Episode 15: Kyle Brown on Universal Speed Rating, Speed Labs and Entrepreneurship

Episode SummaryIn this episode of Rapid Fire, Justin Ochoa sits down with Kyle Brown — former Team USA Skeleton athlete, Owner of Kyle Brown Performance and Northeast Speed Lab Director for Universal Speed Rating (USR).

Kyle dives into:

• His transition from sprinting on ice to sprinting development as a coach.
• The power of data with USR — and how it's changing the game for athletes of all ages.
• Lessons learned from Mike Boyle, Les Spellman and Stu McMillan.
• His strategies for scaling a business with his name on it.
• And why early sport specialization might be one of the biggest threats to athletic development.

They wrap up with the first-ever lightning round of rapid-fire questions covering favorite lifts, pizza toppings, speed training mistakes, pet peeves and more.

Key QuotesOn USR’s value: “Data is great. But what you do with the data — that’s where USR really separates itself.”

On scaling a personal brand: “My goal is for every client to feel like I was there… even if I wasn’t coaching them that day.”On lifting year-round: “If you’re not going to play another sport, weightlifting should be your other sport.”On specialization: “Specialization is killing athletic potential. It’s okay to suck at something — go get better.”On business systems: “Hire people who believe in your philosophy. Then build systems that let you step back and still deliver results.”

Time-Stamps00:00–03:00 — Kyle’s intro and background in skeleton racing03:00–06:00 — Competing on the World Cup circuit + training with Mike Boyle06:00–12:00 — What is Universal Speed Rating (USR) and how Speed Labs work12:00–16:30 — Mentorship from Boyle, Spellman, Stu McMillan & carrying that into business16:30–21:30 — How to scale a business built on your name + staffing and delegation advice21:30–28:00 — Inside KBP’s athlete onboarding, assessments, and daily programming28:00–34:00 — The dangers of early specialization + why lifting should be the "other sport"34:00–36:30 — Encouraging kids to try new sports and lean into challenge36:30–40:00 — 🔥 First-ever Rapid Fire Lightning Round40:00–End — Where to find Kyle and how to get involved with USRConnect with Kyle BrownInstagram (Personal): @kylebrown_baaInstagram (Business): @kbptrainingWebsite: kbptraining.comUniversal Speed Rating: universalspeedrating.com