PODCAST

The Upside Newsletter

Julien Blin

Data, insights, and stories from the world of sports, business, and technology. www.theupside.us

All Episodes

25:27

🎙️ 🏀 Upside Video Chat with Ciara Burgi, Director of...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/05

Today we have the honor of interviewing Ciara Burgi, the director of health and performance at the Las Vegas Aces, a top WNBA team.You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:📝Show Notes: In our interview with Ciara Burgi, Head of Health and Performance for the Las Vegas Aces, we explored her professional journey and what drew her into sports performance, the scope of her role and

49:11

🔥Upside Video Chat with Pierre Barrieu (Canada...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/04

This week we had the honor to interview again a group of sports performance experts (NHL, FIFA, Ligue 1).* Pierre Barrieu, the director of performance for the Canadian men national soccer team.* Alexi Pianosi, the head S&C coach for the Colorado avalanche (NHL team).* Rick Cost, the High Performance Director at l’Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1). You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the

25:58

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Kevin Kidd A Top Motor...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/02

Today we have the honor of interviewing Kevin Kidd a top motor sports executive in NASCAR.Kevin Kidd is a seasoned NASCAR executive with extensive experience in motorsports engineering, data strategy, and team management. Over his career, he has played pivotal roles in helping NASCAR teams leverage advanced analytics and performance insights to gain a competitive edge on and off the track, including his time at RFK Racing where he contributed to advancing performance innovation. Known for his deep

30:51

🎙️ Upside Chat with Ryan Petersen, Assistant S&C...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/29

Today we have the honor of interviewing Ryan Peterson the assistant S&C coach for the Chicago Bulls, a top NBA team. You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on his background, his role at the Chicago bulls, his approach towards training, S&C, rehab and innovation. We also discussed his preferred technologies, how he sees the

51:49

🔥Upside NBA Video Chat with Dr Marco Nunez (Ex LA...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/26

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of NBA sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation.* Dr Marco Nunez, the former head athletic trainer for the LA Lakers (NBA). * Derek Millender, the head S&C coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA).* Ryan Petersen, the assistant S&C coach for the Chicago Bulls (NBA).Here are the topics that we covered during the video interview:* Q1. Life after the NBA: “From your

35:46

🔥Upside ATP Group Chat with Al Murphy, Dirk Spits...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/19

This week we had the honor to interview a group of ATP sports performance experts in pro tennis.* Al Murphy, senior S&C coach at Tennis Australia. Al works with tennis players such as Rinky Hijikata, Emerson Jones and Aleks Vukic. He is also the head of sports science at Tennis Australia.* Zack Evenden, an experienced performance coach. Zack has worked with top tennis players like Frances Tiafoe, and Michael Mmoh.* Dirk Spits, the National Physical Performance Manager at Tennis Australia. Dirk works

19:34

🔥Upside Video Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University,...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/14

This week we have the honor to interview again Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA.Watch the full video interview by clicking on the link below:You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ron located at the top of this blog post.📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the

24:49

🎙️ Upside Chat with Johnny Ferlito, CEO of...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/06

Today we have the honor of interviewing Johnny Ferlito, CEO of MaXXX-Force, an innovative strength training device that takes performance enhancement to a whole new level.MaXXX-Force enhances athletic performance to levels that can never otherwise be achieved. Unlike any other strength equipment in the industry, MaXXX-Force adaptive resistance provides athletes the ability to safely train at their maximum concentric, isometric, and most importantly eccentric load capacity curves within the same rep

38:35

🔥Upside MLS Video Chat with Mike Messer (Nashville...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/08/04

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of MLS sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation.* Michael Messer, the head of rehabilitation at Nashville SC (MLS).* Darcy Norman, the Director of Performance at Chicago Fire FC (MLS).* Karam Al-Hamdani, the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer at the CF Montreal (MLS).You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also

38:25

🔥Upside NCAA Group Chat with Drew Lukes (Duke...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/31

This week we had the honor to interview a group of NCAA sports performance experts.* Dr. John DeWitt, director of applied sports science in the athletic department and a faculty member, Rice University (NCAA team).* Drew Lukes, Senior PT at Duke University and the head of sports science, Duke university’s women soccer team (NCAA team).* Jordan Troester, PhD, Director of sports performance and sports science at the University of Oregon (UO), a top NCAA organization.You can watch the video interview

49:11

⚾ Upside MLB Group Video Chat with Lindsay Shaw...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/29

Today we have the honor of interviewing a group of MLB practitioners that are experts in mental performance and preparation.* Lindsay Shaw, Director of Sport psychology for the Guardians, an MLB team.* Zach Brandon, Head of Mental Performance and Coach Development, for the Arizona Diamondbacks, an MLB team.* Len Zaichkowsky, PhD, retired Professor from the Boston University, World-class’ sports biofeedback expert.* Josh Kozuch, Mental Performance Coach for the Baltimore Orioles, an MLB team.You can

15:07

🔥Upside Chat: Athanase Kollias, CEO of KINVENT, a...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/23

This week we had the honor to interview Athanase Kollias, CEO of KINVENT, a company that helps sports and rehab professionals assess progress and build engagement and motivation.Founded in 2017, KINVENT is a leading player in the fields of physical rehabilitation and sports biomechanics producing innovative measuring and training devices for the facilitation of every day and athletic movements. Of note, Raphaël Varane, who is a defender on the French national soccer team, 2018 World Cup Champion,

35:39

🎙️ Upside Chat With Julien Blin (Upside Global CEO)...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/14

Dear colleague,This week I sat down with David Daoud, CEO of Compliance Standards to share my thoughts on on how elite teams vet sports tech startups, on the common mistakes made by startups. We also discussed the world of elite sports which is based on relationships. We also touched on the tech budget side of teams, and the need to get internal champions to successfully do pilots with teams. We also touched on what makes a strong founder in the eyes of teams.You can listen to the audio interview by

41:49

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Michael Ross, CEO, Nice...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/14

Today we have the honor of interviewing Michael Ross, CEO of Nice Recovery systems, a leading manufacturer of performance and recovery devices with an expertise in cooling.NICE Recovery Systems is a Boulder‑based firm founded in 2012 by Michael Ross after his own injury-driven recovery experience inspired the creation of an iceless cold‑compression therapy device. The company’s flagship NICE 1 Cold + Compression Therapy System (FDA‑approved in December 2014) delivers programmable cooling and

20:25

🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/11

This week we had the honor to interview again Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA.You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ron located at the top of this blog post.You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by

26:52

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Dr Warren Bradley, Founder...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/11

Today we have the honor of interviewing Dr Warren Bradley, Founder at Hytro a leading blood flow restriction company. Hytro is the world's first wearable Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) system designed specifically for sport. Trusted by 250+ sports teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and The Premier League, Hytro’s patented BFR products enable coaches & athletes to integrate BFR within their existing work flows; warm-ups, training, recovery, and travel, without the need for supervision. Hytro turns

36:38

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Darcy Norman, Director of...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/02

Today we have the honor of interviewing Darcy Norman, the director of performance for the Chicago Fire FC a top MLS team.Darcy Norman is the Director of Performance at Chicago Fire FC, where he oversees medical services, physical performance, nutrition, and sports psychology across the first team, Fire II, and the academy. With nearly 30 years in sports science and elite performance, Norman has worked at the highest levels—including the U.S. Men’s National Team (2019–2024), the German National Team

21:24

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Martin O'Reilly, CEO of...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/07/01

Today we have the honor of interviewing Martin O'Reilly, CEO of Output sports, a leading performance company using one sensor including VBT and jump tracking.Output Sports offers a portable, single-sensor system that allows teams to capture a wide range of performance data, including strength, power, speed, mobility, and balance, all with a single device. This simplicity makes Output particularly attractive for teams that want to collect actionable data quickly and efficiently without the complexity

74:36

🔥Upside Video Chat with Rick Cost (Olympique...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/06/27

Today we have the honor to interview a interviewing a group of sports performance experts (MLS, Ligue 1, NHL, NFL). * Rick Cost, the High Performance Director at l’Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1 team).* Alexi Pianosi, the head of S&C conditioning coach for the Colorado Avalanche (NHL team).* Karam Al Hamdani , the director of sports medicine at CF Montreal (MLS team).* Adam Quigley, an experienced athletic trainer in the MLS (LA Galaxy), NFL (Saints) & US Soccer national teams.Through the interview we

25:58

🎙️ Upside Chat with Neil Craig, A Top Australian...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/06/26

Today we have the honor of interviewing Neil Craig, involved in high performance sports both as a sports scientists and coach and now coaching the coaches.Neil Craig is an Australian Australian rules football coach and former player. He is best known as being coach of the Adelaide Football Club from 2004 to 2011. He also notably served as caretaker coach of the Melbourne Football Club in 2013. He played for the Norwood Football Club, Sturt Football Club and the North Adelaide Football Club in the

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