STEADY STATE PODCAST
Start typing to search the podcast archive, and wait for results to pop up. Hitting return sometimes (incorrectly) returns zero results.
Special Episode: Liv Carlson Takes the Mic
When Vashon Island Rowing Club junior rower Liv Carlson was asked to interview someone they admire for a school project, they chose Steady State Podcast co-host Tara Morgan. The result? A thoughtful, wide-ranging 10-minute conversation that traces Tara's rowing journey—from learning to row in Tennessee, to rediscovering the sport as an adult in Seattle, founding Seize The Oar, and the coaches who shaped the way she now mentors others.
Getting Into the ErgZone with Thais Camilo
She once thought indoor rowing was just a 500m piece in a CrossFit workout. Today, Thais Camilo is the CEO of ErgZone, a popular training platform for indoor rowing. Curious about rowing tech? Thais shares how she and her husband Gabriel turned a side project into a platform used by athletes around the world, and what it's like as a female entrepreneur at the intersection of sport and technology.
Leadership on the Lake: Matt Knifton and Texas Rowing Center
Right in the heart Austin 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 Center. For owner Matt Knifton, this place isn’t just a business, it’s where his story has unfolded since the 1980s.
Coach Nicki Plucinksi: “First, Do What’s Hard”
Nicki Plucinski discovered rowing as a teenager in Australia, and 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 the mission behind Ratio Theory Rowing – to give athletes the attention, direction, and information they need to succeed.
Rowfluencers: Expanding the Reach and Impact of Rowing
From his early days rowing in Philly to the launch of Rowfluencers – what he calls the "#1 Rowing Talent & NIL marketing agency in the World" – Maurice Scott has sought to uplift the sport as a whole. He's dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of rowing through innovative marketing approaches. Using the playbook of pro sports, Rowfluencers takes the power of individual storytelling and amplifies it.
Grumpy Ribs and Twingy Backs with Physical therapist Lisa Lowe
Lisa Lowe is a sought after rowing specialist physical therapist. Her course Keys to Working with Rowers is designed to help rehabilitation professionals gain background knowledge of rowing. We talk high school growing pains, over training, grumpy ribs and twingy backs, knowing when to take a break, and the importance of having a care team that understands the fundamental movement patterns rowing.
The Business of Rowing: Inside RITA’s Vision for the SPort
Think of all the companies represented in your boathouse. Maybe it’s boats manufactured by Vespoli, Pocock, or Hudson, and ergs and oars by Concept2. Maybe your coach keeps communications going using iCrew, or you open up the ErgZone app for training workouts. All of these companies – and nearly 20 others – are members of the Rowing Industry Trade Association.
Tap Into Your Potential with Cara Stawicki
Cara Stawicki won gold in the Lightweight Women’s pair at the 2019 World Championships, but as a high school swimmer, a walk on to Lehigh University’s rowing program, and even as she moved into international competition, Cara struggled with confidence. Today, as the Founder of Be Brave High Performance, she facilitates peak performance and well-being in athletes, coaches and industry leaders through mindset training and personal development.
GB Olympian Caragh McMurtry: Advocate for Neurodiverse Athletes
Olympian Caragh McMurtry gives an unflinching look at living and rowing with a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, a follow-on diagnosis of autism, and struggling to fit the standard mold in the GB system. Now at the helm of Neurodiverse Sport, Caragh champions other neurodiverse athletes, aiming to reshape sport so individuals can thrive without needing to mask or compromise their unique needs.
SPECIAL SERIES
heart health & Emergencies
-
Only a handful of rowing clubs around the world cater specifically to the lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, questioning and ally community. In Part 1 of our Pride month special, we introduce you to leaders at DC Strokes Rowing Club and the Melbourne Argonauts Queer Rowing Club who talk with us about rowing and the gay rights movement in the 1990s, safe spaces, and why this part of the diversity issue is still relevant today.
-
Chicago Rowing Union (CRU) is the Midwest's only LGBTQ+ rowing organization, and one of just a few such clubs in the world. CRU member and social media manager Michael Toutloff talks with us about the importance of safe spaces and being yourself, finding community and competition on the water, and proudly flying the flag at regattas.
GENDER INCLUSION POLICIES
-
In 2021, 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, 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 rowing.
-
Dr. Mary O’Connor was a member of the influential 1976 Yale women’s rowing program that sparked big changes following the passage of Title IX. Today, she’s a member of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports – an advocacy group “seeking to elevate and empower female athletes by protecting safety, fairness, and opportunity for girls and women.”
-
In this second episode in a special series on gender identity policies in rowing, we talk with Ann Strayer, OLY, Varsity Women’s Coach at Oakland United Rowing. Together with fellow OUR coach and Olympian Erin Cafaro they have written a letter in support of USRowing’s gender identity policy, highlighting the importance of welcoming transgender and non-binary scholastic athletes into the boathouse, and allow them to row as the gender they identify with.
-
Gender Identity Policies series, part 3. Kevin Harris’s coaching career began in the early 1990s and culminated with 20+ years at the helm of the University of Tulsa women’s rowing program. Harris offers an in-depth and thought-provoking perspective on DEI, the importance of boathouses as welcoming spaces, the prevalence of transgender and non-binary rowers in the United States, and gender inclusion policies.
-
Gender Identity Policies series, part 4. The current USRowing gender inclusion policy leaves transgender, non-binary, and other gender nonconforming rowers with very few opportunities to race. Non-binary rower Dr. David Scherzer, and transgender rower/coach Bobbi Kizer, PhD explore their personal journeys with the sport and what policies and petitions mean for the future of rowing.
-
Boat clubs have historically catered to binary athletes, and are figuring out how to put out a welcome mat for trans, and gender non-conforming athletes. Our guests, two trans rowers, talk inclusion, courage, and supportive coaches and teammates.
pride
-
Willamette Rowing Club couple David Setter and Sarah Copeland are enthusiastic about having learned to row as adults and use the word "fun" to describe their rowing life way more than anyone else we've can think of. But one day in 2018, David had a heart attack. Together, David and Sarah recount that day and why he survived, and delve into recovery and returning to the boat. We also come to terms with erg splits going up as we get older and talk about learning to enjoy rowing for the sake of rowing.
-
A member of the first U.S. women’s Olympic team and a longtime masters rower, Sue Hooten has a lifetime of rowing memories. She learned to row in California in the early 1970s, really appreciated the boathouse sock box in Philadelphia, and has raced around the world. In March 2018, her husband, former National Team and Vesper Boat Club coach John Hooten, had a medical emergency on the water while training in his 1x. He was out with his training partner, without a coach, and – like most rowers – was not wearing a PFD.
-
Peter Kermond has been the face and voice of Burnham Boat Slings since purchasing the business in 1999. When he's not in the shop, or out rowing, he is probably manning a Burnham booth at a regatta. That’s where we met him – at Head of the Charles – in 2022, just a month after he survived a widow maker heart attack. Peter and his wife Carin Reynolds are both successful national team and masters rowers and high school coaches. They are a testament to teamwork, as they navigated Peter’s health emergency and rehabilitation, and his return to racing.
-
Damion Winship had only been coaching for the Ancient Mariners Rowing Club for a short while the morning his coaching life changed. A masters rower new to his program had a heart attack on the water. Hear how Damion worked through his emergency checklist, how his CPR training kicked in, and how the crew worked together to try to save a life.
When we know what our listeners care about, we can create great podcasts and programming just for you!