Bulls Rise: The UB ENS Podcast
Bulls Rise: The UB ENS Podcast is the official show of the University at Buffalo Exercise & Nutrition Sciences Department, hosted by Dr. Chris Perry. It features conversations with UB experts, athletes, students, clinicians, tactical professionals, and the Buffalo community. Each episode turns scientific research into practical advice on training, nutrition, recovery, sleep, mindset, and leadership. The show aims to educate, inspire, and equip listeners to perform better, live healthier, and lead well, from the lab to everyday life.
Episodes
Fit for Duty: Why a Firefighter's Heart Is the Real Emergency ft. Dr. David Hostler
When a firefighter dies in the line of duty, what do you picture? A collapse, flames, a roof coming down? You're probably picturing it wrong.This week on Bulls Rise, we finally got him in the chair. Dr. Dave Hostler, UB Distinguished Professor, Chair of our Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, director of the CRESE Lab, and the reason this podcast studio exists at all. Before any of
Intention Is Not Action: A Dietitian on Why Change Is Hard and How We Actually Do It ft. Dr. Danielle King, PhD, RDN, CDN
Every January, the gyms fill up and millions of people make the same promise they made last year. They know what they should do. The problem is that knowing and doing are separated by a gap almost nobody teaches you how to cross.This week on the Bulls Rise Podcast, Dr. Chris Perry welcomes the first faculty guest of Season 2 and the newest member of the UB ENS family: Dr. Danielle King, registered
Sleep is the Edge: What Sleep Deprivation Is Really Costing Athletes ft. Dr. Chris Perry
It's 4:47 in the morning. A 19-year-old gets up in the dark after four hours of sleep, walks across campus, and lifts. The bar speed's off, and someone says: "You gotta want it more, man." But that athlete doesn't have a wanting problem. They have a four-hour sleep problem — and we've been misdiagnosing it as a character flaw for 40 years.Welcome to Bulls Rise, Season 2.
What Brings You Joy? Athlete Identity, Purpose, and the Speech That Silenced a Locker Room ft. Taji Johnson
A senior stood up in front of his entire team one last time. He didn't talk about stats. He didn't talk about wins. He asked one question that left the room silent: "What brings you joy?"This week on Bulls Rise, we sat down with Taji Johnson — a mental performance specialist in UB Athletics, a former Division I wide receiver at Boston College, a UB transfer who started every game
Food Should Be Enjoyable: The Case Against the New Food Pyramid, the Carb Myth, and Leading Students to the Finish Line ft. Melissa Genovese
"I don't eat carrots because they have carbs." A registered dietitian has heard every nutrition myth for 26 years, and this week, she sets the record straight.This week on Bulls Rise, Coach P sits down with Melissa Genovese, registered dietitian, nutrition undergraduate course coordinator at UB Exercise & Nutrition Sciences, and the professor who teaches more than 800 students a
ALL IN GRIT: The Culture Code & Elite Performance of UB Men's Basketball
In the most special edition of the Bulls Rise Podcast yet, Dr. Chris Perry sits down with the men who run UB Men's Basketball: Head Coach George Halcovage III, who helped lead Villanova to two national championships before becoming the 15th head coach in UB history , Director of Sports Performance Jon Mangel, Athletic Trainer Austin Herman, and Dr. Luke Pryor, exercise physiologist and perform
The Invisible Stressor: What Construction Workers, Kidneys, and a 2:30 AM Roof Job Are Teaching Us About Heat ft. Dr. Fabiano Amorim
Heat kills more Americans than any other weather event — and most of those deaths never get recorded as heat at all.This week on Bulls Rise, Coach P welcomes Dr. Fabiano Amorim, an exercise and thermal physiologist, associate professor, and department chair at the University of New Mexico. Fabiano studies heat where it actually does its damage: on construction sites at 2:30 in the morning, in the
The Future of Dietetics and Why Small Changes Beat Perfect Diets Every Single Time ft. Tiffany Rutecki
She's been asked to write a meal plan thousands of times. Here's why she almost always says no.This week on Bulls Rise, Coach P sits down with Tiffany Rutecki — registered dietitian, certified nutritionist, and clinical director of UB's Clinical Nutrition Master's Program. With more than a decade as a clinical dietitian and years of training future RDs, Tiffany brings one of the mo
Training an Athlete, Not a Player: The Next Generation of Female Coaches ft. Cassandra Vaccaro
Before Title IX, 90% of girls' sports teams were coached by women. Today it's 45%. The law that expanded girls' sports somehow cut the number of women coaching them in half.This week on Bulls Rise, our student edition, Coach P sits down with Cassandra Vaccaro, a USA Hockey Level 4 coach with bronze-level goaltending certification, a Zamboni driver for the Buffalo Sabres, and a full-tim
The Coaching Skills that Translate to Every Career: A World Rugby Master Trainer on the Art of Coaching ft. Mike Hodgins
Picture two coaches. One yells instructions all practice. The other asks questions and lets his athletes figure it out. One builds better players under pressure — and it's not the one you'd expect.This week on Bulls Rise, Coach P sits down with Mike Hodgins — a World Rugby Master Trainer who works at the national governing body level for both USA Rugby and World Rugby, and who teaches the
The Real Curriculum: How Fitness, Behavior Change, and College Are All Teaching You the Same Lesson ft. Heather Bieber
You already know what you should do. So why is it so hard to actually do it?This week on Bulls Rise, Coach P sits down with Heather Bieber, Director of UB's undergraduate Exercise Science program and a behavior change expert whose career has revolved around one question: why do people struggle so much to change, even when they know what to do?Heather's path was never a straight line. from
The Man Behind Bulls Rise: Coach P on Sleep, Teaching, and Why Serving Others Matters ft. Dr. Chris Perry
For the first time in Bulls Rise history — the host becomes the guest.In this episode, Dr. Jen Temple takes over the microphone to interview Coach P (Dr. Chris Perry) — UB faculty member, sleep researcher, strength and conditioning coach, and host of the Bulls Rise Podcast. What follows is the most personal and transparent episode Bulls Rise has produced.Coach P walks through the full story of his
The Why Behind the Grind: Inside the UB ENS Trenches ft. Jenna Kersten & Rion Dugan
Two students. One shared mission. The first-ever student episode in Bulls Rise history.Jenna Kersten is a first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student in UB's combined three-plus-three program. Rion Dugan is a fourth-year exercise science major on the pre-med track, grinding through MCAT prep while teaching as Dr. Lee Kroll's TA. They both peer-tutor across the ENS department. They both l
Practice Before Game Day: How Sim Lab Mistakes Save Lives ft. Dr. Sarah Krzyzanowicz, EdD, ATC
A student forgot the AED in a simulation. Years later — when a parent went into real cardiac arrest at his workplace — he didn't forget it again.That story is the heart of this conversation. Dr. Sarah Krzyzanowicz is the Clinical Director of UB's Master of Science in Athletic Training Program, and she joins Coach P to break down the teaching philosophy producing clinicians who actually per
From Undeclared to Unstoppable: Heat Physiology, Fitness Culture & The Truth About Sweat ft. Ayla Gabel
She went from undeclared to unstoppable — and she's already changing how we think about heat and health.This week on Bulls Rise, we sat down with Ayla, a second-year PhD student at UB studying heat physiology under Dr. Hayden Hess — and she came ready. Her dissertation is tackling something most of the research world has quietly ignored: how adults with obesity actually thermoregulate in extre
Cardiovascular Risk, Endometriosis, and the Power of Asking Questions ft. Dr. Lacy Alexander
Join us as we explore the inspiring journey of Dr. Lacey Alexander, a Penn State alumna and leading researcher in vascular physiology and endometriosis. Discover her insights on curiosity, resilience, and the future of applied physiology research.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Dr. Lacey Alexander02:43 Journey into Exercise Physiology05:21 Transitioning from Medical School Aspirations08:02 The Impor
Food Is Not the Enemy: The Family Table and What Nutrition Is Really About ft. Dr. Tegan Mansouri
What if the most important nutrition lesson you'll ever learn has nothing to do with macros, seed oils, or the food pyramid, and everything to do with who's sitting at the table with you?Dr. Tegan Mansouri is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Nutrition Science Program at the University at Buffalo. She's also a Registered Dietician whose mission is to make
Beyond Willpower: The Reality Inside the Obesity Brain & GLP 1 Medications ft. Dr. Elizabeth Mietlicki-Baase
It's Not Willpower, It's Neurobiology: Inside the Brain Science of Obesity and GLP-1 MedicationsWhat if the reason you can't stop eating has nothing to do with discipline, laziness, or a lack of self-control? What if the answer has been sitting inside your brain this entire time?In this episode of Bulls Rise, Dr. Chris Perry sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Mietlicki-Baase, PhD, Associate
Overweight Doesn't Mean Unhealthy: Beyond the Scale! ft. Dr. Jennifer L. Temple, PhD
What if everything you've been told about willpower, weight, and food is wrong?In this episode of Bulls Rise, Dr. Chris Perry sits down with Dr. Jennifer L. Temple — Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the School of Public Health and Nutrition Sciences Professor at UB — for one of the most intellectually honest conversations about food, eating behavior, and health that this podc
Effort, Practice, and Experience Produce Understanding: The Art of Making Learning Fun
Most professors believe motivation is entirely the student's job—that's a myth holding students back. Dr. Lesley Vandermark flips that idea on its head, revealing how a shift in mindset transforms classrooms and student lives.Imagine a professor who makes learning fun, who emphasizes why students need each skill, and who believes that challenging courses actually boost success. That’s Dr.
From Academy Prospect to England International: Building Elite Athletes Through Force Production and Philosophy ft. Dr. Ed Gannon
Dr. Perry hosts Dr. Ed Gannon, a new clinical professor in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at UB with 20+ years in professional rugby and U.S. sports performance, to discuss what makes effective strength and conditioning. Gannon recounts developing an academy rugby player into an international starter through targeted hypertrophy and conditioning, and shares an example of returning a winger with a
Episode IV: Where You're Pointing Is Not the Problem: A Physical Therapist's War Against Mediocrity ft. Dr. Lee Krol
In this engaging conversation, Dr. Lee Krol discusses his unconventional journey from computer programming to physical therapy, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach in treatment. He shares insights on the significance of diagnostic skills, the impact of the bottom 50% of PTs on the profession, and the role of AI in enhancing patient care. Dr. Krol also highlights his teaching philosop
Episode III - The First Responders of Sport: Training the Next Generation of Athletic Healthcare Heroes ft. Dr. Ryan Krzyzanowicz
In this engaging conversation, Chris Perry and Ryan Krzyzanowicz delve into the world of athletic training, exploring its significance, the journey from athlete to trainer, and the essential skills required in the field. They discuss the evolution of athletic training education, the importance of communication, and the diverse career opportunities available for athletic trainers. Ryan shares impac
Episode II: From Diving to Environmental Physiologist: Exploring Human Limits in Extreme Environments ft. Dr. Hayden Hess
SummaryIn this conversation, Dr. Chris Perry interviews UB ENS colleague Dr. Hayden Hess, where he discusses his research in extreme physiology, focusing on how the human body responds to extreme environmental conditions such as heat, cold, altitude, and underwater environments. He shares insights from his experiences in diving research, the importance of understanding human responses to environme
Welcome to Bulls Rise - The Introduction
OverviewIn this inaugural episode of the Bulls Rise podcast, Dr. Chris Perry introduces the mission of the UB ENS podcast, which aims to educate, inspire, and equip listeners through evidence-based conversations in exercise and nutrition sciences. He emphasizes the importance of translating scientific knowledge into practical tools for everyday life, focusing on whole human performance, including
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