The Strength Game

Nick O'Brien

The Strength Game is a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing all things physical culture with the coaches, athletes, iron enthusiasts, and experts deeply imbedded in the strength game on both sides of the profession; as coaches and as competitive athletes. Hosted by Nick O’Brien, each episode we discuss, rant and dive deep into all things related to strength and conditioning, high performance and training lifestyle. Join us in The Strength Game!

  1. 14h ago

    #173 - Brett Sabol

    Brett Sabol is the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Shenandoah University. Arriving in 2014, Sabol works with the Hornets 500+ student-athletes and 22 intercollegiate athletic programs. He has worked directly with every one of the 23 programs at SU during his tenure and is now in charge of football, track & field, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Since his arrival, the university has added 9 team conference champions and 46 All-Americans. Prior to Shenandoah, he worked at D1 Sports Training outside Charlotte, NC where he worked with collegiate and high school athletes, along with running the training sessions for the general population clientele. Sabol complete a graduate assistant coach position at Gardner-Webb University from 2013-2014 assisting with football, men’s basketball, swimming and wrestling. Sabol began his coaching career intern at Tim Bishop’s PerformFit from 2010-2011. He stepped into the collegiate setting securing an internship at Liberty University for the 2012 season while serving as a trainer at Kinetix Health Club. From there he moved into an assistant strength and conditioning coach position at Loyola University Maryland from 2012-2013.  Sabol enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard in November 2023 and commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in September 2026.  A former rugby player at Townson University, he was voted Most Valuable Rookie his freshman year and Most Fit Athlete in consecutive years by his teammates. While he does not compete in lifting or sports anymore, Sabol continues to train to compete against his athletes to remain stronger in order to set the standard and lead by example while also preparing for life as a Soldier within the National Guard. Outside of the weight room and training, he enjoys spending time with his wife Katie and two sons, Jack (5) and Will (2), outdoors, hiking, and traveling. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #173 - Brett Sabol

  2. Oct 20

    #172 - Vic Saucedo

    Vic Saucedo is the Director of Women’s Basketball Sports Performance at Stanford University. She is going into her third season at Stanford following two years as the women’s basketball director of sports performance at VCU. Prior to her time at VCU, Saucedo spent a season in a similar capacity at Wake Forest overseeing the women’s basketball program. Saucedo stepped into the college coaching space in 2018 first as an intern strength and conditioning coach at Cal Poly Pomona. She followed that up with a graduate assistant coaching role at Northern Arizona University from 2019-2020 before taking on her first full-time role at Saint Louis University as an assistant sports performance coach for the 2019-2020 season. Saucedo also garnered experience in the private sector early in her career as first a physical therapist aid in 2018 for Logan Physical Therapy and then a strength coach at Cape Fitness in Chino, CA from 2018-2019 while she completed her internship at Cal Poly Pomona.  A highly accomplished athlete herself, Saucedo was a standout softball player at Utah State University. A four-year letterwinner, she set numerous school career records in her time playing including, setting school career records for runs and total bases and finishing second in RBI, home runs and slugging percentage, third in batting average and hits, and fourth in doubles. She completed her collegiate career tied for Utah State’s single-season record of 12 home runs in 2016, garnered second-team All-Region honors in 2016, made the Mountain West All-Conference team three times, including a first-team nod in 2014 when she also was named MWC Freshman of the Year, and earned Academic All-Mountain West accolades twice. She still continues to train working around the rigors and responsibilities of the collegiate schedule. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #172 - Vic Saucedo

  3. Oct 6

    #171 - Kenna Smoak-Minnici

    Kenna Smoak-Minnici is the Director of Sports Performance at Army West Point. Smoak-Minnici i is going into her 10th year at the United States Military Academy. First arriving in 2017 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, she became an associate strength and conditioning coach in 2019 and was again promoted to her new title as the director of sports performance in 2024, working with the Black Knights baseball, and women’s basketball programs. However, over her almost decade at West Point she has also coached wrestling, sprint football, volleyball, women’s rugby, and men’s soccer. Prior to West Point, Smoak-Minnici was the associate director of Olympic strength and conditioning at Marshall University for the 2016-2017 season. She spent the 2015-2016 season at Southern Methodist University after a year as an assistant strength coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Smoak-Minnici began her career as a student intern coach at her alma mater, the University of Alabama, from spring 2009 to summer of 2011. She completed an internship program at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2011 before serving as a graduate assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University from 2011-2014.  Smoak-Minnici has spoken internationally with the ASCA Brisbane, Australia and at the CSCCa and NSCA national conferences, in addition to being featured on numerous podcasts over the course of her career. In 2024 she was the recipient of the NSCA Assistant College Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year award.  Outside of West Point Coach Smoak-Minnici also is a coach for Action Plan Coaching. She offers pregnancy and postpartum training plans. She is a certified Prenatal Corrective Exercise Specialist (PCES). She is passionate about coaching women in the military, athletics, and physical jobs through this chapter. She also offers active duty training plans with Action Plan. A firm believer in learning “under the bar” Smoak-Minnici has been a National Level NPC Figure/Physique competitor since 2009, a pro-total powerlifter and a two-time Boston Marathon qualifier. Still an avid lifter, Smoak-Minnici enjoys being with her husband and two children when she is not training in the weight room.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #171 - Kenna Smoak-Minnici

  4. Sep 22

    #170 - Mark Christiani

    Mark Christiani is the Federal Programs Human Performance Integration (HPI) and client success Manager for O2X Human Performance, where he supports, develops, and mentors On-Site Specialist across multiple contracts and locations. Prior to stepping into his current leadership role, Christiani worked an on-site human performance specialist supporting the United States Army Reserve 81st Readiness Division, where he delivered strength and conditioning support designed to improve Soldier readiness, physical performance, and resilience while reducing injury risk. Before joining O2X, Mark served as the Brigade Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the U.S. Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) Program with the 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Bragg, where he led the development and implementation of large-scale performance initiatives across multiple battalions and installations.  Earlier in his career, Christiani worked in collegiate strength and conditioning at Savannah State University from 2018-2020 in addition to working as an intern coach at the University of South Carolina, primarily supporting football and track and field athletes in 2019. He also spent a year as an adjunct professor at Georgia Southern University, while completing his Master’s degree in Sports Medicine. His introduction to tactical strength and conditioning began during his time serving in the U.S. Army with 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment while preparing for Ranger School. Christiani also garnered coaching experience in the private sector as a health fitness specialist from 2011-2013 before enlisting in the Army.  Christiani brings more than a decade of experience in tactical and collegiate human performance and remains passionate about continuous growth as both a coach and leader. He is part of the NSCA Tactical Professional Development Group as well as a member of the NSCA Florida State Advisory Board. Additionally, Christiani is the author of “Influence Without Rank: Leadership, Culture, and Readiness in Tactical Human Performance,” as well as a contributing writer for True Performance Realization Applied Journal. Outside of work, he enjoys competing in and coaching powerlifting, spending time at the beach, and continuing to refine his cooking skills. Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #170 - Mark Christiani

  5. Sep 8

    #169 - Collin Kohlasch

    Collin Kohlasch is an Athletic Performance Coach at Lindenwood University. Kohlasch joined Lindenwood in 2019 and oversees training for the women’s lacrosse, men’s lacrosse and women’s ice hockey programs. In addition to his collegiate role with the Lions, he also holds a strength and conditioning role with USA Hockey, where he works with national camps over the summer. Kohlasch is also a strength coach within the New England District for USA Hockey and outside of that, has served in consulting roles for various lacrosse programs. Prior to Lindenwood, he spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at George Washington University working with the baseball, men’s rowing, swimming and diving, and women’s water polo teams. Kohlasch began his coaching career at his alma mater, George Mason University, in 2016 as an intern coach. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, he also spent time in the private sector working from athletes from youth to the professional ranks in their respective sports at Power Train Sports and Fitness from 2016-2017 as well as Inside Edge Strength from 2017-2019.  A former lacrosse player in his own right, Kohlasch was the vice president and team captain of the George Mason club lacrosse team. He remains active himself in the weight room and trains year-round while balancing the rigors of the collegiate coaching schedule. Kohlasch has also begun to incorporate more endurance training into his regimen and has competed in multi marathons recently.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #169 - Collin Kohlasch

  6. Aug 25

    #168 - Jordan Betz

    Jordan Betz is a strength and conditioning coach in the tactical and Special Operations communities, known for developing the world’s strongest operators. Betz started his work in the tactical strength and conditioning setting in 2018. He began his career in college first as a volunteer assistant coach with his alma mater, Texas A&M University-Commerce from 2013-2014. From there he interned at Rice University before becoming an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Wyoming from 2015 to 2017 before transitioning into the tactical coaching world.  Betz and his wife, Riley, founded Down Range Strength, specializing in assessment and selection train-ups, powerlifting and strongman prep around deployments, and injury prevention for elite military units. They also run World’s Strongest Operator, an invite-only strongman event honoring fallen operators. The inaugural event was held in 2021 in honor of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin of 26th STS and is looking toward its seventh year of competition and remembrance.  A former football player at Texas A&M University-Commerce from 2011-2013, Betz channeled his preparation for football in the weight room to shift to competing in powerlifting. He remains very active himself and continues to train in a conjugate style while balancing the rigors of the tactical coaching profession, running his business and spending time with his family.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #168 - Jordan Betz

  7. Aug 11

    #167 - Paul Oneid

    Paul Oneid is the Founder and Head Coach at Master Athletic Performance and the Co-Founder and Lead Educator of Coaches Corner University. Oneid started Master Athletic Performance (MAP) in 2014 with the goal to “raise the bar for online coaching” through a client-centered, evidence-based approach. MAP provides online coaching for training and nutrition, as well as mentorship to assist coaches in building and scaling their business for stability and longevity. In 2021, he co-found Coaches Corner University (CCU), an online platform that provides a post-graduate level education in all things coaching. CCU is a subscription-based continuing education platform that also offers business mentorship in group and 1-on-1 settings.  Oneid is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified exercise physiologist with over 15 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach in varying capacities from youth to professional athletics in both the team and individual settings, in the private sector, collegiate athletics and online training space. Previously he co-founded 1-Life Inc. running the program from 2015-2022 as well as served as a functional rehabilitation specialist at Manulife in Ottawa, Ontario from 2015-2020. Oneid holds Master of Science degrees in sports management and exercise science. Simultaneously to his studies, he gained experience as an intern strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida before accepting a graduate assistant role at Robert Morris University before becoming the associate head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Tampa. He then returned home to his native Canada accepting the head strength coach at Queens University in Ontario. Oneid also spent time coaching in the private sector and as a disability rehab specialist, before diving in fully to Master Athletic Performance and Coaches Corner University.   For over 15 years, Oneid competitive on the platform as a prominent powerlifter in the sport. Over the course of his competitive career he has been ranked in the Top-20 All-Time in 2 different weight classes with best lifts in competition being an 805lbs Squat, a 430lbs Bench Press, a 725lbs Deadlift and a 1960lbs total. He then shifted his training focus to bodybuilding where he competed in a handful of shows before taking on the goal of more endurance and hybrid based training.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #167 - Paul Oneid

  8. Jul 28

    #166 - Tim Teefy

    Tim Teefy is the Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance at Temple University. Teefy joined the Temple athletics program in 2015 as the head Olympic strength & conditioning coach before being promoted to director of Olympic sports performance in 2016 and later in 2018 to his current position at Assistant AD for Olympic Sports Performance. Currently oversees training for the women’s basketball team while overseeing the 19 Olympic varsity sports and a staff of seven. Prior to joining the Owls, Teefy spent three years as the head strength & conditioning coach at Villanova University where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the strength and conditioning department for 19 Division 1 varsity teams, working specifically with men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball, field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer. He held a similar position as head strength and conditioning coach at High Point University for three years before joining the Wildcats. Teefy also gained experience on the strength staff at George Mason University and Georgetown University in addition to being an adjunct faculty member while at George Mason.  Coach Teefy is a Master Strength & Conditioning Coach through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association earning the highest honor in the profession in 2020. He is an avid lifter and still heavily involved in strength and endurance training.  Samson EquipmentSamson Equipment provides Professional Weight Room Solutions for all your S&C needs.Cerberus StrengthUse Code: STRENGTH_GAME at Cerberus-Strength.comSport KiltUse Code: TSG at SportKilt.comDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

    #166 - Tim Teefy
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About

The Strength Game is a weekly podcast dedicated to discussing all things physical culture with the coaches, athletes, iron enthusiasts, and experts deeply imbedded in the strength game on both sides of the profession; as coaches and as competitive athletes. Hosted by Nick O’Brien, each episode we discuss, rant and dive deep into all things related to strength and conditioning, high performance and training lifestyle. Join us in The Strength Game!

Information

  • Creator
    Nick O'Brien
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Strength Game
  • Show Website
    The Strength Game

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