PODCAST · sports
The Swim Brief
by Chris DeSantis
A swimming podcast featuring natural conversations about the sport. Chris DeSantis brings the poolside conversation to the podcast form.
Episodes
-
Milo Cavic Wouldn't Like His Younger Self
Send us Fan Mail Milo Cavic looks back at his younger self and sees an athlete he wouldn’t necessarily enjoy coaching: self-centered, fiercely invested in success, and determined to learn things the hard way. The Olympic medalist joins Chris to discuss how he understands that athlete differently...
-
The Coaching Culture That Pushes Parents Out: Tracy Slusser
Send us Fan Mail Tracy Slusser has coached three NCAA championship teams. She has also experienced a coaching culture that made having children feel incompatible with doing the job at the highest level. We talk about the expectations she absorbed early in her career, what happened when a fellow...
-
Don't Finish The Athlete
Send us Fan Mail What is a developmental coach actually trying to finish? Longhorn Aquatics head coach Mike Laitala joins Chris DeSantis to discuss why producing fast young swimmers is not the same as preparing athletes for long-term success. They explore the risks of early specialization, the...
-
Wisdom Isn’t Taught. It’s Revealed
Send us Fan Mail Jack Roach has spent a lifetime learning from coaches—and helping coaches and athletes learn from one another. In this conversation, Jack reflects on his time leading USA Swimming’s National Junior Team, where he helped create developmental experiences that connected young…
more -
Building Swimmers Who Want To Be There: Jonathan Kaplan
Send us Fan Mail What makes swimmers want to keep showing up—not because an attendance policy requires it, but because they genuinely want to be there? Jonathan Kaplan, head coach and director of SwimRVA, joins Chris to discuss a collaborative approach to coaching built around athlete ownership....
-
Building Culture in College Swimming’s Transactional Era
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build a championship-level program without allowing college swimming to become purely transactional? Stanford men’s swimming head coach Dan Schemmel joins Chris DeSantis to discuss his unlikely path from Hawaii to one of the most prestigious jobs in the...
-
Building Women's Sports Differently: Ted Lasso Season 4
Send us Fan Mail Ted Lasso returns with a new challenge: building a women’s team inside a sporting structure created for men. Chris DeSantis and Juliet Suess discuss what the opening episodes of season four reveal about coaching, leadership and the systems surrounding women’s sports. They explore...
-
Why Swimmers Aren’t Eating Enough | Alicia Glass
Send us Fan Mail Swimmers spend hours in the pool, yet many still aren’t eating enough to support the work they’re doing. Alicia Glass, Sport Dietitian for USA Swimming, joins to explain why swimmers need to think more like endurance athletes—and what happens when training volume and fueling fall...
-
To Save Swimming, Start With the Coaches | Doug Cornish
Send us Fan Mail Swimming has spent decades asking coaches to become more professional. But has the profession done enough to support them in return? Doug Cornish is a former swim coach, financial planner, and the creator of the 2025 Swim Coaches Compensation Survey. His findings expose how...
-
The Making of a Head Coach | Margo Geer
Send us Fan Mail Margo Geer’s path to becoming the head coach at the University of Alabama was anything but conventional. When she took over the program at 28, plenty of people questioned whether she was ready. Six years later, Margo joins me to discuss what prepared her for the opportunity, how...
-
Reflecting on 50 Years of Coaching | Don Wagner
Send us Fan Mail Don Wagner spent more than fifty years coaching swimmers at every level of the sport—from developing young athletes to coaching Olympic champion Janet Evans during the most dominant stretch of her career. In this conversation, Don reflects on the moments that defined his coaching...
-
How Do Great Programs Stay Great? | Todd DeSorbo
Send us Fan Mail Todd DeSorbo has built one of the most dominant programs in college swimming history—but he says there was never a master plan. In this conversation we explore what it actually takes to sustain excellence year after year, why coaching elite athletes is more about what you do with...
-
Leadership, Responsibility, and Shame in The Odyssey
Send us Fan Mail What can The Odyssey teach us about leadership when every available choice carries consequences? Chris is joined by Juliet Seuss for a different kind of episode: a conversation about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the questions it raises about responsibility, power, guilt…
more -
We Protect Athletes. Who Protects Coaches? | Sophie Parr
Send us Fan Mail For years, conversations about athlete welfare have rightly transformed the way we think about coaching. But there's another side of the equation that receives far less attention: Who protects coaches? This week I'm joined by coach Sophia Parr (@swim.coach.sophie) for one of the...
-
The Parent Pressure Trap: Why Giving In Makes It Worse
Send us Fan Mail Why do parents keep intervening in coaching decisions—and why does giving in usually make the problem worse? In this solo brief, I describe the fear underneath parent pressure: the belief that failing to secure every possible opportunity means failing their child. I explore how...
-
The Most Important Thing a Coach Can Say After Failure | Dave Salo
Send us Fan Mail Dave Salo has coached at every level of the sport—from NCAA championships to Olympic medals—but this conversation isn't about workouts or sets. Instead, we explore the decisions that define great coaching. We discuss why process matters more than outcomes, how a single sentence…
more -
Debrief: Jeana Kempe
Send us Fan Mail The head coach of Swimming and Diving at the University of Illinois Jeana Kempe joins to talk influences and the path of her coaching career.
-
Debrief: David Marsh
Send us Fan Mail David Marsh tells all about what his retirement actually looks like, and what he had planned if he was National Team Director. Debrief: David Marsh Chris DeSantis Download
-
Debrief: Tracy Menzel
Send us Fan Mail Tracy Menzel joins to talk GAIN, Diversity and why she’s back coaching in her hometown. Debrief: Tracy Menzel Chris DeSantis Download
-
Bonus Pod: A Day With Greg Meehan
Send us Fan Mail Recapping the day I spent following around USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan at last week’s Indy Pro Series event. Bonus Pod: A Day with Greg Meehan Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Dave Durden
Send us Fan Mail Dave Durden joins to discuss how he approaches his unconventional start at Cal and his approaches to recruiting and hiring. Debrief: Dave Durden Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Megan Devito
Send us Fan Mail Megan Devito, a high school swim coach and performance mindset coach, joins to talk shop on the value of coaching. Debrief: Megan Devito
-
Debrief: Kevin Ring, USA Swimming CEO
Send us Fan Mail The CEO of USA Swimming joins to share what he’s learned in his nine months on the job and what he thinks is possible for the future. Debrief: Kevin Ring
-
Debrief: Cara Stawicki
Send us Fan Mail Former National Team and World Champion rower Cara Stawicki joins to talk shop and even turns the tables on me. Links for Cara: Website: https://carastawicki.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carastawicki/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-stawicki-6059196/ Book…
more -
Solobrief: My Thoughts on the Loser Olympics
Send us Fan Mail Organizing my big picture reflections on the stupidest event in swimming history, and all the losers who tried to make it work. riverside_christopher_swim_brief (1)
-
Crossover Pod: IDGI and the Swim Brief
Send us Fan Mail Big shout out to the IDGI Podcast with Nate McKay and Kyle Johnson for helping me out with this week’s pod. Listen to hear me get interviewed by the guys, plus some thoughts on the top about the Loser Olympics. riverside_christopher_swim_brief
-
Debrief: Glenn Mills
Send us Fan Mail Glenn Mills, the owner and founder of Goswim, 1980 Olympian and all around man about the sport, joins to talk about what he sees in the swimming world. Debrief: Glenn Mills Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Kyle Johnson Returns
Send us Fan Mail An old friend of the podcast, Kyle Johnson, returns to share his wisdom. Kyle also has a podcast, which you can follow for me to be on soon. Debrief: Kyle Johnson Returns Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: James Marshall
Send us Fan Mail James Marshall of GAIN and Excelsior Athletic Club joins to talk how he came to coach three sports, knowledge sharing and the athletic insights of Nassim Taleb. Check out his website: https://excelsiorgroup.co.uk/ Link to James’ substack newsletter. Debrief: James Marshall Chris...
-
Book Club: All You Need to Know About Talent Development w/Corey Manley
Send us Fan Mail First podcast of the book club, featuring USA Swimming’s Corey Manley. We discuss previous guest Kristoffer Henriksen’s book All You Need to Know About Talent Development. The book was co-authored with Carsten Hvid Larsen and Louise Kamuk Storm. Book Club: All You Need to Know...
-
Solobrief: How to Talk About Talent
Send us Fan Mail In preparation for book clubbing with Corey Manley, I break down how I communicate about talent with coaches and athletes. Solobrief: How to Talk About Talent Chris DeSantis
-
Special 1000 Follower Solobrief
Send us Fan Mail Celebrating 1000 followers on instagram by taking listener questions. Want to have your question answered on the pod? Listen to the end of the pod for instructions! Special 1000 Follower Solobrief Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Peter Casares
Send us Fan Mail The recently named CSCAA Division III Coach of the year, Peter Casares of Bates College, joins to recap the year and talk about getting a walk on to a National Championship. Plus, a bonus at the end for all D3 Swimming nerds. Debrief: Peter Casares Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Rachel Stratton-Mills
Send us Fan Mail Northwestern Swimming and Diving Head Coach and College Swim Coaches Association President Rachel Stratton-Mills to share her approach to coaching. Debrief: Rachel Stratton-Mills Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Dr. Randy Wilber
Send us Fan Mail Dr. Randy Wilber is a Senior Sport Physiologist at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He has worked with numerous Olympic medalists across multiple sports. I press him for insight on overtraining and blood analysis. Debrief: Dr. Randy Wilber Chris...
-
Debrief: Kristoffer Henriksen
Send us Fan Mail Renowned Danish sports psychologist Kristoffer Henriksen joins to discuss his life’s work on athlete development and changing the narrative around what it means to be competitive. Debrief: Kristoffer Henriksen Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Jordan Cordry
Send us Fan Mail The head coach of Women’s Swimming and Diving at UCLA joins to talk about single gender coaching, making her way to UCLA and sharing knowledge. Debrief: Jordan Cordry Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Adrian Radulescu
Send us Fan Mail Adrian Radulescu is the two-time Olympic coach of Romania, best known for his guidance of phenom David Popovici. In this podcast we talk about how he came to be a coach and how he approaches several common coaching problems systematically. Debrief: Adrian Raduelscu Chris DeSantis
-
Solobrief: Responding to Brian Schrader's NCAA Criticism
Send us Fan Mail On the eve of the B1G Championship, Brian Schrader went off on the new format and qualification for the NCAA Division I Championship. I respond to what he said and try to put it in context that I don’t see as it was reported out by other outlets. Solobrief: Respond to Brian...
-
Debrief: Dominique Diezi
Send us Fan Mail Dominique Diezi joins with stories of swimming and coaching both in Switzerland and the US. Debrief: Dominique Diezi Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Christine Eilertsen
Send us Fan Mail My former colleague and the Head of Knowledge and Innovation for Danish Swimming Christine Eilertsen joins to talk about her outlook on talent development. Debrief: Christine Eilertsen Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Ben Hewitt
Send us Fan Mail Fresh off his team setting yet another NCAA DII record, Nova Southeastern’s Ben Hewitt joins to discuss how he ended up at the top program in DIi and the lessons he has learned along the way. Debrief: Ben Hewitt Chris DeSantis Permalink
-
Debrief: Niklas Brix
Send us Fan Mail Niklas Brix joins to discuss trying out for the Danish Frogmen, leadership and dealing with peer pressure from other coaches. Debrief: Niklas Brix Chris DeSantis
-
Solobrief: The Psychology of Group Size
Send us Fan Mail Musings on why we train swimmers in the groups that we do, and how much specificity is enough. Solobrief: The Psychology of Group Size Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Matt Sprang
Send us Fan Mail Matt Sprang has been a coach, owned a swim club and now he’s moving on to the next chapter of his professional live. We get together to discuss what he’s up to and the vexing environment around coach wellness. Debrief: Matt Sprang Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Aqua Clinic 2026
Send us Fan Mail “Debriefing” the Aqua Clinic in Nyborg Denmark, with highlights from a USOPC Sport Scientist and David Popovici’s coach Adrian Radulescu. Debrief: Aqua Clinic 2026 Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Chris Da Sie, From Pressure to Podium
Send us Fan Mail Coach and author Chris Da Sie joins to talk about his recently published book, from Pressure to Podium. Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5PW4HSR BN.com - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pressure-to-podium-chris-da-sie/1148919655 IG - https://instagram.com/betweenlaps…
more -
The State of Swim Brief 2025
Send us Fan Mail Summing up the year that was Swim Brief in 2025- thoughts on gratitude, the future and all the amazing things I got to be a part of this past year. The State of Swim Brief 2025 Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: JOEL ROLLINGS!
Send us Fan Mail Breaking out the all caps for the return of Joel Rollings. We discuss his new position at Marquette and get his takes on NCAA, Enhanced Games and more. Debrief: Joel Rollings Chris DeSantis
-
Debrief: Susie Johnson
Send us Fan Mail Susie Johnson, coach and author of not-your-average-mom.com joins to discuss her blog and life lessons from raising five kids in the sport. You can read her full blog here or follow on facebook. Debrief: Susie Johnson Chris DeSantis
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Swim Brief have?
The Swim Brief currently has 465 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Swim Brief about?
A swimming podcast featuring natural conversations about the sport. Chris DeSantis brings the poolside conversation to the podcast form.
How often does The Swim Brief release new episodes?
The Swim Brief publishes regularly with 465 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Swim Brief?
You can listen to The Swim Brief on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Swim Brief?
The Swim Brief is created and hosted by Chris DeSantis.
URL copied to clipboard!