PODCAST

The Upside Newsletter

Julien Blin

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

All Episodes

56:02

🔥Upside MLS Chat with Mike Messer (Nashville SC),...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/22

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation.* Jason Han, the former head of rehabilitation at LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health.* Michael Messer, the head of rehabilitation, Nashville SC (MLS).* Tyler Harris, the director of sports medicine, St Louis CITY SC (MLS).* Darcy Norman, the director of performance,

43:22

🎙️ 🏒 Upside Video Chat with Mike Potenza, Director of...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/18

Today we have the honor of interviewing Mike Potenza, M.Ed., C.S.C.S., TSAC-F, the Director of High Performance for the San Jose Sharks (NHL). Mike is also the Co-Founder of Metabolic Elite, a cutting edge supplement and nutrition company. At the the San Jose Sharks, Mike oversees the performance department, sports medicine, player reconditioning, nutrition, budgeting, and facilities for both the Sharks and Barracuda teams. Now in his 17th season with the Sharks, Mike also spent two years with the

56:01

🎙️ Upside Video Chat with Steve Walsh, and Hand on...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/16

Today we have the honor of interviewing Steve Walsh, and hand on angel investor in Sports and Tech.Steve Walsh isn’t just another name in the startup ecosystem—he’s a powerhouse mentor and investor who’s redefining what it means to support early-stage companies. As a Techstars' Mentor-in-Residence and the founder of Hands On Angel LLC, Steve has poured his energy, expertise, and capital into over 60 promising startups, helping them not only secure millions in funding but also build invaluable

26:49

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

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/15

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

25:42

🔥Upside NFL Group Chat with Ted Rath (New Orleans...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/15

This week we have the honor to interview a group of NFL sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance in the NFL.* Ted Rath, Director of sports performance, New Orleans Saints (NFL team).* Roderick Moore Jr, coordinator of sports science, Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL 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:

42:58

🔥Upside NBA Video Chat with Ben Levicki (Cavs/NBA),...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/11

This week we have the honor to interview a group of experts in AI Agents in elite sports to talk about the latest trends, best practices and case studies related to AI Agents in elite sports. * Ben Levicki, AI solution architect, Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)* Andre Antonelli, CEO of Machina Sports., a leading AI Agent platform for sports. * Garrett Wang, CEO of Cerbrec, a leading AI Agent platform for sports. * Jesse White, Sr Partner Sales Manager for US Sports & Live Events, Amazon Web ServicesHere

29:44

🔥Upside NHL Group Chat with Alexi Pianosi (Colorado...

The Upside Newsletter ·

2025/09/08

This week we have the honor to interview a group of NHL sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance in the NHL.* Alexi Pianosi, Head S&C coach, Colorado avalanche (NHL Team).* Devan McConnell, High performance director, Utah Mammoth (NHL Team).* Chris Stackpole, VP Athlete Care, NJ Devils (NHL 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

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

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