NSCA’s Coaching Podcast

Lanier Coleman coaches from a simple truth: intent drives intensity. Now in his role as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the National Football League (NFL) Jacksonville Jaguars, Coleman brings the same determination he embodied as a collegiate defensive lineman. He shares how early adversity shaped his standards, teaching him to lead with discipline, cultivate deeper relationships, and “build a fire” in every athlete he coaches. During his coaching tenure at Florida State University, mental and emotional endurance became cornerstones of team development — these are lessons he now carries into professional football. Coleman describes the shift from building collegiate foundations to coaching with precision at the NFL level, where he fine-tunes elite qualities to manage injury risk. He also stresses the importance of unified performance staffs to support athletes through this fast-paced and demanding sport. Gain inspiration to strengthen daily purpose, be a spark in your facility, and support athlete readiness across high-performance environments. Reach out to Lanier via Instagram: @l_coleman98 | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Join the NSCA Football Special Interest Group (SIG) and explore 24 other specialized communities designed to support your development on the Special Interest Groups page.Show Notes“It's not just what you learn about, how you learn to clean or how you drive up your numbers in the weight room. It's the standard and the discipline that it takes to be the best you can be in the gym, which also translates to how you learn in the classroom at school, but also how you learn in the classroom in the football facility around football, how you manage yourself and the intensities of football. But also, how you manage your mind and your emotions and the intensities of life as that comes to you as well.” 4:55 “I think building those relationships allows you to create not just more buy-in and belief to what we're doing, but what I think is really important when you come into the gym is to have the intent about what we're asking the athlete to do that day. So, to not get out of bed without a fire to yourself, to not come into the building without a fire and intensity towards what you're trying to achieve, to not address the bar, to not put your pads on, to not go anywhere without an intensity and a purpose and an enthusiasm to what you're trying to accomplish. And that would mean having a deeper understanding about what's going on and having a process to making sure every part of you is geared towards the success of that goal.” 11:35 “Don't try and look at the long-term thing. Have your goal in mind, but focus on each individual day and have a success in that individual day.” 15:20 “Be dynamic enough to understand where people are in their situations and help them through those individual spots.” 22:40

When collegiate athletes are also cadets, coaching requires adaptability and flexibility at its finest. In this Gatorade Performance Partner Special Episode, Scott Caulfield shares his coaching philosophy as the first Director of Strength and Conditioning at Norwich University, a senior military college. Coach Caulfield oversees 23 varsity teams and over 600 student-athletes — including Corps of Cadets members and civilians — while also serving as a campuswide resource and adjunct instructor. With field training taking precedence, he describes adapting to varying student needs, goals, and readiness levels. As a veteran and Vermont native, he reflects on returning home and the higher service component of preparing students for careers beyond sport. Coach Caulfield also brings his certified therapy dogs into the weight room, creating an “immediate barrier breakdown” that helps students feel at ease. He calls on coaches to get involved, take advantage of NSCA Foundation opportunities, and keep pushing the profession forward. Reach out to Coach Caulfield on Instagram at: @coachcaulfield, and see his weight room therapy dogs at: @atm_riv_g_therapydogs. Explore the latest from the Norwich weight room at: @norwichsc | Email Jon at: jonathan.jost@pepsico.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs. Explore scholarships, grants, and assistantships at NSCA.com/Foundation. Apply for volunteer leadership opportunities by December 15 at NSCA.com/Volunteer. Read the free TSAC Report article on coaching philosophy to enhance communication between strength and conditioning professionals and firefighters, co-authored by Scott Caulfield. This special episode is brought to you in part by Gatorade Performance Partner. Learn more and join their community at GatoradePerformancePartner.com.Show Notes“I say we have everything we need, just not everything we want. But we can get the job done. And so you have to be adaptable and flexible-- again, I go back to those two words-- with your philosophy because those things change as your resources change, as your setting changes, as your weight room size or differentials change. So it's been a super cool evolution to just, again, continually think about, all right, what do I stand for? What do I want these students to stand for?” 12:40“Both of them (Alfie and River) have gone through a certified therapy dog program, […] but it's a game-changer. Not everybody loves lifting weights. A lot of people are scared by it. […] It's an immediate barrier breakdown in the weight room that just kind of gives people a sense of calmness.” 17:00“We also have increased and are increasing the amount of funding between research and coaching advancement. So we look at the numbers, the percentages of what goes to research grants, which goes to grants for coaches. And we're pushing that level more toward the coaching side to make it more balanced.” 20:38“Volunteer applications open every fall for the NSCA and foundation. The foundation is an exciting area if you're a young or aspiring strength and conditioning coach to find funding opportunities. But more than that, you can build really strong connections through mentorship, internships, and other programs that come out of the NSCA foundation.” 22:50

Growth happens when you go all in, or as Brittany Wiebe says, “full send.” As Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of women’s basketball at the University of Oregon, she shares her people-first, evidence-based approach to maximize performance, minimize risk, and positively impact each individual. Using reverse engineering and fundamental principles, Wiebe describes programming around the big seven movements, progressive overload, and objective and subjective feedback. She reflects on her path through Kenya, Dubai, and the Dominican Republic, gaining exposure to athletes across sports, backgrounds, and abilities. Logistical challenges, like language barriers and limited resources, strengthened her adaptability and creativity. Wiebe believes weight room culture starts the moment you walk in. Her strategies — from high-energy greetings to rallying around big lifts — remind coaches that intent begins with environment. She challenges coaches to step outside their comfort zones, say “yes” to opportunities, and bring the same intensity to their development that they demand from athletes. Reach out to Brittany on Instagram: @coach.bwiebes and LinkedIn: @bwiebes | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Ready to take your coaching further? Explore opportunities to connect with top professionals and gain new insights at NSCA.com/Events, from local clinics to national conferences.Show Notes“When I do take on a new position, my core philosophy remains consistent. I want to maximize those performance outcomes, minimize risk, and positively impact each individual that I do come across. So to do this, I always utilize a people first and evidence-based approach. But it all comes down to reverse engineering. So, what are the demands of the sport? What are the positional differences? What energy system are we working with? What's the risk of injury? What are the main movements and actions in their sport that they need to be able to perform at a very high level to be successful?” 5:30“I think the environment that you foster is ultimately going to determine the intent that you get out of your athletes. And you can have the best program in the world, but unless there's intent behind it, you're not going to see results.” 16:00“Get comfortable getting uncomfortable, get outside of your bubble, and same people that you see every day, and same people that you train. And it's not easy moving to the other side of the world, not knowing anyone, not speaking the same language, or really not knowing what to expect, but just having to buckle in and take it for its ride. You're going to be out of your element at first and that's where I really believe that true growth happens. You just focus on the fundamentals. Movement is movement, you understand the key principles, and you can adapt your programs to almost any sport.” 21:30“I think it's really empowering for coaches to challenge themselves, go somewhere maybe unfamiliar, work with an unfamiliar sport, learn a new sport, learn a new language, a new culture, whatever it may be.” 22:50

For Keith Swift, coaching is completely effort based, but it starts with camaraderie and education. As Director of Strength and Conditioning at Wofford College, his philosophy is clear: educate, heal, and enhance. While playing collegiate football and studying exercise science, Swift learned early to question the “why” behind training and encourages his student-athletes to do the same. At an academically rigorous institution, his educational focus fits right in, fostering curiosity, technical precision, and peer coaching. Swift shares how his experiences across professional baseball, the private sector, and collegiate programs each shaped his foundation while making it his own. Amid collegiate challenges — from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer portal to the growing authority of student-athletes — Swift holds firm that “there is no substitute for hard work.” His goal is simple: help student-athletes leave with both a degree and a championship ring, setting them up for success in sport and life. Reach out to Coach Swift on Instagram: @worqueowt and @wofford_strength, Twitter/X: @CoachSwift93, LinkedIn: @keithswift, or by email: swiftkd@wofford.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Discover how salaries have evolved across collegiate athletics and other work settings in strength and conditioning in the 2025 NSCA Salary Survey at NSCA.com/Salary.Show Notes“Building it [Stillman College] from the ground up was a challenge. I was the only one. I think I had 14 sports by myself. And that was a time. I definitely cut my teeth as a strength coach there. And a lot of people shy away from situations like that.” 8:40 “When they start to coach each other and they have a lot of peer coaching and they're using proper terms and they're doing things the right way, that's like the biggest pat on the back and the biggest reward…” 10:50 “The expectations in the weight room, having my own expectations. They know that Coach Swift is going to come with it and you can't come with anything less. All I want is all you got. And some guys, I let them know ahead of time, like, this is-- think about this being a renovation. There's no renovation without demolition. And in the weight room, this is the demo zone. We're literally breaking your body down, and we're going to teach you how to recoup and recover and build yourself back up.” 16:25

Strength coaches build resilience in others, but sometimes life puts their own to the test. Katie Guillory, now Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at her alma mater, Louisiana State University (LSU), faced that test after a summer accident led to a below-knee amputation. As a former LSU softball captain with extensive knee and hip surgeries, Guillory explains her strong foundation for physical and mental recovery. For her, that means showing up and getting after it, even on hard days. Guillory encourages others to “act yourself into existence for a second,” believing that small, consistent steps — especially when motivation is low — are what build strong mindsets. Supported by the LSU community, she reflects on balancing relentless drive with vulnerability, accepting help, giving herself grace, and finding strength in connection. Her experience underscores that resilience is a lifelong mindset, reminding listeners that the same habits that build athletes can also rebuild their coach. Reach out to Katie on Instagram: @steel_guil and X/Twitter: @steel_guil | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Answer Bryan Mann’s “call to arms!” Many volunteer applications are open now through December 15. Step up and give back to your strength and conditioning community at NSCA.com/Volunteer.Show Notes“At the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person, and it's hard to stay positive. But at the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person and kind to people. And I hope that I did that the best way I knew how when I was an athlete, and some of that has laid the foundation for the community rallying around me as an alumni now. And I'm so beyond grateful for that. I can't really put it into words, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully encompass everything I want to say, and all the people I want to thank.” 5:08 “I've always been up for a challenge, and always up for an adventure. So when someone tells me I can't do something, my innate response is, watch me.” 11:30 “She was just a big proponent of when you wake up and you don't feel like working, work. When you wake up and you're tired, work. Just find a way to get something done. And it doesn't have to be much, and that's what I've learned. It can look different, but just wake up and do it. And so much of our success, especially in the collegiate realm, is not about what you say. It's about what you do. And it's about the habits that you can build, and the mindset will follow that. And if you can just act yourself into existence for a second, I think that goes such a long way… that's what I'm trying to help these kids see through my actions.” 14:00

Mentorship isn’t flawless — and that’s where its power lies. Erik Hernandez, Associate Director for Sports Performance – Olympic Sports at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, has built his career on turning imperfect scenarios into lasting lessons for athletes and young coaches alike. For over 14 years at UNC, he has guided lacrosse, volleyball, and golf, adapting his voice to each culture while holding firm to shared standards of accountability and growth. Hernandez streamlines training into a three-phase model — explosive, strength, and remedial — yet emphasizes that delivery and communication matter more than complexity. He reminds athletes, “modifications are part of progress,” linking health, recovery, and seasonal demands to long-term development. For interns and early-career coaches, his advice is clear: earn mentors by serving others, and learn from every scenario, even the imperfect ones. Hear how mentorship, adaptability, and athlete health point the way forward for stronger teams and longer careers. Reach out to Coach Hernandez on Instagram: @hernandezstrength or by email: ehhernan@email.unc.edu | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Answer Bryan Mann’s “call to arms!” Many volunteer applications are open now through December 15. Step up and give back to your strength and conditioning community at NSCA.com/Volunteer.Show Notes“Once you feel more confident in your program, […] then you can get complicated with the coaching and the delivery and how you need to adapt that.” 9:00 “If you fail in it, we're going to have a conversation about it. But that's just our standard of growth. And the goal is to make you better for your teammates, make you better for your future husbands and wives, and make you better for your future employers and family.” 13:25 “Young coaches should seek to learn from every single scenario, and it doesn't have to be the most ideal scenario. I've been told before, you learn more sometimes by seeing things done the wrong way than the right way, because that's going to help in your longevity to see someone kind of burn out or something happen because they do things a certain way that maybe doesn't fit with what you think would give you the most longevity. So I think really being able to take something away from any situation that you're in,” 15:53

Building athletes who are strong, healthy, and resilient requires more than sets and reps, starting with a shift in mindset. Christi Edson, Head of Performance for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), shares how she integrates strength and conditioning with sport science to sustain athlete health and performance. She reflects on the field’s evolution from the well-known “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” program to a training culture emphasizing resilience, active recovery, and durability. Drawing from her experience coaching high school athletes to NWSL professionals, Edson highlights the adaptability and creativity coaches need. Those qualities help her to develop athletes who can thrive through a demanding 11-month season. She details how tools like GPS, force plates, and velocity-based training sharpen communication and reshape expectations in the gym. Her story points coaches toward the future of athlete development: collaboration, precise load management, and long-term health as the foundation of strength. Connect with Christi on Instagram: @christiedson and LinkedIn: @christiana-edson | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Read the article, “A Creative Mind in the Professional Development of a Strength and Conditioning Coach,” from NSCA Coach, 11(1), February 2024 — referenced in this episode’s return-to-play discussion. NSCA Members enjoy full publication access. Interested in bridging coaching and sport science? The Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) credential can help you expand your qualifications, open new career paths, and strengthen cross-department collaboration.Show Notes“I think that would be a good example of how I fell into the sport science side, is I was trained up as a S&C coach and then was given technology to figure out after the fact. One of those technologies being force plates, which I have come to love. They're so diverse in what I can do with them in the gym.” 9:15 “I tell my athletes that all the time. You're not here for me. You're not here for me. You are here to play soccer. And my job is to help you stay healthy, to play soccer. We have some words up in the gym, which I finally got. It was strong, healthy, resilient. […] I want you to be healthy mentally and physically, because I don't need you to just slog through a season. I want you to feel good going into the weekend. But then resilient, you're going to take some knocks. But can we bounce back from that? And that strong foundation, I think, is a big piece of that.” 17:25 “Keep your ear to the ground for internships. […] Get those NSCA certifications in early because they are becoming more required. And the organizations that you work for have their ear to the ground. They understand what the minimum standard should be.” 24:10

You don’t have to love the weight room, but you can’t last without it. Champ Bailey, a National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer, admits he never enjoyed lifting, but says respecting the work gave him the edge to sustain 15 seasons at the highest level. Hear how his preparation evolved from traditional lifts to readiness routines — core, mobility, warm-ups, and recovery — that kept him fresh through the NFL grind. Bailey emphasizes that strength and conditioning coaches are undervalued leaders who “see you at all levels,” guide comebacks, and build buy-in with simple numbers. He recalls how a failed conditioning test led to one of his best seasons, and how weight room leadership left no cracks to ensure buy-in from everyone. Bailey continues his impact through the Positive Athlete initiative, using sport as a platform for growth. Gain practical ways to tailor training by role, earn athlete respect, and build a winning culture. Connect with Champ via email at: ChampBailey@positiveathlete.org | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs   Answer the call to give back and lead the profession. Applications for the NSCA and NSCA Foundation Boards of Directors are now open, with more volunteer positions available October 1. See if you qualify and apply at NSCA.com/Volunteer.Show Notes“I'm a firm believer in the best way to lead is by example. And it doesn't mean just performing on the field. It's how you conduct yourself in meetings. And you don't ever have to be vocal. You let your actions speak for you.” 20:10 “But Positive Athlete is a platform-- it's a recognition platform. So what we do is we recognize student athletes 9th through 12th grade for really just being positive individuals. So it could be somebody who's overcome a terrible injury, just great in the community, great student, good teammate, always on time, always showing up, accountable, all the things that sports sort of teaches us without us even thinking about it.” 26:05 “You've got to think how we value sports and the scrutiny. If every company was run the way you run a sports organization, and the detail, and the evaluation, and the team-oriented environment, and everybody knowing the mission, and staying on task, understanding your role, that's what a team looks like.” 32:30

Few strength coaches have shaped sport performance like Al Vermeil — the only strength coach to earn championship rings in both the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). In this Gatorade Performance Partner Special Episode, Vermeil shares how a career built on explosiveness, adaptability, and relentless curiosity has transformed teams at every level. From advancing plyometrics and Olympic lifts in the 1970s to creating the performance pyramid and the innovative “time machine” testing system, his methods have influenced generations of coaches and athletes worldwide. Known for blending timeless principles with fresh, actionable ideas, he explains how mechanics, group management, and collaboration create consistent results and lasting trust. Along the way, Vermeil offers rare perspectives on coaching longevity, revealing how his adaptability and curiosity have kept him learning — and lifting — into his 80s. Gain practical insights to keep explosiveness central, integrate performance science, and strengthen your long-term coaching impact. Reach out to Coach Vermeil by email at: a60vermeil@sisna.com | Email Jon Jost at: jonathan.jost@pepsico.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs. This special episode is brought to you in part by Gatorade Performance Partner. Learn more and join their community at GatoradePerformancePartner.com.Show Notes“My overall philosophy never really changed. […] I always felt that the most important thing in performance was explosive power because in the sports I dealt with, it's instantaneous. It's an impulse.” 2:20 “I always recommend young coaches - if you really want to be good, go learn to coach a team sport. I don't care if it's seventh grade girls basketball or boys. Learn, know how to organize groups.” 9:35 “The other thing I recommend young coaches do is go out and learn how to coach olympic lift, even just one of them and track and field because you'll learn mechanics.” 10:05 “Well, you don't have time in sports, whether it's football, baseball bat. When you're accelerating, especially-- you don't want to wind up. And if you're in football and you're a wind up tackler, you just got run over by the running back.” 16:50

What's behind enduring success at the highest level of college athletics? Kate Smith, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Michigan, shares insights from nearly 14 years of experience coaching multiple sports in a competitive collegiate environment. Smith emphasizes sustained excellence through adaptability, genuine curiosity, and openness to opportunities — even outside of athletics. Drawing on her private-sector experiences, she explains how diverse roles helped shape her flexible, athlete-centered philosophy. Smith candidly addresses current collegiate challenges, including navigating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) distractions and adjusting motivational strategies across team cultures and generations. As a Certified Performance and Sport Scientist® (CPSS®), Smith highlights how integrating data-driven insights helps her create a more effective training environment. This expertise uniquely positions her to bridge athletics with academics, deepening collaboration on campus-wide performance initiatives. Learn how to implement practical strategies for keeping athletes engaged amidst external pressures, leverage performance data meaningfully, and continually refresh your coaching approach. Connect with Kate via email at kannehay@umich.edu and on Instagram: @katehaycock | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  Show Notes“Social media, as well, presents its own challenge with the mental health aspect, where if they post something as part of an NIL deal, but then have comments that are bullying comments or derogatory comments, what have you, making sure that they understand that this is-- it doesn't speak to who they are as people.” 15:00“I don't know how many times I've had athletes come up to me now and ask, hey, I saw this exercise on TikTok. Can we do this in our lift? Well, like, how do we get them to understand this might be a great exercise, but in a different context? When we're training for a specific sport and we're in a certain time of the year within our annual plan, this might not be the best exercise. So how do we get them to buy into what we've planned out with the amount of information that they have in their hands?” 20:50“I like to say, always leave the door open. If there's something that sparks your interest, it's sparked it for a reason. So pursue it. Look into it. Don't close the door on it because it might not be directly related to strength and conditioning.” 33:20