Our guest on the podcast today is Mr. Nathan Keller, who is a doctoral student in Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Nathan’s research focuses on the role of artificial gravity as a countermeasure to muscle atrophy during human spaceflight. However, today he talks about a different project he has been working on. He dives into statistics and correlations of UFO sightings. He busts out some interesting graphs, so watch it if you can. But if listening is your thing, Nathan explains everything i...

Dr. Jim Fluckey, Professor of Kinesiology at Texas A&M University, talks about a special class he gets to instruct every now and then. The class is about the physiology of superheroes. Yes, superheroes. The characters, like Superman and Batman, that you grew up idolizing. He explains that the class allows graduate students to take the knowledge they have learned about physiology, and apply it to something they find interesting. In order to explain the physiology of superheroes, the students have...

Our guest, US Army Lt. Colonel Andy Riise, talks about how uncomfortable situations can be utilized to learn and grow. As a co-author and editor of the book Deliberate Discomfort, Lt. Col. Riise dives into the ways you can seek discomfort to fail, adapt, learn, and to better yourself. Often, adversity just appears without you wanting it, like in the case of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Lt. Col. Riise brings in his expertise in psychology to explain different ways to handle the current misfortu...

In the midst of unemployment and isolation, it may be hard to find ways to keep moving forward. But our guest today, Mr. Mark Bravo - running store owner, author, and motivational speaker - is here to help. He provides inspirational ways to stay happy, optimistic, and positive during the current plight in order to make the most of the situation. From reaching out to people on the phone, doing bodyweight exercises at home, or going out for a walk if comfortable doing so, he gives plenty of exampl...

In today’s podcast, we have Dr. Randy Roberts, a Distinguished and 150th Anniversary Professor at Purdue University. His research focuses on sports history, and he has written many books about the role of sports in American history. His most recent book, War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War, was just released last week. In the podcast, Dr. Roberts explains the story of the 1918 influenza at the end of World War I, how it affected baseball and impacted Babe Rut...

In the podcast today, we have Dr. Liz Joy, Senior Medical Director for Wellness and Nutrition in the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness for Intermountain Healthcare. She is a former president of the American College of Sports Medicine, and actually wrote the current guidelines for exercising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, she gives tips on activity and exercise during this time, how you can strength train in your home, as well as mental benefits of exercise. If you want to check ou...

Our guest today, Dr. David Nieman, is a Professor of Health and Exercise Science and the Director of the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University. He has vast expertise in exercise immunology, and gives great insight on how to exercise during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Nieman also dives into how exercise can improve immune function, as well as situations in which exercise can actually have harmful effects. In the conversation today, he uses plenty of support from his researc...

Our guest, Dr. John Thornton brings his experience from athletics to delve behind the scenes of protocols and procedures when sporting events stop. He uses examples from thunderstorms, gas leaks, 9/11, H1N1, and others to relate to the current Coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Dr. Thornton predicts adjustments in the planning of sporting events in the future.

In today’s podcast, Dr. Natasha Brison shares her expertise in sports-related legal issues as well as brand management and protection, and she dives into the importance of a personal brand. She goes further by describing how to maintain and manage a brand in today’s world - particularly for students and student athletes who need to be future conscious of what they put on social media. In addition, she touches on how coaches and schools can help educate the importance of branding for athletes.

In today’s podcast, Dr. Pittsinger shares his field expertise over mental health topics that are more frequent among students. Topics include performance stress and anxiety created by expectations from the athlete, coaches, and peers; balancing school and sport; and the pressures student-athletes face from social media. Dr. Pittsinger also dives into how student populations as a whole can relieve mental stress, and even provides strategies for parents to help their kids facing student-athlete p...