Dustin Heise 0:00

Right on. Well, it's so good to get some more time together, Austin. And here we are. It's uh never a dull moment. You've got camps going on, we've got training going on here back up in uh in Canada, and we never get enough time to just spend and and dialogue around you know what got us here and how as leaders we get the opportunity to continue to to make impression on people, mentor people, and be able to have people listen to, you know, the lessons that we've gained along the way. Today's guest is Austin Palado, associate head swim coach at Washington State University and one of the rising coaching leaders in collegiate swimming, from producing all Americans and national champions to helping athletes reach Olympic and international stages. He's built a reputation for developing both performance and people. Welcome, Austin. Thanks so much for taking some time today, man.

Austin Pillado 0:49

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's uh it's great to be here.

Dustin Heise 0:52

Yeah, well, it's really cool to see how you've been able to build such an incredible career in such a short period of time. Do you mind just sharing a little bit about, you know, you've coached NCAA champions, you've coached Olympians. What defining moment shaped the coach that you are today?

Austin Pillado 1:09

Yeah, I mean, there's probably a lot of different moments over the course of my career, but there's one that stood out to me in within my very first year of coaching. I was a volunteer assistant at Texas AM with the women's swim team there. And we had just wrapped up SECs. Um, and I was still kind of getting my feet wet within coaching, just being fresh out of college as well. But was very fortunate to be in the spot that I was at. And I worked a little closer with our distance group there, but we got to rotate around and help all the groups. But we had SECs, one of our freshmen distance swimmers was just off of making NCAs in the 500-free. And we usually have what we call last chance meets over here, where you know, sometimes, depending on what the time period is, that's another chance for you to qualify for NCAs if you get that time standard within that. So we actually hosted our own last chance meet over the course of about two days. And she raised the 500-free again in prelims, was just off, raced it again at finals, got faster, but was still gonna be on the bubble. It wasn't really a guarantee as far as if she was gonna make it in or not. And then we decided the next day that she was gonna time trial that 500-free. And she actually ended up doing it by herself. She didn't have anyone to race. Um, no one else wanted to enter that that time trial at the at the time. We had our entire team on the side, coaches, including myself, and just watched her just control her own race and swim it the way that she needed to swim it. And she ended up dropping even more time just doing it by herself. And I always remember the time that she punched the wall, looked out the time, and just the the expression that she had on her face. I'm like, that was the moment for me. I'm like, yeah, I'm meant to be doing what I'm doing right now. Like, this is everything that I can ever possibly imagine or dreamed of when it came to coaching. It's not really, I couldn't tell you what the time is. I have no idea what the time was. It was just well, the reaction that she had and the realization that she did something that she never thought was possible. And that was within my first year of coaching. So I kind of just ran with that and loved finding those moments anytime I can.

Dustin Heise 3:08

For sure. I mean, man, just goosebumps listening to you share it, knowing that so many coaches or leaders, when you get that moment and you see the athlete or a rising leader, they realize something that they've done is special and they realize that they're growing and you are a part of that growth. Those connections are are like you say, they're they're lifelong. And you know, often we get so much more out of them as leaders than and coaches than than the athlete or the or the person we're trying to mentor for sure. But that's the thing. Like great coaches develop more than just performance. And how do you build trust and you know, trust in the culture within the team that you're building and tying that into excellence at the same time?

Austin Pillado 3:47

Yeah, I think it all stems from just getting to know the athletes or the student athletes, whoever you're typically working with. I and I mean getting to know them as a human being first rather than what type of athlete they are as far as they're competing, what type of student they are. I really try to get to know them as far as you know, where they're coming from, what's their family background, what motivates them, what makes them tick, you know, if they're having a good day or if they're having a bad day, how can I make that day better? And just building that overall relationship with them, I think is the most important thing to start off with, where they have to realize it's it's not a 50-50 relationship. It's 100% effort for myself as a coach and 100% effort from them as a student athlete. And showing them that we're in this together, it's not just I'm gonna write something on a paper and hope that it works. And you know, if you're putting in the work, it's a little bit of a better probability that it is gonna work. But it's showing them that I'm not afraid to fail with you, I'm not afraid to succeed with you. And I think when you're with them on that level, they automatically have a lot more trust in what you're doing. So they're not afraid to go for those moments on a more consistent basis.

Dustin Heise 4:51

Love hearing that. I love that you're so in it with them for them. And that's the trust connector because people can tell in general, just like how badly you want it for them, and it's not about you. And I can tell like that's what you make it as the foundation of any relationship. And and I'd like to say that that's what most can see from me as well. But can you lean into that a little bit as far as like how do you know when you're building that kind of connection with the athlete or or the other person that you're trying to grow that with? What do you lean into to make sure that that's understood?

Austin Pillado 5:25

Yeah, I think, you know, I look back on a lot of my experiences when I was competing at this level as well. And, you know, what I looked for in my past coaches, you know, I've had my fair share of not so great coaches and really good coaches that were super influential in my life. And I always look back, and as far as like when I was in their shoes as a gene athlete, I'm like, what do I need as an athlete to be successful? And not just the times that I'm shooting for on the board, but just to be successful in life and you know, to help develop me on the right path. And, you know, that's the type of coach that I'm trying to be for them. I look back at one of my club coaches very late in my career, it was actually midway through college. I switched club coaches when I came back home to train for the summer. He was a former Olympian for Poland, former Olympic record holder in the 400 free as well. And I was going through a plateau, kind of going through a hard part of my career. And he helped me fall back in love with the sport and you know, just brought me out of that plateau and just got me to think about swimming in a different way where he brings a lot of positivity and you can see him on the deck. He's running up and down the deck with you as you're going through the race. And I try to be very animated for these girls here and to be their hype man as much as I can. So I think when I'm there in that moment, I I kind of feel what they're feeling. You know, I I know exactly what they're kind of going through. And if I don't, I'm not afraid to ask. I like to get feedback from them as much as I can so it makes me a better coach and a better person as well.

Dustin Heise 6:47

Oh, that's so awesome, man. Thank you for sharing that, by the way. It's uh always so meaningful when you you dig into how you know someone else built you and how you're trying to emulate that and doing it in your own way. You've coached multiple of the programs. What do you find separates teams that sustain success from those that simply have talent?

Austin Pillado 7:07

Yeah, I think it's the ability to do the small things right on a consistent basis. You know, it's it's really less about just putting in the work in the pool at this point. I think everyone is exceptionally talented no matter where I've been. But I think what truly separates the really good athletes from the elite athletes is what they do outside the pool that truly matters. It's, you know, they really prioritize the recovery, they really prioritize the mental health, they really prioritize every minuscule detail that comes into, you know, what makes them successful. And I think it's you can strive for perfection even though it doesn't exist, but if you keep going for that, you're gonna achieve greatness along the way.

Dustin Heise 7:47

Most certainly. I couldn't help, while you're sharing that, just thinking how that's so true for leadership development and building a great business. And so just that attention to detail, that's sticking with the process. It's not always glitch and glamour. Eventually the results will have snapshots of that, but it's everything you do that's below the line and behind the scenes for the detail and that work ethic and perseverance that ultimately, you know, you see it day in, day out athletically. And the worlds that we both operate in, you see it in leadership, you see it in business. And I think that's just so, you know, that's the beauty of sport because it's such a good example in the real world of of how both business and leadership are so close to athletics. One of the pieces that, you know, recently you brought NCAA level coaching to athletes in East Africa. I'd like to hear a little bit about that experience and what did that teach you, especially about the power of sport.

Austin Pillado 8:44

Yeah, I mean, that was by far one of the most pitiful moments in my career and honestly my life. I remember this can be a very tough profession, and sometimes like coaches will get burnt out as well. And I remember after NCAs, after all the trials meets that I was getting the girls ready for, I was mentally just fried. And I just didn't know, especially with all the changes that we're seeing in college athletics today, I'm like, I'm not sure coaching at this level is sometimes worth it. But then when I got the chance to go to East Africa in Tanzania and run that camp over there, and just seeing the appreciation for, you know, just the opportunity to get better from every aspect, not just from the athletes there, but from the coaches that came to work that clinic as well. It definitely just made me remember, you know, why I do what I do. And, you know, it made me just fall back in love with coaching and just lit a fire underneath me. It was an amazing opportunity, not just to be able to host a camp, but to also provide education, provide exposure to what it takes to get to that next level for them. They've got very talented swimmers over there. And, you know, I was just really taken back with there's so much potential, and I think they needed a little bit more development on the fundamentals or just getting education on like what they need to do outside the pool, uh, what do they need to do to continue climbing up the ladder as far as those international meets that they're shooting for. And I'm not necessarily an expert by any means, but I it was really nice to see that they were just taking everything in like a sponge. And I think that's the best thing that anyone can do to improve is just have that ability to learn and open up to being curious about what it takes to get better.

Dustin Heise 10:21

Well, it's an you know, it hits home where sport constantly makes such a difference in people's lives and and and globally in areas where, you know, you don't always, especially from our, you know, North American context, you know, we have so much here and you know, we're we're so blessed. But you know, you can take that love of sport and and deploy it so that all others across the world can learn and have that same love and passion and feel that love and passion that you have for your sport, as you already know from your swimming days to your coaching days, you know, how demanding swimming is, how demanding sport can be. How do you help athletes stay motivated when progress isn't always visible? Like below the line progress that it's hard for that motivation to be there when you know they're doing the right things. They believe they're doing the right things, but they're not seeing the results in the immediate. How do you keep that motivation level at the level it needs to be?

Austin Pillado 11:17

Yeah, I think of a few things. The number one thing that I like to start off with any year, you know, within a goal sheet as well, it's you know, just trying to figure out what their why is, what what's their deeper purpose for why they get up every single morning to train and go through those grueling hours every single week and put your body through really hard sets. And, you know, I think it's not just the why as far as I want to go at best time, it's you know, what's the deeper purpose for why you got into the sport in the first place and just keep doing it for that person or for that kid that you were years ago. So I think getting them to see things from a different perspective, you get to be your own role model, you get to be your own cheerleader in a really positive way at the same time. And then on top of that, from a detail-oriented standpoint, I don't really let them think too much on, you know, I need to go this time at this meet, as far as like the outcome-oriented process. I I think about okay, when we're at this meet, we're not, we may not be fully rested or fully prepped to go at that pace for this meet, but what can you control within this? Like, did I execute my race plan? Did I hit my turns properly? Did I hit my stroke count and finding different ways to appreciate those small victories? And the more that you can do that, all those small victories are going to add up to one big victory at the end that you're shooting for. So getting them to be as present as they can and be where their feet are is probably the most important thing.

Dustin Heise 12:38

I love hearing that. I love hearing on the goal setting piece that, you know, I'm sure it's tied to your yearly training plan as well. And using those specific opportunities for intentional outcomes. And again, uh athletics, tied to business, tied to leadership. It's the same, same piece. And uh I can just hear the intentionality and in and how you keep guiding each one of those opportunities. Now, when you think about the future of athlete development, you know, what gives you the most optimism right now?

Austin Pillado 13:06

I mean, we're seeing just crazy athletes popping up at any sport, not just swimming. I mean, we're seeing it at track and field, we're seeing in hockey, we're seeing in any Olympic sport in general. There's just so much talent in, I think it's just pushing all of our sports in a really positive direction where it's becoming even more and more competitive. So talent is never going to be an issue, I think, moving forward. We're just gonna get even more in the right direction. But I think what's gonna be really important is again, just developing them at the right pace and at the right path, you know, not just making someone as fast as they can within one year, but how can you make that career as long and as fruitful as you can? So especially at the college level here, they only have about four or five years within a college eligibility. So I'm not necessarily concerned with how fast they can be in one year. Yes, that's exciting, but how much better can you get every single year over the course of your four or five year career here? And I think that's gonna be something that takes a lot of patience on coaches' ends to develop that young talent at the right rate.

Dustin Heise 14:08

That's so perfect. I think that for listeners and viewers that hear and see that, I love that snapshot of time, which for young athletes, and you deal with this day in, day out, I'm not so much in the field like at that level anymore, where they want it so bad so fast too, though. And helping them get that perspective to stretch out as a young person. And have you seen that hit? Do you think that the athletes are understanding that quicker and sooner as well? As much as the talent is going like this, are people understanding that and comprehending that longevity approach?

Austin Pillado 14:40

You would hope so. I think it it definitely depends on the person. There's some that obviously just want it right now and make it as easy as possible. And I mean, wouldn't we all? But I think we're seeing a lot more patience across the board from elite athletes. I often look back at one of the upcoming track and field athletes, Gao Gal from Australia, where his coach is developing him because you know he's still growing, he's still going through changes, and he's obviously still going through puberty. So she's said even in interviews, I'm not making him the fastest he can be right now. It's how fast he can be four years, eight years down the road. And that to me is really important, especially at this level. It's I'm gonna find different ways to get you faster every single year here, but by your senior year, how much better are we compared to your freshman year?

Dustin Heise 15:28

Love it. Thanks so much, Austin. Little bonus question for you. Yeah Where do you see Austin Palado in one year's time? Same question. Where do you see Austin Palato in five years' time? You know, like you like you think through with your athletes. And you can talk about it from a just a growth perspective. You don't have to talk about it from a a place perspective, but yeah, it's kind of yeah, let's needle through that.

Austin Pillado 15:50

Yeah, I think in one year time, I think it's just having a deeper appreciation for for what I do and being able to continue to learn. I think, you know, I've learned a lot over the course of my 10 years as a as a college coach and as a professional coach, and there's still so much more that that's out there that I want to continue to bring into my everyday life, not just within coaching, but who I am as a human being as well. So I think it's just hopefully just getting a little bit wiser with what I'm doing every single day and you know, within five years, just continuing to make an impact in people's lives. I I think, you know, I obviously want to be at the highest level like anyone else, but it's really about the connections with people that matter to me the most over anything else.

Dustin Heise 16:32

Boy, oh boy, Austin. No question. Will you continue to gain in wisdom and get to that that destination? We are very aligned. And thank you so much for the impact you've been able to have through your great words and thoughts that you shared with us today. And uh look forward to doing this again many more times in the future, my friend.

Austin Pillado 16:51

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's been an absolute pleasure and appreciate everything you're doing as well.

Dustin Heise 16:56

Awesome, man. Well, we'll see you soon.