Social Kick • Swim Culture & Stories

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Burnout. Origin stories. World Championship trials.

Anna Peplowski, Skyler Smith, and Isabelle Stadden sit down for their most real conversation yet.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The reality of burnout and how to push through it

• What it really takes to come back from three weeks of racing

• The origin stories that shaped who they are as athletes

• Why short course meters breaks even the best swimmers

• The training sets that test your limits

• What Westmont offers and what's next

Sponsors:

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Connect With our Hosts:

https://www.instagram.com/skylerasmithhh/

https://www.instagram.com/isabellestadden/

https://www.instagram.com/anna_peplowski/

Connect With Social Kick:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

📱 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkickswim/

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to SUBSCRIBE and SHARE with a friend!

In this episode of Season Pass, Skyler Smith, Isabelle Stadden, and Anna Peplowski reunite to recap a packed week of swimming. Anna calls in from Astana, Kazakhstan, wrapping up the World Cup circuit after stops in Baku and Tashkent. She shares stories from the road, including a scary hospital visit in Uzbekistan and going a best time in the 200 free.

Meanwhile, Skyler and Isabelle are at UVA for the Virginia Pro-Am, a low-pressure short course meters meet ahead of World Short Course Championship trials. The trio breaks down their training weeks and what it feels like to race deep in the grind of "Rocktober."

The conversation shifts to the College Swimming League, where they recap recent matches, marvel at fast early-season swims, and debate whether the league should expand next year. They wrap up with meet-day superstitions and post-meet meal cravings before signing off.

Sponsors:

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Connect With our Hosts:

https://www.instagram.com/skylerasmithhh/

https://www.instagram.com/isabellestadden/

https://www.instagram.com/anna_peplowski/

Connect With Social Kick:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

📱 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkickswim/

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to SUBSCRIBE and SHARE with a friend!

Elite swimmers Skyler Smith, Isabelle Stadden & Anna Peplowski kick off Social Kick's brand-new Season Pass series!

While Anna couldn't join the live conversation this week because she's competing on the World Aquatics World Cup circuit, she checks in from overseas to share her racing experiences and adventures.

Meanwhile, Skyler & Isabelle debate whether the CSL is pushing swimmers TOO FAR with 10+ races and just 2 minutes of rest, reveal their BRUTAL swim sets, open up about throwing up during practice and the mental battles of elite swimming, their road to making the Short Course World Championships, what happens if they DON'T qualify, why pro swimmers get paid to nap, and MORE...

Sponsors:

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Connect With our Hosts:

https://www.instagram.com/skylerasmithhh/

https://www.instagram.com/isabellestadden/

https://www.instagram.com/anna_peplowski/

Connect With Social Kick:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

📱 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkickswim/

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

Introducing Season Pass, a brand-new podcast series from Social Kick! 🏊‍♀️🎙️

Go behind the scenes with elite U.S. swimmers Skyler Smith, Isabelle Stadden, and Anna Peplowski as they train, compete, and chase their dreams of qualifying for the Short Course World Championships.

Follow their journey through this exclusive 8-episode series, featuring real conversations, intense training, and an inside look at life as a professional swimmer.

Connect With Our Season Pass Hosts:

Skyler Smith - https://www.instagram.com/skylerasmithhh/

Isabelle Stadden - https://www.instagram.com/isabellestadden/

Anna Peplowski - https://www.instagram.com/anna_peplowski/

What happens when one of the fastest backstrokers in history discovers that the secret to going faster might be the one training style she's always dreaded? Claire Curzan pulls back the curtain on the grind behind the glory, the mental warfare of elite competition, and the surprising lessons hiding inside college swimming's boldest experiment.

Claire Curzan is a 4x NCAA champion, international gold medalist, and one of the most dominant backstrokers in the world. Currently swimming her senior season at the University of Virginia under coach Todd DeSorbo, she holds the top five 200-yard backstrokes of all time, with one of them being a time she dropped in September, coming off what she calls "aerobic graveyard."

In this episode, she explains:

■ The Block Slip: A recounting of falling off the starting block during a high-stakes relay, and how the embarrassment fueled an even faster swim on the very next rep.

■ The Aerobic Paradox: How weeks of grueling, sprint-free distance training unexpectedly unlocked the fourth-fastest 200 backstroke ever, forcing a rethinking of what race prep actually requires.

■ The CSL Revolution: Why a bold new college swimming format delivered the most fun meet she's ever experienced — surpassing even World Championships and the Olympics.

■ The Doubt Playbook: How leaning on training memory, team identity, and a sports psychologist helped her build a pre-race routine that holds up even when the variables collapse.

■ The UVA Crucible: Training alongside Olympic-caliber teammates means constant exposure to excellence — and the challenge isn't imitation, but knowing which pieces to absorb and which to leave behind.

Sponsors:

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

🏊‍♂️ Grown Up Swimming — https://www.grownupswimming.com/

Connect With our Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/claire.curzan/

Connect With Social Kick:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

📱 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkickswim/

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Support the Podcast: https://socialkickswim.com/shop

World-class butterflyer Ilya Kharun joins the Social Kick podcast to talk about his switch from Canada to Team USA, racing Caeleb Dressel at nationals, and going 19.4 in the 50 fly SCY in practice.

We talk about chasing sub-50 in the 100 fly, his underwater speed, NCAA format changes, the College Swimming League, ISL skins, his YouTube vlog, sponsorships, and the future of college recruiting.

Connect With our Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/ilya_kharun/

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

📱 Follow us on Instagram: @socialkickswim

🌐 Visit us at www.socialkickswim.com

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Support the Podcast: https://socialkickswim.com/shop

Former Stanford swim coach Tracy Slusser joins Social Kick to discuss her career pivot from coaching Olympic athletes like Katie Ledecky to launching a leadership coaching business for coaches.

She opens up about women in coaching, parental leave in sports, work-life balance on the pool deck, and her push for policy changes to support coaches navigating family and career at the NCAA and national team level.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

📱 Follow us on Instagram: @socialkickswim

🌐 Visit us at www.socialkickswim.com

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off
👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Support the Podcast: https://socialkickswim.com/shop

The College Swimming League CEO joins us to break down the prize money, broadcast deals, and the format for the 2026 launch.

We are looking at the specifics of the new College Swimming League. With 12 teams competing across 8 meets, this setup is built specifically for television audiences rather than traditional timing.

The league has already locked in a major swimming broadcast partnership with ESPN and DAZN to bring the sport to a wider audience.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
📱 Follow us on Instagram: @socialkickswim
🌐 Visit us at www.socialkickswim.com

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — http://ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — http://TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Support the Podcast: https://socialkickswim.com/shop

Chris Guiliano returns to Social Kick to recap his Pan Pacs season, discuss adapting to training in Austin, and answer audience questions about the gallop stroke, sprinter warmups, tech suits, and more.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

📱 Follow us on Instagram: @socialkickswim

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share with your swim friends, and leave a comment telling us what you liked!

🛒 Elsmore Swim Shop — ElsmoreSwim.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

👕 Tall Slim Tees — TallSlimTees.com | Code SOCIALKICK for 20% off

Support the Podcast: https://socialkickswim.com/shop

PanPac champion McKenzie Siroky joins Social Kick to break down her breakout season, U.S. Nationals win, and rise in the 50 and 100 breaststroke.

We talk swimming tips, swimming technique, swim drills, swimming practice, nutrition, and how to swim faster.

Plus, McKenzie shares her journey from hockey to competitive swimming and her approach to becoming a better swimmer.

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

📱 Follow us on Instagram: @socialkickswim

🌐 Visit us at http://www.socialkickswim.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share with your swim friends, and leave a comment telling us what you liked!

Episode 313 of The Social Kick Podcast features Indiana University sprint coach John Long! Fresh off a historic season where the IU men scored massive points at NCAAs and the women shattered relay records, Coach Long joins Bryan Lundquist and Dr. John Mullen.

From transitioning through the legendary coaching trees of Auburn (Marsh, Quick, Hawke) to implementing ultra-low volume sprint blocks, experimenting with Kaatsu training, underwater cameras, and the upcoming College Swim League (CSL) innovations, John breaks down the modern evolution of collegiate sprint training.

Episode 312 of The Social Kick Podcast features rising swimming sensation Rowan Cox! Fresh off an incredible performance at US Nationals where he dropped two seconds in the 100 fly to clock a blistering 50.6—finishing third behind Caleb Dressel and Ilya Kharun and breaking Thomas Heilman's National Age Group (NAG) record—Rowan joins Dr. John Mullen and Bryan Lundquist.

From adjusting to Bob Bowman’s intense training groups at UT (including surviving the infamous lifeguard-warning underwater sets), discovering Chad le Clos randomly at Barton Springs, sharing hilarious summer league memories with Beyblades and ice cream dibs, to balancing a deep addiction to Minecraft with an elite professional mindset, Rowan breaks down what it takes to make the massive leap to the next level.

Episode 311 of The Social Kick Podcast features swimming icon and legend Chad le Clos. Fresh off an incredible performance at the Commonwealth Games—where he made history by becoming the most decorated athlete in the games' history—Chad joins the full crew to talk about his storied career, current mindset, and what keeps him driven in the sport.

From overcoming physical adversity and injury, finding a renewed love for racing, and preparing for the short course season all the way to LA 2028, Chad opens up about the highs and lows of elite swimming, working with coach Delon Danhauser, studying Michael Phelps, and what it truly takes to sprint butterfly at the highest level.

Episode 310 of The Social Kick Podcast features friend of the show, content creator, and elite swim coach João Mescolote. Fresh off an incredible 6,500-mile road trip visiting top college swimming and club programs across the country, João sits down with the full crew to share what he learned about the modern landscape of swimming.

From the shifting dynamics of NCAA coaching and the evolution of swim physiology to growing up as a sprinter in Brazil, his time at LSU, post-swimming bodybuilding, and finding a lifelong passion for coaching, this episode is packed with insights for competitive swimmers, coaches, and swim fans alike!

Elite swimming analyst and commentator Kurt Mills Hanson joins the Social Kick podcast for episode 309 to drop unfiltered opinions on everything from the golden era of Australian broadcasting and the politics of World Aquatics to radical ideas for saving the sport.

Join hosts Bryan Lundquist and Dr. John Mullen as Kurt shares behind-the-scenes stories of crafting hard-copy media guides before the internet, navigating massive industry backlash for his involvement with the Enhanced Games, and debating the future of professional swimming.

Dive into high-level discussions on why swimming needs a tennis-style major circuit, eliminating country quotas, trimming endless medal ceremonies, and transitioning college programs to short-course meters.

Elite swimmer Anna Moesch returns to the Social Kick podcast for episode 308 to break down her massive athletic leap over the past year, including winning an NCAA title in the 200 free and clocking a blistering 51-second 100 free.

Join hosts Bryan Lundquist and John Mullen as they dive into Anna's behind-the-scenes training journey. Discover how she handles brutal altitude training blocks at the Olympic Training Center, incorporates high-aerobic volume to conquer late-race pain, and utilizes specific stroke and power rack drills to unlock elite front-end speed.

Get a front-row seat to the daily culture of excellence at Virginia and learn what it takes to train alongside the best sprinters in the world.

How does a former 800 freestyler from Fiji become an 18-second 50 freestyler in one of the fastest sprint environments in the NCAA? In this episode of the Social Kick Podcast, Arizona State University's Tolu Young shares his incredible journey from the "no rush, no worries" island culture of Fiji to the highly competitive, smack-talking pool deck at ASU. T

olu breaks down his unexpected transition from a self-proclaimed terrible distance swimmer into a pure 50 freestyler after moving to Washington State during the 2020 lockdowns. We dive deep into the cutting edge of sprint training as Tolu explains his role in ASU's highly specialized "Ultra Sprint" group.

He discusses his experiences utilizing USRPT, experimenting with the Cameron McEvoy method, and the brutal realities of Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue when training at absolute maximum velocity. Tolu also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the ASU training culture, his goals representing Fiji at the upcoming Commonwealth Games, and why he completely avoids swimming 100s in practice. I

f you are a swim nerd interested in the evolution of low-volume, high-power sprint training, you won't want to miss this!

How does a multi-sport athlete who trained in the pool just 2 to 4 times a week become one of the fastest freestylers in the NCAA? In this episode of the Social Kick Podcast, we sit down with Indiana University sensation Liberty Clark to unpack her wildly unique path to swimming stardom.

Growing up in Chico, California, Liberty balanced club volleyball, judo, and soccer with a low-yardage summer league swimming approach. She breaks down the massive culture shock of moving to IU, where she went from swimming 3,000-yard maximum practices to surviving 5,000-meter long course conditioning sets (and yes, there were tears). Liberty also opens up about growing up as the daughter of Olympic medalist and World Record holder Haley Cope Clark, what it’s really like racing alongside IU teammate Anna Peplowski in practice, and her elite mindset hack of visualizing a 1:37 200 Free just to make a 1:42 feel "easy."

Plus, we dive into the age-old debate: Why doesn't Short Course Yards swimming get the same World Record respect as NCAA Track and Field? Whether you're a multi-sport athlete, a sprinter trying to survive aerobic sets, or just a fan of elite NCAA swimming, this episode is packed with honest insights and laughs.

Australia’s distance freestyle king has returned! Fresh off a historic performance at the 2026 Australian Trials—where he became the first man since Grant Hackett to sweep the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyles—Samuel Short joins the Social Kick Podcast to break down exactly how he did it.

In this episode, Sam takes us behind the scenes of his elite training block. From brutal high-altitude camps in Flagstaff to managing his sleep and body composition with Oura Rings and dietitians, Sam leaves no stone unturned. He details exactly what he eats in a day to survive massive double sessions, why he’s taking fueling cues from pro cyclists, and what it’s actually like to train with a biomechanist yelling at you during a lactate set. We also break down Sam's race strategy.

Sam breaks down his insane 7:36 in the 800m Free, the unbelievable world record pacing of his international competitors, and why he loves racing guys who try to take the race out fast. Plus, we get into some classic swimmer debates: is it better to double-breathe off the wall or put your head down? And what is the most vulnerable World Record right now?

In this episode of Social Kick, we are joined by the "Father of NIL," Grant House! As the lead plaintiff in the landmark House v. NCAA case, Grant completely changed the landscape of college sports. But he’s not stopping there. Grant is now focused on educating athletes, speaking at universities across the country, and developing his own performance consulting business. We discuss the evolving world of NIL, exploring what brands are actually looking for from Olympic athletes and how swimmers can better monetize their careers.

Grant shares his experience attending Athlete Con in Las Vegas and the surprising truth about how many brands and athletes still don't fully understand the NIL landscape.

But it's not all business—we also tackle some hot topics! Grant gives his unfiltered take on the highly controversial Enhanced Games, discussing why athletes deserve fair compensation and why the swimming community needs to stop shutting down new opportunities. We also debate the ethics of sports betting, propose a new "World Record Lottery" system to pay swimmers millions, and discuss the optimal temperature for a sauna recovery session.