Beyond Sets and Reps

As a long time professor of finance, Dr. Starla Ivey was a no-brainer as a guest author of the upcoming book, The Table, to help student athletes (and those who interact with them) take advantage of all the opportunities they have at their disposal. Anytime there’s a conversation or topic of substance with young adults, money and finances should be brought up. 

The first of this three part series by guest authors of my upcoming book, The Table, Coach Akeem Robinson is on the show to discuss his chapter on character development. With a diverse range of experiences - from a Clemson football athlete to homeless and living in his car - Coach Robinson has trained his mind to focus on the person he wants to become; and is on a mission to help his athletes do the same.

Crediting his ambition and work ethic to his family and their supportive upbringing, Dr. Andrew Paul is no stranger to success in the field of athletic performance. With great friends and coaches early on who provided positive experiences around sport, he quickly knew the kind of coach he wanted to be. Those early experiences set him on the trajectory to work at a Power 5 school, EXOS, and now at the professional level.

Trying to figure out if you want to play football or just say you were on a football team. That’s what Dave Roberson, the Director of Player Personnel & Recruiting Coordinator at Arkansas State University, helps kids figure out every recruiting season. With advice for high school coaches and how to best help their players get a scholarship, to how parents can assist their child in making the best choice, Dave fills this episode full of recruiting know-how.

Knowing from a young age he wanted to be a physical therapist, Brett Hayes has always had a knack for combining sports with the science of the body with the goal of optimizing performance. His mission is straightforward: doing what’s best for the athletes because when the team wins, everyone associated with it wins - there’s enough credit to go around. So Brett is trying to get physical therapy into the weight room, training room, on the field and intertwined with everyday sports.

Satisfied with the ‘old school’ label that Big D often gets, he’s confident in his old school values of treating people right, developing young men for a lifetime of success, and never letting the words “that’s not my job” pass through his lips. Having been in the game for so long, Donnie Sommer understands the cyclical nature of training - everything old is new and everything new is old. Even with changing times and approaching things a little differently, the underlying culture and lifestyle he teaches remains true.

As someone who had her collegiate athletic career abruptly cut short, Dr. Amber Selking knows what it’s like to feel lost after sport. She’s since made it her life’s work to help people with mental performance both on and off the field. With a deep belief that people want to be great, Selking is aiming to provide a template for that greatness via the mental game.

Coach Gabe Jackson’s passion for training today’s youth is evident throughout this entire episode. He takes us from his beginnings in athletics to now coaching young athletes with discipline and accountability, yet truly caring for them as people. The success he’s seen as an entrepreneur with both of his facilities is surely a result of the empathy and compassion he has in developing young athletes.

Eric Wood was forced into figuring out his “life after NFL” when he received the devastating news that a spine injury waiting to happen was found on a post-season MRI. This news came approximately 50 minutes before the birth of his son – to call it an emotional roller coaster doesn’t do it justice. In this episode, Wood takes us through transitioning his identity from 9 year NFL veteran to (soon to be) broadcast media personality.

From program structure to program philosophy, Coach Gary Pinkel is still not changing what he does. And with good reason – a track record of success done the right way is his proven methodology, and put simply, it works. He’s based his entire career on treating the people the right way and that’s something he’ll continue standing by.