results and His Kids'
00:17:22 Recovery Protocols on the Road
00:24:42 Legacy: Just Being a Good Dad

The House of Genes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehouseofgenes/

GENEFIT Instagram: https://instagram.com/genefitsport

GENEFIT Website: https://genefit.pro

Brian Mazza: https://www.instagram.com/brianmazza/

Geoff Cameron spent roughly a decade competing at the highest level in England before returning to MLS, and he did it by treating his own body like the asset it was. In this episode, host Daniel Guzman sits down with Geoff to unpack the daily habits, the recovery obsession, and the mindset that kept him performing for so long.

Timestamps
00:01:01 Being Your Own Physio
00:04:25 Pregame Rituals and Food Rules
00:06:24 Organ Meats, Liver, and Recovery
00:08:18 The Cutthroat Reality of European Football
00:09:30 Building The Ground
00:16:33 His 3X4 Genetics Results: Power vs Endurance
00:20:14 Genetics, Recovery, and Family Heart Health
00:23:14 The Best Advice He Ever Got: You Are the Asset
00:25:14 Legacy and the Vision Ahead

The House of Genes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehouseofgenes/

GENEFIT Instagram: https://instagram.com/genefitsport

GENEFIT Website: https://genefit.pro

Geoff Cameron: https://www.instagram.com/geoffcameron/

In this episode of the House of Genes podcast, my guest is Zat Knight, the former Fulham, Aston Villa, and Bolton defender who built a 17-year professional career and earned caps for England. Recorded at The Soccer Tournament (TST) in Raleigh, North Carolina, we trace his path from leaving school at 16 for a factory job in Birmingham, to being scouted on a Saturday non-league pitch, to signing for Fulham under Kevin Keegan. Zat shares why choosing discomfort over comfort shaped his entire career, and why punctuality and accountability mattered more to him than almost anything else.

He also opens up, for the first time on camera, about surviving a house fire that left him with third-degree burns across 39% of his body. Zat takes us through the fear of never playing again, the slow road back through walking, diet, and discipline, and his return to competitive football just one year later. It is an honest conversation about resilience, identity, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up.

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:29 Signing for Fulham Under Kevin Keegan
00:04:08 A 17-Year Career: Villa, Bolton & England
00:04:32 Choosing Discomfort: Leaving Home at 17
00:07:18 Punctuality & Accountability
00:11:58 Surviving a House Fire
00:13:16 The Road Back & Return to Play
00:16:49 Your Value Is Not Your Scars
00:19:29 Pride Over Regret

The House of Genes Instagram:   / thehouseofgenes  

GENEFIT Sport Instagram:   / genefitsport  

GENEFIT Sport Website: https://genefit.pro

Zat Knight: https://www.instagram.com/zatknight/

In this episode, we unpack one of the most overlooked principles in elite athletic development: the board of advisors.

Who deserves a seat at your table? Who doesn't?
When you start with a Genes First approach to your decision making, it pays off to know exactly what you need to focus on.

We discuss the people that belong in an athlete's inner circle, the influences that quietly hijack decision-making (social media, supplement trends, AI), and how to build a high-trust network around coaches, family, and medical staff.

This episode is for any coach, athlete, or practitioner thinking about who they should be listening to, and why.

Timestamps

1:30 — What a board of advisors actually is
03:45 — Who deserves a seat at the table
06:20 — The influences athletes should avoid
09:10 — The genes first filter for every decision
12:30 — Caffeine & CYP1A2
21:00 — Treating yourself as your own enterpris

Links
The House of Genes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehouseofgenes/
GENEFIT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genefit.pro/
GENEFIT Website: https://genefit.pro/

In this episode of the House of Genes podcast, we sit down with NSCA Strength Coach Meg Young. Meg is the NSCA Strength of Sport Coach of the Year and the first person from soccer to receive the honor. Megan spent 12 years at Auburn University, served as High Performance Director for the Chicago Stars (NWSL), and most recently was Performance Coach for the Seattle Sounders (MLS).

We discuss what truly defines high performance inside elite sport, and how a high-performance lifestyle applies to anyone, not just professional athletes. We unpack how the best coaches filter signal from noise in an age of data overload, why information is not the same as knowledge,

and how to distinguish buy-in from compliance and engagement. We also get to discuss Meg's own genetic results, and she shares how knowing her post-training inflammation profile reshaped her recovery protocol. Then, dive into peptides and the rise of shortcut tools in performance, the under-discussed realities of compensation, PTO, and burnout in pro performance.

Whether you're a coach, athlete, or anyone interested in the systems behind elite performance and longevity, this conversation offers a practical framework for thinking about identity, curiosity, and a high-performance lifestyle.

The House of Genes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehouseofgenes/

GENEFIT Sport Instagram: https://instagram.com/genefitsport

GENEFIT Sport Website: https://genefit.pro

Megan Young: https://linktr.ee/megyoung

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmegastrong/

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Welcome & Introducing Meg Young

[00:08:36] Defining High Performance

[00:11:05] Filtering Data: Information vs. Knowledge

[00:12:10] How To Ask Better Questions

[00:15:50] Buy-In vs. Compliance

[00:16:54] Curiosity, Plasticity & Diversifying Your Health Lenses

[00:30:04] Are Peptides Just A Trend?

[00:37:03] PTO, Burnout & Compensation in Pro Performance

[00:40:45] Identity Isn't the Crest on the Shirt

[00:42:14] The Gen Pop Gym Test, Empathy for Athletes

[00:43:49] Quick Hitters: Hybrid Fitness, Ice Hockey, Surfing

[00:46:14] Meg's 3X4 Genetic Test: Post-Training Inflammation

[00:47:20] Closing Wisdom: Days Move Slow, Years Move Fast

#HouseOfGenes #GENEFIT #3X4Genetics #StrengthAndConditioning #HighPerformance

#SportsScience #Genetics #PerformanceCoach #MLS #NWSL