Steady State Podcast

It started with blasting tennis balls past the baseline and wanting to make frothy puddles from his single. And then a 12-year old Xeno Muller began to learn to focus his strength, passion, and rage. It led him to an undefeated college career at Brown, three Olympic appearances (including two medals), and more than 25 years dedicated to coaching rowers to find better technique, and more speed, on the erg.

When we sat down with Xeno...

Explore why some of our best rowing experiences happen beyond our boathouses—and why seeking out new boats, waters, people, and challenges doesn’t have to mean leaving your club behind.

We share some of our own adventures outside the usual club routine, then talk with Rachel Egner, Jenny Withycombe, and Steve Littlepage about preparing for an independent row around Vas...

Like millions of CrossFit athletes, Thais Camilo thought of the indoor rower as just one stop in a workout: hammer through a fast 500 meters, then move on to the next movement.

Everything changed when her husband, Gabriel, became interested in structured indoor rowing training. Together, the two software engineers built what would become ErgZone – a feature-rich app that replaces tedious monitor progr...

Jimmy Germano coxed the U.S. Jr. M8+ to gold at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2005, but he swears it was sheer luck – being in the right place at the right time with a great crew and a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude.

More than 20 years later, motivated to help others hone their coxing skills, you can find Jimmy pondering coxing and life on h...

Long before Jak Kazmarek joined Team Moar Than Us for the World’s Toughest Row Pacific, there was a moment when survival – not ocean rowing – was the goal. They made the phone call home: “The doctors don’t think I’m going to make it. You need to be on the next plane.”

Years of surgeries and recovery followed as Jak battled d...

When Megan Roark first learned to row at 12 years old, she couldn’t have known the sport would one day shape not only her athletic identity, but her approach to medicine. Years later, through her training and practice as a naturopathic doctor, Megan has come to appreciate rowing not just for its physical demands, but for its meditative qualities, too.

But rowers are famously stubborn: pushing through pain, skipping recovery w...

Rowing has a way of getting into your system and shaping everything that comes after. For Ruben Rapi, that started when he was seven years old in Greece, and led him all the way to the U23 Swedish National Team.

But it was stepping away from elite competition that gave Ruben a new perspective on rowing. Not just as a sport, but as a community that, in many places, is struggling to grow or adapt.

Today, Ruben and his brother Ahmet &...

Martin Helseth has always been drawn to the water. As a kid in Norway, he spent as much time beneath the surface as he did on it—free diving from a boat his father built, discovering a sense of calm and freedom below. Not long after, he found that same feeling in a rowing shell, first picking up the sport at age 10.

Through persistence and a deep connection to the water, he rose through the Norwegian system to become a two-ti...

Before RegattaCentral became the go-to platform for regatta registration, it was just an idea sparked by an Ohio State alum and rowing coach who saw a better way. We talk with founder and president Steve Lopez about his lightbulb moment in 1999 that brought rowing and early internet technology together, and how his idea quietly reshaped  regatta registration, data, and analytics. From fax machines, FedEx envelopes, and mo...

In 2021, then high school junior Cillian Mullen was at a pivotal moment — navigating his identity, the college recruitment process, and transgender athlete policies. Five years later, his journey has taken him to the U19 and U23 national teams, twice each, and the University of Washington. We catch up with Cillian to explore what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how he’s continuing to carve out his place in rowin...

Head to Michigan for our semi-regular club spotlight series to get to know Ann Arbor Rowing Club. We talk with masters rower Francine McBride about being a rower Mom, and the early days of the club in the 1980s; fundraising and marketing chair Andrea Danz about setting the groundwork for effective fundraising; and Coach Mary Giacobbe who tells us how AARC balances novices and experienced rowers along two tracks in one practice sess...

Mention Texas and you might picture the Wild West — flat, dusty highways, and tumbleweeds rolling by. But head to Austin, tucked into the Hill Country, and you’ll find something different.

Right in the heart of the city flows Lady Bird Lake, a stretch of the Colorado River that has become a daily gathering place for runners, paddlers, and rowers alike. On its banks sits a true Austin institution: Texas Rowing Cente...

Katie Weber was at home on the soccer field and basketball court. But after a brain cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries left her balance impaired, the athletic identity she’d always known felt suddenly out of reach.

For years, she searched for a way back.

That path led her to Seattle-based organization Seize the Oar, and to a sport that rewards patience, persistence, and the willingness to keep learning. Rowing didn&rsquo...

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Marnie McBean is one of the most decorated Canadian rowers of all time, and a driving force in our sport’s history. She’s been a mentor and leader for generations of athletes and now she’s also serving her country as a Senator in the Canadian Parliament, bringing that same curiosity, leadership, and commitment to service to national issues. 

Get ready to hear about her early ...

Nicki Plucinski discovered rowing as a teenager in Victoria, Australia. Though “woefully uninformed” going into her first 2k race, Nicki’s effort caught her coach’s attention and that day left a lasting impression. Nearly 30 years later, Nicki has turned that early experience into a mission. She founded Ratio Theory Rowing to give athletes the attention, direction, and information they need to succeed. In th...

Maurice Scott has been on a personal mission to be a face of positive change in the world of rowing. From beginning with zero Instagram followers, to the 2025 launch of Rowfluencers – what he calls the "#1 Rowing Talent & NIL marketing agency in the World" – Maurice has sought to  uplift the sport as a whole. He's dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of rowing through innovative marketing approaches.

 Rowing ...

We first met physical therapist Lisa Lowe in fall 2020 when she applied for and received one of our changemaker scholarships that allowed her to attend a US rowing conference. We checked in with her a year and a half later for a season three episode to talk about Lisa's experience with rehab following a car accident.

Today, Lisa is a sought after rowing specialist physical therapist near Boston, and guest author for Science of Rowi...

In 2025, the Head of the Charles regatta celebrates 60 years - so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to reflect and look ahead at this event that brings together thousands of rowers and fans to the shores of the Charles River in Boston. We’re incredibly honored to talk with D’Arcy MacMahon, one of three original founders of the regatta AND Fred Schoch, whose tenure as regatta executive director stretched 33 years. ...