{"podcast":{"title":"The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast","slug":"the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100","podcast_index_feed_id":479100,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/10ea86d8/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.gillathletics.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/2738054/2738054-1664382921446-a9eed5642b2d6.jpg","author":"Gill Athletics","episode_count":930,"summary":"Unlock the world of track & field coaching with The Gill Connections Podcast! Host Mike Cunningham brings you inspiring stories, real conversations, and coaching insights from leaders at every level. Discover a new coach's interview every Monday. Plus, don’t miss the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts with our NEW Gill1918 Project episodes Tuesday-Sunday — short, powerful lessons from top coaches to help you grow on and off the track. Powered by Gill Athletics — Supporting Coaches Since 1918.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-26T04:19:13.512049+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100"},"episode":{"title":"#370: Joanna Hayes-UCLA | From First Hurdles to Leading the Bruins","slug":"370-joanna-hayes-ucla-from-first-hurdles-to-leading-the-bruins","published_at":"2026-07-06T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100/370-joanna-hayes-ucla-from-first-hurdles-to-leading-the-bruins","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gillathletics/episodes/370-Joanna-Hayes-UCLA--From-First-Hurdles-to-Leading-the-Bruins-e3i2pe3","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/10ea86d8/podcast/play/118629251/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-17%2F68b952e1-f842-5a70-71cb-3751e0f20619.mp3","summary":"Joanna Hayes is one of the most accomplished names in track & field—but this conversation goes somewhere different. Instead of reliving Olympic gold memories, we rewind to where it all began… and fast-forward to how she became the head coach at UCLA Bruins. From discovering track at just nine years old, to not even touching hurdles until her junior year of high school, to navigating the identity shift from elite athlete to coach—this episode is about growth, perspective, and purpose. Along the way, Joanna shares the real transition moments most people never hear about. 🔥 In this episode, we cover:🧒 How track and field first entered her life—and why it stuck🏃‍♀️ The late switch to hurdles that changed everything🎯 Being a coach’s dream athlete—and how that shaped her coaching style🔄 The mental shift from “it’s about me” to “it’s about them”💥 Early coaching mistakes—and what finally made things click🧠 Learning under Caryl Smith Gilbert ( Gill podcast guest #272 ) and developing her own philosophy🎓 Taking over as head coach at UCLA and what that responsibility really feels like 💬 “ I didn’t question anything as an athlete—I just did the work. Coaching taught me how to think differently… because now it’s not about me anymore .” -Joanna Hayes This is a rare look at one of the sport’s elite minds—not as an Olympian, but as a coach, mentor, and leader shaping the next generation. 👉Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coachinglegends such as BooSchexnayder and Dan Pfaff, DiljeetTaylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan , as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find uson Twitch.tv , YouTube , Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more! 🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode: Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instructi…","meta_description":"Joanna Hayes is one of the most accomplished names in track & field—but this conversation goes somewhere different. Instead of reliving Olympic gold m…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4638,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100/episodes/370-joanna-hayes-ucla-from-first-hurdles-to-leading-the-bruins/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-gill-athletics-track-and-field-connections-podcast-479100/370-joanna-hayes-ucla-from-first-hurdles-to-leading-the-bruins.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}