The Swim Brief

The Swim Brief

A swimming podcast featuring natural conversations about the sport. Chris DeSantis brings the poolside conversation to the podcast form.

Episodes

July 31, 2026 35 mins

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What can The Odyssey teach us about leadership when every available choice carries consequences?

Chris is joined by Juliet Seuss for a different kind of episode: a conversation about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the questions it raises about responsibility, power, guilt, and shame. They examine whether Odysseus accepts responsibility for the people who follow him, how Penelope exercises power within an u...

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For years, conversations about athlete welfare have rightly transformed the way we think about coaching. But there's another side of the equation that receives far less attention:

Who protects coaches?

This week I'm joined by coach Sophia Parr (@swim.coach.sophie) for one of the most vulnerable conversations we've ever had on The Swim Brief.

Sophie shares the story of being removed from a high school coaching position ...

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Why do parents keep intervening in coaching decisions—and why does giving in usually make the problem worse?

In this solo brief, I describe the fear underneath parent pressure: the belief that failing to secure every possible opportunity means failing their child. I explore how coaches unintentionally reinforce that anxiety, why concessions invite more intervention, and how proactive communication can prevent c...

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Dave Salo has coached at every level of the sport—from NCAA championships to Olympic medals—but this conversation isn't about workouts or sets.

Instead, we explore the decisions that define great coaching.

We discuss why process matters more than outcomes, how a single sentence can change the way an athlete experiences failure, the transition from assistant coach to head coach, what it means to lead people...

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July 13, 2026 56 mins

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The head coach of Swimming and Diving at the University of Illinois Jeana Kempe joins to talk influences and the path of her coaching career. 

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July 6, 2026 86 mins

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David Marsh tells all about what his retirement actually looks like, and what he had planned if he was National Team Director.

Debrief: David Marsh Chris DeSantis ...
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June 29, 2026 58 mins

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Tracy Menzel joins to talk GAIN, Diversity and why she’s back coaching in her hometown.

Debrief: Tracy Menzel Chris DeSantis ...
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June 25, 2026 25 mins

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Recapping the day I spent following around USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan at last week’s Indy Pro Series event.

Bonus Pod: A Day with Greg Meehan Chris DeSa...
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June 22, 2026 60 mins

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Dave Durden joins to discuss how he approaches his unconventional start at Cal and his approaches to recruiting and hiring.

Debrief: Dave Durden Chris DeSantis
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June 15, 2026 43 mins

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Megan Devito, a high school swim coach and performance mindset coach, joins to talk shop on the value of coaching.

Debrief: Megan Devito
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The CEO of USA Swimming joins to share what he’s learned in his nine months on the job and what he thinks is possible for the future.

Debrief: Kevin Ring
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June 1, 2026 70 mins

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Former National Team and World Champion rower Cara Stawicki joins to talk shop and even turns the tables on me.

Links for Cara:

Website: https://carastawicki.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carastawicki/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-stawicki-6059196/

Book a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/carastawicki...

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Organizing my big picture reflections on the stupidest event in swimming history, and all the losers who tried to make it work.

riverside_christopher_swim_brief (1)
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Big shout out to the IDGI Podcast with Nate McKay and Kyle Johnson for helping me out with this week’s pod. Listen to hear me get interviewed by the guys, plus some thoughts on the top about the Loser Olympics.

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May 18, 2026 60 mins

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Glenn Mills, the owner and founder of Goswim, 1980 Olympian and all around man about the sport, joins to talk about what he sees in the swimming world.

Debrief: Glenn Mills Chris ...
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May 11, 2026 64 mins

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An old friend of the podcast, Kyle Johnson, returns to share his wisdom. Kyle also has a podcast, which you can follow for me to be on soon.

Debrief: Kyle Johnson Returns Chris De...
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May 4, 2026 49 mins

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James Marshall of GAIN and Excelsior Athletic Club joins to talk how he came to coach three sports, knowledge sharing and the athletic insights of Nassim Taleb.

Check out his website: https://excelsiorgroup.co.uk/

Link to James’ substack newsletter.

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First podcast of the book club, featuring USA Swimming’s Corey Manley. We discuss previous guest Kristoffer Henriksen’s book All You Need to Know About Talent Development. The book was co-authored with Carsten Hvid Larsen and Louise Kamuk Storm.

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April 20, 2026 31 mins

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In preparation for book clubbing with Corey Manley, I break down how I communicate about talent with coaches and athletes.

Solobrief: How to Talk About Talent Chris DeSantis
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April 13, 2026 35 mins

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Celebrating 1000 followers on instagram by taking listener questions. Want to have your question answered on the pod? Listen to the end of the pod for instructions!

Special 1000 Follower Solobrief ...
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