When Knowledge Isn’t Enough with Stu McMillan

What happens when someone who has built a career on expertise becomes more interested in curiosity, uncertainty, and asking better questions? In this episode of The Quiet Tension, host Dr. Sharon Chirban speaks with renowned sprint and performance coach Stu McMillan about what decades spent guiding elite athletes have revealed to him about the deeper work of coaching.Stu has spent his career coaching at the tip of the spear, working with athletes performing at the highest levels possible. As the CEO of ALTIS, he has worked with elite athletes across track and field, bobsleigh, and other high-performance environments, helping to shape Olympic champions and world-class performers.Listeners will hear Stu talk about: (2:15) Finding his unique edge(5:55) Meeting Dan Pfaff, the mentor who reshaped Stu’s understanding of coaching(10:45) Seeing the human beyond the athlete(13:10) Coaching at the tip of the spear(19:37) Identity and reinvention: how athletes can get boxed into an identity(28:27) What Stu has learned from long-term relationships with athletes(33:45) Why Stu is energized by coaching, while questioning what he wants to carry forward(35:39) Stu’s honest reflection on where he turns for supportNew episodes of The Quiet Tension are released every week. If you’d like to stay updated, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. To learn more about topics like today’s, follow Sharon on Substack or visit the show website.