Physical Preparation Podcast Archives - Robertson Training Systems

Megan Young on Personal Growth, New Challenges, and Curiosity Voyages

Mar 20, 2026

Megan Young, collegiate thrower-turned strength & conditioning coach and founder of Signal Strength, shares her journey from NCAA throwing to pro soccer and entrepreneurship. She discusses curiosity-driven learning, the rise of the generalist coach, sensory-integration and neuroscience after cancer, and why she stepped away from pro sport to impact more athletes.

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ANECDOTE

Reluctant Thrower Turned Strength Coach

Megan Young accidentally became a collegiate thrower after her high school teacher insisted she try track; she won her first meet and changed majors to pursue strength and conditioning.
Her college strength coach Jimmy Mayhew recruited her two weeks into freshman year, which launched her S&C career and shifted her career goal from law to coaching.

INSIGHT

Roots Of Modern Strength And Conditioning

Early S&C culture came from bodybuilding, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting with coaches learning from text-based resources like elitefts and Super Training.
Megan credits Super Training and Poliquin-era frameworks for shaping foundational approaches before modern sport science tools existed.

ADVICE

Add Breadth Not Just Depth

Become a curious generalist: learn across domains instead of hyper-niching so you can integrate specialist knowledge into broader programs.
Use niche experts as consultants, then apply their findings contextually at the macro level of athlete or team programming.

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Well it only took 500-some episodes, but I finally made it happen!

Today we welcome the one and only Megan Young to the Physical Prep Podcast.

This conversation was so much fun, especially learning more about her journey from reluctant track and field thrower, to collegiate strength coach, to cancer survivor, and then finally with her success with the MLS’ Seattle Sounders.

Meg’s resilience and passion for S&C are truly inspiring, and I know you’re going to love learning more about her, as well as what she’s up to these days.

So without any further ado, let’s do this!

Quotable Quotes:

Success in performance coaching increasingly comes from cultivating a broad, curious mindset rather than hyper-focusing on a single niche

Prioritizing internal validation and purpose over external markers like titles or wins transforms coaching into a meaningful, sustainable career

AI’s most significant role in coaching is in handling large data sets and synthesis, freeing humans to focus on contextual interpretation and nuanced decisions

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

Meg’s journey from reluctant track and field thrower to high-level performance coach
The power of curiosity and continuous learning in achieve elite performance
How strength and conditioning evolved from bodybuilding, powerlifting and Olympic-lifting into what it is today
Why mentors and an awesome peer group are such a critical piece of coaching development
How being diagnosed with cancer impacted not only Megan’s coaching career, but her outlook on life as well
The process she went through at the end of every year, and why she ultimately decided to step away from pro sports this year
What she’s excited about and working on now that she’s never shared before!
The advice she would give to young, up-and-coming coaches who want to attain high-levels of success throughout their career

Connect with Megan:

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The post Megan Young on Personal Growth, New Challenges, and Curiosity Voyages appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.