Episode 175: In this episode of the Sports Performance Leadership Podcast powered by Inform Performance, Pete McKnight sits down with Raj Thiruchelvarajah—Co-Founder & CEO of Hytro, a leading human performance company specializing in Blood Flow Restriction (BFR). From his transition out of the corporate world to building a groundbreaking sports-tech company, Raj shares his journey of leadership, resilience, and growth. With Hytro now serving over 150 professional sports teams and even partnering with SpaceX, Raj reflects on the challenges of scaling a startup and the lessons learned along the way.

✏️ Topics Discussed:

▪️ Leadership Evolution from Corporate to Startup

▪️ Navigating the Challenges of Early-Stage Startups

▪️ Building High-Performance Culture Inspired by Elite Sports

▪️ Decision-Making Under Pressure and Risk Management

▪️ The Power of Constant Learning and Adaptation

-

Where you can find Raj:

•⁠ LinkedIn

•⁠ Instagram

•⁠ Hytro

-

Sponsors

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 174: In this episode of the Sport Science Insights Podcast powered by Inform Performance, Steve Barrett sits down with Kelsey Vinson, Sports Scientist for Virginia Tech Football, to explore the evolving role of sports science in American football. Kelsey, now in her second season with the Hokies, brings a wealth of experience from her time working with teams across the ACC, SEC, and Big 12, and shares her insights on the latest trends in sports science.

✏️Topics Discussed:

▪️What a sports science role looks like in a university football setting.

▪️The impact sports science can have on a football program, from injury prevention to performance optimization.

▪️The innovations in sports science that are shaping her work.

▪️The future of sports science in American football and where it’s headed.

-

Where you can find Kelsey:

•⁠ LinkedIn

•⁠ Twitter

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 173: In this episode of the Sports Performance Leadership Podcast powered by Inform Performance, Pete McKnight speaks with David Lasini, a highly respected leader in strength & conditioning with 30 years of experience across Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, and professional sports. Currently Head of S&C at Sport Northern Ireland Sports Institute, David leads a team of coaches supporting over 20 elite sports.

His career spans the Victorian, Australian, UK, and Northern Ireland Institutes of Sport, with expertise in field hockey, athletics, rowing, netball, Australian Rules Football, Gaelic football, judo, soccer, bobskeleton, and more. He was also Senior S&C Coach for Australia’s National Hockey Teams (2009-2013) and played a key role in Team GB’s Performance Science for Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024.

✏️Topics Discussed

▪️Key leadership experiences—from early mentorship to leading national programs

▪️ How his leadership style evolved—balancing collaboration with decisiveness

▪️Why self-awareness and emotional intelligence are crucial in high performance

▪️The importance of authenticity—staying true to your values as a leader

Future trends in sports leadership—tech, business acumen & well-being

-

Where you can find David:

•⁠ LinkedIn

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 172: In this episode of the Inform Performance podcast, Andy McDonald speaks with David Clancy, a highly accomplished Chartered Physiotherapist with extensive experience across clinical, consultation, pitch-side, and research settings. David has worked with high-performance cultures and both professional athlete and non-athlete populations, employing evidence-based practices. He also maintains strong international research connections in both industry and academia. Our discussion dives into the essential skills for becoming an effective practitioner and supporting high performance teams with recruitment and learning and development. ✏️Topics Discussed: ▪️ Learning and Development in Teams ▪️ The Essential Skills Book and Event ▪️ Collaboration and Humility in High Performance ▪️ The Role of Technology in Sports Medicine ▪️ Future Trends in Sports Performance

-

Where you can find David:

•⁠ ⁠David Clancy's Website

•⁠ LinkedIn

•⁠ Instagram

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 171: In this episode of the Sports Science Insights Podcast, Steve Barrett sits down with Dr. Tzlil Shushan — a postdoctoral research fellow in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Wollongong. Tzlil brings a wealth of experience as a sport scientist and strength & conditioning coach, having worked with elite team-sport organizations and published extensively in the field. Specializing in monitoring, programming, and evaluating performance strategies, Tzlil combines cutting-edge research with practical expertise to consult and mentor athletes and organizations worldwide. ✏️ Topics Discussed: ▪️ Cultures of Sport Science in Different Countries ▪️ Studying a PhD in Australia ▪️ Diving into Sub-Max Fitness Testing ▪️ Internal Responses to Sub-Max Testing ▪️ External Responses to Sub-Max Testing ▪️ Challenging Technologies for Measuring the Session

-

Where you can find Tzlil:

•⁠ ⁠University of Wollongong

•⁠ LinkedIn

•⁠ Instagram

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 170: This week on the Sports Performance Leadership Podcast, Pete McKnight speaks to Dan Taylor, a visionary leader and 'systems architect' in human performance with a career spanning elite sports and academia.

Dan has been at the forefront of creating high-performance systems for teams like the Charlotte Hornets, guiding Georgia Tech to an ACC Championship, and shaping performance strategies at the Joe Gibbs Human Performance Institute. His innovative approach to leadership, blending collaboration and cutting-edge strategies, has driven transformative changes in the sports world.

Topics Discussed:

▪️ Building High-Performance Systems Across Elite Sports

▪️ Leadership Strategies for Success in Professional Sports

▪️ The Power of Collaboration in Driving Performance Innovation

▪️ Shaping Future Leaders and Mentoring in High-Pressure Environments

▪️ The Role of Innovation in Transforming Sports Performance

▪️ Navigating Challenges and Pushing Boundaries in Leadership

-

Where you can find Dan:

•⁠ ⁠Instagram

•⁠ LinkedIn

•⁠ X

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 169: In this episode of the Inform Performance podcast, Andy McDonald chats to Bernard Condevaux, a highly experienced Physical Therapist in elite sport. Bernard has worked with professional and collegiate athletes across multiple sports and has been a member of numerous USA Olympic and Pan-American Sports Medicine teams. Most recently, he served as the Senior Director of Medical and Performance for the Detroit Pistons. The conversation delves deep into Bernard's philosophy of leadership, emphasizing trust, open communication, and collaborative problem-solving.

✏️Topics Discussed:

▪️ Building a Strong Team in Professional Sports

▪️ Navigating Job Security and Staff Dynamics

▪️ Transitioning Between Sports: Learning & Leading

▪️ The Future of Sports Medicine Staffing

-

Where you can find Bernard:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

Output: is a faster, cheaper and more efficient way to test, analyze, report and program athletic performance - all in a single platform and sensor. Provide comprehensive performance evaluations with 200+ assessments spanning VBT, strength, power and movement. Validated by 10+ years of scientific research.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight

Episode 168: In this episode of the Sports Science Insights Podcast powered by Inform Performance, Steve Barrett sits down with Andy Guard—a seasoned sports scientist with extensive experience across elite football, including roles at Celtic FC, U.S. Soccer Federation, and Atlanta United FC. Andy combines academic expertise with practical insights, emphasizing the integration of performance monitoring and player development strategies.

✏️Topics Discussed:

▪️ Practitioner vs. Academic Approaches ▪️ Transitioning Sports Science Across Age Groups ▪️ Innovations in Sports Performance ▪️ Andy Guards Sport Science Philosophy

-

Where you can find Andy:

•⁠ ⁠ResearchGate

•⁠ Twitter

•⁠ LinkedIn

-

Sponsors

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Teambuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.

-

Where to Find Us

Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Our Website

-

Our Team

• Andy McDonald
• Ben Ashworth
• Alistair McKenzie
• Dylan Carmody
• Steve Barrett
• Pete McKnight