Strength Chat #92: Rachel Balkovec

12/03/19 • 53 min

We have a lot of incredible guests on this podcast, but today's conversation with Rachel Balkovec is truly a testimony of passion by an incredible woman with deep, raw introspection into her own life experiences and a hunger to live out her vision.

Rachel is a powerhouse in the strength & conditioning world; and now in professional baseball as she just signed with the Yankees to become the first full-time female hitting coach hired by a major league organization! Rachel has previously worked for the Astros and Cardinals as a S&C Coordinator and is currently wrapping up her work at Driveline Baseball, a data-driven performance training facility in Washington state. She has two graduate degrees in the science of human movement and is a life-long student, intentionally seeking out mentorship and drawing out knowledge from her experiences.

After Rachel shares an absolutely hilarious story (seriously, one of the best funny stories we've had), her and our hosts dive into a wide range of topics ranging from life and identity, to belief systems, the challenge of being a woman in a very male-dominated industry, the flow state, visualization, and of course her experiences on and off the field working as an elite-level coach.

Rachel breaks down her value system and what drives her deep down to continue pushing and breaking new ground as an educator, coach, and human being. She discusses her background growing up in Omaha, Nebraska and the nomadic lifestyle (she's lived in 13 countries in the past 10 years) that takes her all over the world and allows her to be minimalist, nimble, and focused on her passion of learning and growing as a human and professional - wherever that may be.

You don't want to miss this one!

You don't want to miss this one!

Previous Episode

Strength Chat #91: Mike Robertson

Mike Robertson is one of the strength & conditioning industry's most respected coaches, working with athletes from all walks of life all the way up to the collegiate and professional levels. He is the founder and owner of i-FAST, named as one of the America's Top 10 Gyms by Men's Health magazine. He is the host of the Physical Preparation Podcast and writes numerous books and articles through his company, Robertson Training Systems.

Our hosts spend time discussing the differences in training gen pop, athletic populations, and strength-specific athletes. Mike shares his experiences growing and scaling his coaching business/gym and the challenges that came with burnout, lack of time, and prioritization.

This is a fantastic listen for coaches/trainers just getting into the industry who want wisdom and advice from an experienced coach.

Next Episode

Strength Chat #93: Jeff Halevy

In possibly one of the darkest episodes of Strength Chat to date, we're excited to have back our very first host from our first episode ever all the way back in 2016. Whereas our previous conversation focused on entrepreneurship and the fitness industry, today's show features a conversation on a topic rarely touched: male mental health.

Jeff Halevy is a long-time friend of Kabuki, a former Today Show corespondent, host of internationally syndicated Workout from Within, and Inc 5000 winning entrepreneur for his many successful ventures in the fitness industry. But he hasn't always been these things.

Known to many as an extremely dynamic, bright, and passionate voice in fitness - Jeff has only recently opened up to share his story of survival from depression, near-suicide, and chaos that almost landed him in prison for 25 years.

In this extremely insightful and honest episode, Jeff and our hosts unpack what it means to "be a man" in the social age, fallacies and traps men fall into, and the desperate need for transparency and acceptable for those seeking help.

This is an important episode for all of us to listen to. Thanks for sharing your story Jeff.