#143: Is your athlete's DNA holding them back? Why some supplements build one athlete and breaks another

Two athletes take the exact same supplement. One gets stronger. The other feels off for days — and nobody knows why. The difference is in their DNA. In this episode of Athlete Builder Jim Beebe sits down with Garrett Hill — Officer with Gene Companion, former University of Missouri tight end, and one-time West Point appointee — to open a brand-new lens on building the athlete's body: genetics. Garrett's company, Gene Companion, runs a simple saliva test that shows how your body actually metabolizes every FDA-approved medication and the top 300 over-the-counter drugs — so you stop guessing whether what you (or your athletes) take is helping, doing nothing, or quietly causing harm. Adverse drug reactions are a leading cause of death, and most of it comes down to genetics nobody checked. For coaches, that's training, supplements, and recovery — getting athletes back on the field faster, without the trial and error. We also get into Garrett's story: a torn retina that cost him a West Point football scholarship, the 5-minute rule he used to bounce back and commit to Missouri, training under Pat Ivey, and the faith that still drives him — "prepare your field." In this episode: • If you could change one gene (the X-Men question) • Tight end at Missouri, training under Pat Ivey • Losing West Point to a torn retina — and bouncing back fast • Why modern medicine is reactive, not proactive • How your DNA changes what you should and shouldn't take • The saliva test, the app, and avoiding adverse drug reactions • Real saves: a fungal-med interaction during COVID, a team's inflammation mystery, Garrett's own migraine injection • Supplements, NSAIDs, and faster recovery for athletes • "Prepare your field" — resilience, faith, and legacy ▶️ SCORE YOUR TEAM — FREE ASSESSMENT (about 10 minutes) 👉 https://athlete-builder.com/assessmenttest 📬 The Two Minute Drill (weekly newsletter): https://athlete-builder.com/newsletter 📘 The book — Athlete Builder: The Blueprint to Build Champion Athletes: https://athlete-builder.com/booka 🧬 Connect with Garrett & Gene Companion: genecompanion.com | [email protected] | LinkedIn: /in/garrett-hill-3aa354b4 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week. Follow: IG @athlete_builder | TikTok @athlete.builder #AthleteBuilder #BuildChampionAthletes #Genetics #GeneCompanion #Recovery #Supplements #AthleticDevelopment #SportsPerformance