The Swim Brief

Dave Salo has coached at every level of the sport—from NCAA championships to Olympic medals—but this conversation isn't about workouts or sets.Instead, we explore the decisions that define great coaching.We discuss why process matters more than outcomes, how a single sentence can change the way an athlete experiences failure, the transition from assistant coach to head coach, what it means to lead people instead of simply managing performance, and the lessons Dave has learned from both success and adversity throughout his career.Whether you coach swimming, another sport, or simply lead people, this episode is a reminder that the impact of coaching extends far beyond results.In this episode we discuss:Why athletes remember what coaches say long after races are overThe language that changes how athletes process failureThe difference between being an assistant coach and leading a programHow coaching philosophy evolves over decadesNavigating criticism, setbacks, and career transitionsWhat separates great coaching from great instructionIf you're interested in becoming a better coach—not just producing better performances—this conversation is for you.More episodes, resources, and coaching:https://www.chrisdcoach.comAbout The Swim BriefThe Swim Brief explores the thinking behind great coaching through conversations with world-class coaches, sport scientists, and leaders in swimming and beyond. Each episode is designed to help coaches improve the quality of their thinking so they can improve the quality of their coaching.

The head coach of Swimming and Diving at the University of Illinois Jeana Kempe joins to talk influences and the path of her coaching career. 

David Marsh tells all about what his retirement actually looks like, and what he had planned if he was National Team Director. Debrief: David Marsh Chris DeSantis Download

Tracy Menzel joins to talk GAIN, Diversity and why she's back coaching in her hometown. Debrief: Tracy Menzel Chris DeSantis Download

Recapping the day I spent following around USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan at last week's Indy Pro Series event. Bonus Pod: A Day with Greg Meehan Chris DeSantis

Dave Durden joins to discuss how he approaches his unconventional start at Cal and his approaches to recruiting and hiring. Debrief: Dave Durden Chris DeSantis

Megan Devito, a high school swim coach and performance mindset coach, joins to talk shop on the value of coaching. Debrief: Megan Devito

The CEO of USA Swimming joins to share what he's learned in his nine months on the job and what he thinks is possible for the future. Debrief: Kevin Ring

Former National Team and World Champion rower Cara Stawicki joins to talk shop and even turns the tables on me. Links for Cara:Website: https://carastawicki.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carastawicki/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-stawicki-6059196/Book a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/carastawicki/discovery?month=2026-04 Debrief: Cara Stawicki

Organizing my big picture reflections on the stupidest event in swimming history, and all the losers who tried to make it work. riverside_christopher_swim_brief (1)

Big shout out to the IDGI Podcast with Nate McKay and Kyle Johnson for helping me out with this week's pod. Listen to hear me get interviewed by the guys, plus some thoughts on the top about the Loser Olympics. riverside_christopher_swim_brief

Glenn Mills, the owner and founder of Goswim, 1980 Olympian and all around man about the sport, joins to talk about what he sees in the swimming world. Debrief: Glenn Mills Chris DeSantis

An old friend of the podcast, Kyle Johnson, returns to share his wisdom. Kyle also has a podcast, which you can follow for me to be on soon. Debrief: Kyle Johnson Returns Chris DeSantis

James Marshall of GAIN and Excelsior Athletic Club joins to talk how he came to coach three sports, knowledge sharing and the athletic insights of Nassim Taleb. Check out his website: https://excelsiorgroup.co.uk/Link to James' substack newsletter. Debrief: James Marshall Chris DeSantis

First podcast of the book club, featuring USA Swimming's Corey Manley. We discuss previous guest Kristoffer Henriksen's book All You Need to Know About Talent Development. The book was co-authored with Carsten Hvid Larsen and Louise Kamuk Storm. Book Club: All You Need to Know About Talent Development w/Corey Manley Chris DeSantis

In preparation for book clubbing with Corey Manley, I break down how I communicate about talent with coaches and athletes. Solobrief: How to Talk About Talent Chris DeSantis

Celebrating 1000 followers on instagram by taking listener questions. Want to have your question answered on the pod? Listen to the end of the pod for instructions! Special 1000 Follower Solobrief Chris DeSantis

The recently named CSCAA Division III Coach of the year, Peter Casares of Bates College, joins to recap the year and talk about getting a walk on to a National Championship. Plus, a bonus at the end for all D3 Swimming nerds. Debrief: Peter Casares Chris DeSantis

Northwestern Swimming and Diving Head Coach and College Swim Coaches Association President Rachel Stratton-Mills to share her approach to coaching.

Dr. Randy Wilber is a Senior Sport Physiologist at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He has worked with numerous Olympic medalists across multiple sports. I press him for insight on overtraining and blood analysis.

Renowned Danish sports psychologist Kristoffer Henriksen joins to discuss his life's work on athlete development and changing the narrative around what it means to be competitive.

The head coach of Women's Swimming and Diving at UCLA joins to talk about single gender coaching, making her way to UCLA and sharing knowledge.

Adrian Radulescu is the two-time Olympic coach of Romania, best known for his guidance of phenom David Popovici. In this podcast we talk about how he came to be a coach and how he approaches several common coaching problems systematically.

On the eve of the B1G Championship, Brian Schrader went off on the new format and qualification for the NCAA Division I Championship. I respond to what he said and try to put it in context that I don't see as it was reported out by other outlets.

Dominique Diezi joins with stories of swimming and coaching both in Switzerland and the US.

My former colleague and the Head of Knowledge and Innovation for Danish Swimming Christine Eilertsen joins to talk about her outlook on talent development.

Fresh off his team setting yet another NCAA DII record, Nova Southeastern's Ben Hewitt joins to discuss how he ended up at the top program in DIi and the lessons he has learned along the way. Permalink

Niklas Brix joins to discuss trying out for the Danish Frogmen, leadership and dealing with peer pressure from other coaches.

Musings on why we train swimmers in the groups that we do, and how much specificity is enough.

Matt Sprang has been a coach, owned a swim club and now he's moving on to the next chapter of his professional live. We get together to discuss what he's up to and the vexing environment around coach wellness.

“Debriefing” the Aqua Clinic in Nyborg Denmark, with highlights from a USOPC Sport Scientist and David Popovici's coach Adrian Radulescu.

Coach and author Chris Da Sie joins to talk about his recently published book, from Pressure to Podium. Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5PW4HSRBN.com - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pressure-to-podium-chris-da-sie/1148919655IG - https://instagram.com/betweenlapsYouTube - https://youtube.com/betweenthelaps Permalink

Summing up the year that was Swim Brief in 2025- thoughts on gratitude, the future and all the amazing things I got to be a part of this past year.

Breaking out the all caps for the return of Joel Rollings. We discuss his new position at Marquette and get his takes on NCAA, Enhanced Games and more.

Susie Johnson, coach and author of not-your-average-mom.com joins to discuss her blog and life lessons from raising five kids in the sport. You can read her full blog here or follow on facebook.

Samantha Livingstone joins to discuss her new podcast, evaluating coaches on more than performance and more.

Greg Meehan returns in his new role to talk about what he's actually doing to change the direction of USA Swimming.

This Thanksgiving, we talk to somebody with a nearly 60 year history of coaching in the sport. Come for the wisdom of coaching 8 and unders and stay for the story of what Mark Spitz dad was like when he was an age grouper.

What can a coach do to prepare for mid-season? I work through my checklist for coaches.

Eric Anderson joins me to talk about a coaching adventure that has taken him from Canada to Denmark and now in Malaysia.

ASCA Board Member, past president and Albany Academy Assistant AD Mike Murray and I survey the youth sports landscape. Mike makes a stunning admission about himself as a sports parent.

Ray Looze joins to talk about taking risks, how to train athletes for international competition, training the Shackell siblings and handling the disappointment of being left off the 2024 Olympic Staff.

Glenn Neufeld joins to talk Mental Dryland clinics and some of the gaps it aims to address. No David Arlucks were actually harmed in the production of this podcast.

Chris Webb of GAIN and the Sarasota Sharks joins to talk about my participation in an upcoming event with GAIN and share coaching wisdom. For more information on GAIN and the Master Path, go to www.gainswim.com/

I sit down with Dave Rolling of FGCU and Princeton's Matt Crispino to talk about the recent changes to the NCAA format that have the swimming world abuzz.

Jake Gibbons is more than just a coach at Bolles. We address his recent viral post on Instagram, team culture and how to present yourself responsibly on social media.

Coaching legend George Kennedy, seven-time NCAA Division III Coach of the year, joins to talk about kindness, his legacy and more.

Longtime friend of the podcast Jenn Verser joins to talk all things coaching, especially focused on disordered eating, perfectionism and finding your why.

David Guthrie is one of the greatest masters swimmers of all time, and he joins to share his journey across three decades.

I answer listener questions about goals and tell you how I approach goal setting with individuals.

Dave Rollins joins with newcomer Graham Carpenter to talk about how to make a career in college swimming. We share perspectives from our first ways into the business along with what's changing. Please donate to the podcast at the following link. Permalink