These are some of my favorite people and some of the most respected coaches and the strength and conditioning profession. The panel discussion was scheduled for one hour but it should have been scheduled for at least two hours in my opinion.

There were moments I found myself being a spectator and getting lost in the discussion and having to remind myself I was a guest speaker.

It’s always humbling to be on the same stage with such highly accomplished professionals. The main take away I came away with is to continue the quest for lifelong learning. I was blown away when Coach Hudy said she just completed her MBA because she wanted to learn more about the business side of sports. Coach House has recently taken on a new position as a vice president of education with a popular equipment company.

The feedback I have received from the town discussion has been awesome and humbling at the same time. I am more energized and dedicated to continue to give back to the profession as a Gatorade Performance Partner. I will include the link to the presentation as soon as it becomes available but here are some of the questions that were asked of us from Coach Jon Jost for a sneak peak.

• Question for Andrea: To begin, let’s start with a question for Coach Hudy. You have spent your entire career working in collegiate athletics. How has your team’s structure changed due to COVID-19 and are there any new skills you’ve had to utilize because of it?
• Question for Joe: Next question is for Coach Kenn, we know that you have been really successful building your Big House brand. Given the toughness of the current job market, many recently certified SCCs need to go off on their own and promote their services. What advice would you have for new SCCs on how they can market themselves and build a brand of their own?
• Question for Pat: Coach Ivey, as a strength coach we all have to work with athletes on improving mental toughness, but how can strength coaches themselves work to improve their own mental toughness and stay focused on their goals, even with the challenges we’ve seen over the past year?
• Question for everyone: Each of you have continued pursuing your education throughout your careers, whether that’s getting an MBA, PhD or learning new ways to build your knowledge and personal brand. How did you know when it was the right time to pursue these career advancements and how has that impacted your career?