The Swim Brief

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

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 a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/carastawicki/discovery?month=2026-04 Debrief: Cara Stawicki

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)

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

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

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

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 DeSantis

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 About Talent Development w/Corey Manley Chris DeSantis

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

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

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

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

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 DeSantis

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

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

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

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 Schrader's NCAA Criticism Chris DeSantis

Dominique Diezi joins with stories of swimming and coaching both in Switzerland and the US. Debrief: Dominique Diezi Chris DeSantis

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

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

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

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

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

“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

Coach and author Chris Da Sie joins to talk about his recently published book, from Pressure to Podium. Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5PW4HSRBN.com - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pressure-to-podium-chris-da-sie/1148919655IG - https://instagram.com/betweenlapsYouTube - https://youtube.com/betweenthelaps Debrief: Chris Da Sie, From Pressure to Podium Chris DeSantis Permalink

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

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

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

Samantha Livingstone joins to discuss her new podcast, evaluating coaches on more than performance and more. Debrief: Samantha Livingstone Chris DeSantis

Greg Meehan returns in his new role to talk about what he’s actually doing to change the direction of USA Swimming. Debrief: Greg Meehan (Now as National Team Director) Chris DeSantis

This Thanksgiving, we talk to somebody with a nearly 60 year history of coaching in the sport. Come for the wisdom of coaching 8 and unders and stay for the story of what Mark Spitz dad was like when he was an age grouper. Debrief: Kathy Shoemaker Chris DeSantis

What can a coach do to prepare for mid-season? I work through my checklist for coaches. Solo Brief: Mid Season Checklist Chris DeSantis

Eric Anderson joins me to talk about a coaching adventure that has taken him from Canada to Denmark and now in Malaysia. Debrief: Eric Anderson Chris DeSantis

ASCA Board Member, past president and Albany Academy Assistant AD Mike Murray and I survey the youth sports landscape. Mike makes a stunning admission about himself as a sports parent. Debrief: Mike Murray Chris DeSantis

Ray Looze joins to talk about taking risks, how to train athletes for international competition, training the Shackell siblings and handling the disappointment of being left off the 2024 Olympic Staff. Debrief: Ray Looze Chris DeSantis <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " >

Glenn Neufeld joins to talk Mental Dryland clinics and some of the gaps it aims to address. No David Arlucks were actually harmed in the production of this podcast. Are We Coming for Fitter and Faster Chris DeSantis

Chris Webb of GAIN and the Sarasota Sharks joins to talk about my participation in an upcoming event with GAIN and share coaching wisdom. For more information on GAIN and the Master Path, go to www.gainswim.com/ Debrief: Chris Webb Chris DeSantis

I sit down with Dave Rolling of FGCU and Princeton’s Matt Crispino to talk about the recent changes to the NCAA format that have the swimming world abuzz. Nerd Alert: NCAA Changes Chris DeSantis

Jake Gibbons is more than just a coach at Bolles. We address his recent viral post on Instagram, team culture and how to present yourself responsibly on social media. Debrief: Jake Gibbons Chris DeSantis

Coaching legend George Kennedy, seven-time NCAA Division III Coach of the year, joins to talk about kindness, his legacy and more. Debrief: George Kennedy Chris DeSantis

Longtime friend of the podcast Jenn Verser joins to talk all things coaching, especially focused on disordered eating, perfectionism and finding your why. Debrief: Jenn Verser Chris DeSantis

David Guthrie is one of the greatest masters swimmers of all time, and he joins to share his journey across three decades. Debrief: David Guthrie Chris DeSantis

I answer listener questions about goals and tell you how I approach goal setting with individuals. All Your Goal Questions Answered Chris DeSantis

Dave Rollins joins with newcomer Graham Carpenter to talk about how to make a career in college swimming. We share perspectives from our first ways into the business along with what’s changing. Please donate to the podcast at the following link. riverside_graham+dave__ aug 11, 2025 001_swim_brief Permalink

Mitch Lyons, lawyer and basketball coach, joins to discuss creating a curriculum for coaches to break from from harmful historical norms. You can find his guide here. If you want to donate to the podcast, follow this link. Debrief: Mitch Lyons Chris DeSantis Permalink

Trever Gray drops by to give free advice on nutrition and more. For access to Trever’s coaching go to https://www.streamlinednutrition.com/. To donate to the podcast click on the following link. Nerd Alert: Three Diet Misconceptions Chris DeSantis Permalink

In the midst of some of the sport luminaries fighting online, I try to offer something proactive into the mix. Posted before I went on vacation, but don’t worry more podcasts to come! Solobrief: Proactive Advice for USA Swimming Chris DeSantis

Susan Sotir has a PHD in Sports and Exercise Psychology, has coached swimming (including me) and is currently a USA Triathlon Level III coach. We reminisce about the old days and trade coaching knowledge. Support the podcast at the following link. riverside_copy_of sue sotir _ aug 8, 2025 001_swim_brief Permalink

The United States Team was #1 on the medal table- so why does it feel like everyone thinks the world is falling? I react to the dominant narratives around Team USA, high performance psychology and what insight Rowdy Gaines, Michael Phelps, and Ryan Lochte have to add to the conversation. Solobrief: Reacting to Team USA at World Champs Chris DeSantis

Matt Hurst joins to discuss our adoptive father, movies, covid and Ted Lasson. Yes, you read the description correctly. Click here or follow this link to support the podcast: https://chrisdcoach.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=67bb3eedee44bf75a726ca51 Debrief: Matt Hurst Chris DeSantis