The Swim Brief
A swimming podcast featuring natural conversations about the sport. Chris DeSantis brings the poolside conversation to the podcast form.
Episodes
454 episodes
Leadership, Responsibility, and Shame in The Odyssey
What can The Odyssey teach us about leadership when every available choice carries consequences?Chris is joined by Juliet Seuss for a different kind of episode: a conversation about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and t...
We Protect Athletes. Who Protects Coaches? | Sophie Parr
For years, conversations about athlete welfare have rightly transformed the way we think about coaching. But there's another side of the equation that receives far less attention:Who protects coaches?This week I'm joined by...
The Parent Pressure Trap: Why Giving In Makes It Worse
Why do parents keep intervening in coaching decisions—and why does giving in usually make the problem worse?In this solo brief, I describe the fear underneath parent pressure: the belief that failing to secure every possible opportunity ...
The Most Important Thing a Coach Can Say After Failure | Dave Salo
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 mat...
Debrief: Jeana Kempe
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.
Debrief: David Marsh
David Marsh tells all about what his retirement actually looks like, and what he had planned if he was National Team Director. ...
Debrief: Tracy Menzel
Tracy Menzel joins to talk GAIN, Diversity and why she’s back coaching in her hometown. ...
Bonus Pod: A Day With Greg Meehan
Recapping the day I spent following around USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan at last week’s Indy Pro Series event. ...
Debrief: Dave Durden
Dave Durden joins to discuss how he approaches his unconventional start at Cal and his approaches to recruiting and hiring. ...
Debrief: Megan Devito
Megan Devito, a high school swim coach and performance mindset coach, joins to talk shop on the value of coaching. ...
Debrief: Kevin Ring, USA Swimming CEO
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: Cara Stawicki
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://ca...
Solobrief: My Thoughts on the Loser Olympics
Organizing my big picture reflections on the stupidest event in swimming history, and all the losers who tried to make it work. ...
Crossover Pod: IDGI and the Swim Brief
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 tho...
Debrief: Glenn Mills
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: Kyle Johnson Returns
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: James Marshall
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/
Book Club: All You Need to Know About Talent Development w/Corey Manley
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 Ka...
Solobrief: How to Talk About Talent
In preparation for book clubbing with Corey Manley, I break down how I communicate about talent with coaches and athletes. ...
Special 1000 Follower Solobrief
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! ...
Debrief: Peter Casares
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: Rachel Stratton-Mills
Northwestern Swimming and Diving Head Coach and College Swim Coaches Association President Rachel Stratton-Mills to share her approach to coaching. ...
Debrief: Dr. Randy Wilber
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 blo...
