Episodes
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Growing up outside of Detroit, Brandon saw football as a way to receive a scholarship and was the number two ranked linebacker prospect in the state of Michigan. Brandon decided to stay close to home where he played college football at the University of Michigan. Michigan’s track record of success and football environment helped prepare Brandon for the NFL where he was selected 13th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. On the show we discuss Brandon's Achilles injury in year 12, and how training helped him both physically and mentally to come back and have a career year. Brandon has had many on field accomplishments such as the strip sack on Tom Brady to win the Super Bowl, but his believes that starting a family has been most important to him over the past 15 years.
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Growing up in South Florida, Josh was always playing sports and was passionate from a young age. Josh would go on to receive a scholarship to Louisiana Tech where he played football. After enduring several injuries during his playing days and going through multiple surgeries it eventually led Josh into training. Training had always been something that Josh truly loved doing. On the show we discuss, the impact that his dad had on his work ethic by instilling a first one in last one out mentality. This mentality has played a pivotal role in starting and growing his training business into what it is today. Josh talks about his process to keep his athletes at the top of their game year round. Josh works with professional athletes such as George Kittle, TJ Hockenson, and Oren Burks.
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Taylor was a great athlete growing up and his passion was focused on soccer. Taylor spent a period of time in England where he had an opportunity to play abroad. After experiencing soccer abroad, Taylor decided to return home and play soccer in college at UT Tyler. Taylor used his competitiveness and passion for sports to launch a career in training. On the show we discuss Taylor needing an internship to graduate and how he came to find APEC. APEC trainer Bobby Stroupe who is well known for training Patrick Mahomes and was crucial in Taylors development and progression as a trainer. Taylor later left APEC for an opportunity at Kula Sports Performance where he now partners with Brian Kula who is one of most highly touted trainers in the industry.
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Growing up in St. Louis Lily didn’t play organized sports but was always active as a kid. Lily started to realize her passion for training when she went to the University of Florida. Upon graduating from Florida, Lily earned a degree in kinesiology and specialized in both biomechanics and exercise science. At first lily thought about physical therapy, but that quickly changed once she received an internship with a sports performance facility in Atlanta. On the show we discuss the challenges as a female in the sports performance industry over the past 20 years. In 2009 Lily made the decision to bet on herself and opened her own training facility. Since then, Lily has established herself as one of the top trainers in the industry. She trains notable athletes such as Jalen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Anthony Edwards Minnesota Timberwolves, and Quincy Williams of the New York Jets.
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Growing up in Moorestown, Albert reflects on what it was like to have a community that showed him support from a young age. He was a highly touted athlete and by the time his high school career was over, he held the rushing record in South Jersey. Albert describes what the recruiting process was like for him, and how things have changed with NIL. On the show we discuss Alberts current role as a coach, and how he uses his experiences to mentor his players. He believes that the mental aspect of football and sports is something that youth athletes should focus on in addition to physical training. Albert talks about the evolution of training and how some things over the last two decades have remained the same. In the past few years Albert has coached all levels of football including high school, college, and has spent time with both the Chiefs and Commanders in the NFL.
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Growing up in Italy, Ursula was enamored by sports from a young age. Ursula even took up horseback riding at the age of five and was a show jumper. Although sports as an athlete didn’t come to fruition for Ursula, she was determined to help others achieve their dreams. This required several year of endless studying, taking a chance on an internship and then taking a risk by leaving her home country to further her career in training. On the show we discuss several set backs that Ursula faced leaving Italy and how that in a way helped her get to where she is today. Ursula has worked with several prominent athletes in a variety of sports. She is part of the NFL combine training program at Official Sports Academy and trains the Cavinder twins as they train for basketball.
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Growing up in Louisiana, Christian found a passion for sports early on. Christian was highly motivated from a young age into a career in football following his fathers footsteps who played collegiately. Christian went on to realize his dream when we committed to Northwestern State University to play football. After his playing days at Northwestern, Christian was fortunate enough to participate in an NFL pro day. Although it wasn’t the outcome he had hoped for at the time, it was at this moment that he realized a pivot into training athletes was his path forward. On the show we discuss Christians background in sports and how he transitioned from being a player to a professional performance specialist. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships with athletes and treating them as individuals first before training. Christian also shares his goals for the future and offers advice to his younger self.
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Growing up in Orange Texas, Kerry was immersed in the football culture early on. Kerry held records in both powerlifting and long jump in the state of Texas and would later go on to play running back at Stephen F. Austin State University. After a few injury plagued years in the NFL playing for the Washington Redskins, Kerry went back to his roots in Texas to start training athletes. On the show we discuss how Kerry started training a few athletes for the combine and how that eventually evolved into the training business that he has today. Kerry’s work ethic and attention to detail with athletes has helped several play professionally. Kerry works with future hall of famers like Mike Evans to keep him at the top if his game, but also plays a big role in the next generation of athletes in his work building a foundation for youth athletes.
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Growing up in Arizona, Justin was heavily involved with sports. During this time one thing in particular that Justin gravitated towards was training. At a certain point, Justin knew that training is what he was passionate about and made it his mission to do everything he could to launch his career in training. On the show we discuss how world-renowned trainer Charles Poliquin inspired Justin and how he used him as a mentor to model his training after. After spending years learning under other trainers, Justin took the opportunity to bet on himself and put his knowledge and training philosophies to the test. Built Better is quickly becoming a household name in the training industry.
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Nem grew up in Winnipeg and found a passion for basketball early on. After moving to Hamilton Canada, he devoted a lot of his childhood to constantly work on training and finding ways to become a better basketball player and athlete. After Nem’s playing days came to an end, Nem refocused that same energy and passion that he had for playing basketball into training others. On the show we discuss, how Nem started by working in a corporate gym to educate himself before making the transition into opening up his own training facility. Nem has built up a training business that includes several collegiate and professional athletes. One of the most notable athletes that Nem trains is First Team All-NBA guard Shai- Gilgeous Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This relationship with Shai first started from an Instagram message, which shows his ambition and confidence in his training.
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Growing up in Richmond Virginia Ant was always immersed in sports with his main sports being football and basketball. Basketball was a focus of Ants through high school and attributes a lot of his movement, in-game IQ, spatial awareness, and hand-eye coordination to it. These skills played a big role in Ant’s development as an athlete and helped him receive a scholarship to play football at the University of Virginia. On the show, we discuss how after a successful career playing football at the University of Virginia going undrafted was a bit of a surprise. Ant had a few setbacks when it came to injuries that may have played a role in him not receiving an opportunity sooner. Ant was able to make the most of his opportunities when they did present themselves and is now entering his 9th season in the NFL.
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After moving to Baltimore as a kid, PJ grew up playing sports before attending Calvert Hall and ultimately graduating from Dunbar high school. PJ was a Varsity athlete in both Football and Basketball as a sophomore in a school that produced professional athletes including Tavon Austin, Sam Cassell, and Muggsy Bogues. PJ’s relentless pursuit of working on his craft as an athlete and studying film of some of the greats such as Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk, and Barry Sanders fueled his passion to launch a career in training. On the show we discuss, how it was after his cousin received a division 1 offer to play football that he asked him to train him. This was based on what his cousin had seen PJ do to transform himself as an athlete. It was at this time that other trainers in the area were starting to build a culture of training. PJ started to use social media to promote his training and it was what ultimately launched him to where he is today.
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Growing up, it was all sports all the time for Ricky. Ricky describes how always having something to do in the competitive arena helpful his desire to take a deep dive into training to better understand his full potential. It was also helpful for Ricky to grow up with a dad who was a boxer and golden glove champion in Cleveland. On the show we discuss, Ricky career in the NFL and how injuries led him into training full time after this playing career. Ricky spent countless hours researching different styles of training, documenting his discoveries and breakthroughs. Once Ricky discovered GLS GOATA and connected with trainer Gary Scheffler, he knew it was the next step in training for himself and others. Ricky is now a co-owner of GLS GOATA and is determined to bring his findings in training to more than just athletes.
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Growing up, Jay was first born American citizen son of immigrant parents. Due to the nature of his dad’s job their family moved around a few times until calling finally Houston home. Jay never shied away form putting in work to further his education or career. From growing up in Houston to going earning his Bachelors degree at the University of Houston and concurrently doing personal training school. This work ethic gave Jay the skills to become the trainer and business owner that he is today.
On the show we discuss Jay’s journey into training and his 500 hours theory. Once Jay decided on a career in training he spent five hours a day for six months straight in addition to his college coursework on learning every aspect of training. After completing the National personal training institute program Jay began working at the University of Houston Recreation center and within three months rose to become the top trainer in the facility. -
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Tracy had very limited access to training during his athletic career. Tracy played college football at the University of Idaho and Portland State where Tracy was fortunate to be around some great coaches and mentors. It was these coaches’ turned mentors that helped shape Tracy not only as an athlete, but also as a future business owner training high-level athletes. On the show, we discuss Tracy’s combine program and how it is part of the process to produce elite level talent each year. Tracy and his team have built a brand and training programs that help young athletes elevate their game. Tracy is passionate about his grassroots business by developing and retaining local talent from youth athletes to professional in his home state of Washington.
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From a young age, Darren has always had a passion for sports. This passion for sports, specifically football led him into training once his playing career was over. It was at this time that he was also starting to coach his son D ’Andre Swift and emphasized the importance of learning the fundamentals at an early age. On the show, we discuss Darren’s role coaching at St. Joes Prep and why he enjoys working with younger athletes. Mentoring young athletes on and off the field is extremely important to Darren and he acts as a father figure to several kids that he coaches and trains. Darren instilled principles to be successful into his son D ’Andre Swift who is now a NFL running back for the Detroit lions, and uses these same principles with other young athletes that he works with.
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Growing up in Australia, Tim played lacrosse and developed a passion for sports and training. After receiving the opportunity to play in the United States Tim decided to make the move. It was after his playing career that he became a Physical Therapist at True sport where he would eventually meet Amanda Johansen. In the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited, Amanda was working back from an injury, and it was during this time that Tim was able to help Amanda get back playing even faster than she had initially expected. On the show, we discuss the expansion of both True Sport and Athletes Unlimited. We dive into what effective communication looks like as both a physical Therapist and coach. Amanda talks about why she is passionate about supporting Morgan’s Message and why she is dedicating her season towards creating awareness for the organization and mental health in sports.
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Growing up in New Orleans, AB had a passion for sports and training early on. His main focus was track and field where he was a state record holder. At the age of 22, AB started his training career at the local park, accumulating 120 clients. At age 25, AB made the decision to open his own 20,000 sq. ft. training facility to expand his training capabilities to meet his client’s needs. On the show we discuss how AB worked two jobs to support his family before making the switch into training. AB never had a dedicated mentor which forced him to learn useful skills and quickly adapt to launch his training business. His focus on speed attracted some of the top talent in the local area and his work was put on display when his client Deion Jones ran one of the fastest 40 times at the NFL Combine.
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Growing up in Casper Wyoming, Tyler always had a passion for basketball. After injuring his shoulder in college and deciding to change direction from a nursing career, Tyler decided to pursue a career in training. This change was made possible with the guidance of several mentors along the way. On the show, we discuss how Tyler went from djing at night to make extra money to getting his first chance to work in the NBA. When Tyler first started in the NBA, he quickly realized that there was a lot to learn on the job working with high-level athletes. We went in depth on how training has evolved with sports science and how data is now used to better help athletes. Tyler is currently working with the UCLA men’s basketball team and has plans to help other trainers stay at the top of their game.
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Growing up in Fort Wayne Indiana, Lawrence always had a dream to play in the NFL. His mom worked three jobs and this fueled his desire to help his mom in any way possible. Although the NFL wouldn’t work out, during this journey he found a deep-rooted passion for training. On the show, we discuss how a youth training program called Athletes with a purpose helped him not only with training but with mentorship to receive a scholarship. Lawrence would receive a full ride to Indiana University where he played football and got his bachelor's in kinesiology during this time. With a passion for training and understanding the science behind it, Lawrence now trains several collegiate and professional athletes with a successful combine program that is rapidly expanding.
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