Katie Guillory | The Heart of a Coach: Katie Guillory’s Triumph Over Trauma

Strength coaches build resilience in others, but sometimes life puts their own to the test. Katie Guillory, now Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at her alma mater, Louisiana State University (LSU), faced that test after a summer accident led to a below-knee amputation. As a former LSU softball captain with extensive knee and hip surgeries, Guillory explains her strong foundation for physical and mental recovery. For her, that means showing up and getting after it, even on hard days. Guillory encourages others to “act yourself into existence for a second,” believing that small, consistent steps — especially when motivation is low — are what build strong mindsets. Supported by the LSU community, she reflects on balancing relentless drive with vulnerability, accepting help, giving herself grace, and finding strength in connection. Her experience underscores that resilience is a lifelong mindset, reminding listeners that the same habits that build athletes can also rebuild their coach.

Reach out to Katie on Instagram: @steel_guil and X/Twitter: @steel_guil | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs  

Answer Bryan Mann’s “call to arms!” Many volunteer applications are open now through December 15. Step up and give back to your strength and conditioning community at NSCA.com/Volunteer.

“At the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person, and it's hard to stay positive. But at the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person and kind to people. And I hope that I did that the best way I knew how when I was an athlete, and some of that has laid the foundation for the community rallying around me as an alumni now. And I'm so beyond grateful for that. I can't really put it into words, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully encompass everything I want to say, and all the people I want to thank.” 5:08

“I've always been up for a challenge, and always up for an adventure. So when someone tells me I can't do something, my innate response is, watch me.” 11:30

“She was just a big proponent of when you wake up and you don't feel like working, work. When you wake up and you're tired, work. Just find a way to get something done. And it doesn't have to be much, and that's what I've learned. It can look different, but just wake up and do it. And so much of our success, especially in the collegiate realm, is not about what you say. It's about what you do. And it's about the habits that you can build, and the mindset will follow that. And if you can just act yourself into existence for a second, I think that goes such a long way… that's what I'm trying to help these kids see through my actions.” 14:00

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING]
[00:00:03.28] Welcome to The NSCA Coaching Podcast season 9, episode 13.
[00:00:08.72] She was just a big proponent of when you wake up and you don't feel like working, work. When you wake up and you're tired, work. Just find a way to get something done. And it doesn't have to be much, and that's what I've learned. It can look different, but just wake up and do it.
[00:00:25.38] And so much of our success, especially in the collegiate realm, is not about what you say. It's about what you do. And it's about the habits that you can build, and the mindset will follow that. And if you can just act yourself into existence for a second, I think that goes such a long way, and that's what I'm trying to help these kids see through my actions.
[00:00:48.56] This is The NSCA's Coaching Podcast, where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.
[00:00:59.08] This is The NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon. Today, we have an important episode about overcoming obstacles. We're joined by Katie Guillory, assistant strength and conditioning coach at LSU in her home state of Louisiana. She suffered a jet ski accident over the 4th of July this year, and had one of her legs amputated from below the knee. But she'll tell you that we're all in for the comeback of a lifetime.
[00:01:26.34] Let's get to know Katie and her story of personal resilience. Katie, thanks for being on and sharing with us today.
[00:01:34.12] Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here. And an honor, actually.
[00:01:36.96] I followed your coaching journey for a few years now. You were the team captain on the LSU softball team, and now you are an assistant strength and conditioning coach at LSU for gymnastics and the beach volleyball teams. First, that's got to be really cool for you to be able to coach at your alma mater, especially in an athletic department as awesome as LSU. What was your path and inspiration into coaching from the get-go?
[00:02:07.67] Yeah, this is going to sound super cliché right out of the gate, Eric, but my strength coach, Melissa Seal Moore, when I was a collegiate athlete, back then-- and when I say back then, a decade ago-- you really didn't understand that that was an actual profession. And when I came to college as an athlete and she was a constant and free resource, it was a huge advantage for me because I was always an undersized kid.
[00:02:41.31] So I value the weight room because I knew what was going to make me stronger and faster. I could immediately see results in the weight room in order to do that. So she was a huge help in that first and foremost, and then just understanding how that profession evolved.
[00:02:59.65] And I remember vividly as an athlete having the conversation with her. I'm like, no, all you do all day is work out. This has got to be the best job ever. And I didn't understand it. I was like a freshman or sophomore at the time.
[00:03:11.07] And then I suffered-- during my five-year career here, I suffered three knee injuries, two of them being season-ending ACL ruptures and then some. So I spent a lot of time with my athletic trainer and my strength coach one-on-one in our return to play processes, and that's where this all took off. I've always been driven and been that underprivileged, undersized kid, so all it did was motivate me more and intrigued me more about the body, and why things happen, and how we teach the body to be resilient enough biomechanically to handle such trauma, or to put it in a better position to where we don't have to be in those scenarios again in terms of mechanisms of injury.
[00:04:04.78] It seems like you learned a lot through your athletic experience about overcoming obstacles. Obviously, you're in the midst of that now-- life-changing injury, amputation of your lower left leg. You've been so positive on social media about this. Really encouraging to see that. I know the LSU community, the strength and conditioning community have all rallied for you. How are you doing with everything?
[00:04:33.94] Ooh, I'm going to try my hardest not to cry on this. It makes me obviously very emotional for so many reasons, and I will say that the good far outweigh the bad. The LSU community, my family, my friends, and people that I didn't know before this that have really just become supporters, and advocates, and now friends of mine, I believe life's all about people, and the way that you treat them, and the bond you have with them.
[00:05:08.66] At the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person, and it's hard to stay positive. But at the end of the day, it costs nothing to be a good person and kind to people. And I hope that I did that the best way I knew how when I was an athlete, and some of that has laid the foundation for the community rallying around me as an alumni now. And I'm so beyond grateful for that. I can't really put it into words, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully encompass everything I want to say, and all the people I want to thank.
[00:05:48.66] I'm just very lucky and very blessed, man. And this is going to sound cliche, and I mean this. If it is taken me to lose half of my leg for me to realize the amount of support and love I have here, and for me to almost bring people together again that haven't hung out or seen each other in decades, to bring them back together, that's what this is about. That's what all life in general and our jobs will always be about.
[00:06:19.16] So I think the problems I've had in college has prepared me for this. Since then, I've had a lot more knee surgeries. So my total tally right now is seven knee surgeries and a hip surgery over the span of 12 years. I don't think there's been an 18-month period I haven't had a surgery since 2010.
[00:06:39.94] And that has laid the foundation, in my opinion, for the comeback that I've had in terms of the mental resiliency. I have hard days. I can tell you I've had hard days, and people that are in the trenches with me see it. And I'm not trying to put on a facade on social media, but it is truly I'm blessed, dude. I'm totally blessed. And the love and support has been phenomenal.
[00:07:06.11] And me having to bounce back from surgery, after surgery, after surgery, after surgery, it's just built up the resiliency to handle a time like this. I believe that. I truly believe that.
[00:07:18.71] And last fall, roughly a year ago, I was in a very, very deep, dark spot, arguably the deepest mental spot I've been in in my adult life. And to the point where tried to step away from my job, and my boss wouldn't let me. And they made me take a leave of absence, and I was for it, and I did that.
[00:07:43.57] And I got myself right. And I really think taking the time over those 5 and 1/2 weeks to really take care of myself, and to relearn myself, and to remove all of who I thought that I was and really get down to the root of my soul and be at peace with that was great. And I say that because I have been in the best spot mentally since then. And if this accident would have happened a year and a half ago, I don't think I would be doing as great as I am.
[00:08:20.01] But I think all those little drops over the past 12 years have laid the foundation. And then last year, really putting me in the trenches and coming out of that has made this kind of easy in a way. It's just been cool to see God at work, and the timeline of everything that's happened on purpose.
[00:08:43.89] Yeah, I know it's not easy. And on this podcast, we do get personal at times. I think as strength and conditioning coaches, a lot of times our identity is really wrapped up in this field, so everything is really personal to us.
[00:08:58.45] But this, and what you're saying really hits different. And I know our listeners recognize that in that we are so driven in this profession to be great. We talk about growth mindset, pushing ourselves, pushing our mind, pushing our body. When something big happens-- and it's not just the accident, it's everything you've been through to this point-- it's a gut check every single time. And this profession can be described as that for a lot of us.
[00:09:33.57] At various points, we all have a lot of different experiences. But seeing how you are staying positive, working through, we know you mentioned you have hard days, challenging days. I've already seen you posting some training videos on Instagram with your prosthetic. I was really impressed how quick you were in that prosthetic in the weight room. I saw some deadlifts. I saw some RDLs. You were getting fitted and sized up with the new prosthetic. How is strength and conditioning helping you with your recovery?
[00:10:12.00] Ooh, I will say it's-- I mentioned I've been through a lot of knee surgeries. So if you know anything about a knee surgery, you're talking about a lot of quad atrophy immediately. So I've always had to bounce back from that. But the quad atrophy that I can look down on my leg and still see after almost 11 weeks is really hard. It's hard to swallow.
[00:10:35.82] And it took me a while to get over that, and I still have days where it takes me a minute to not be sad about it. Because I just can't-- it doesn't feel great enough, and I don't-- even with the prosthetic and having a lever arm now to do a lot of leg extension and knee extension things, it doesn't feel great. It just doesn't-- the way that it sits, it's-- and that's what the videos don't really show you.
[00:11:01.82] And that's just stuff I have to work through. And every amputee that I talk to now, they'll tell me, Katie, I mean this in the best way possible, but it's never going to feel the same. And you probably never going to feel equal, and you're never going to feel 100% balanced side to side. And while I accept that, I also want to get as close to that as possible. I don't ever want to stop striving for that, and I think that's the beauty in this.
[00:11:27.04] I've always been up for a challenge, and always up for an adventure. So when someone tells me I can't do something, my innate response is, watch me. So when the doctor in the hospital were telling me, this is going to take months, and they give me a timeline, immediately I cut it in half. When our PTs and our OTs give me a timeline, I cut it in half.
[00:11:49.51] And I'll tell them, hey, this is for me. Not that I'm trying to defy science and tissue recovery, but I gotta set a deadline for myself. I gotta set a goal for myself. And the good news is that I have all the support and resources here at LSU to help me do that that a normal human being doesn't have.
[00:12:11.41] So let me utilize all these things, and let's go to work, and let's have some fun. And let's see how fast we can get this down and recovered, and let's learn as much as we can through it. And the prosthetic reps will come-- I just saw him this morning. I went and got a new prosthetic this morning, and he was eating it up when he came to work and got the force plates ready. And we're checking out center of pressure.
[00:12:38.05] And I think that stuff is so cool to me, but I would never have the opportunity to do that. And neither would he.
[00:12:46.51] So it's a constant communication of how can we push the needle? And how can we find a way to continue to forge ahead at the same pace because I don't want to let up. And I understand there's going to be bad days, and I gotta give myself grace. But other than that, we're going to get after it as much as we can every day. And the only way to do that is to get in it and figure it out, so that's what I'm trying to do.
[00:13:13.19] I like that. To get after it, you gotta get in it. That's awesome. Yeah, so it's coming through loud and clear.
[00:13:19.59] And just to give a quote from one of the coaches you work with, you've been described as a beast of a person, and a go-getter by LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark. Your nickname is Steel Guil. What's that mindset for you as a coach and person to help athletes overcome challenges?
[00:13:38.11] I've had athletes that have been with me, that have seen me come back from knee surgeries and hip surgeries, and they've seen me do the work that it takes to come back. And that's just it. Coach Beth Torina, she was my softball coach here in my last two years, and is still currently here. And she was just a big proponent of when you wake up and you don't feel like working, work. When you wake up and you're tired, work.
[00:14:07.55] Just find a way to get something done. And it doesn't have to be much, and that's what I've learned. It can look different, but just wake up and do it.
[00:14:18.09] And so much of our success, especially in the collegiate realm, is not about what you say. It's about what you do. And it's about the habits that you can build, and the mindset will follow that. And if you can just act yourself into existence for a second, I think that goes such a long way.
[00:14:34.36] And that's what I'm trying to help these kids see through my actions is I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do. The beach volleyball kids know this. They joke around because I've told them after my last knee surgery, real G's move in silence like lasagna. And they still giggle back with me on a weekly basis about it.
[00:14:58.88] And especially going through this, I don't need to tell the world, ultimately, what I'm doing, every step I'm going to make, but I want them to see what I'm doing and have a visual on that. And hopefully, that'll inspire some people, and that's all I want to do. I want people to see that I'm going to give myself grace. But at the end of the day, I'm not going to make excuses, and we're going to get out there and we're going to figure it out.
[00:15:23.00] And that's life rule number three, figure it out. And that's what we gotta do. And you gotta earn it, and it's never going to be given to you. And life's not fair, and crap happens, unfortunately.
[00:15:34.20] So now, I hope to be a sign of no excuses to them. And I hope the day never comes where I gotta take off my prosthetic in a lift and throw it at somebody because they're not doing something right. But I have a tool if I need it, and that's the funny part. So yeah, I hope that I can be a visual example of no excuses and inspiring to people. That's all.
[00:16:00.14] That's awesome. I mean, there's no quit. I like that, and that's what we're all about here in strength and conditioning-- instilling those values in your athletes. And the message never stopped.
[00:16:13.08] You told me you started-- you were programming still in the hospital. You never really took any downtime.
[00:16:20.26] No. Unbeknownst to me, and I say this because I was highly medicated-- and we still joke about the message. So my work phone is still currently at the bottom of the lake, and I downloaded all of our teamworks app on my personal phone. And when I got out of my first surgery and the doctor basically said, your foot didn't take, and we're going to have to amputate in the morning, I sat with it for a second. And once they rolled me back from the recovery room to my actual hospital bed, my sister said I asked for my phone.
[00:16:59.85] And I started sending emails, and I started-- and I have no recollection of this. And I go back in our message, and I look at my message that I send our teams. I was basically saying, hey, here's my personal cell phone number. My work cell has been lost at the moment, or is no longer.
[00:17:17.41] I've been in an accident. I'm in the hospital. Please bear with me with the communication, and left it really vague. But there was not one typo. There was not-- nothing.
[00:17:28.61] And I think I tried to keep it vague on purpose. I think-- luckily, a lot of the summer programming was done ahead of time, so I didn't have to make too many electronic adjustments. But, I mean, I was canceling meetings and making phone calls to people all day that Saturday because I knew that the next week was going to be rough. And I have no recollection of sending, or making phone calls, or doing anything. But my subconscious knew what I had to do to keep the wheels rolling and make things as seamless as possible for our athletes, so they didn't skip a beat.
[00:18:05.81] So just talking about your accident, how is this experience-- and I know you're still going through it-- how is it reframing your thoughts on the coaching profession and your role, or the coach's role with athletes?
[00:18:23.65] Oh, time management is a big one. And I say that because I don't know when I have to go to the clinic right now, when I have to go to outpatient OT. That changes on a weekly basis. So taking care of as much as I can while I feel up to doing it on the front end is huge. Giving myself grace on the back end is huge.
[00:18:48.51] So allowing myself time in the week to sit in pain if I need to stay home and rest because I'm absolutely exhausted. And I say that because that's been fully supported by all of our admin, my boss, everybody. And communicating to our interns, and they moved our part-time position into almost a short-term full-time position in order to help me if I need to take a break for a day, or for a few days, or can't make sessions because of that.
[00:19:20.47] But communication, time management, that's been hard. I will say that's been the most mentally exhausting part of this. And then you tie in now everything takes twice as long for me to get from spot A to spot B, for me to get ready in the morning, for me to create-- I'm still learning routines and systems that are going to be my most efficient means of moving around is hard.
[00:19:47.06] It's hard, and it's taken time. And I will say the physical side of it is hard, as anyone would expect, but really, the emotional and mental side of prepping for all of this more so than normal just because I don't know when something's going to pop up. I want to be as prepared as I can to our programs, to our coaches, to our athletes, and to our interns. It's been hard to do.
[00:20:15.64] But at the end of that, they've been a huge help. They've been an absolute huge help, and I cannot do this without our intern team, or our sports coaches helping give me grace and compassion, and our admin helping support the days that I need to step away for a bit, whether that's to give myself physical rest, or to allow myself an emotional day to regather myself, you know?
[00:20:43.24] Yeah, absolutely. And personally, I just want to thank you for your willingness to share an experience that most of us don't go through in this profession, in life. And it really hits me hard as I understand what it's like to enter this profession as a go-getter, and you're driven, and we set really high expectations for ourself. And maybe we don't always think about the setbacks or challenges that are ahead because we know we're going to just plow through them.
[00:21:20.62] But it is so encouraging to hear that that is the stance you're taking through this. And I know our listeners are going to want to reach out to you. What's the best way for people listening to this episode to connect with you? And I'll add that to the show notes.
[00:21:37.96] Yeah, through Instagram is probably what I'm on the most. And that handle is steel_guil, S-T-E-E-L underscore G-U-I-L. That's probably the quickest way I'll get back with you. I would say email, or Facebook, or X, or Twitter, but it might take some time for that. So yeah, Instagram is probably the quickest.
[00:22:03.30] And look, I'm open. I'm not going to sit here and tell you guys that I'm invincible, or like I said, every day is good. But the best feedback I've gotten from people has been the vulnerability in things, and that's hard for me.
[00:22:17.43] I've always been a person that I'm OK, I'm OK, I'm OK. I'll get through it. I'll get through it. But I think I've opened up to a lot of people in the past year, and they understand.
[00:22:28.01] They can see when I'm having a good day or a bad day, and they force me to almost leave the office, or get away, or reemphasize, hey, if you need to take the afternoon, we got you. And that has been hard for me to accept because I want to be at everything. And I want to be everywhere, and I want to help, and I want to be a part of it because I love what I do.
[00:22:48.35] But I also know it will move on if I'm not there. The athletes will get better if I'm not there. I just want to be there because I love being around them, and that's why I'm passionate about my job.
[00:23:00.45] But to finish answering your question in full, I will say this injury has made me think about how I cue certain things a lot because I can't demo anymore. And that has changed the game for me in terms of giving cues, and helping the athletes get it, or helping something click, if you will, because I can't be the example anymore. But I've also told our leaders and our vets, like hey, this is the time that I'm going to need you to step up with me. And I'm going to call you up, and I need you to step up to the plate, and I need you to knock a home run right now.
[00:23:40.87] Because I can't do it, and I can't do it by myself. And I hope that they feel that I'm in this with them. And it has never been just about me. It's never been just about them. It's been about us as a team, as a program, as a culture, and as a unified front. And I love it because they've been so good to me, and they've done exactly what I've asked them to do.
[00:24:06.75] Katie, you're a powerhouse of positivity and resilience, and we are all in your corner through this. Everyone, thanks so much for tuning in today. For the important topics and some inspiration, keep listening to The NSCA Coaching Podcast. And thanks to Sorinex Exercise Equipment. We appreciate their support.
[00:24:25.14] Hey, guys. It's Dr. Bryan Mann coming at you from Texas A&M University. Hey, this is a call to arms. If you feel like there's something that needs to be done, something that needs to be changed, this is your call to go ahead and sign up for the volunteer opportunities within the SIGs, the different committees, or just to get involved in your local chapter. Please go to the website for more details.
[00:24:50.34] This was The NSCA's Coaching Podcast. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978 by strength and conditioning coaches to share information, resources, and help advance the profession. Survey coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

Reporting Errors: To report errors in a podcast episode requiring correction or clarification, email the editor at publications@nsca.com or write to NSCA, attn: Publications Dept., 1885 Bob Johnson Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Your letter should be clearly marked as a letter of complaint. Please (a) identify in writing the precise factual errors in the published podcast episode (every false, factual assertion allegedly contained therein), (b) explain with specificity what the true facts are, and (c) include your full name and contact information.