Advertise on podcast: NIAAA Pulse: The Beat of Interscholastic Athletics

On this edition of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin is joined by Fall 2026 IAA author Dr. Mark Rerick to discuss his article titled "Finding a Shared Reality." Together, they discuss how to approach hard conversations as an athletic administrator and ways to make them as productive as possible. Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On this edition of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin is joined by Summer 2026 IAA author Jeff Behrens to discuss his article titled "Bringing the Core Principles of Your Athletic Department to Life." Together, they discuss what exactly core principles are, why they matter, and how to get practical with them. Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On this episode of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin is joined by coworkers Aaliyah Prim and Becky Moran to unpack the upcoming 57th National Athletic Directors Conference! Since it's the premier event cohosted by the NIAAA and NFHS, there's a lot for attendees to look forward to and take advantage of over the course of five days. The conference takes place from December 11-15, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona this year – we hope to see you there! Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On this NIAAA Pulse, Justin is joined by Jon Winer, CMAA, an author in the Summer 2026 IAA. His article titled "Creating Surplus Value as a High School Student-Athlete" sheds light on ways athletes can transition from only taking value away from a community, and instead start using their talents and energy to positively impact others. You can read the article here if you haven't already! Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On the latest episode of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin welcomes on Dr. Branden Lippy, an athletic administrator from Pennsylvania and author of the article titled "Specialization or Sampling? What High School ADs Are Saying About the Future of Student-Athletes." Together, they talk about the study she conducted in conjunction with the article, what steps ADs can take, and how changing the culture is perhaps the best way to make an impact. Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On this episode of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin welcomes on Publications Committee Vice Chair Denny Ziegler to discuss his article from the Winter 2025 IAA, "Enhancing Education Based Athletics Through Integrating a Sports Management and Media Program." Together, they go through all the benefits, what it takes to get a program like this started, and some of the challenges. Follow the NIAAA on: Bluesky | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

It's a brand new episode and Justin is joined by the new NIAAA Board President – Dr. Dustin Smith! Reigning from Oklahoma, Dustin works at Broken Arrow Public Schools as the Executive Director of Athletics. Justin and Dustin dive into the focus he has as president, his approach as an AD, and some of his thoughts on the profession as a whole. Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

The NIAAA Pulse is back and Justin is joined by Publications Committee members Lindsay Youngdahl, CAA and Jeremy Eubank, CMAA to discuss authorship for the NIAAA magazine, the IAA. Whether you've been interested in writing an article for or haven't thought of it all, this will help you get started. Your voice is wanted – the IAA needs all different types of perspectives! Email [email protected] if you have questions or to submit an article. Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

It's that time of year! Of course, the holidays are near, but the 56th National Athletic Directors Conference (NADC) is right around the corner. Whether you're joining us in Tampa, Florida or not, get up to date on this year's NADC and what you can expect from our annual gathering. Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

On this episode of the NIAAA Pulse, Justin is joined by Kat Williams, CAA to discuss her article in the Fall 2025 IAA, "Surviving the First Year as a High School Athletics Director." Together, they cover the importance of communication, setting clear goals, prioritzing tasks, and more! Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

The NIAAA's Quality Program Assessment (QPA) is growing and we have Andrea Bell and Josh Mathews on the pod this week to discuss their recent experiences of completing the QPA! Andrea is the District Assistant Athletic Director at Greenville School District and Josh is the Athletic Administrator at Pope High School.  The District QPA Cohort opens this Sunday, September 7 – if you qualify and are interested, make sure to apply!  Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

Justin is joined by NIAAA Executive Director Phil Rison, CMAA for the first time on the pod! Together, they go over the NIAAA 6th Strategic Plan finalization, 2024-2025 membership numbers, and NIAAA U Cohort updates! Plus, a new legal services form was approved by the Board of Directors for members to use as a resource. Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

Let's talk about onboarding coaches! Justin is joined by Dena Scott and Lyndsay Watts to go over their article from the Summer 2025 IAA. Together, they talk about how crucial expectation setting is, ongoing support for coaches, and making sure they feel welcomed to your program.  Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

We're diving into the triangle offense of education-based relationships! Our guest Don Baker, CMAA wrote an article in our Summer 2025 IAA titled "The Parent-Coach-Athlete Triangle," detailing how each individual relationship in this triangle is extremely important in their own way. We'll break it all down with Don and he'll give us some examples along the way! Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music

When it comes to girls' sports in interscholastic athletics, on the surface it appears they have equal opportunties compared to boys. In reality, there may be small things beneath the surface that communicate something different to the girls in an athletic department. Authors Dr. Tim Green and Dr. Allison Kelley talk in-depth about this topic in an article in the Summer 2025 IAA. Join us as we discuss the article and more together! Follow us on: Bluesky || Twitter || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn Music Track: Stadium Rock by Pufino Source: freetouse.com/music Copyright Free Background Music