Grace is a Minor League Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, where she works to support athlete performance and development throughout the organization. Before joining the Rays, she served as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Queens University, working with baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s tennis. Grace has also spent time in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Player Development Strength & Conditioning Coach and previously interned with the Cleveland Guardians. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Sports Psychology from the University of Evansville.Topics covered in this episode:-Working in the college setting vs. professional baseball-Advice for others and finding success-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I think this year has really solidified that I want to be in pro ball" (4:33)-"I think you should definitely experience both of them. For me, I'm obviously really glad that I experienced and went and worked in the college setting. It makes me appreciate being where I'm at a lot more" (10:36)-"Every day I try and just be really appreciative of the people I get to work with, the athletes I get to work with, and the experience I get to have because it's a really cool job that we have" (23:42)If you would like to learn more from Grace, you can follow her on social media:Instagram:@coachgracecullen

Grace is a Minor League Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, where she works to support athlete performance and development throughout the organization. Before joining the Rays, she served as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Queens University, working with baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s tennis. Grace has also spent time in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Player Development Strength & Conditioning Coach and previously interned with the Cleveland Guardians. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Sports Psychology from the University of Evansville.Topics covered in this episode:-Her best professional baseball story-Being a younger coach in the field-Axial loading for baseball players-Learning how to coach effectively without technology-Working with unfamiliar sports and athletesQuotes:-"Their spine is so mobile and gets put in such crazy positions that I'm not really a huge fan of putting a bunch of weight on their back" (7:28)-"I just think people need to hammer the basics when they're coming up and they're interning" (10:04)-"I think whenever a coach writes a new program they probably modify it like five times" (19:39)If you would like to learn more from Grace, you can follow her on social media:Instagram:@coachgracecullen

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.Topics covered in this episode:-Finding success at different levels-Collaboration with staff and players-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"You experience the soft skills and learning how to navigate people and stuff like that through experience and through continued exposure to doing it" (11:41)-"The message for me is accept that there's always more to learn and that the experience is still valuable" (12:30)-"The science side of our profession is booming at a rapid pace, but the art side is getting lost, or passed over, just because there is so much technology and there is so much in the analytical space of tying this thing to that thing" (17:23)If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:Instagram:@hudson_jr12Twitter:@Coach_JoeHudsonAnd a special thank you to Ecore Athletic for sponsoring this episode! "As the Official Flooring Partner of the Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS), Ecore Athletic is proud to support the training environments where elite athletes prepare to perform at their best. From Major League to Minor League Baseball, Ecore Athletic surfaces are trusted in weight rooms and training facilities across the country — designed to deliver unmatched durability, performance, and safety. All manufactured right here in the USA."

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.Topics covered in this episode:-Being in the Big Leagues vs. being in the Minor Leagues-In-season programming adjustments-Media pressure on players and staffQuotes:-"The biggest difference between the Big Leagues and the Minor Leagues is really in the travel schedule and the game schedule" (1:15)-"If there's still performance and physical development gains on the table still, we want to chase those" (20:05)-"Everything here is under a microscope, for sure" (24:41)If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:Instagram:@hudson_jr12Twitter:@Coach_JoeHudson

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.Topics covered in this episode:-His journey to the Big Leagues and Opening Day 2025-Practicing gratitude and meditation-Managing all the factors that go into being successful in the Big LeaguesQuotes:-"What I started doing, which has been really helpful, is every couple Sundays when we were at home I'll get there early, I'll go up, walk up to The Monster and just sit on The Monster for like 10 minutes" (13:54)-"We're lucky man. There are so many other (bad) jobs that we could be doing" (14:38)-"The priority, first and foremost, is winning baseball games, right? And that requires a different type of consideration towards what you wanna do every day" (18:03)If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:Instagram:@hudson_jr12Twitter:@Coach_JoeHudson

This is a celebration of the 8-Year Anniversary for The PBSCCS Podcast. The episode is a "Year in Review" episode discussing all of the interviews over the past year:-Max Miller - Working in the Arizona Complex League and how to maximize relationships-Adam Decker - Working outside of baseball and physical literacy-Joe Leo - The value of good internships and programming for in-season athletes-Ryan Harrel - Microdosing a daily training regimen and his family ties in professional baseball-Phil Wilson - His company (Relax Saunas) and the value of far infrared saunas-Chris Frosch - Strength and skill development and working the Arizona Fall League-Joe Scire - Helping elite athletes connect the dots and the role of the dietitian in professional baseball-Kirby Retzer - The value of training with machines and life during and after professional baseball-Spring Training Roundtable (Joe Leo and Logan Jones) - All things Spring Training-Ben Loftis - Training youth athletes and owning and operating a training business-Nate Kolb - Being a coordinator compared to being at an affiliate and a deep dive into force plates-Goldy Simmons - Working in the NBA vs the MLB and training basketball players compared to training baseball players

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.Topics covered in this episode:-Training basketball players (areas of concern, management of programming, lines of communication)-Advice for others and finding success as a strength and conditioning coach-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"There's a lot of adjustments that are made on the fly for proper execution because these guys are working so long to execute something that would be considered predominantly simple" (7:01)-"Define who they are as a human being first, and that'll ultimately help you drive the athlete that's inside of them" (17:32)-"I feel like if I were to step back onto the diamond I'm gonna be so much better of a strength coach on so many different levels just because I understand a different sport" (21:31)If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.Topics covered in this episode:-Life in the NBA vs. life in the MLBQuotes:-"We set it up to where if we need to adapt we can adapt and get guys what they need on a nightly basis" (11:52)-"The cultural norm, in basketball, is like 'what do I need for the game?'" (20:22)-"Sticking to the basics will drive the objective outputs that we seek as performance coaches" (22:25)If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.Topics covered in this episode:-His journey to both the MLB and NBA-Smashing ping pong tables-Operating daily with elite level athletesQuotes:-"Be careful about breaking ping pong tables prior to the end of a game because you never know what's gonna happen" (8:37)-"What I've learned over the last 10-12 years is that these guys are at this level for a reason, and they could probably do without a lot that we're putting on to them" (13:50)-"But I do think that there's probably some places that, still, the waters are a little muddy and people are trying to take on maybe more than what their job description entails" (19:12)If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Nate Kolb is currently the Assistant Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Seattle Mariners organization. Prior to his time with the Mariners, he was a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for three years.Topics covered in this episode:-Force plate testing and metrics-Finding success and advice for others-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I think there's so many different avenues with force plate testing specifically that you can go in all sorts of different rabbit holes" (3:12)-"If we're trying to create a robust athlete then we need to have as many degrees of freedom available within a safe bandwidth for us to move through" (6:09)-"Find ways to continue staying curious" (21:47)If you'd like to learn more from Nate, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@kolbnate

Nate Kolb is currently the Assistant Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the Seattle Mariners organization. Prior to his time with the Mariners, he was a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for three years.Topics covered in this episode:-Being a coordinator compared to being an affiliate level coach-Going to the World Series with his father-Using force plates in the rehab processQuotes:-"We try and treat things with this 'n=1' kind of philosophy, and that looks a little bit differently than when you're training a bunch of athletes in a team setting" (3:10)-"That's the fun thing and the beautiful thing about baseball is if you leave with anything, you leave with stories after stories after stories" (4:42)-"What's funny about the force plates is I always kind of viewed them as my ticket into pro ball" (16:23)If you'd like to learn more from Nate, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@kolbnate

Ben Loftis currently owns Resolute Performance with his wife, Emily.  They have been training youth-professional athletes in Northwest Arkansas for the past 3 years.  Prior to Resolute, Ben was a strength coach for the San Diego Padres organization for 4 seasons.  In total he has been coaching for the past 13 years in the college and professional levels, with various stops along the way.  He obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science/Strength and Conditioning from Northwestern College (IA) in 2014, and he obtained his MBA from the University of Sioux Falls (SD) in 2018.Topics covered in this episode:-Owning and running a business with his wife-Finding success and advice for others-Continuing Education ResourcesQuotes:-"I think, honestly, just being a really consistent person matters the most" (5:44)-"I think any experience you've previously obtained in your life in any capacity is only wasted if you choose to waste it" (10:51)-"I miss being 'in it' with the players probably the most" (26:19)If you'd like to learn more from Ben, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@loftistrong@resolute.nwaor Ben can be reached at:resolutenwa.com

Ben Loftis currently owns Resolute Performance with his wife, Emily.  They have been training youth-professional athletes in Northwest Arkansas for the past 3 years.  Prior to Resolute, Ben was a strength coach for the San Diego Padres organization for 4 seasons.  In total he has been coaching for the past 13 years in the college and professional levels, with various stops along the way.  He obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science/Strength and Conditioning from Northwestern College (IA) in 2014, and he obtained his MBA from the University of Sioux Falls (SD) in 2018.Topics covered in this episode:-Working with parents-Assessments with his athletes-Taking risks in businessQuotes:-"If they can put more force in the ground and their range of motion is good, they're going to be somewhat better in competition" (3:08)-"There's a ton of value in force plates; we use them in a lot of really cool ways. But 9 times out of 10, it's gonna tell me that you need to put more force in the ground" (9:27)-"The worst thing that happens is you fail. And you'll deal with those consequences" (29:25)If you'd like to learn more from Ben, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@loftistrong@resolute.nwaor Ben can be reached at:resolutenwa.com

Ben Loftis currently owns Resolute Performance with his wife, Emily.  They have been training youth-professional athletes in Northwest Arkansas for the past 3 years.  Prior to Resolute, Ben was a strength coach for the San Diego Padres organization for 4 seasons.  In total he has been coaching for the past 13 years in the college and professional levels, with various stops along the way.  He obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science/Strength and Conditioning from Northwestern College (IA) in 2014, and he obtained his MBA from the University of Sioux Falls (SD) in 2018.Topics covered in this episode:-Competition and comparison-Building a robust foundation-Running his own businessQuotes:-"We want to compete, we don't want to compare" (12:09)-"I think that being strong matters, but not at the cost of accessible range of motion and hampering your overall athleticism and speed" (15:21)-"If they know it in their bones then they start to take responsibility for their own career" (28:16)If you'd like to learn more from Ben, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@loftistrong@resolute.nwaor Ben can be reached at:resolutenwa.com

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on Spring Training. This is Part Two of the interview.Speakers:-Logan Jones (Chicago White Sox)-Joe Leo (Arizona Diamondbacks)Questions/topics covered in this episode:-Using Spring Training to prepare players for the demands of the regular season-The good, the bad, the ugly of Spring Training-Finding time to take care of yourselfQuotes:-"There's a lot of different things we can do to manage that workload as Spring Training goes on to keep guys fresh" (4:32 - Joe Leo)-"There's been, I feel like, a pretty decent push recently to make Spring Training a bit more representative of the demands of what the season actually entails" (5:09 - Logan Jones)-"Practicing gratitude, being present, meditating - doing all those things to take care of yourself. Because if you can't take care of yourself you're not gonna best be able to serve the people around you" (26:30 - Joe Leo)-"I think this influence and impact probably extends beyond maybe what we even know" (27:50 - Logan Jones)If you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@logan_jones95 - Logan Jones@joeyl2 - Joe LeoTwitter:@Logan_Jones95 - Logan Jones

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on Spring Training. This is Part One of the interview.Speakers:-Logan Jones (Chicago White Sox)-Joe Leo (Arizona Diamondbacks)Questions/topics covered in this episode:-Daily responsibilities during Spring Training for the strength and conditioning coach-Collaborating with other departments during Spring Training-Intake testing and assessment during Spring Training-Programming and individualization for players upon arrivalQuotes:-"It is true chaos, but I've learned to embrace that" - Logan Jones (5:47)-"Everyone in the organization is in the building this time of year, so there's a lot of cool opportunities to talk shop with people that you might not be seeing all year" - Joe Leo (16:42)-"I've been super fortunate to just see really good people doing really good things and things that they're really smart in. And I've been able to kind of pick up and put my own spin on these things" - Logan Jones (29:53)-"I think, on our end, leveraging the relationships we have and creating new relationships with the guys we haven't had is really powerful and a great way to get to the meat of what we're trying to do faster" - Joe Leo (40:51)If you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@logan_jones95 - Logan Jones@joeyl2 - Joe LeoTwitter:@Logan_Jones95 - Logan Jones

Kirby Retzer began his career with the Boston Red Sox Strength and Conditioning staff as a college intern in 2013. Upon graduation from the Exercise Science program at Florida Gulf Coast University, he was hired by the Minnesota Twins where he oversaw their rookie-level operations and injury rehabilitation programs for two seasons. Then, from 2016 to 2023, Kirby returned to the Red Sox and held 4 different leadership positions throughout his 8 seasons with the team. During his tenure with the Red Sox, he earned a Master’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Orthopedic Rehabilitation and studied to become a Certified Muscle Systems Specialist. Kirby has been able to prolong the careers of present Major League players and develop some of the young rising stars in the game today. He left the Red Sox organization to spend more time with his family and work with Symmetry.Topics covered in this episode:-Discussing life during and after professional baseball-Maximizing impact as a Strength and Conditioning Coach-Continuing Education ResourcesQuotes:-"The principles apply to everybody really" (9:45)-"I want to provide really good evidence-based information layered within experience to help people, and I think that that's probably the way that I want to 'get back' to the game" (23:13)-"Obviously biased right here, but the CMSS stuff, the Certified Muscle Systems Specialist, is the best thing I've found" (31:11)If you'd like to learn more from Kirby, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@kirbyretzeror Kirby can be reached at:Kirby@SymmetryExerciseClinic.com

Kirby Retzer began his career with the Boston Red Sox Strength and Conditioning staff as a college intern in 2013. Upon graduation from the Exercise Science program at Florida Gulf Coast University, he was hired by the Minnesota Twins where he oversaw their rookie-level operations and injury rehabilitation programs for two seasons. Then, from 2016 to 2023, Kirby returned to the Red Sox and held 4 different leadership positions throughout his 8 seasons with the team. During his tenure with the Red Sox, he earned a Master’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Orthopedic Rehabilitation and studied to become a Certified Muscle Systems Specialist. Kirby has been able to prolong the careers of present Major League players and develop some of the young rising stars in the game today. He left the Red Sox organization to spend more time with his family and work with Symmetry.Topics covered in this episode:-Working with Chris Sale on his journey to a National League Cy Young award-The value of training with machines-Being a Certified Muscle Systems SpecialistQuotes:-"It's just of paramount importance for us to be able to develop tension in positions and under load and different configurations" (9:40)-"But if we take the principles of what the machines afford us to do and apply that training methodology while we're in a hallway, we can be creative with banded resistance" (10:08)-"It's a way to systematically analyze a person to help them reduce pain or eliminate unwanted sensation like tightness of stiffness" (25:34)If you'd like to learn more from Kirby, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@kirbyretzeror Kirby can be reached at:Kirby@SymmetryExerciseClinic.com

Joe Scire is currently serving in his third season as the Team Dietitian and Coordinator of Performance Nutrition for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before joining the Diamondbacks, Joe spent three years at Ohio State University, where he pursued his master’s in medical dietetics, worked closely with the baseball team, and researched performance biomarkers in the endurance athlete population. A New Hampshire native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology from the University of New Hampshire.Topics covered in this episode:-A deep dive into his role with the Diamondbacks-Advice for others on finding success-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I'm ready to serve whenever they are ready" (12:24)-"If you can kind of like stand your ground and just do your best and show them that you care, I think you're gonna be in a good space with guys" (24:59)-"The real measure of success in my mind is your commitment to personal growth" (30:07)If you'd like to learn more from Joe, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@jmscire

Joe Scire is currently serving in his third season as the Team Dietitian and Coordinator of Performance Nutrition for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before joining the Diamondbacks, Joe spent three years at Ohio State University, where he pursued his master’s in medical dietetics, worked closely with the baseball team, and researched performance biomarkers in the endurance athlete population. A New Hampshire native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology from the University of New Hampshire.Topics covered in this episode:-Betting on yourself and serving the next generation-Helping elite athletes to connect the dots-The secret to making a great smoothieQuotes:-"You have to look at it as like kind of an honor to serve the next generation" (9:53)-"It's hard for things to stick, I think especially in our fields because we need a long runway for things to actually take affect" (15:38)-"Avocados in smoothies is the secret ingredient to make it elite" (18:27)If you'd like to learn more from Joe, you can find him on social media:Instagram:@jmscire