

Move the Needle: The Human Performance Podcast
Mike Sullivan and Hunter Eisenhower
Move the Needle explores all areas of performance & coaching. Our goal - understand how to most effectively create positive change in athletic performance. Coaches & Professionals from around the industry are interviewed on their take on performance in every setting. Hosted by Mike Sullivan & Hunter Eisenhower, Move the Needle strives to provide a platform of education, curiosity, and actionable information for coaches and athletes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 1, 2023 • 1h 31min
Dan Taylor: Sports Science with the Charlotte Hornets
Dr. Dan Taylor - Director of Applied Sports Science for the Charlotte Hornets - joins us the for the 18th episode of MTN. In our conversation, Dr. Taylor talks to us about his five "big rocks" within performance monitoring & explains how he uses this foundation to understand the present and predict the future. In a conversation that was wide-ranging and full of in-depth tangents, Dr. Taylor eloquently presents concepts within the field that are easy to digest and actionable for any coach within the team setting.
Find Dr. Taylor on social media @dt_buzzcity
Follow us on social media @mtn_perform and check back for a new podcast episode every Wednesday
Big Thanks to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Oct 25, 2023 • 1h 6min
Joel Smith: Athlete Evaluation, Exploring the Spectrum of Training, and Going All In
Joel Smith - Founder of Just Fly Sports - joins us for the 17th episode of MTN. In 2011, Joel began Just Fly Sports as a platform to promote information for athletes and coaches to reach their highest potential. In 2016, the first episode of his podcast "Just Fly Performance Podcast" was released. For the last seven years, Joel has been delivering the highest level of education in the performance field.
In this conversation, we had so many questions we wanted to dive into. Enjoy a conversation around evaluating athletes, the general evaluation process, exploring polarity in training, experiential learning for the performance field, and the journey Joel took from UC Berkeley to Just Fly.
Find Joel on social media @justflysports and make sure to tune in to his podcast
Find us on social media @mtn_peform and check back each Wednesday for a new episode
Big Thanks to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Oct 18, 2023 • 1h 39min
Justin Ochoa: Integrating Performance Training & Skill Development
Justin Ochoa - Owner of PACE Fitness - joins us for the 16th episode of MTN. In this episode of the podcast, we spend a lot of time going down the rabbit hole of marrying sports skill work with performance training. Justin's unique background in basketball and training lends itself to such a conversation. We chat about the pros and cons of being able to do it all or use a more "specialist" model.
Make sure to follow Justin on all social media @justinochoa317
Follow the MTN on social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for a new episode
Big Thanks to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Oct 11, 2023 • 1h 1min
Matt King: Building a Staff & Developing a System in College Football S&C
Matt King - Director of Football S&C at UCONN - joins us for the 15th episode of MTN. In this episode, we dive into a conversation about Matt's transition from an Assistant position at the University of Washington to the Director at UCONN. We chat about having to build a staff + his own system at a school on the other side of the country, and we discuss some action steps that anyone can take stepping into a new role with a new team & head coach. Matt's diversity of experience has created a special environment at UCONN and we were excited to be able to sit down and talk it through.
Find Coach King on Instagram @coach_mking
Find MTN on all social media @mtn_perform and check back next Wednesday for a new episode
Big Thanks to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Oct 4, 2023 • 1h 18min
Shawn Sherman: Integrating Neurology & Performance
Shawn Sherman - Founder of the Square1System - joins us for the 14th episode of MTN. Shawn's career exploration in understanding the role of neurology and human function/performance has opened the doors for many people to upgrade their lifestyles. In this episode, we cover a lot... ranging from the process of "interviewing" the nervous system, understanding how individuals perceive threat, Shawn's daily practices (he deals with threat too!), and much more.
If you haven't already - be sure to check out Shawn's work - Square1System & Signal Six. Both were created by Shawn to help everyone & anyone deal with the inevitability of daily living.
Follow Shawn on social media @square1system & learn more about what he is doing
Find us on all social media @mtn_perform and check back each Wednesday for new episode
Big Thanks to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Sep 27, 2023 • 1h 7min
Blake Bender: Coaching as a Skill, Not an Identity
Blake Bender - Lumin Sports - joins us for the 13th episode of MTN. In this episode, we start with a brief conversation about his time at UC Berkeley and before, his approach to training basketball players, and a quick rabbit hole into nutrition. Blake's outlook on the field is unique and we wanted to make sure it was highlighted. We dive into the advice he would give coaches moving into different levels of the profession, the lessons learned from being a part of a staff turnover, and the ensuing process for him of transitioning away from coaching everyday to working for Lumin. We wrap the conversation with the things that he and Lumin have been building towards the excitement they have to continually put actionable data in the hands of coaches and athletes all over the world.
Follow Blake on social media @blaketbender
Find us on all social media @mtn_perform and check back every Wednesday for a new podcast
Big Thanks again to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Sep 20, 2023 • 1h 13min
Matt Tometz: Implementing Comprehensive Speed Develompent
Matt Tometz - Assistant Director of Olympic Sports at Northwestern University - joins us for the 12th episode of MTN. In this episode, we jump into the the things that people tend to get wrong about speed development, understanding the ratio of mechanics and output as it relates to speed training for team sport athletes, and we go down a rabbit hole related to deceleration that probably could have kept on going. Matt's time spent and understanding of speed & agility make him a valuable resource in the field and we were grateful to get him on the podcast.
*Episode Disclaimer - When we recorded this podcast, Matt was a Sports Performance Coach & Director of Sports Science at TCBOOST Sports Performance in Chicago, IL but has since taken a position at Northwestern University on their S&C Staff. We wish Matt all the best in his new position.
Find Matt on social media @CoachBigToe (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube) & check out his podcast, the Talking Shop Podcast on all listening platforms.
Find us on social media @mtn_perform and check back next Wednesday for a new episode
Big Thanks again to our Sponsor, Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Sep 13, 2023 • 1h 3min
Jesse Green: From the NBA to NHL, Applying Sports Science
Jesse Green - Director of Performance & Sports Science for the Pittsburgh Penguins - joins us for the 11th episode of MTN. On today's episode of the podcast, we talk about Jesse's day-to-day experience working in the NBA and NHL, some of the most impactful projects he used (and still does) at both stops, the importance of creating a philosophy in performance unrelated to a specific sport, and we dive a bit deeper into his current role with the Pens.
Listen, Like, and Leave us a Review & Follow us on Social Media @mtn_perform. Check back next Wednesday for a new Episode
Thanks again to our sponsor - Lumin Sports:
Lumin Sports is your digital HQ for athletic performance.
The Australian-made platform centralises athlete management, team communications, scheduling, data visualisations, and features third party integrations to save valuable time and elevate decision making.
Trusted by pro-sport teams, colleges, high schools, and high-performance centres, Lumin is an affordable solution that seamlessly connects coaches, athletes, medical staff, and operations teams.
With the belief that data-driven decisions power human potential, Lumin exists to improve performance and give time back to those who need it most.
Download a free demo today to find out why teams around the world choose Lumin Sports.

Sep 6, 2023 • 57min
Charles Young: Building the Modern College Basketball Player
Charles Young - Director of Basketball Performance at Fresno State University - joins us for the 10th episode of MTN. On this episode of the podcast, Charles explains his yearly overview of training at Fresno St, how he incorporates the Quadrant System to help organize training throughout the year, the role that technology has helped him understand what is really important within training and the mistakes he has made in the past, and the LTAD approach that is crucial yet tough to grasp within college basketball (or any college sport now).
Charles's journey within performance is fascinating - starting with a brutal injury that set him down a path to help others - and we think that anyone (whether in basketball or not) can take something away from his experience.
Listen, Like, and Follow the podcast and Move the Needle on all social media platforms @mtn_peform. Check back next Wednesday for a new episode.

Aug 30, 2023 • 1h 5min
Danny Foley: Infusing a Fascial Approach to Existing Training Programs
Danny Foley - Rude Rock S&C - joins us for the ninth episode of MTN. We dive into the intricacies of the fascial system, who would need this type of approach and how it might differ from the traditional S&C programming structure, and we finish with the ways that anyone can begin to incorporate fascia-driven training into their own programs - spoiler - it's actually really easy!
Danny has been pushing the field in understanding fascia as it relates to performance and has done an incredible job simplifying his knowledge for any coach. Make sure to check out the Fascia Chronicles and be on the lookout for Fascial Mechanics for Sport later this year.
Follow Danny on Instagram @danmode_ruderock and Twitter @danny_ruderock
Listen, Like, and Leave us a Review for the podcast and find us on social media @mtn_perform