Welcome to Episode 20 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast. Join me this episode as I catch up with Carmen Bott, who is the Founder/Sports Performance Coach at Coach Bott Consulting Services, as well as a Full-Time Lecturer of Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University. Coach Bott is based out of beautiful Coquitlam, British Columbia. 

We dig into Carmen's journey in the the performance coaching field, her extensive background working with a variety of athletes and sports, how to get clear on the demands of the sport when it comes to developing Repeat Sprint Ability, as well as the changes she has seen in the field over her 25 year career. 

This was a great discussion as Carmen continues to stay curious and is so open to sharing her wealth of knowledge through her various webinars, e-books, and speaking engagements. 

You can connect with Carmen via Instagram @coachbott or her website www.coachbott.com

Thanks to our sponsor Teambuildr check them out at teambuildr.com and start your 30-day FREE trial when signing up with the code "TNS"

Episode 19 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast. Join me this episode as I catch up with Scott Willgress who is the Physiology/Strength and Conditioning Lead at the Canadian Sports Institute (CSI) Atlantic based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

We dig into Scott's journey in the performance coaching field, what lead him to his position at CSI-Atlantic, what athletes and programs he works with, some of the things that went into the planning and preparation for the Women's Olympic Softball team in the four (five with the Covid-19 Global Pandemic) years leading into the Tokyo Olympics and their historic Bronze medal as well as what the role of a Strength and Conditioning Coach encompasses during the Olympics or major games.  

This was a great discussion as Scott gives us some great take-aways on how community outreach can help create relationships with athletes and coaches that may open doors in the future. 

You can connect with Scott via Instagram @sdubstrength 

Thanks to our sponsor Teambuildr check them out at teambuildr.com and start your 30-day FREE trial when signing up with the code "TNS"

Episode 18 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast. Join me this episode as I catch up with Callen McGibbon who is an Entrepreneur, CEO and Strength and Conditioning Coach. He is the Founder and Performance Director of Healthy Living Dynamic Fitness Centre as well as the Founder of REPerformance which is a Physical Education Platform/App for Physical & Health Education Teachers. Coach Callen is based in Sudbury, Ontario.

We dig into Callen's journey in the performance coaching field, what lead him to creating REPerformance, his passion around helping students and PHE Teachers build successful pathways in their health and fitness journey.  As always we also get to know Callen through outside the weight room through the rapid fire segment. 

This was a great discussion and really exciting to see the impact his is making on students and Physical Education and Health departments. 

You can connect with Callen via email at [email protected] to learn more about REPerformance head over to reperformanceapp.com or follow them on Instagram @_reperformance. You can also get in touch with Callen and the team at Healthy Living on Instagram @hlnorth_

Thanks to our sponsor Teambuildr check them out at teambuildr.com and start your 30-day FREE trial when signing up with the code "TNS"

Episode 17 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast. Join me this episode as I catch up with Katie Mitchell who is a Physiotherapist, Athletic Therapist, Educator and PhD Candidate. Katie is the Founder of Thrive Neurosport Rehabilitation and Performance in Elmira, Ontario. 

We dig into Katies's journey in the rehabilitation and performance coaching field, what Neurosport training is and who it is for (spoiler alert...it is not just for concussion rehab), how sport performance coaches, trainers, therapists and sport coaches can integrate Neurosport training into their sessions with and without the use of technology. We wrap up with what she feels is coming next in this exciting and emerging field. 

This was a great discussion with a a ton of practical takeaways for both enhancing performance and returning to sport from injury. 

You can connect with Kate and Thrive Neurosport via Instagram @thriveneurosport Check out www.thriveneurosport for all of their services as well as to get on the waitlist for her "The Athlete Brain Rehabilitation Course" which combines the foundations of neuroscience and sports medicine to re-frame our perspectives of rehabilitation and performance. 

Episode 15 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast.

Join me this episode as I catch up with Adrian Wellman who is the Founder, CEO and Head Lifestyle Coach at Priority Me who's purpose "is to support you in creating and sustaining healthy habits, create structure in your life for a sense of ease, and excel in reaching your goals."

We dig into Adrian's journey in the performance and lifestyle coaching field, from co-owning a performance training facility as a Strength Coach/Athletic Therapist to his struggle to thrive vs merely survive which ultimately lead him to create Priority Me with the mission to "help busy individuals take time form themselves and start each day with energy, confidence, and focus". Adrian and I chat about how to create sustainable habits using the Prompt-Pull-Perform-Prize Habit Loop, strategies to overcome the "lack of time" challenge as well as some of his favorite "Habit and Health Hacks". 

There are so many great practical takeaways from this episode to help anyone looking to elevate their habits. 

You can connect with Adrian at [email protected] and via Instagram @adrianwellman as well as the Priority Me Team via Instagram @priority.me and www.priorityme.com

Episode 14 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast.

Join me this episode as I catch up with Roman (RJ) Kaszczij who is the Head Athletic Therapist with the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL Affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks), located in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

We dig into RJ's journey in the athletic therapy field and path to the AHL, what a "day in the life" is like on the road and at home, how he collaborates with the other members of the performance and coaching staff to return players from injury, as well as what injury trends he is seeing through his experiences working in the Western Hockey League and now American Hockey League and what young players can do to hopefully mitigate some of those injuries.

There are so many great takeaways from this episode and insight into working in professional hockey.

You can connect with RJ via Instagram @romanjunior_k

Episode 13 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast.

Join me this episode as I catch up with Natasha McLaughlin-Chaisson who is a Sports and Performance Dietitian and the Owner of NMC Nutrition, located in Moncton, New Brunswick. Natasha provides education, training and hands-on support to recreational, competitive, Olympic and professional athletes and teams as well as RCMP, First Responders (Fire/Paramedics) and members of the military. 

We dig into Natasha's journey in the performance nutrition field, how nutrition and hydration play a major role in recovery, especially within a compressed schedule, ideas around fueling for early morning training sessions (listen for the most Canadian "pre workout" out there, lol), nutritional considerations around travel as well as nutritional strategies for younger athletes. 

There are so many great takeaways for athletes and coaches at all levels that are looking to understand the role nutrition plays individual or team performance. 

You can connect with Natasha via her website www.nmcnutrition.com and @nmcnutrition via Instagram.

Episode 12 of True North Strong: A Sports Performance Podcast.

Join me this episode as I catch up with Sean Holmes who is the Owner and Head Strength Coach at The Dynamic Athlete, located in the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Ontario. Sean is also the Head Strength Coach for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

We dig into Sean's journey in the sports performance field, what the physical demands are in the sport of lacrosse and what has changed over the years in both professional and youth lacrosse strength and conditioning. We also chat about his role with The Toronto Rock and some of the challenges of a "decentralized" sport and how he supports The Rock players.

This was a really fun episode (as you will hear by the laughs) for me, as Sean and I started our careers in sports performance together and it was great to reconnect.

You can connect with Sean via his website www.lacrossesc.com and www.thedymanicathlete.ca and @seanholmeslsc & @dynamic_athlete via Instagram.