The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

Gill Athletics
  • 4.9 (73)
  • RUNNING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Unlock the world of track & field coaching with The Gill Connections Podcast! Host Mike Cunningham brings you inspiring stories, real conversations, and coaching insights from leaders at every level. Discover a new coach's interview every Monday. Plus, don’t miss the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts with our NEW Gill1918 Project episodes Tuesday-Sunday — short, powerful lessons from top coaches to help you grow on and off the track. Powered by Gill Athletics — Supporting Coaches Since 1918.

  1. 3H AGO

    #362: Kailey Johnson-Central Methodist Univ | From Athlete to Coach

    Kailey Johnson didn’t grow up dreaming of being a coach. She grew up in it. From playing in the sand pits as a kid while her dad coached… to competing as a hurdler at Central Methodist… to now standing on the other side of the track as a coach — her journey is a full-circle story that hits different. What makes this episode even more special? Back in January of 2021, her head coach — Kenny Anderson — joined the Gill Connections podcast as Guest #85. At that time, Kailey was a freshman athlete on his team. Now… she’s on the coaching staff. That evolution is what this podcast is all about. 🔥 In this episode, we dive into:🧬 Growing up as a coach’s kid and how it shaped her perspective🏃‍♀️ Why track “stuck” when other sports didn’t🎓 Choosing Central Methodist for culture over convenience🧠 The moment she realized her original career path wasn’t it📸 How injuries led her toward creativity, photography, and communication🔁 The unexpected shift from athlete to coach🤝 What it’s like now working alongside the same coach she competed for “I had no thought of coaching at all… and now I’m here doing it every day.” — Kailey Johnson This is a story about proximity, perspective, and how being around great coaching — even when you don’t realize it — can shape your future. 🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very ownGill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.   📲Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

    1h 53m
  2. #158: Gill1918 Presents Marybeth Price-Rekortan (Rekortan Penn Relays Speaker Series)

    1D AGO

    #158: Gill1918 Presents Marybeth Price-Rekortan (Rekortan Penn Relays Speaker Series)

    Grateful to Rekortan for hosting a Coaches Speaker Session at the 2026 Penn Relays. Recorded on Friday during the Coaches Hospitality, Rekortan invited coaches and Rekortan teammates to share their running and coaching experiences to give value to the audience. Gill Athletics is grateful for Rekortan's trust to record these sessions to bring them to you in our Gill1918 Project podcast format. There are six speakers in all, you can find them on the Gill Connections podcast published on these dates: 5/3 Greg Scholars -AP RANCH 5/9 Bella Whitaker- ON 5/10 MaryBeth Price -Rekortan 5/16 Bill Lawson - IMG Academy 5/17 Kevin Quadrozzi - ON 5/23 Guy Thomas - Rekortan

    10 min
  3. #157: Gill1918 Presents Isabella Whitaker-ON (Rekortan Penn Relays Speaker Series)

    2D AGO

    #157: Gill1918 Presents Isabella Whitaker-ON (Rekortan Penn Relays Speaker Series)

    Grateful to Rekortan for hosting a Coaches Speaker Session at the 2026 Penn Relays. Recorded on Friday during the Coaches Hospitality, Rekortan invited coaches and Rekortan teammates to share their running and coaching experiences to give value to the audience. Gill Athletics is grateful for Rekortan's trust to record these sessions to bring them to you in our Gill1918 Project podcast format. There are six speakers in all, you can find them on the Gill Connections podcast published on these dates: 5/3 Greg Scholars -AP RANCH 5/9 Bella Whitaker- ON 5/10 MaryBeth Price -Rekortan 5/16 Bill Lawson - IMG Academy 5/17 Kevin Quadrozzi - ON 5/23 Guy Thomas - Rekortan

    14 min
  4. #156: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 3) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    3D AGO

    #156: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 3) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois),Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more! 🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very ownGill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.   📲Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

    22 min
  5. #155: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 2) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    4D AGO

    #155: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 2) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois),Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more! 🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very ownGill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.   📲Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

    24 min
  6. #154: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 1) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    5D AGO

    #154: Gill1918 presents Track Tribe LIVE: (Part 1) "Teaching Across Generations" with David Mitchell hosted by Kyle Jones

    🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois),Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more! 🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very ownGill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.   📲Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

    21 min
  7. #153: Gill1918 Presents Katie Follett Conquering Pre-Race Anxiety Powered by Coach O

    6D AGO

    #153: Gill1918 Presents Katie Follett Conquering Pre-Race Anxiety Powered by Coach O

    Katie is a mental skills coach and licensed therapist for Elevated Performance following a 13-year career as a professional runner including winning a US Road Mile Championship and being a World Indoor Championships 3000m finalist. As a competitor at all levels, Katie had to learn to overcome pre-race nerves and anxiety. She shares proven techniques and strategies to help athletes begin to do the same in the episode and in this awesome FREE resource!

    18 min

  8. MAY 4

    #361: Steven Sanchez-Univ of Delaware | From the Bronx to Building a Coaching Mindset

    There’s something powerful about a coach who knew early. Steven Sanchez didn’t just stumble into coaching—he was already studying it, researching it, and chasing it while still in high school in the Bronx. From a massive New York City high school campus to a small college in the South, his journey is anything but typical—and that’s exactly what makes it valuable. This episode is about perspective. About hearing hard truths. About choosing a path before the path fully reveals itself. Steven shares how a pivotal conversation with a mentor reshaped his trajectory, why he was studying coaching bios as a teenager, and how his willingness to bet on himself took him far from home in pursuit of growth. 🔑 In this episode: 🏙️ Growing up in the Bronx and navigating a 1,000-student freshman class that became 60 graduates 🏈 A football-first mindset—and the injury that forced a pivot 🎯 The moment a mentor told him: “Focus on throwing… and think about coaching” 🧠 Studying coaching paths BEFORE even getting to college 🗺️ Choosing a college based on geography, opportunity, and instinct—not just recruitment 🌱 Adjusting from a massive NYC environment to an 800-student college campus 💬 Quote from Steven: “I was looking at every school in the country… what have been the paths of the coaches? I was trying to figure out what I needed to do.” This one’s for the coaches who are still figuring it out—and the ones who knew early and went all in. 🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very ownGill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.   📲Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

    1h 57m
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4.9
out of 5
73 Ratings

About

Unlock the world of track & field coaching with The Gill Connections Podcast! Host Mike Cunningham brings you inspiring stories, real conversations, and coaching insights from leaders at every level. Discover a new coach's interview every Monday. Plus, don’t miss the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts with our NEW Gill1918 Project episodes Tuesday-Sunday — short, powerful lessons from top coaches to help you grow on and off the track. Powered by Gill Athletics — Supporting Coaches Since 1918.

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