Pre-Zero Sports Talk

Hosted by Sid Bensalah

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109

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Sep 2026

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About the show

Pre-Zero Sports Talk is a sports leadership podcast exploring high performance, coaching, athlete development, sports business, faith, purpose, innovation, sustainability, clean progress, and life beyond the game. Hosted by Sid Bensalah, with over 30 years of global sports industry experience, the podcast brings honest, long-form conversations with athletes, coaches, leaders, founders, innovators, and changemakers. This is not only a podcast about sport. It is about what sport reveals about people, how we lead, how we handle pressure, how we pursue meaning, and how we build lives, teams, and communities with purpose. Through real conversations beyond the game, Pre-Zero Sports Talk explores leadership, performance, faith and purpose, identity, resilience, human potential, athlete well-being, coaching culture, community impact, sports governance, clean progress, sustainability, technology, innovation, and the future of sport. No filter. No bias. Straight talk. Subscribe and join real conversations on sport, leadership, faith, performance, purpose, community, impact, and life beyond the game.

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60 recent

October 16, 2026Episode 1101 hr 46 min

Repurpose Your Pain: Cecily Lachapelle on Faith, Identity and Healing

Send us Fan Mail What happens when pain, shame, and a broken identity become part of a greater story? In Episode #110 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk, host Sid Bensalah welcomes Cecily Lachapelle , Bible teacher, host of The Higher Pursuit Podcast , and author of Repurpose Your Pain, for an honest, deeply personal conversation about faith, suffering, healing, identity, marriage, and purpose. Cecily shares her journey through childhood wounds, rejection, trauma, and an identity crisis. She recalls the night, at just 17, when opening the Bible to Psalm 51 and Psalm 6 changed the direction of her life. Together, Sid and Cecily explore why success, money, recognition, and performance cannot heal a broken identity, how Romans 5 connects suffering with endurance and hope, and why love, humility, and compassion matter more than appearances. They also discuss marriage as a covenant, the story behind her book Repurpose Your Pain, and practical ways to begin studying the Bible and understanding the connection between the Old and New Testaments. From the pressures facing young people to the importance of discipline, community, and faith, this conversation goes beyond sport and speaks to anyone searching for healing and meaning. Episode Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: Repurpose Your Pain 01:09 – Suffering, resistance, and purpose 14:54 – Why success cannot fix broken identity 19:57 – Cecily's early struggles and personal story 25:17 – False assumptions and comparison 37:01 – God is love: Scripture and identity 46:39 – The night Psalm 51 changed her life 01:08:26 – Writing Repurpose Your Pain 01:16:32 – Compassion in suffering 01:21:01 – Marriage as a covenant 01:28:54 – How to begin studying the Bible 01:33:31 – Discipline, faith, and community Connect with Cecily Website and book: https://higherpursuitministries.com Substack: https://cecilylachapelle.substack.com Explore Pre-Zero Sports Talk https://prezerosportstalk.com Watch our conversations on YouTube and Spotify. Subscribe, rate, review, and share the episode. Content note: This episode includes personal discussion of sexual assault, trauma, and suicidal thoughts. Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

September 25, 2026Episode 1091 hr 47 min

Darren Swanson on Group Flow, Inner Development, and Human Maturity

Send us Fan Mail In Episode #109 , Sid Bensalah sits down with Darren Swanson , founder of Novel Futures Corporation , a sustainability and resilience practitioner, strategic foresight expert, author, and former national and international volleyball athlete. This long-form conversation connects sport, group flow, inner development, sustainability, and human maturity. Darren explains the flow state, often called “the zone,” using the STIR framework: selflessness, timelessness, effortlessness, and richness. He also explores group flow through volleyball, jazz, comedy improv, Formula One, visualisation, recovery, and the quiet confidence of a Canada Games semifinal bus ride. The conversation then delves deeper. Darren reflects on the 1991 Geneva moment that led him into sustainable development, his 30-year career in sustainability, the broken trust after years of climate pledges, political wedge issues, media polarisation, and why technical solutions alone are not enough. Darren also explains why he turned to fiction in his novel Towers of Hiva , drawing lessons from Easter Island, financial collapse, and the question of why our technological maturity often outpaces our emotional maturity. At the heart of this episode lies one question: we may know what to do, but do we know who we need to become? Learn more and explore more conversations at prezerosportstalk.com Timestamps 00:00 Full Circle Setup 02:57 Why This Podcast 12:10 Volleyball Origins 14:13 Defining Flow and STIR 21:51 Group Flow Explained 29:37 Semifinal Bus Story 44:09 Volleyball Mental Training 51:18 Geneva Bookstore Turning Point 01:04:10 Trust Broken After Paris 01:08:20 Wedge Issues and Media 01:13:01 Turning Frustration Into Fiction 01:16:03 Easter Island Collapse Lessons 01:32:00 Technology Outpaces Maturity 01:37:13 Inner Development Goals 01:44:52 Final Hope Reflection Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

August 27, 2026Episode 1081 hr 22 min

Why Being Pain-Free Doesn't Mean You're Ready to Play

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to return from an injury, and why doesn’t being pain-free mean an athlete is ready to compete? In Episode #108 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah speaks with Peter Dionisopoulos , a Doctor of Physical Therapy, performance rehabilitation specialist, and founder of Dynamic Performance and Rehab . Peter explains how performance-based rehabilitation aligns injury recovery with the physical demands of sport. They discuss movement bias, individualized assessments, KPIs, load management, fatigue, ACL rehabilitation, and why treating pain in one spot can miss the bigger issue. Peter also shares the case of an active man who lived with back pain for more than 35 years and of a collegiate soccer player whose knee symptoms returned as sprint volume and fatigue increased after ACL rehabilitation. The conversation explores a key challenge in high-performance sport: how do you correct movement problems without losing the adaptations that make an athlete exceptional? But perhaps one of the most powerful moments comes near the end, when Sid asks Peter a simple question: What does success mean to you? Peter’s answer goes far beyond sports and performance: “I want to be a good father and a husband, and be able to live a life of purpose. I don’t care about having anything fancy. I just want to help people and be with my family.” A simple reminder that, beyond performance and professional success, purpose, service, and family can matter most. In this episode 00:00 FIFA World Cup, fatigue and physical demands 07:26 Peter’s path into performance rehabilitation 09:49 Why rehab patients stay stuck 13:03 Individualized rehabilitation and KPIs 19:07 A 35-year back pain case 23:59 How Peter assesses movement 35:51 ACL rehab and returning to sprinting 39:39 Protecting an athlete’s “superpowers” 49:53 KPIs and load management 56:15 Why pain-free does not mean ready to play 01:03:04 When rehab, coaching and return-to-play priorities conflict 01:07:34 Building better communication around the athlete 01:10:21 Technology and the future of sports medicine This episode is for athletes, coaches, physical therapists, strength and conditioning professionals, and anyone interested in sports injury recovery and long-term athletic performance. Learn more and explore more conversations about sports, leadership, performance, and innovation at Pre-Zero Sports Talk . Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

August 18, 2026Episode 1071 hr 43 min

Beyond Plastic | Phil Cohen on Simplifyber, Leadership, and the Future of Manufacturing

Send us Fan Mail In Episode #107 of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast, Sid Bensalah sits down with Phil Cohen , Co-Founder and COO of Simplifyber , U.S. Air Force veteran, MIT Sloan MBA, serial entrepreneur, and former semi-professional hockey player. This long-form conversation goes far beyond advanced materials. Phil shares how life is shaped by the questions we answer “yes” to, why luck follows commitment and work, and how hockey, military service, Afghanistan, MIT Sloan, China, startups, and fatherhood shaped his view of leadership. Phil breaks down the lessons he carried from sport and the Air Force into entrepreneurship, including the importance of clear roles, trust, care, fast decision-making, and what he calls expectations, accountability, direction, guidance, and attention. He also explains why entrepreneurship feels like a team sport, and why startup leadership can bring more sleepless nights than military service. The conversation also explores Simplifyber’s origin story with Maria Intscher-Owrang, the realities of fundraising, and how their cellulose-based liquid fiber molding platform aims to simplify manufacturing, reduce waste, localize production, and move sustainability from a marketing message to a performance outcome. Sid and Phil also discuss sports event waste, the future of localized manufacturing, America, community, family, fatherhood, and Phil's advice to young builders: when people get in your way, go around them. For full show notes, timestamps, and links, visit the episode page here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/beyond-plastic-phil-cohen-on-simplifyber-leadership-and-the-future-of-manufacturin/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

July 3, 2026Episode 1061 hr 32 min

Why Practice Beats Motivation in Leadership | Chris Majer

Send us Fan Mail Leadership transformation, deliberate practice, human potential, coaching, trust, resilience, and high-performance culture are central to this conversation with Chris Majer. What does it really take to transform your life, your leadership, or your team? In Episode #106 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah sits down with Chris Majer , founder of the Human Potential Project, CEO of The Majer Factor, transformational speaker, and author of The Power to Transform. Chris has spent more than four decades working with Fortune 500 executives, Olympic athletes, military leaders, Special Forces units, coaches, and organizations seeking real cultural change. In this conversation, he explains why transformation does not come from motivation, talent, or one-day seminars. It comes from deliberate practice, coaching, feedback, trust, and the daily choices that shape who we become. This episode explores leadership transformation, human potential, high-performance teams, trust under pressure, performance psychology, lifelong learning, and why success becomes more meaningful when it is connected to purpose, service, and contribution. Learn more about Chris Majer: https://chrismajer.com Order The Power to Transform Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/the-power-to-transform-why-practice-beats-motivation-chris-majer/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

May 29, 2026Episode 1051 hr 34 min

Leadership Under Pressure: Faith, Burnout, and Purpose | David Petrash

Send us Fan Mail Leadership under pressure, faith, purpose, burnout, identity, communication, marriage, and the cost of success are central to this conversation with David Petrash. In Episode #105, Sid Bensalah sits down with David Petrash , a U.S. Navy veteran, former nuclear submarine reactor operator, entrepreneur, pastor, leadership speaker, and founder of Ripple of Faith Leadership . From life aboard nuclear submarines to leadership in business, ministry, marriage, and family life, David shares hard-earned lessons on pressure, communication, accountability, surrender, and the ripple effect our lives leave in others. This is a raw and honest conversation about leadership from the inside out. David reflects on burnout, achievement addiction, ambition, emotional exhaustion, faith, identity, and why true success cannot be separated from purpose, presence, service, and the people closest to us. The episode explores what pressure reveals about character, why great leaders focus outward, how communication builds trust, and why letting go of control can become one of the hardest and most important leadership lessons. Order David’s book: The Ripple of Faith Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/the-ripple-effect-leadership-purpose-the-cost-of-self-david-petrash/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

May 22, 2026Episode 1041 hr 29 min

Burnout, Leadership, and Parenthood: Success on Paper, Empty Inside | Nicole Anderson

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted, but still feel exhausted, disconnected, and empty inside? In Episode #104 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah sits down with Nicole Anderson , leadership coach, burnout expert, and founder of The Kaler Group. Nicole shares her personal journey through burnout, health struggles, motherhood, achievement addiction, and the process of redefining success beyond titles, productivity, and external approval. This conversation explores burnout, emotional exhaustion, leadership pressure, parenting, identity, women in leadership, work-life integration, ambition, recovery, boundaries, and how high achievers can pursue success without losing themselves. Burnout, leadership pressure, high performance, parenthood, identity, work-life integration, and purpose are central to this conversation with Nicole Anderson. Learn more about Nicole Anderson: https://thekalergroup.com Order Mindfully Successful: https://margoboster.com/mindfully-successful/ Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

May 15, 2026Episode 1031 hr 12 min

AI Won’t Replace Humans, But Bad Leadership Might | Stephanie Sylvestre

Send us Fan Mail Will AI replace people, or will poor leadership create the real damage? In Episode #103 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah sits down with Stephanie Sylvestre , CEO and Co-Founder of Avatar Buddy AI , for a human-centered conversation about AI, leadership, layoffs, entrepreneurship, community, and the future of work. Stephanie explains why AI should amplify people rather than replace them, how digital mentors and AI agents can support self-esteem and self-agency, and why the erosion of the middle class is one of the biggest risks in the AI era. This episode explores human-centered AI, AI and leadership, job displacement and layoffs, digital mentors, AI in education and farming, entrepreneurship, women in AI, deepfakes, community trust, and the kind of future we are building. Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/ai-wont-replace-humans-but-bad-leadership-might-stephanie-sylvestre/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

May 8, 2026Episode 1021 hr 32 min

Succession, Trust, and Leadership Beyond the Leader | Björn Vikard

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a team, company, or culture depends too much on one leader? In Episode #102 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah sits down with Björn Vikard , leadership advisor and former COO, for a deep conversation on succession, trust, systems thinking, founder dependency, and high-performance culture. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience across Sweden, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and Thailand, Björn shares practical lessons on cross-cultural leadership, rebuilding broken trust, organizational culture, and the reasons great teams collapse when leadership becomes overly centered on one individual. This episode explores leadership succession, founder dependency, trust, systems leadership, cross-cultural management, gemba leadership, communication, family-owned businesses, sports development systems, AI’s impact on leadership, humility, self-awareness, and accountability. Learn more about Björn: https://bjornvikard.com/ Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/leadership-beyond-the-leader-with-bjorn-vikard/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/

April 20, 2026Episode 1011 hr 23 min

Sports Leadership, Pressure, and NIL Lessons | Jonathan K. Osborne

Send us Fan Mail What do sports teach us about leadership, pressure, character, and life beyond the game? In Episode #101 of Pre-Zero Sports Talk , Sid Bensalah sits down with Jonathan K. Osborne , former Division I basketball player and federal prosecutor, now a leader in white-collar defense and internal investigations. Jonathan shares how grace, grit, and humility shaped his journey from athlete to attorney, and how sports build discipline, identity, composure, service, and leadership under pressure. This conversation explores sports leadership, athlete identity, preparation, failure, losing, servant leadership, legal pressure, NIL deals, contract risks, morality clauses, AI ethics in legal practice, faith, purpose, and why progress and service remain powerful sources of hope. Learn more about Jonathan K. Osborne: https://jothebasketballawyer.com/jonathan-k-osborne-esq/ Full episode details: https://prezerosportstalk.com/podcast/grace-grit-humility-what-sports-teach-you-about-life-and-pressure/ Support the show Stay Connected with Pre-Zero Sports Talk. Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact. Listen, watch, and follow: Spotify Video: Watch full episodes YouTube: Subscribe and join the conversation X: @PreZeroST Instagram: @PreZeroSportsTalk LinkedIn: Connect with the Community TikTok: @PreZeroSportsTalk Substack: Sid Bensalah Got feedback, a topic idea, or a guest suggestion? Send your thoughts here: https://prezerosportstalk.com/contact/ Support the Podcast: https://prezerosportstalk.com/donate/