Podcast Appearances
As a kid, the first games I remember watching were the 84 Summer Games back in Los Angeles.
And I was absolutely enraptured by the thought of being able to not just compete, but to represent America.
The Olympics felt like the ultimate stage to show the world that you could be the best.
And over the years, I've had more than a few Olympic heroes who inspired me to train a little harder, or eat a little better, or dig a little deeper in the search of my own best.
As I grew older, I continued to love the Olympics, but in newer and deeper ways as my work in sport, my study of human performance, and my connection for the human interest in the Olympics grew and deepened.
In the summer of 1996, I was taking an undergrad exercise physiology class.
My professor was a former Olympic swimmer himself.
And we oftentimes got out of class a little bit early during those two weeks, just so that we could do what he called research, which basically meant we were watching the Atlanta games.
Those same games where past guest Charles Austin from episode 79 captured a gold medal in a high jump.
His story of ascending to the top of the Olympic medal stand from not even competing in track until his senior year of high school, that's a great example of the kind of story that motivates me to expect more out of myself.
After I graduated from college and got certified as both an athletic trainer and a strength coach, my aspirations were to work at the highest level of sports, which included the Olympics, as I started my career.
The closest I'd ever get to that dream of wearing the team-issued red, white, and blue was during the summers of 1999 and 2001 when I worked as an athletic trainer for two different USA baseball junior national teams.
I still have some of that gear that I got along with a world championship ring to show for my time, and I have zero regrets.
This past winter, it was kind of a circle of life moment for me as the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games were held from February 6th through 22nd.
And I was, once again, enrolled in another exercise physiology course, this time at the graduate level.
This time I'm not so much studying and preparing for opportunities in sport that I hope are coming my way, but instead simply trying to grow in wisdom and knowledge about all aspects of human performance that can help me help others and still maybe even myself get a little bit better.
It was during those two weeks in February where I wished I could have just canceled work and watched the games full time, like I always wish I could have done.
But instead, I had to balance work and school and the Olympics.
And that's when I first encountered the incredible story of Sarah Warren.
In a Winter Olympic Games that were literally brimming with 30-for-30 worthy stories all over the place, Sarah's stood out.