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On this episode of the podcast I have a very important conversation with former Elite Gymnast and now Coach Luke Carson around all things mental health. An open honest conversation about the pandemic and being in gymnastics right now with the recent scandals and publicity around culture change. It's a tough time for those working in gymnastics to keep a good head space; we discuss how to have a better open conversation about anxiety, depression and stress and what people can do to de-stigmatise these issues. Sharing are own personal stories and what we did to help us move forward.

This is the 100th episode of The SHIFT Show and the podcast! Thank you to everyone who has been listening and helped the podcast grow over the last two years. Turning it into a medium and a space to have really important conversations that are having a positive impact on gymnastics and people lives. I want to continue to help people learn the information they want to know and be a vessel to spread it across the gymnastics world wide community. This special 100th features the legendary Aimee Boorman who was Simone Biles coach and many other great gymnasts. I wanted to make sure we had a conversation to provide the most value to people in terms of what’s happening now in our community but then also what’s happening down the road. Aimee is an amazing human but she also an amazing example of the benefits and abilities that can happen with positive coaching which is the big change we are seeing now in our sport. Thanks again for listening and I really appreciate everyones support with SHIFT.

In the final part of this 4 part lecture I cover Competitive Planning and how we will now approach our competitive year. Sharing and explain our clubs new approach, breaking down the monthly blocks and what goes into each week, session and event.

In part 2 of this 4 part lecture, I discuss more specific concepts to how we approach our gym's culture, operations, and bigger picture items. These include our ethical guidelines, an athlete-centered model, education, communicaton, coaching athletes holistically, delaying specialization, and respecting age - training hours until the age of 12.  

Part 1 of 4 lectures brain storming new ideas about what I feel we can do to make the sport happier and healthier. This is my attempt to share with everyone what I feel is important, backed up from research and literature I’ve read. Hopefully starting a better discussion of new ideas to try.

I sit down with Dr. Emily Sweeney to discuss why youth concussions in all sports, but particularly gymnastics, are a huge 'elephant in the room' issue we need to do a better job addressing.

Rachel Heller 3rd year PT student reaches out as part of her school project to gain insight into my PT journey. From school, the different types of certifications and how I got to where I am today. We discus and cover my mental health journey, how to stay on top of new research, how I find the time to do everything I do and my advice for coaches and new grads based on what I’ve learnt from my own journey and mistake I made along the way.

Head Strength Coach Lew Porciazzo sits down with my to chat about the principles, exercises, and workouts he uses with Michigan Women's Gymnastics Program. 

For the first time ever, our Gymnastics Director of Operations who is also one of my best friends and boss, Eva Shute joins the podcast. We break down all the biggest problems we faced with our toxic culture, and the exact steps we took to change things over 8 years. 

Chellsie Memmel joins me to chat about her amazing elite gymnastics come back! We also discuss the biggest things she has learned, and how she feels the gymnastics community should be changing to focus more on positive coaching in the wake of Athlete A and the Gymnastics Alliance movement. 

I sit down with Juston Ziegler, who spent many years working under Mihai Brestyan and has now moved on to be the head coach of Flyaways Gymnastics in Minnesota. He is a perfect example of blending the 'old school' techniques with newer ideas he has learned from people outside the gymnastics world. 

I'm was super grateful to be able to sit down and chat with elite, NCAA, and Olympic gymnast Courtney McGregor. Courtney has had an insane career of accomplishments and has spent the last 10 years training and competing at the highest level of international level. We chat all things from gymnastics culture change, to NCAA gymnastics, the Olympics, her Achilles injury, and more! 

Returning to training is very intimidating for gyms, so I wanted to take a deep dive with my friend Dan Lonsdale to share exactly how we are approaching out strength programs in the next 3 months. 

Gymnastics nutrition practices need a massive redesign related to calling out inappropriate practices, using current science, referring out to licensed professionals to keep athletes. In this massive 2+ hour talk with Registred Dieticians, Exercise Physiologists, and Nutrition Coaches, we tackle what they are, the science behind why they must go, and offer alternatives for the gymnastics community. 

This is a recorded lecture from Nick Ruddock that covers the principles, skills, and progressions he uses for developing Yurchenko style vaulting. Tons of great info here! 

There is no way to avoid the brutal reality: gymnastics culture is in need of a massive overhaul. This is not a new concept, as many have been talking about it over the last two decades. I share thoughts on how I feel we got into this terrible situation, and what needs to happen for real, meaningful change.

I shared some thoughts via YouTube about the new Athlete A Documentary on Netflix, and trying to understand how we got into this insane mess with our culture. People asked for the audio version so here it is. Hope it's interesting/helpful

Colin Van Wicklen comes back to the podcast to chat about how he got back into the gym after COVID, his best advice, and if the break has changed his views on time off and weight lifting benefits for gymnasts. 

I'm honored to be joined by Lucas and Christian, as well as their head coach Kip, to discuss what it's like competing on a men's gymnastics team as part of the Naval Academy. 

I recently took part in a panel discussion with some fantastic co-speakers where we took a deep dive into how to safely get back into the gym after COVID, how to approach flexibility, strength, and cardio in gymnastics. I hope you enjoy it!