To The Bone: Sports Medicine Podcast

Professional sports athletic training looks glamorous from the outside, but Sawyer Williamson says the reality is much messier, more political, and far less personalized than most people realize. If you're an athletic trainer, student, or sports medicine professional wondering what it actually takes to thrive in pro sports, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

Sawyer, owner of Tea House Athletic Training Services, shares the unlikely path that took him from a seventh-grade dream at a Utah Jazz game to the University of Utah, Ohio University, the Cincinnati Reds, FC Cincinnati, the Detroit Pistons G League, and finally building his own independent practice. Along the way, he explains why he stepped away from the “pinnacle” setting and built a model centered on rehab, relationship, and athlete-first care.

You'll discover why Sawyer calls Tea House a nod to Avatar: The Last Airbender and Uncle Iroh, and how that philosophy shapes his approach to rehab as a process of guidance, trust, and intentionality—not “fixing” people. He and Shelby break down why so much of pro sports medicine is driven by protocol, urgency, and organizational pressure rather than true individualization.

We break down the hidden costs of the industry: rushed return-to-play decisions, blackballing fears, the “yes person” culture, and why athletic trainers are often asked to be industrial risk managers instead of clinical leaders. Sawyer also makes the case that athletic trainers have been underselling their real value—as quarterbacks of the medical team, community connectors, and accessible care providers who can improve outcomes long before an injury becomes a crisis.

The conversation goes beyond pro sports and into the larger identity problem facing the profession: the master’s transition, the loss of specialization pathways, the rise of dual credentials, and why strength and conditioning seems to have clearer metrics and better leverage. If you’ve ever wondered why athletic training still feels stuck between potential and recognition, this episode will give you a sharper, more honest answer.

Perfect for athletic trainers, AT students, sports medicine professionals, and anyone curious about the truth behind professional sports care. This one is equal parts career story, industry critique, and blueprint for what athletic training could become when it stops trying to blend in and starts leading.

#athletictraining #athletictrainer #sportsmedicine #professionalsports

California’s athletic training title protection was supposed to be a win. Instead, it sparked a high-stakes debate over who can practice, who is protected, and what happens when a school district prioritizes compliance over expertise.

Shelby Daly speaks with Veronica Heard, a certified athletic trainer working in a California school district, about the effects of AB 796. They discuss reclassification, title changes, the departure of a certified colleague, and concerns about athletic training roles being filled by people who may not be certified healthcare providers.

Together, they explore how district decisions can affect athlete safety and professional credibility, and why a change in job title can have consequences beyond recognition. The conversation also examines scope of practice, liability coverage, school district policies, and the difference between title protection and licensure.In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why California’s title protection is not the same as licensure
• How district policies can fall short of a law’s intent
• The concerns behind reclassification—and why the fight is about respect, not removing people from their jobs
• The risks of assigning healthcare responsibilities to staff without athletic training credentials
• Why parents and administrators need to understand what athletic trainers do

This discussion reaches beyond one district to consider the future of athletic training in schools, sports medicine, concussion care, return-to-play decisions, and the need for stronger professional standards and protections.

If you’re interested in athletic training, school-based healthcare, sports medicine, or title protection in California, this episode offers an important look at who is working on the sidelines—and what’s at stake.

AI is already part of athletic training—but how can clinicians use it responsibly? On To the Bone, host Shelby Daly talks with Matt Mills, associate professor at Springfield College and member of the NATA Professional Responsibility and Athletic Training Committee, about AI ethics, patient privacy, HIPAA considerations, and professional liability.

They explore how athletic trainers are using AI for patient education, clinical documentation, rehabilitation planning, research, and administrative work. Matt explains why free public AI tools carry privacy risks, what to ask about institutional agreements and AI policies, and why clinicians remain responsible for reviewing and signing AI-assisted notes.The conversation also covers patient consent for AI transcription, the risk of over-relying on AI in clinical decision-making, and how athletic training educators can help students build essential hands-on and critical-thinking skills. Matt shares lower-risk ways to start using AI, including reviewing policies and procedures, and discusses how time saved on documentation could support more high-impact patient care.

Whether you’re an athletic trainer, healthcare educator, or student, this episode offers practical guidance for using AI thoughtfully—without losing sight of patient trust, privacy, and professional accountability.

Athletic trainers are losing hours to clunky documentation, expensive EMRs, and systems that were never built for the way they actually work. Shelby Daly sits down with Cody Arant, the creator of Fieldside Health, to unpack a different approach—one that’s mobile-friendly, customizable, and designed for secondary school athletic training.

Cody shares how a casual conversation, a Sunday afternoon experiment, and a real need in his own athletic training room turned into an all-in-one documentation platform. What started as a treatment log grew into a full EMR with athlete records, injury documentation, receipts tied to CPT billing codes, and tools designed to help athletic trainers demonstrate their value.

#athletictraining #athletictrainer #sportsmedicine #documentation #EMR

Shaming bad job posts is easy. Changing a broken hiring market takes strategy. Kyle Peckham returns to discuss why salary transparency, benefits, location, and negotiation matter more than a single number on a job posting—and how athletic trainers can use that information to find better roles, better pay, and a healthier work-life balance.

Kyle and Shelby explore the real economics behind athletic training jobs, including why job descriptions don’t always tell the full story and how cost of living, taxes, benefits, relocation, and career opportunities affect a position’s value. They also discuss how employers can attract and retain athletic trainers, especially in hard-to-fill areas.In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to give constructive feedback on athletic training job postings
• What to consider beyond salary when comparing compensation packages
• Why it helps to define your non-negotiables before negotiating
• How to advocate for better pay using experience, credentials, and market information
• What employers can do to make athletic training roles more appealing
• How Athletic Trainer Finder is connecting athletic trainers with potential employers

If you’re an athletic trainer exploring your next career move, an employer looking to hire, or someone interested in compensation and retention in the athletic training profession, this conversation offers practical perspective on finding a better fit.

Heat stroke isn’t just “getting tired.” It can shut down the brain, affect vital organs, and change an athlete’s season in minutes. Save this for your next sideline day—and send it to your athletic trainer crew.

Amit Kapoor, founder and CEO of First Line Tech, explains:

Why heat illness symptoms may not appear immediately

How cold water immersion compares with misting and cooling towels

Why forearm cooling may help cool the body efficiently

How athletic trainers can build heat prevention into everyday routines

The biggest shift? Stop waiting for collapse. Make heat illness prevention part of the plan before an emergency begins.

In this episode of To the Bone, Shelby Daly sits down with athletic trainer and ROI calculator creator Mikey Stant to unpack the real economics of athletic training. They dive into why documentation matters, how athletic trainers can demonstrate measurable value, and what return on investment looks like across high school, college, industrial, and military settings.

Mikey shares the origin of his free ROI calculator and explains how it helps athletic trainers track patient encounters, field coverage, avoided medical costs, and time savings for families. The conversation also explores the bigger questions facing the profession: how to negotiate pay, how to advocate for better compensation, and why athletic training may be one of the clearest examples of accessible, high-quality, preventative healthcare.

If you’re interested in athletic training, sports medicine, healthcare economics, or learning how to better communicate the impact of your work, this episode is for you.

Kevin Vining shares insights on the evolution of the national athletic training conferences, challenges faced, and ideas for increasing engagement and public awareness after attending 30 NATA Conferences.

In this episode, Kevin Vining and Shelby Daly explore the future of athletic training professional conferences, including education, networking, and industry challenges. They share insights on how to engage students, improve conferences, and expand the profession.

In this episode, Mike Weild shares his extensive journey in athletic training, from early days to developing academic programs and advocating for the profession. We explore the challenges, opportunities, and future directions of athletic training, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experience, advocacy, and professional growth.

In this crossover episode of To the Bone and Becoming Undone, Shelby Daly and Toby Brooks dive into a candid conversation about leadership, burnout, authenticity, and the future of athletic training. What starts as a personal riff quickly opens into a broader discussion about the pressures clinicians face to constantly give, the lack of recognition for advanced skills, and the tension between coverage-based work and true performance-minded care.

Together, they explore how the profession can do a better job of valuing expertise, supporting students financially, and creating clearer pathways for growth. They also touch on the importance of networking, mentorship, and building systems that help clinicians and athletes become more self-sufficient.

If you work in sports medicine, leadership, or any high-pressure helping profession, this conversation will feel deeply familiar and refreshingly honest.