As always, please share & review this episode! This podcast is also available on Apple and Spotify.
Episode Summary
In this episode of Rapid Fire, Justin Ochoa sits down with Kyle Brown — former Team USA Skeleton athlete, Owner of Kyle Brown Performance and Northeast Speed Lab Director for Universal Speed Rating (USR). Kyle dives into:
-
His transition from sprinting on ice to sprinting development as a coach.
-
The power of data with USR — and how it’s changing the game for athletes of all ages.
-
Lessons learned from Mike Boyle, Les Spellman and Stu McMillan.
-
His strategy for scaling a business with his name on it.
-
And why early sport specialization might be one of the biggest threats to athletic development.
They wrap up with the first-ever lightning round of rapid-fire questions covering favorite lifts, pizza toppings, speed training mistakes, pet peeves and more.
Key Quotes
- On USR’s value:
“Data is great. But what you do with the data — that’s where USR really separates itself.”
- On scaling a personal brand:
“My goal is for every client to feel like I was there… even if I wasn’t coaching them that day.”
- On lifting year-round:
“If you’re not going to play another sport, weightlifting should be your other sport.”
- On specialization:
“Specialization is killing athletic potential. It’s okay to suck at something — go get better.”
- On business systems:
“Hire people who believe in your philosophy. Then build systems that let you step back and still deliver results.”
Time-Stamps
- 00:00–03:00 — Kyle’s intro and background in skeleton racing
- 03:00–06:00 — Competing on the World Cup circuit + training with Mike Boyle
- 06:00–12:00 — What is Universal Speed Rating (USR) and how Speed Labs work
- 12:00–16:30 — Mentorship from Boyle, Spellman, Stu McMillan & carrying that into business
- 16:30–21:30 — How to scale a business built on your name + staffing and delegation advice
- 21:30–28:00 — Inside KBP’s athlete onboarding, assessments, and daily programming
- 28:00–34:00 — The dangers of early specialization + why lifting should be the “other sport”
- 34:00–36:30 — Encouraging kids to try new sports and lean into challenge
- 36:30–40:00 — 🔥 First-ever Rapid Fire Lightning Round
- 40:00–End — Where to find Kyle and how to get involved with USR
Connect with Kyle Brown
- Instagram (Personal): @kylebrown_baa
- Instagram (Business): @kbptraining
- Website: kbptraining.com
- Universal Speed Rating Info: universalspeedrating.com
