Athlete Builder

Jim Beebe

We work with high school and college athletes. Our goal is to reach and help 20,000 college athletes and 2 national title winners by the end of 2028. We have 6 Core Values: Integrity, Discipline, Kaizen (constant improvement in all matters), Teamwork, Enjoyment, and Sisu (never ever quitting). Our mantra is Relentless. And our mission statement is that we are Forging Unbreakable Athletes. The athlete's head is impacted by 3 components or inch blocks: their Mindset, their Knowledge of their sport, and how they interact with all Teammates (leadership, support, and game Teammates). The athlete's body also has 3 inch blocks: their Training, Nutrition, and Recovery. And each athlete needs a Playbook or roadmap guiding them to advance as quickly and effectively as possible. We help guide and identify the next targets in an athlete's 6 blocks and push him/her forward. We do this systematically and strategically. We are Relentless in this approach. This podcast will have on guests that can help provide insights and ideas for athletes and coaches. We'll have on athletes, coaches, doctors, military personnel and others. We'll dissect books and look for other approaches to help athletes as well. We want more info and ideas for advancing athletes in the 6 blocks. Hop on board and keep pushing forward. Be an athlete!

  1. Jun 22

    #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 | Ghill@genecompanion.com | 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

    38 min
  2. Jun 10

    Special Edition: "I Took Away My Ability to Quit" — A Navy SEAL on Resilience During Hell Week | Jeff Gum

    This was live on 6/9/26. We do live shows weekly. Hit me up if you want to participate live with our guests! What does it take to not quit when everything in your body is telling you to? Retired Navy SEAL Jeff Gum has the answer — he made it through Hell Week while fighting rhabdo, and he's spent the decades since turning that resilience into a teachable system. In this special edition of Office Hours, Jeff and Jim Beebe go deep on the mindset behind unbreakable performance: making the single decision that removes every other decision, controlling the controllables one evolution at a time, training the "monkey mind," knowing when to persevere versus pivot, and building confidence the only way it's actually built — through reps. If you coach, compete, or lead, this one's a clinic on the mental game. Key takeaways: • "Take away your ability to quit" — make the one decision that settles all the others • Be trained enough to live in thrive mode — but never quit when you're forced into survival • Control your effort, attitude, and the next rep; release everything else • You are not your first thought — the thought about the thought is who you are • Confidence isn't given, it's earned in reps — do the mental work first, then go get it Resources & links: • Mental Edge Academy: https://www.aea-neuro-fitness-academy.com • Book a call: https://calendly.com/jimbeebe/aea-mea • Free Hell Week guide: 〔link〕 • Watch on YouTube: 〔episode link〕 • Jeff Gum / Sunga Life: 〔link〕 • Gates of Fire (Steven Pressfield): 〔link〕 · Athlete Builder (Jim Beebe): 〔link〕 • Follow: @athletebuilder

    45 min
  3. Jun 8

    Athlete Builder Ep. #142: Same Genetics. First-Round Pick Brother. Zero Excuses. Brennan and Jake Thieneman

    Same Genetics. First-Round Pick Brother. Zero Excuses. | Brennan & Jake Thieneman Athlete Builder Podcast  ·  Brennan & Jake Thieneman  ·  All In Performance · Mindset · Football · Walk-On EPISODE SUMMARY   "Jake sat down in the Giants locker room after a decade of maxing out everything he had. Saquon Barkley sat across from him. He watched him run. And he knew — with total peace — that if he had another decade, he still couldn't touch that level." Brennan and Jake Thieneman walked on at Purdue. Nobody handed them anything. They became starters, Big Ten honorees, and team captains. Their younger brother Dylan just got drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears. Same family. Same genetics. One of them is an NFL first-rounder. And their response to that? "We can't use the genetics excuse. He has the same parents we do." Brennan and Jake now run All In Performance, an online coaching operation built around the same principles that got two walk-ons to the top of a Big Ten program. In this episode, Jim, Brennan, and Jake go deep on wasted potential, the walk-on mindset, how to mentally prepare for a physical game, what happens to your identity when football ends, the difference between saying "I'll try" and actually going all in — and why fitness, health, and wealth are infinite games you never stop playing. Plus: Jake signs with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent, sits across the locker room from Saquon Barkley, watches him run, and is completely at peace with where he is. That's what maxing out looks like. KEY LESSONS   1. You can't use the genetics excuse when your brother proves it doesn't matter Dylan Thieneman was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears. Brennan and Jake walked on at Purdue. Same parents, same household, same genetics — and there's an order of magnitude between them athletically. Jake's point: "If Brennan and I had folded, there might be some negative feelings there. But that doesn't come from 'he got more.' It comes from 'I didn't do everything I could with what I was given.'"   2. Nothing is more disappointing than wasted potential Jake and Brennan weren't the most gifted players on their team — not even close. But they saw physically elite players who never touched the field. The gap between your current level and your ceiling is almost always wider than the gap between your ceiling and someone else's. Most people are nowhere near their potential and blaming the wrong thing for it.   3. "Try" is not a strategy Brennan calls out one of the most common performance killers: "I'm going to try to eat better. I'm going to try to get in full workouts this week." His challenge: what would you think of a coach who said "we're going to try to win tonight?" The word "try" is a built-in exit. Replace it with "I'm going to find a way."   4. Fitness, health, and wealth are infinite games Jake breaks down finite vs. infinite games: a football game has an end point, a winner, rules. Fitness doesn't. There's no moment where you've won and you're done. The goalpost always moves. Because it's an infinite game, the goal isn't to win — it's to keep playing. And if you're going to keep playing, you have to play it at a level you won't regret.   5. Maxing out means you can sit across from Saquon Barkley in peace After a decade of intentional training, Jake signs with the Giants as an undrafted free agent. He watches Saquon Barkley run and knows in his bones that if he had another decade, he still couldn't reach that level. And he was completely okay with it — because he'd done everything. That's what a clean conscience looks like when you've genuinely emptied the tank.   6. Mental preparation for a physical game starts Monday — not pregame Going into a Wisconsin-style run-heavy game, Brennan and Jake didn't just flip a switch on Saturday. Mental reps in bed the night before. Film study. Visualizing every play. And a physical week of practice — actually thudding, not just soft wrapping. You always play like you practice. A soft week makes a soft game.   7. Your identity has to survive the jersey coming off Brennan's counter-intuitive take: he was most confident in himself after football ended — not during. Because he knew he'd emptied the tank. He didn't attach his identity to "football player." He attached it to the type of person football made him. When the sport ended, that person remained. The next chapter starts from there. TIMESTAMPS   0:00 Intro — Brennan & Jake Thieneman, All In Performance, Purdue walk-ons 1:45 Favorite away venue — Brennan: Penn State Mid-play, you could feel the roar of 110,000 people 3:10 Favorite away venue — Jake: Nebraska 90,000 people going completely silent when Purdue scored 5:15 Iowa's pink visiting locker room — and why it backfired They wanted you to come out soft. You used it as fuel instead. 8:55 Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor & Brennan's play of the game Taylor's third fumble of the night — on his senior night 11:45 How to mentally prepare for a physically brutal game It starts Monday, not Saturday 14:00 Backup QB destroys your game plan — and it happened three times 35:15 Walk-on to captain: the math on how rare that is 22% of 2% are starters. You were all-conference. Do the math. 37:10 Dylan gets drafted first round by the Chicago Bears — same genetics, zero excuses The most powerful moment in the episode 41:00 Nothing more disappointing than wasted potential Most gifted guys who never touched the field 42:20 Jake signs with the Giants — sits across from Saquon Barkley After a decade of maxing out, he watched Saquon run and was completely at peace 44:45 Jim's Hudson River swim — 15 months of prep, swim buoy falls off, pulled from the race Raised $700K for the military. Nobody died. He's at peace with it. 51:10 "Try" is not a strategy — find a way What would you think of a coach who said "we're gonna try to win tonight?" 53:25 Finite vs. infinite games — why fitness and health never have a finish line 55:00 Post-football identity — how do you stop putting on pads? Brennan was most confident after football ended, not during 1:01:00 Astronaut alcoholism, win the day & Jim's son Jack at Ball State 1:10:00 Steroids, peptides & the nitrous analogy You can't hit nitrous at the start of the race 1:13:20 Rapid fire: training music, favorite lifts, bucket list adventures 1:15:20 Movies, athletes, book recs & the Bible 1:19:40 Batman, Joker, Henry Ford quote — and the Purdue blacksmith statue Every swing of the hammer forges you closer to who you're becoming 1:25:25 Where to find Brennan, Jake & All In Performance + closing HASHTAGS #AthleteBuilder #AllInPerformance #ThienemanBrothers #WalkOn #PurdueFootball #ChicagoBears #DylanThieneman #WastedPotential #MaxYourPotential #MindsetMatters #WinTheDay #INCHES #FiniteVsInfinite #FootballMindset #BigTen #NFL #PerformanceCoaching #AthleteTransition #FindAWay #MentalToughness #SaquonBarkley #NewYorkGiants

    1h 22m
  4. Jun 1

    Athlete Builder Ep. #141 Megan Lautz: Your Pre-Workout is a Lie

    What First Responders, Pro Baseball Players & Busy Athletes All Get Wrong About Food | Megan Lautz Athlete Builder Podcast  ·  Megan Lautz, RD  ·  Nutrition · First Responders · Performance · Lifestyle EPISODE SUMMARY   "You're not gonna run a pediatric code and come back to the station wanting a salad. That's just not how humans work." Most nutrition advice assumes you work nine to five, sleep eight hours, and have twenty minutes to meal prep. Megan Lautz built her career around everyone that doesn't. Megan is a registered dietitian, founder of Rescue RD, and one of the team dietitians for the Baltimore Orioles. She has spent nearly a decade in the trenches with firefighters, police officers, and first responders — the population that nutrition science almost entirely ignores. She was recently at the FDIC in Indianapolis presenting at workshops and live podcasts, and she has a book on the way through Fire Engineering. In this episode, Jim and Megan dig into the real reason willpower fails on shift work, why your pre-workout is a lie, what an applesauce pouch has to do with MLB performance, how to build a go-bag that actually keeps you from destroying the vending machine at 9pm, and why eating a closed-pantry donut and eating an open-counter donut are two very different experiences — according to actual research. This one is practical from start to finish. No perfection required. KEY LESSONS   1. All-or-nothing thinking is the #1 nutrition killer First responders and athletes alike fall into the same trap: either they're perfect or they've completely given up. Megan's entire approach is built around rejecting that binary. The goal isn't perfect eating — it's making a better bad decision every time. Cut three Bangs down to three Monsters and you've already cut caffeine in half. That's the win.   2. Carbs before your workout aren't optional — they're fuel The single biggest mistake Megan sees from first responders to MLB pitchers is showing up to training or game day having skipped carbs. Caffeine kills the feeling of fatigue but provides zero performance energy. Carbs do the actual work. An applesauce pouch 15 minutes before training — and 30–60g of carbs per hour during longer sessions — can dramatically change what your body can push through.   3. Your environment is making your choices for you A study at OSU fire stations found that when treats were put behind a closed door and healthier options were placed in plain sight, firefighters ate an additional pound of produce per shift. Nothing else changed. What you see first, you eat first. Make the good choice obvious. Add friction to the bad one. This is Atomic Habits applied to the kitchen counter.   4. Sleep deprivation rewires what you eat and how much Trauma exposure, interrupted sleep, and chronic stress don't just make people tired — they change the brain's relationship to food. Cravings shift toward salty, fatty, high-calorie foods. Willpower tanks. Portion control disappears. And two measured drinks reduces sleep quality by nearly 40%. Megan's approach accounts for this rather than pretending it doesn't exist.   5. The go-bag solves the 9pm fridge raid A non-perishable snack bag stocked with protein, carbs, and electrolytes (protein bars, jerky, tuna packets, applesauce pouches, dried fruit, Cheerios) keeps you fueled between meals so you don't arrive at dinner having not eaten since noon and eat everything in reach. Works for first responders, athletes, parents running kids to practice, realtors, anyone living in a van on schedule.   6. 40% of first responders have a sleep disorder. 80% don't know it. A lot of the nutrition problems Megan sees — chronic fatigue, energy drink dependency, overeating — have an upstream cause that isn't food. Sleep disorders are radically underdiagnosed in the first responder population. Sometimes the fix isn't a go-bag. It's a sleep test.   7. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care Megan's quote for the episode cuts to the core of why behavior change fails. Rapport isn't soft — it's the mechanism. Whether you're a dietitian, a coach, a parent, or a teammate, the technical advice doesn't land until the relationship is real. Meet people where they're at. Then move them. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro — Megan Lautz, Rescue RD, and the Baltimore Orioles 2:10 FDIC Indianapolis — what happens when you put 40,000 firefighters in one city Scooter injuries included 4:00 Baltimore Colts trauma and why the Colts are last on Megan's list Still too soon, apparently 5:30 Soccer, lacrosse, track — and failing as a group fitness instructor three times Too intense for beginners. First responders were a better fit. 7:30 Why nutrition advice ignores first responders entirely 10:15 All-or-nothing: the mindset that tanks nutrition before it starts 12:30 Shift families, $2-a-head dinners, and why you're eating the donut Social dynamics are nutrition strategy 14:00 Binge eating, trauma, and what happens after a pediatric code 15:30 Friction: introducing the water between drinks concept 16:00 The OSU fire station produce study — closed door, one pound more per shift The most actionable nutrition research in this episode 19:30 Alcohol and sleep: 40% quality reduction at just two drinks And why "day drinking" is the actual medical advice 22:00 Carbs before training — and why pre-workout is lying to you 24:30 The applesauce pouch protocol: timing, amounts, and alternatives Getting MLB pitchers and firefighters off pre-workout with fruit 26:30 Protein during training — when it works and when it backfires The strongwoman Gatorade + vanilla protein creamsicle story 29:50 Why Megan got into nutrition — ADHD, a drill-sergeant gym teacher, and not wanting to touch ankles 31:40 Working with people who don't want to listen — and why Megan specializes in exactly that 33:50 Don't start CrossFit and count macros at the same time Why overwhelming people guarantees failure 35:30 Sleep disorders in first responders: 40% have one, 80% don't know 36:30 The go-bag: what's in it, why it works, who it's for 38:30 Training style, bodybuilding, hypermobility, and nearly competing in bikini before falling on ice 40:15 Keri Strug, broken ankle, 1996 Olympics — Jim's favorite sports moment 44:20 Rapid fire: books, heroes, villains, bucket list, and Simone Biles 47:00 Quote, where to find Megan & closing   CONNECT WITH MEGAN LAUTZ 📸 Instagram: @rescue.rd 🎵 TikTok: @rescue.rd 💼 LinkedIn: Megan Lautz RD 🌐 Rescue RD (firefighter & first responder nutrition)   LISTEN TO ATHLETE BUILDER 🎥 YouTube: youtube.com/@Athlete-Builder 🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/34QCcodvAqAgj7iwk3tdrj 🍎 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/athlete-builder/id1715521920 📻 Amazon Podcasts: music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5583cce-62bc-4611-ab54-ff367f41632d/athlete-builder   ATHLETE BUILDER 🌐 athlete-builder.com  ·  📸 @athlete_builder  ·  ✉️ info@athlete-builder.com 📘 Buy the Book: a.co/d/9xiGOWQ 🎓 Courses: athlete-builder.com/courses 🧠 Book a Game Plan Session: link.closersoftware.com/widget/bookings/ab-gameplansession 🎤 Speaking: athlete-builder.com/speaking 📰 Newsletter: athlete-builder.com/newsletter   AEA MENTAL EDGE ACADEMY — SUMMER BOOTCAMP OPEN NOW 🧠 theaeainstitute.com  ·  ✉️ info@athlete-builder.com   #AthleteBuilder #NutritionForAthletes #FirstResponderFitness #FirefighterNutrition #RescueRD #PerformanceNutrition #SportsDietitian #MealPrep #NutritionTips #AthleteNutrition #MindsetMatters #WinTheDay #INCHES #MentalEdgeAcademy #BaltimorOrioles #MLBNutrition #ShiftWork #GoNutrition #CarbsAreNotTheEnemy #FuelToPerform #AtomicHabits #BehaviorChange #HighPerformance #FirstResponders #RegisteredDietitian

    46 min
  5. May 25

    Athlete Builder Ep. #140: Midnight Practice, a Broken Wrist, & an All-American. The Justin Baker Story

    Athlete Builder Podcast | Episode #140 Midnight Practice, Broken Wrists & All-American: The JB Baker Story He broke a bone in his wrist two weeks before Nationals. Didn't tell a soul. Then competed anyway — and became an All-American. Justin "JB" Baker is an elite hammer thrower, former college football player at Northern Iowa, high school coach in Kansas City, and mental performance coach with the AEA Mental Edge Academy. His story doesn't start with a scholarship or a throws coach — it starts with a belt, an uncle, and a shot put ring where nobody taught him anything. So he listened to every coach on the sideline, stole every cue he could, and built himself piece by piece into one of the best throwers in the country. In this episode, Jim and JB go deep on what actually separates elite athletes from everyone else — and it's not talent. What you'll learn in this episode: — How JB used visualization, kinesthetic rehearsal, and audio cues to train through three simultaneous injuries and still compete at the national level — Why he drove his truck onto campus at midnight, parked in the grass, and used the headlights to practice — and why he kept doing it every year after that — The math behind becoming an All-American: how JB and his coach reverse-engineered exactly what it would take and built the entire training plan backward from that number — Why cracking the national top 10 almost ended his career — and the lesson his coach had to scream at him in front of the whole team — The psychology of pain avoidance vs. reward: why athletes work harder to avoid losing than they do to win, and how to use both levers — What the Blue Angels, Mike Tyson, and Brian Dawkins all have in common when it comes to pre-performance mindset — How to build momentum when everything is going wrong — and why "I'll be right as right" changed JB's relationship with adversity This episode is for athletes, coaches, parents, and competitors who want to understand what mental performance actually looks like when the stakes are real, the body is broken, and quitting would be the easy choice. Timestamps 0:00 — Intro & how JB came to Mental Edge Academy 1:30 — Football or track? JB makes his call 4:00 — The controlled chaos of throwing sports 7:30 — Shot put, discus, hammer — ranked and explained 11:00 — Dr. Zach Riley & the physics of throwing 14:00 — How JB got into throwing: a belt, an uncle, and a ring in Kansas City 18:00 — Career-ending wrist injury — and he still competed 20:30 — From injured to All-American: the math, the method, the mindset 25:00 — Visualization, audio cues & kinesthetic rehearsal 31:00 — The midnight practice story 34:00 — The art of momentum in mindset training 37:00 — Carrot and stick: why people avoid pain harder than they chase wins 43:00 — Stacking wins — from making your bed to breaking records 45:00 — The lesson that cost JB a national championship 50:00 — John Gruden, perfect walkthroughs & building a culture of fundamentals 53:00 — Rapid fire: music, movies, heroes, villains & favorite lifts 56:00 — Rugby, the All Blacks & why the Haka is on Jim's gym wall 58:00 — Book rec, closing quote & where to find JB Connect with JB Baker Instagram: @justinbaker_9010 Facebook: Justin JB Baker TikTok: @justinbaker Connect with Athlete Builder 🌐 athlete-builder.com 📸 Instagram: @athlete_builder 🎵 TikTok: @athlete.builder 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/1athletebuilder ✉️ info@athlete-builder.com Listen on 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34QCcodvAqAgj7iwk3tdrj 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/athlete-builder/id1715521920 📻 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5583cce-62bc-4611-ab54-ff367f41632d/athlete-builder Athlete Builder Products 📘 Buy the Book: https://a.co/d/9xiGOWQ 🎓 Courses: https://athlete-builder.com/courses🧠 Book a Game Plan Session: https://link.closersoftware.com/widget/bookings/ab-gameplansession 🎤 Speaking: https://athlete-builder.com/speaking 👕 Apparel: https://athlete-builder.printify.me/products 📰 Newsletter: https://athlete-builder.com/newsletter AEA Mental Edge Academy 🌐 https://www.aea-neuro-fitness-academy.com/ Athlete Builder is brought to you by the AEA Institute — Performance Management. Mental Edge Academy summer boot camps are open now. Contact Jim at info@athlete-builder.com for team and school programs.

    57 min
5
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

We work with high school and college athletes. Our goal is to reach and help 20,000 college athletes and 2 national title winners by the end of 2028. We have 6 Core Values: Integrity, Discipline, Kaizen (constant improvement in all matters), Teamwork, Enjoyment, and Sisu (never ever quitting). Our mantra is Relentless. And our mission statement is that we are Forging Unbreakable Athletes. The athlete's head is impacted by 3 components or inch blocks: their Mindset, their Knowledge of their sport, and how they interact with all Teammates (leadership, support, and game Teammates). The athlete's body also has 3 inch blocks: their Training, Nutrition, and Recovery. And each athlete needs a Playbook or roadmap guiding them to advance as quickly and effectively as possible. We help guide and identify the next targets in an athlete's 6 blocks and push him/her forward. We do this systematically and strategically. We are Relentless in this approach. This podcast will have on guests that can help provide insights and ideas for athletes and coaches. We'll have on athletes, coaches, doctors, military personnel and others. We'll dissect books and look for other approaches to help athletes as well. We want more info and ideas for advancing athletes in the 6 blocks. Hop on board and keep pushing forward. Be an athlete!