Summary In this episode, Cristi Bartlett (Assistant Athletic Director for Strength and Conditioning at NC State) shares her journey to becoming a strength coach. She talks about her experiences at various universities and sports organizations, including the University of Pennsylvania, the XFL, and in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. Cristi emphasizes the importance of networking, being adaptable, and learning from mentors. In this episode, we discuss the value of perseverance, humility, and continuous learning in building a successful career in the sports industry. This episode also discusses the challenges of working with others who have rigid mindsets, and the importance of collaboration and asking "why". We conclude this episode with how there is a limited availability of dietitians in athletics, when there is such a need for a nutrition education presence due to the challenges of information overload and the impact it has on athletes' nutrition and training. Finally, it delves into strategies for creating buy-in from athletes and building trust. Takeaways Be open-minded and adaptable in coming up in your career, training methods and nutrition practices.Collaborate and be humble when working with colleagues from different disciplines.The availability of dietitians in athletics is limited, but their role is crucial in optimizing athletes' performance.Information overload can lead to confusion and misinformation in nutrition and training.Creating buy-in from athletes requires finding ways to integrate their preferences and goals into the program and building trust.Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:00 The Journey Begins: From College to Internships 08:00 Moving to Philadelphia and Starting at University of Pennsylvania 12:00 Moving to Nashville and Working with the Tennessee Titans 18:00 Transitioning to Bryn Mawr College and the XFL 20:00 Returning to NC State and Reflecting on the Journey 24:00 Learning from Experience and Mentors 31:00 Nutrition Philosophy and Red Flags 34:47 Lack of Flexibility in Training Methods 36:20 Dealing with Rigid Colleagues 38:28 Collaboration and Humility 39:57 Limited Availability of Dietitians in Athletics 41:57 Importance of Dietitians in Collegiate Athletics 43:00 Challenges of Information Overload 45:03 Creating Buy-In from Athletes