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

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode of the Physical Preparation Podcast, host Mike Robertson welcomes Megan Young, a veteran strength and conditioning coach with a remarkable career spanning collegiate, professional soccer, and elite sports performance. Megan shares her origin story—from being reluctantly recruited into track and field as a high schooler to becoming a leading performance coach for the Seattle Sounders and NFL combine prep. A pivotal moment in her journey was her 2015 diagnosis with acute myeloid leukemia, which she describes as "the best thing that ever happened to me" due to the profound shift in perspective it brought. She reflects on how her experience with cancer deepened her empathy, fueled her purpose, and led her to launch Signal Strength, a new venture focused on sensory integration and performance education for coaches and the general public. Megan emphasizes the importance of curiosity, lifelong learning, and the value of peer networks over traditional mentorship in the modern coaching landscape. She also discusses the evolving role of the generalist in a world increasingly shaped by AI, advocating for coaches to expand their knowledge across disciplines while maintaining a human-centered approach. Her mission—to impact 100 million lives through performance and well-being—drives her current entrepreneurial leap, marking a powerful evolution from elite sport to broader societal impact. Key takeaways include: 1) Embrace curiosity as a lifelong journey—Megan frames her learning as "curiosity voyages" that lead to deeper understanding over time; 2) Use adversity as a catalyst for growth—her cancer experience transformed her purpose, making service and connection central to her work; 3) Prioritize relationships and peer learning—she values shared knowledge exchange with peers more than hierarchical mentorship; 4) Be a generalist with depth—AI enables coaches to synthesize information faster, allowing them to focus on contextual application rather than data collection; 5) Take calculated risks when you're ready—after 20 years of success, Megan stepped away from a stable pro career to build something new, driven by a mission, not just a job. Her story is a testament to the power of self-reflection, resilience, and the courage to reinvent oneself.