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Notice: The NSCA website is scheduled to undergo system maintenance from 2:00 AM - 2:30 AM EST. During this time, there may be short service interruptions across the site and some parts of  the site may not be accessible. We apologize for any inconvenience while we work to improve the website experience and security.

NSCA's Coaching Podcast Episode 120: Bri Kanz

by Eric McMahon, MEd, CSCS, RSCC*D and Brianna Kanz, CSCS
Coaching Podcast March 2022

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Coaches

Hear from Bri Kanz, Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance for Santa Clara University. Kanz connects with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, on key stops along her professional path, including her most recent position at Stanford University. Learn how injury inspired Kanz to pursue strength and conditioning, about her move to the West Coast, and her enthusiasm for Olympic sport strength and conditioning. Kanz shares her insight on what it takes to be an effective strength and conditioning coach and where she sees the field going in the future.  

Connect with Bri on Instagram: @brikanz| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Show Notes

“And that's kind of where I started my coaching career at. And just from there, I just fell in love with it. I love the transformation process. I loved watching athletes grow. I loved being able to have an impact on the next generation. And that's kind of where I started my journey.” 3:20

“The biggest challenges that I faced, honestly, was knowing when to end the chapter and start a new one. I think saying goodbye to the athletes and the relationships that you've built along the way is always a challenge. And it's always hard to make that decision.” 8:40

“First and foremost, you have to be able to work well with others. If you're not able to work well with others and create your own team, then you're not going to be successful period.” 13:14

“If you don't have a reason why you want to be in this field, then you're not going to get very far. So just always knowing your why. And whenever you're having a hard day, just coming back to it and knowing that it's for a bigger purpose other than yourself.” 27:21

Transcript

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:00:00.72] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, episode 120.

[00:00:04.68] And that's kind of where I started my coaching career at. And just from there, I just fell in love with it. I love the transformation process. I loved watching athletes grow. I loved being able to have an impact on the next generation. And that's kind of where I started my journey.

[00:00:20.58] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:00:21.45] This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast, where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know, but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.

[00:00:31.35] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:00:32.26] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon. Today, we're joined by Bri Kanz, assistant athletic director of sport performance at Santa Clara University. Recently took a new position coming over from Stanford, not far up the road. Bri, welcome.

[00:00:51.18] Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

[00:00:53.10] Bri, congrats on your new position. Happy to hear about that, get to know you a little bit today. So if you would, just take us through your story, how you got started in the field, up to where you're at today.

[00:01:07.39] Yeah, so you know, my story started back when I was 13, if I'm being honest. That's kind of how and when I started getting into strength conditioning. I like to say that coaching came to me. When I was 13, I had my first major knee surgery. I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Also fractured a part of my femur playing soccer. And of course, it was a non-contact injury-- the classic.

[00:01:34.53] And from that point on, I had just had like a series of unfortunate events. I had five total knee surgeries by the time I was a senior in high school. And at a young age, you wrap your whole identity in sport. And when I was 13 and that was taken away from me, I kept trying to find other ways of how I could be involved and still lead.

[00:01:59.07] On the field, I was a natural leader, and I would always like just dictate and direct. And so after a few long nights of tears and just frustration, I just kept trying to figure out ways how I could still be involved in how to influence my teammates. And that's when I kind of just started standing by the coach and listening to everything that he would say. And then I would just relay that information back to my teammates.

[00:02:23.79] And so, you know, I thought you could take my knees away from me but you couldn't take my voice. And so that's kind of how I started to get involved, and I realized how powerful your voice could be. And so from there, I just kept trying to coach people from the sidelines and stay involved and try to dictate the flow using my voice.

[00:02:43.05] And from there, I just kind of fell in love with it. You know, I saw the impact that it was able to have on the people, the game, and just the environment. And so after that, I went to the University of Akron, and because of how many knee surgeries I had by my senior year of college, I had to take a medical hardship. And so I started interning with the strength and conditioning coaches there because I still wanted to be involved with the sport.

[00:03:09.69] And so from that intern position, I was offered a GA position. And so I was still involved with women's soccer. I got to work firsthand with softball, swim and dive. And that's kind of where I started my coaching career at. And just from there, I just fell in love with it. I love the transformation process. I loved watching athletes grow. I loved being able to have an impact on the next generation. And that's kind of where I started my journey.

[00:03:36.48] That's so cool. And you spoke to injury being sort of a motivator for you in your career. And I think it's so common coaches-- there's always that driving influence that whether it's a hardship or a positive experience, sometimes, just someone inspires you to pursue the field. And I always think that's so interesting to hear those stories of why people pursue strength and conditioning.

[00:04:02.70] Yeah, I definitely wanted to help female athletes specifically, right. I didn't want someone else's career to be like mine. I don't want to hear any young female say that they've had five or six knee surgeries before they get to college.

[00:04:19.75] And so that's kind of what led me towards my passion is just trying to mitigate those injuries earlier, and just trying to educate young women on the benefits of strength and conditioning. And not seeing it as something that's going to make them look like a man, but something that could be a tool to help prevent injuries and help just make them more powerful and stronger on the field.

[00:04:39.57] Bri, tell us about your new role at Santa Clara. What are the teams you're working with? And it seems like you're pretty excited about it.

[00:04:46.92] Yeah, I'm stoked to be here, if I'm being honest. I work with women's soccer and softball, and then I oversee tennis, as well. And women's soccer here-- like, top dogs on campus. And so they just have a great energy around them. And they get after it. They're some workhorses.

[00:05:05.33] And so I love just being able-- once again, just being able to influence those people and have an impact on their lives and be able to see the transformation. As far as I know, I know the weight room wasn't a big focus. And so coming in with basically no base and no structure, I feel like I have just a platform to be able to influence and impact their lives in a greater manner.

[00:05:34.40] So you started in the Midwest. Now you've been on the West Coast for at least four or five years now. How do you like being out west? Is that kind of the plan to get out there and stay or--

[00:05:46.52] Yeah. So when I was little, I used to tell my mom-- I've never been to California, but I used to tell my mom I had this vision of me like rollerblading down the streets of California. And little did I know that I would end up being out here, and that's the first thing I did when I got out here. I bought a pair of blades and started rolling blades down the streets.

[00:06:04.70] But I always tell people-- I'm like, I don't know how you could ever be upset out in California. It's sunny all the time. But I am very much enjoying the Midwest and the culture out here. And I don't know if I'm going to stay, but I'm really enjoying the present moment.

[00:06:18.92] That's so cool. I want to ask you-- you've been at a number of different stops now, and you've had a chance to take a little from each place. Who have been some of the biggest influences on your coaching style that you've worked with?

[00:06:36.47] Yeah. Oh, man, there's a lot of people that have had a big influence on my coaching style. Honestly, I would say first and foremost, my family definitely influenced my coaching style just because I grew up in a big family where everyone is talking over one another, calling each other out on their [INAUDIBLE] just holding each other accountable. But also creating such a safe environment for you to grow and just feel that love and support. And so I think ultimately, that's the base of my foundation, like just trying to create a safe environment for athletes to be able to grow.

[00:07:08.49] But then along the way, one of the most influential coaches that taught me just how to teach with heart and passion was my high school coach, Dino McIntyre. He was my soccer coach and he was just like this brute, Italian dude that just had just so much passion and you could feel it. And he portrayed that very well. And so that's something that I've carried with me along these years.

[00:07:31.31] And then my stop at Akron, Tim Campbell was a director there. And that's when I was an intern and a GA. And he taught me just the importance of building relationships with athletes and coaches, because if you don't build a relationship and if you don't show the athletes how much you care, then they're not really going to want to work for you, right. So I think building relationships is a foundation kind of how I coach.

[00:07:56.00] And then finally, one of my good friends and mentors, Don Day, kind of taught me how to be courageous. And he just taught me how to step outside my comfort zone, and just do the thing that scares you the most. And so when I'm coaching, if it's hard being vulnerable, you just have to kind of lead with courage, and just try to step outside your comfort zone. And maybe that will have a bigger impact on the athletes that you're surrounding yourself with.

[00:08:23.00] Yeah, I want to ask you about that. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced that connect to your coaching at various stops along the way, or maybe things that intimidated you as a young coach early on that you had to overcome?

[00:08:39.92] Yeah. Well, the biggest challenges that I faced, honestly was knowing when to like, end the chapter and start a new one. I think saying goodbye to the athletes and the relationships that you've built along the way is always a challenge. And it's always hard to make that decision. Leaving Stanford to come to Santa Clara, although it's 20 minutes down the road, that was probably one of the hardest decisions and challenges I've faced yet just because those relationships that you build are very meaningful. It's hard to let go and just end the chapter but know when to move on.

[00:09:16.47] And just things I've overcome in the fields, just trying to always chase the better version of yourself. Always just trying to be better and just continuing to be a learner, and those are always hard. It's always hard to find the next information, stay on top of the technology, and just knowing where the industry is going, and trying to stay ahead of the game. That's always a challenge.

[00:09:41.15] I'll say, not too many times you take a new position in this field and you get to keep the same apartment--

[00:09:45.82] [LAUGHTER]

[00:09:46.81] --and just move right down the street.

[00:09:49.02] I know!

[00:09:50.45] Pretty cool opportunity for you there. You touched on technology-- I saw you had a master's degree in sports science, which there's not a lot of those out there. Touch on just the current state of technology in strength and conditioning, and just some of the high level resources that you've tapped into.

[00:10:07.91] Yeah. I mean, honestly, at Stanford, we had so much technology. And I was so fortunate to be able to just work with push bands, force plates. We had groin bars, NordBord. We had so many platforms that it was so cool to be able to just dip my hand in everything and be able to learn that technology, because I think it just makes you more resourceful when you go to other places.

[00:10:33.03] And I think that technology is ever changing. And I think that sports science is something that's up and coming. And I think it's something that people are looking closer into, because they realize the importance of collecting that data, looking at the trends, and then trying to be able to mitigate injuries moving forward.

[00:10:47.70] And I think that it's something that's going to play a huge role in our profession as we continue to increase just the availability of the technology and educating the coaches and the athletes on how we can use that information.

[00:10:59.90] Yeah, I totally agree with you. And I think there's so much upskilling going on from the strength and conditioning staff to new roles being added to departments. Even the coaching staff, the sport coaching staff, have had to upskill in a number of ways just with on field tracking, practice workload.

[00:11:21.15] Yeah.

[00:11:23.00] Coming from the professional baseball side, there were so many technologies being delivered by hitting coaches and pitching coaches. And you just see so much growth right now in the field, and I think it's so exciting.

[00:11:38.39] I think it's so exciting.

[00:11:39.83] Yeah, it's exciting to see that. But I liked what you said that some institutions, you're going to have a ton of resources. And in other places, you're going to have to make the best with what you have, and rely really on those foundational principles. What have been kind of your core principles that you've stuck to in your programming with athletes along the way? Share that with us.

[00:12:06.09] [LAUGHTER]

[00:12:07.05]

[00:12:08.01] Honestly, I'm a big person, just like based off of feel and getting to know your athlete, right. If I don't know my athlete well, then I don't know what they need. And although we have all these resources and data and all the technology in the world, if you don't know your athlete first and foremost, you're not going to know how to implement and program for them.

[00:12:27.57] And I don't think one program fits all. I don't think that you can do the exact same thing with every athlete. Every body is different. And so just knowing your athlete, that is like the foundation of how I program. Knowing them, and then knowing specifically what they need based off of my coaching eye and what I'm seeing on a day to day is kind of how I implement moving forward.

[00:12:49.10] All right, Bri, you've worked, you've been a young strength coach, you've worked your way up. Now you're in this assistant AD role, a leadership position, and you get a chance to mentor or work with not just athletes but other coaches. In your view and just from what you've experienced, what makes a strength and conditioning coach successful?

[00:13:12.53] Oh, man, that is a great question. First and foremost, you have to be able to work well with others. If you're not able to work well with others and create your own team, then you're not going to be successful period. I think being able to communicate effectively-- and it's one thing to communicate, but it's another thing to be able to communicate effectively, knowing how your sport coaches operate, knowing how your athletic trainers operate, and knowing how your athletes operate, as well. And then being able to have an open line of communication, whether that's over a GroupMe text, maybe that's a phone call, or maybe that's an in-person thing. You have to know how to communicate effectively.

[00:13:53.30] And then understanding and respecting different perspectives. It's one thing knowing that there's a different perspective, but understanding it and being able to see it through their lens, and then trying to find a common ground, is what's going to help you go in the right direction with your team in general.

[00:14:13.91] And then finally, just being adaptable. Especially with COVID happening this year, you have to be able to adapt and move and be fluid within the field. If you're not-- I think there's been so many cases where coaches have called and changed things on a dime, right. And you have to be able to adapt. You have to be able to change your plan, and you can't be so fixated on what you're supposed to do. You have to be just aware of the bigger picture.

[00:14:39.40] And it's just like life. Everything changes, and everything's free flowing, and you just have to be able to adapt. You almost have to be like a chameleon, just mold to your environment.

[00:14:49.55] And then finally, I think obviously, everyone says this-- attitude, effort, and work ethic. But those are the three things that you can control on a day to day basis, whether whatever's happening outside of you, and whether whatever your teammates or your staff is doing, you are in control of your attitude, your effort, and how hard you work on a day to day basis.

[00:15:08.77] Yeah, you bring up a lot of great points there. And one thing, going back-- you talked about relationships with sport coaches. And you're in a unique situation where you are coming on board with women's soccer team that's 2020 national champions, powerhouse program. And you get to step in and navigate that relationship, and help that team get back to win another championship.

[00:15:39.91] I think that's such an area of stress for coaches sometimes. For strength coaches dealing with sport coaches-- and I say "dealing with" but that's the perception, right. But it's really working towards that collaborative relationship where they rely on us to manage the strength and conditioning side of their programs, and help take them forward.

[00:16:02.89] Yeah. Yeah, if I'm being honest, before I took this job, before I accepted, I told Jay-- I was like, I need to meet with the head coach because if I'm not in alignment with what he's trying to portray to the rest of the team, I will not be able to do my job effectively. If I don't believe in the principles and the things that he's trying to convey to the group, I won't be able to work. I won't be able to provide my best services to him, because ultimately, I am an extension of his branches. And if I'm part of his support staff, I need to be in alignment with his teachings and what he's doing and what he's trying to portray to his group.

[00:16:36.53] There's been so many things going on in college sports the past couple of years. And the first one I want to ask you about is just COVID 19. You probably can speak to it from a couple of different institutions, but how have you seen that impact the weight room? How are you navigating that now as we're working through omicron?

[00:16:55.61] Yeah, so when COVID first hit, I was still at Stanford. And we moved weight rooms four different times.

[00:17:01.90] [LAUGHTER]

[00:17:02.36] And we were in Maples Pavilion at one point, and then we moved up to like the football stadium. And so like I said before, in order to be successful in this field, you need to be adaptable. And that's exactly what we were doing. We were just adapting to the circumstances and whatever new rules and things that were in place, we were just trying to adapt and still put in work so that we could continue to try and compete in a season.

[00:17:24.35] And navigating those waters was tough. Working out with a mask on is never easy, and you feel like you're waterboarding yourself all the time.

[00:17:32.09] [LAUGHTER]

[00:17:33.39] But it's just finding different-- and like for me specifically, I think that connection is so important. And like physical touch and just being able to give your teammates high fives-- and when everyone was socially distanced, it was weird. It was like a very weird interaction.

[00:17:49.15] And I just kept trying to think of different ways of how to connect with the athletes. Instead of going around and giving them a high five, like how else could I connect? And I just come back to my voice and being able to just be the energy that you wish to receive, and just try to give them my best energy so that they could feel that. Instead of like feeling a physical contact, they could just feel my energy and how excited I was that we were able to train.

[00:18:12.63] And just trying to focus on what we were able to do instead of what we weren't able to do. And that's kind of just how I just tried to change the lens to keep everything from a perspective, like a positive perspective, to help get through it. I don't know. That was a tough time.

[00:18:26.58] [LAUGHTER]

[00:18:27.28] I was going to say, yeah. And I feel like now in 2022, we're starting to circle back on some of the initial conversations we had back in 2020 when this was-- we really didn't know how to prepare a weight room to manage return to campus or all these different factors. And we've been at this a while now, but it's just being resourceful and making the best of the situation.

[00:18:54.84] I think one area that the strength community came together with is being part of the leadership conversation within the athletic department. A number of coaches across the country reached out to the NSCA asking about what policies exist, what can we base our policies on, what can I contribute from strength and conditioning side to our COVID task force or working group that we had on campus. And I think there's been a lot of community positives when you look at where we're at.

[00:19:29.50] I also think that it just goes to show the importance also of how movement impacts mental health, right. Like you just saw the importance of getting these athletes out of the house and just trying to move, whether that's running on the sidewalk or somewhere. It's just like movement is medicine, and it is important for our mental health. And especially during this time when everyone was going through some stuff, I think that it showed the importance of what we actually do as strength coaches and how creative we can actually be outside the weight room.

[00:20:00.42] Another area I want to ask you about, and maybe an area we definitely don't have all the answers on this right now is name, image, likeness, NIL. And this is a hot topic in college sports right now. There's articles coming out all over the place. Have we seen anything in the weight room related to this yet? What's been your experience so far?

[00:20:23.70] Oh, man, I don't know if I have any personal experience in NIL. I know that just in terms of social media, like just trying to get our name out there, and just try to show what we're doing is obviously trying to have a positive effect and just trying to educate people. I think that we do have a platform to be able to educate people, and it's just how you use that platform.

[00:20:45.51] But I do not have any personal experience with NIL.

[00:20:47.61] [LAUGHTER]

[00:20:48.60] Yeah, it's--

[00:20:49.86] You?

[00:20:51.65] Well, people ask, and there's a lot of articles coming out from the NCAA. This is obviously changing the game for how we are viewing college sports.

[00:21:07.11] For sure.

[00:21:07.71] Are these student athletes, or are they employees of their institution? Or can they be funded by outside entities that are contributing via the booster club, or whatever that may be? It's such an interesting topic, because it really flips the whole model--

[00:21:25.17] For sure.

[00:21:26.82] --on its head. And we definitely don't have all the answers, but just being a part of the campus community, I think it's important as a strength community that we're aware of these things are going on. And I do think of all the social media presence-- it's interesting you brought that up-- of athletes.

[00:21:43.03] And sometimes that connects around strength and conditioning with athletes posting things out there and sharing their data and information. But that's really been the area that people have asked us about at the NSCA. But I like to ask coaches, because you are out there, boots on the ground, and hearing what the athletes are saying. So I think it's a really important question to ask, even if we don't have a lot of concrete information.

[00:22:09.13] Yeah, and I feel like personally, ultimately, once again, you're an extension of the university, right. So like whatever you do wants to be in alignment with the university and their mission statement. So you have to also be cautious about that moving forward, too, because you don't want to put something out and then you're linked back with this university. You want to make sure that you're just in alignment with their mission statement.

[00:22:31.78] We talked a little bit about sports science. And there's a collaborative element with it that connects all the different disciplines under sports science. And one we've had in the field for a long time is, obviously, the connection between strength and conditioning in sports medicine.

[00:22:48.25] You said that one of your driving forces into the field was injury. If you would, just share what's your experience like working with the athletic training staff, the sports medicine staff, and just how important that is for strength and conditioning coaches to be aware of.

[00:23:05.42] Yeah. So ultimately, that's my team, right. Like those are my teams. Those are the people that are going to be next to me on the front lines trying to influence and impact the practice plan that's going what's best for the athlete moving forward.

[00:23:19.13] And so I think building those relationships are crucial. You need to have that athletic trainer and sports med on your side, and just sharing that data with them so that you both are on the same wavelength, so that when you go to talk to the coaches about influencing the practice or trying to reduce a player load for one of the specific athletes, that you guys are on the same page.

[00:23:40.06] And honestly, I like nerding out with them, right. Like they get it. We're on the same wavelength. We've both kind of studied the same things. And so I love bouncing ideas off of my athletic trainers. Like hey, what are your thoughts about this, or what do you see. And it's nice because you get a different perspective. And I think the more perspectives and the more that you can brainstorm together, the better the solution.

[00:24:02.98] So digging into your bio, I want to ask this because I think it's so cool all the different sports that you've got to work with throughout your career. I see water polo on there, sailing, synchronized swimming--

[00:24:15.60] Yes.

[00:24:16.83] --riding.

[00:24:18.69] Wild.

[00:24:18.99] [LAUGHTER]

[00:24:19.62] You mentioned tennis, basketball. You have everything-- the traditional sports, the not so traditional sports. I want to ask you about that. How do you approach programming with a sport that you just have no background in or no idea?

[00:24:35.48] [LAUGHTER]

[00:24:37.63] I don't know how much water polo you've played, but I think it is popular out there.

[00:24:40.86] No! None!

[00:24:41.39] [LAUGHTER]

[00:24:42.66] I'm from the Midwest, so I'm like, what is water polo. I love this question because when I actually was getting interviewed at Stanford, the water polo coach, John Tanner, sat me down. And he was like, tell me how you're going to program for my team. And I was like, Coach, if I'm being completely transparent with you, I have no what water polo demands are.

[00:25:02.10] [LAUGHTER]

[00:25:03.07] But I was like, I am so stoked to learn about it, so please just educate me and I will tell you the best way. I was like, I would love to sit down. Like, throw me in the water. Just tell me and help me understand so I can best program for your athletes. And honestly, what he ended up doing was throwing me in the water.

[00:25:20.85] And the entire time, like the girls are loving it. We're like wrestling in the water, and I'm drowning. And I'm like, you guys need to throw me a float so I'm actually learning in here and not drowning. But I think it's so cool.

[00:25:35.40] Honestly, I love being an Olympic sports performance coach, because you work with such a wide variety of athletes and a wide variety of sports. And it just makes you so much more marketable. It puts so many more tools in your toolbox. And I think working with like a water polo team and synchronized swimming is actually now called artistic swimming. They changed it. They changed it before I transferred.

[00:25:58.35] But working with those teams is fascinating to me just being able to learn about the different movements and what they need for that sport specifically. And more importantly to me, what resonates the most is actually the different cultures that you learn amongst each team. I was fortunate enough to be able to be a part of a national championship for all three of those teams that I worked with at Stanford, artistic swimming, water polo, and soccer.

[00:26:22.83] And each team celebrated their success very differently. And it was so cool just to see the ways that they celebrate success. Obviously, all of them had success at the highest level, and to be able to see the different culture amongst those was very fascinating to me.

[00:26:42.46] Yeah, so I feel like you're in a place now where you've done all these cool sports, you've worked at a few different levels. What advice do you have for aspiring coaches, young strength and conditioning coaches, that are pursuing the field and looking at maybe their first full time job or first internship or still in school?

[00:27:03.63] Yeah. Man, continue to work, man. Just work hard. I mean, I know that's very general, but that's something that has gotten me to the place where I've been at today. Just like having that determination and focus on the goals that I wanted to accomplish is what has kept me going.

[00:27:21.97] And if you don't have a reason why you want to be in this field, then you're not going to get very far. So just always knowing your why. And whenever you're having a hard day, just coming back to it and knowing that it's for a bigger purpose other than yourself.

[00:27:36.05] All right, I'm going to ask you to get your crystal ball out here, and give us a little projection on where the field is going. We've talk sports science, technology. Give us a little 5 to 10 years out, what you see on the horizon. What's something cool that we can look forward to?

[00:27:51.11] Oh, man, I don't know about technology and all that, because I think--

[00:27:55.22] [LAUGHTER]

[00:27:56.03] But I think in the future, I think Santa Clara, where I'm at right now, we're trying to establish something for the future for sports performance coaches in general in the industry. I think that we have a solid team moving forward. And we're just trying to create work-life balance, trying to establish or feel supported and valued in this position.

[00:28:18.98] And so hopefully, in the future, that industry is leaning towards valuing what we do as performance coaches, and being able to have a big balance, because I think a lot of times people are all about the grind, and that's what's going to make you better. But it's like you also have to have a balance.

[00:28:33.88] [LAUGHTER]

[00:28:34.39] Just like if you think about a scale, you don't want to be too far because then that's just not healthy for anyone. And having a good balance, I think that's something that we're looking to create here at Santa Clara. And that's something that, personally, I've been able to be a part of right now. I told Jay-- he sent me home, and I was like, oh my gosh, what do I do with all this time. And he's like, you got to get a hobby.

[00:28:54.65] And so I started picking up carpentry. I don't even know. It's not good, but I'm trying. I've been trying to garden. And so it's like just trying to find hobbies outside of sports performance and strength conditioning. I think work-life balance is hopefully where the industry is going in the future. I can't really speak about technology because that is forever changing.

[00:29:13.80] [LAUGHTER]

[00:29:14.69] Absolutely.

[00:29:15.03] Hopefully, we're able to influence practice a little bit more and educate sport coaches, though, moving forward.

[00:29:20.59] That's a really powerful take, and I think it really resonates with a lot of coaches today at various life stages. I can say that from myself with kids-- and married with kids. And I've been in the field for a little bit, but I think even young coaches that aren't quite at that career stage yet, they see down range a little more than maybe we did years ago.

[00:29:50.84] Yeah.

[00:29:51.51] And I think that's a really good quality of the current generation of coaches entering the field that you should look ahead to what this career is going to be for you 10 years out, 15 years out, 20 years out. What other goals do you have in your life that stack up against your profession that are important to you? Maybe they're not the most important right in that moment.

[00:30:17.60] But I really like that you shared that, Bri. Thanks so much for being with us. For everyone who wants to reach out, ask you some more questions, what's the best way to get in touch?

[00:30:29.24] Yeah, they can contact me at my email, bkanz@scu.edu, or Instagram, Bri Kanz.

[00:30:36.20] [LAUGHTER]

[00:30:37.79] Pretty simple.

[00:30:39.03] Awesome. We got it. Bri, thanks again for being with us. To all our listeners, thanks for tuning in. And Sorinex exercise equipment, we appreciate their support.

[00:30:50.16] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

[00:30:52.84] From the NSCA, thank you for listening to the NSCA Coaching Podcast. We serve you, the coaching community. So follow, subscribe, and download for future episodes. We look forward to connecting with you again soon, and hope you'll join us at an upcoming NSCA event, or in one of our special interest groups. For more information, go to nsca.com.

[00:31:14.77] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:31:15.82] This was the NSCA Coaching Podcast. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978 by strength and conditioning coaches to share information, resources, and help advance the profession. Serving coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

[00:31:34.36] [MUSIC PLAYING]

Reporting Errors: To report errors in a podcast episode requiring correction or clarification, email the editor at publications@nsca.com or write to NSCA, attn: Publications Dept., 1885 Bob Johnson Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Your letter should be clearly marked as a letter of complaint. Please (a) identify in writing the precise factual errors in the published podcast episode (every false, factual assertion allegedly contained therein), (b) explain with specificity what the true facts are, and (c) include your full name and contact information.

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Eric L. McMahon, MEd, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D, RSCC*E

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Eric McMahon is the Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager at the NSCA Headquarters in Colorado Springs. He joined the NSCA Staff in 2020 with ove ...

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Brianna Kanz, CSCS

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