Dad Strength Podcast

Ryan Flaherty is the Senior Director of Performance at Nike and a father to two amazing children. Ryan has been a performance coach for almost 20 years and has worked with the top athletes in the world like Kobe Bryant, Russell Wilson, and Serena Williams. He brings a lot of passion to this conversation because he lost his father when he was very young, and he says that being a great father and husband is his top priority. Ryan discusses lessons that he learned from his athletes that were parents and also shares advice for young coaches and fathers about how to make the balance of coaching and parenting much easier.

Coach Justin Kavanaugh is the Founder and Owner of Athlete HQ in Virginia as well as the author of Man Up: The 5 Areas of Focus to Guarantee Your Athletic Success. Most importantly, he is the father to Thomas! Coach Kav has been a coach and consultant for well over a decade and loves to dive deep into topics of interest. That is exactly what we do on this episode. We have a deep discussion about being efficient as a father and coach, building deep relationships with mentors, and setting up communication methods with his family to make traveling easier! Please enjoy this episode!

Betsi Flint is an AVP champion, FIVB Medalists for USA, Assistant Coach for LMU Beach Volleyball, and now a mother of a 7-month old daughter. Betsi is one of the most determined, hard-working athletes I have ever worked with, and it was this work ethic that helped her return from childbirth to succeed on sand in her first season back. Betsi brings great stories about her physical and mental return to sport, and discusses how she wants to show her daughter and the young female athletes that she coaches how to be a successful mom and athlete!

Eric McMahon is a father of 4 and the Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager at National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA). Eric started this job in June 2020, and before this he was a Strength & Conditioning Coach in the MLB for 14 years. Eric brings great stories and incredible advice on how the S&C profession can become more sustainable for parents!

Tommy Christian is the founder and owner of TCBoost in Northbrook, Illinois and the father to 3 daughters. He has been coaching for about 20 years at the collegiate and private levels and has been a father for 15 years. He discusses the importance of quantity time with family and being intentional with planning how you want your family and professional life to work. Enjoy the episode!

Keir Wenham-Flatt (@rugby_strength_coach) is a strength and conditioning professional with over 10 years experience of working at the elite level of sport in 5 different countries. He is also a frequent writer and speaker, and is the founder of www.strengthcoachnetwork.com. Boasting over 200 hours of video lectures presented by elite level coaches, a busy forum with members from over 30 countries, and strategic career and business advice for coaches of all levels, Strength Coach Network is where strength coaches come to learn. In this episode, he brings his unfiltered perspective about his multi-cultural experience in the field, what the collegiate S&C environment needs to do better, and how to make this career a more sustainable one for fathers. Please like, share, and subscribe if you like it!

Donnie Maib is the Director of Sports Performance at The University of Texas. He has been there for 23 years, and he the father to 4 daughters. Donnie discusses the value of staying power and how that has made it easier for his family to manage the time demands of his job. He also goes into great detail about things his wife and him do to maintain a strong marriage. This is a fantastic episode full of professional and personal wisdom from a world-class coach! I hope you enjoy! Stay Strong!

Bo Sandoval is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at the UFC. He is the father of two young sons and has been a strength & conditioning coach for almost 16 years. He started working at the UFC after 8 years at University of Michigan. We discuss the differences between collegiate and professional settings, what young coaches need to do to set themselves up in better positions, and the importance of developing trust with your children and athletes by always having an answer for them. He also talks about the importance of honest communication, mutual decision making, and teamwork with your spouse to maintain a strong relationship when work and kids get demanding. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Today is our first Mom Strong Episode with Becky Bonaventura, Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Rutgers University. In episode 5, MK Feit talked about the importance of having coaches that are moms mentor young coaches who want to become moms. With the growing presence of woman in high performance sport, it is important to share stories from current mothers in order to show that being a a high performing coach and a high performing mom is possible. Becky does just that in this episode by discussing how she takes care of herself in order to be the best mom, wife, and coach she can possibly be. Also, she talks about what the S&C profession and universities need to do to help moms realize they can be a mom and a successful coach throughout an entire career.

Andrew Stuart is the Head Performance Coach for US Speedskating where he is entering his 3rd season in that position. Andrew has a 2 year old son, Thomas, who makes a guest appearance on this show! We discuss the importance of managing work hours by not stressing about things you cannot control, and remembering that S&C is only a small piece of the large performance puzzle. Andrew also discusses the importance of thinking about the legacy you want to leave as a parent and as a coach. Thinking about this question creates more intentional, meaningful action and leads to more satisfaction in both professional and personal arenas. Enjoy!

Mary Kate and Adam Feit - The Do-It-All Strength & Conditioning Couple. Mary Kate and Adam just finished their PhD work at Springfield College, where they are professors and coaches in the Strength & Conditioning Department. Both Mary Kate and Adam have years of experience in the field at all different levels. Mary Kate grew up training and working at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning and went on to work at University of Iowa, University of Louisville, and several different private facilities. Adam has worked at several different Division 1 football programs, the Carolina Panthers, and both Adam and Mary Kate started RYPT with Bobby Smith in New Jersey. Mary Kate and Adam bring loads of experience and information to this conversation. Adam discusses how they help their children make more informed, independent decision rather than telling them what to do, and Mary Kate discusses the importance of female mentorship in the S&C profession so that young female coaches know that being a mom and a strength coach is a possibility.

John Mayer, Head Beach Volleyball Coach at Loyola Marymount University and former Beach Volleyball superstar, joins me on this episode! John brings the experience of both a coach and an athlete to this conversation, and he discusses how to manage the schedule in both of those roles. He also goes into detail about creating opportunities for his daughter to try new things and be okay failing at them in order to help her grow mentally and physically. I hope you enjoy!

Coach Jason Pullara is currently the Director of Olympic Strength & Conditioning at Purdue University and a father of 4; 5 year old son, 3 year old son, and 1 year old twin daughters. He brings years of experience to the conversation and discusses the importance of figuring out your values and establishing your personal mission statement in order to create more sustainable, satisfying work situations.

Jason Cole is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at University of Michigan. He is a father of 2, a husband for 25 years, and a coach for 27 years. This is a fantastic conversation where Jason dives into parallels between coaching and parenting.

The first episode of The Dad Strength Podcast features my good friend Adam Hughes, Head Women's Volleyball Coach at the University of Maryland. Adam and I have know each other for several years and he as 2 (about to be 3) beautiful daughters. He is a great example of balancing family life and coaching as he has rapidly ascended to a head coach while maintaining a strong presence at home with his wife and kids. This is a fantastic conversation!