Lilly Bernardi - NSCA’s Coaching Podcast, Season 7 Episode 13

In this episode, Lilly Bernardi, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Hofstra University, talks to Eric McMahon, the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, about her journey from being an athlete to becoming a coach. Bernardi shares sentiments over losing her senior lacrosse season as a college athlete during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it has fueled her motivational approach in coaching. The episode highlights the importance of building confidence as a young professional and adopting a growth mindset for career development. Additionally, the conversation delves into social media etiquette for coaches in the age of information sharing.

Connect with Lilly on Instagram: @lilly_bernardi1 or by email: lilly.a.bernardi@hofstra.edu| Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

“That’s kind of how I found my love for strength and conditioning because the weight room, I think, was the first place for me where maybe I wasn't getting stats on the field. I saw in the weight room, myself getting stronger and that really just translated into a new level of confidence for me and really allowed for me to embrace my role as a leader and, more specifically, a leader by example in the sport of lacrosse.” 3:05

“My athletes are very aware of the fact that, on any given day, if they're doing conditioning, if they're having the hardest lift, they're getting yelled at practice, that I would do anything to take the jersey off their back and get out there one more time. I think if I have athletes who are kind of just going through the motions, I really try to explain to them, it might be hard, but you're going to look back, and you'll miss these four years. And maybe you don't want to go outside and do conditioning every day, but there's a day that you'll look back and wish you could be a part of it.” 5:20

“My best piece of advice that I received in this career is just, you're never ready for your next step. And so, while, like I said, I had no idea what I was going to present on, I knew I wanted to because I wanted to challenge myself in a different way and prove to myself that I can.” 18:10

“Another thing I love about social media is all the books that people post on their stories and adding it to my list. I think sharing information, but also showing your athletes and other coaches and sharing ideas, creating a community of encouraging each other, whether it's in professional accomplishments, and the PRs are fun too.” 25:45

[00:00:04.21] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, season seven, episode 13.
[00:00:09.91] That's kind of how I found my love for strength and conditioning because the weight room, I think, was the first place for me where maybe I wasn't getting stats on the field, but I saw in the weight room myself getting stronger. And that really just translated into a new level of confidence for me and really allowed for me to embrace my role as a leader and more specifically a leader by example.
[00:00:40.18] 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.
[00:00:51.26] This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast I'm Eric McMahon. And today we're going to talk about the path from athlete to coach. Many of us have active backgrounds. And, somewhere along the way, that led us into coaching.
[00:01:05.14] We're also going to talk about communication in the field and how we share information. We're joined today by Lilly Bernardi an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Hofstra University. Lilly, welcome.
[00:01:18.88] Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
[00:01:21.55] Yeah, I've gotten to connect with you a few times over the last year and excited to have you on. Want to hear about your athletic experience a little bit and how that led you into becoming a strength and conditioning coach.
[00:01:35.08] Sure, so I grew up playing basketball and lacrosse. Basketball was really my first love. And it was my basketball coach who actually recommended that I get into lacrosse.
[00:01:50.45] And, much to my surprise, I ended up loving it and playing in college. So I attended the College of New Jersey, TCNJ. For those unfamiliar, it is a state school in the state of New Jersey but a very highly decorated lacrosse program.
[00:02:10.34] It's a Division III program. But my coach there Sharon Pfluger. She, to this day, is the winningest coach in NCAA women's lacrosse history with 14 national championships. So it was a great experience being there.
[00:02:29.30] That's when I first discovered the weight room. And I would say, as an athlete, I was never the most skilled person on the field. And I was aware of that.
[00:02:41.72] I picked up lacrosse a little bit later than some of my teammates and my peers. So I was the type of player who didn't necessarily show up in the stats. But, nonetheless, I was a contributor on my team.
[00:02:57.44] And I think a big part of that was my work ethic and my desire to not be beaten on the field. And, really, that's kind of how I found my love for strength and conditioning because the weight room, I think, was the first place for me where maybe I wasn't getting stats on the field. But I saw in the weight room myself getting stronger. And that really just translated into a new level of confidence for me and really allowed for me to embrace my role as a leader and, more specifically, a leader by example in the sport of lacrosse. So I fell in love with the weight room in my time there.
[00:03:42.38] I love that. And your success in the weight room gave you confidence. That's something that maybe is assumed in strength and conditioning a little too much.
[00:03:51.54] We don't talk about it. But we are building confidence in our athletes when we train them in the weight room. There's a lot of confidence to be had just with the small wins over a four-year collegiate strength and conditioning program.
[00:04:07.59] So now you're a strength and conditioning coach. You have your own athletes. Looking back on the values and standards you had for yourself as an athlete, which ones of those made their way into your coaching?
[00:04:20.82] Definitely, so I think, for me, what I would consider to be my non-negotiables are, one, to just have a respect for your superiors, your coaches. They're in the position they're in because they're knowledgeable of the sport. Or your strength and conditioning coaches, they have the background. They have the education in that. So to have a level of respect and trust that they are here for you and here to enhance your experience as an athlete.
[00:04:54.90] And, second to that, I look for a high level of work ethic in my athletes. And I think part of that comes from the fact that I'm very transparent with my athletes. I was a senior in 2020.
[00:05:15.57] So, unfortunately, my collegiate career came to an end very quickly, abruptly, and too soon. So my athletes are very aware of the fact that, on any given day, if they're doing conditioning, if they're having the hardest lift, they're getting yelled at practice, that I would do anything to take the jersey off their back and get out there one more time. So I think if I have athletes who are kind of just going through the motions, I really try to explain to them, it might be hard.
[00:05:53.32] But you're going to look back, and you'll miss these four years. And maybe you don't want to go outside and do conditioning every day. But there's a day that you'll look back and wish you could be a part of it.
[00:06:05.69] So I think, to me, an athlete who steps into the weight room and is going through the motions or is taking it for granted, in a way, I at that as a sign of disrespect for me and maybe some other athletes or injured athletes on the team who just wish they could be out there again. So those are two things that I really look for in my athletes. And I'm very transparent with them with that.
[00:06:33.20] And that's so powerful how you said that about COVID-19, 2020, and getting your senior season taken away. And I really haven't heard that from any coaches yet. It's so new.
[00:06:47.58] I mean, we're just-- we're still in a lot of ways pulling out of this pandemic culture that we experienced as a field. And, in a way, I think we thrived as an industry and as a field during this time. We were sources of strength for our institutions.
[00:07:06.19] And, I mean, just wow. Thinking about you're a senior in college, and a late starter in the sport. And you probably were really looking forward to that season and seeing all your hard work pay off. I have to ask you, what was that like, getting your senior season taken away? It just really caught my attention when you said that.
[00:07:35.24] Yeah, I mean, it's something I'll definitely never forget and never get full closure with, I think. I try to stay as athletic as possible, still, just missing it. But, yeah, I mean, it was definitely a tough experience.
[00:07:56.55] But, on the flip side of that, I don't know if I would be where I am right now if that hadn't happened. So, as you mentioned, it's weird to say that an industry or people thrived during that time. But it was right after we got sent home due to the pandemic.
[00:08:19.22] And I had who knew, at the time, how much time to sit around in my house in quarantine, as everyone was. And I used that to my advantage. And I used that time to study, to take my CSCS exam because I was looking to become a graduate assistant at Hofstra University come the fall of 2020.
[00:08:46.14] And I had conversations with the coaches who said if I had my certification, that would more opportunities to potentially work hands on with the athletes and run groups. And it was a time where they absolutely needed it. It was a staff of three coaches.
[00:09:06.39] And, due to a hiring freeze and due to the pandemic, I was the only intern or grad assistant that was there. So there were only four of us managing like 17 or so teams. So, right off the bat, I was getting a lot of experience right away. And because I had my certification, I was even able to take a team starting the second week.
[00:09:33.63] I wasn't programming yet. But I was able to instruct the men's golf team because there was a scheduling conflict with their strength coach. So that ended up, for me, giving me a lot of experience earlier.
[00:09:51.54] And my struggle with that as well was I did have a year of eligibility left in lacrosse. And I can't say I didn't think about potentially playing. But, when I came here and I realized how much experience and hands-on opportunities I was getting so early on, I knew that, even though I wasn't over the fact that my lacrosse career had come to an end and part of me wanted to play, I think I'm very happy in my decision to not try to do that just because I don't know if I would be where I am if I hadn't had that much time dedicated to strength and conditioning and working with the staff the way I was.
[00:10:46.34] Yeah, I get the opportunity in this role to talk to a lot of coaches really at those times when they have to make big decisions about their future. Do I pursue this GA position or this internship? Or do I leave home and go here?
[00:11:04.79] There's a lot of big-- there's a big commitment to this profession. Lilly, I love your positivity and just how constructive your approach was of you're going to make something positive out of getting your senior season taken away. I won't put you on the spot and ask if there's going to be a lacrosse comeback anytime soon.
[00:11:26.63] But I see that as really inspiring to a lot of coaches to hear that because it is a lot. You put a lot of effort into your training, into just all the anticipation of being a senior and having your senior year as a student athlete. We all look forward to that.
[00:11:50.41] But you just poured that right into your strength and conditioning career. And something that I jotted down as you were saying is you wanted early responsibility in the field. And the way to get there was getting an early start in your preparation and using your coaches and the resources you had as professional development.
[00:12:12.38] There's so many great takeaways for young coaches in the path you had. I was just really inspired by that. So thank you.
[00:12:20.14] You presented at the New-- at the NCSA New York State Clinic this past year on lessons that you learned in the field that you didn't learn in school. What were some of those big lessons?
[00:12:33.11] Mm-hmm, so, really, when I was presented with the potential opportunity to speak, I thought to myself, what could I possibly speak about? I knew I wanted to do it. But I was kind of unsure of which route to go.
[00:12:52.09] And, the more I thought about it, I just thought of where I was at in my career. And it's still pretty early. But I think what the past few years have been for me are realizing what being a strength and conditioning coach was.
[00:13:11.88] I came out of undergrad. And I started as a graduate assistant here at Hofstra. And you have a few programming classes under your belt, very general guidelines as to how to program for athletes, and then day one of stepping into the weight room, you realize, I don't know anything.
[00:13:37.39] Or I don't know as much as I think I do. And there's so much more than the science side of strength and conditioning. And, really, what that presentation was was kind of talking about the art of coaching.
[00:13:53.39] And that's something that I think is very difficult and/or not really taught in the classroom. You learn about the techniques. You learn about the exercises, progressions, and programming, but not really how to bring that program to life or to coach in an effective way.
[00:14:15.49] So, for me, really, what that presentation spoke about is I kind of looked at different areas. And one of them was learning how to communicate with athletes. And the biggest thing is developing relationships and getting to know them as people, not just as athletes.
[00:14:35.98] So I think one thing that I learned from my lacrosse coach that I kind of carried with me is I am going to treat everyone fair. But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to treat everyone the same. And, to take a step to dissect that, as an athlete myself, I was someone on the field who I could get yelled at and picked apart a bit.
[00:15:03.85] But that would motivate me. And I could thrive in a situation like that. It kind of set a fire for me.
[00:15:10.30] Versus others, if they were in a similar situation, they may crumble under that type of pressure. So the way I look at that is my job as a strength and conditioning coach is to get the best out of my athletes. I want them to perform well. That's my job.
[00:15:32.30] But I also have to realize that I'm dealing with so many different personalities. So, in order to get that result from my different athletes, I may have to take a different approach with them.
[00:15:46.11] And so an example would be maybe I have someone who is squatting. And they're doing a heavy set. And they love when you stand behind them.
[00:15:56.27] You cheer. You clap. You're screaming at them as they're going.
[00:15:59.72] But, on the flip side, I've had athletes who have turned to me before they squatted and said, please just don't do that. And if that's what it takes to get them to be able to perform well, if they wouldn't respond well to that, noted. I know that about the athlete now.
[00:16:18.86] And I'm going to be more conscious of that as a coach. So communicating with them and then, also, not just what I deal with in strength and conditioning in my day-to-day job in writing programs and stuff for my teams. But I think a big thing that you learn once you start to get experiences is all the different relationships between athletic training, between the sport coaches, with the athletes.
[00:16:48.36] Do you have an exercise science department on campus? Here at Hofstra, we have the ability to teach within the exercise science department. And we've partnered with them recently to integrate some technology into our weight room, so just all of the different relationships that you can build as a strength and conditioning coach. And I don't think that's something you necessarily get from a textbook.
[00:17:16.13] No, I love that. Some great perspective there. And those are important lessons early in a strength and conditioning career to almost be humbled by what you don't know.
[00:17:28.01] You got up-- you took the plunge. You got up in front of a group of peers, people you didn't know. And you presented. You shared. What do you feel you gained from that at this career stage?
[00:17:40.60] I think what I gained from that is, I think I have never been really afraid of public speaking. In presentations as a student, I would be the one to take over a little bit if I needed to. I think in-- like I said, we can teach in exercise science here.
[00:18:00.13] So I teach a small class. It was about eight students last semester. So I had some experience presenting weekly to them.
[00:18:09.88] And my best piece of advice that I received in this career is just, you're never ready for your next step. And so, while, like I said, I had no idea what I was going to present on, I knew I wanted to because I wanted to challenge myself in a different way and prove to myself that I can. And I learned a lot.
[00:18:35.53] I think I definitely got an itch to continue to present if possible. And it gave me an opportunity to connect with some coaches and people that I haven't met. And I think, to go back to COVID for a second, when I first started in this career, it was still at the peak of COVID.
[00:18:58.74] So conferences weren't really happening in person. And I wasn't really able to meet with people. So just the opportunity to actually meet people face to face and introduce myself or learn something at the conference, that's a big takeaway I had.
[00:19:21.27] Perfect. You're never ready for your next step. Let's dive into that a little bit more.
[00:19:27.30] What trends are you seeing in the field right now? And just what are some areas that you're looking to for personal and professional growth in your coaching?
[00:19:39.87] Absolutely, I think-- a few things. I think one area that I personally could expand. And I think maybe it's just related to where I'm at currently and what we have access to and stuff, I want to expand in sports science and learning more about technology.
[00:20:02.92] So we're excited to kind of work with our exercise science department here. And we've recently got some Hawkins force plates which we used in our performance testing with our athletes. So, collectively, as a staff, that's an area we're looking to grow.
[00:20:21.87] And then I think still just realizing that I'm fairly young in my career. And I could just gain more experience. And I think sometimes I've had some great opportunities with where I'm at currently.
[00:20:40.12] But I think just to continue to get more experienced. And getting shut down a few times is not a bad thing because I think I'm still young. And the trajectory is only going up because I think, every time, I've been challenged it's made me realize maybe an area that I can improve in my career.
[00:21:04.11] Yeah, there's so much right there that-- and I hear this a lot with assistant strength and conditioning coaches coming up, maybe in their first assistant strength and conditioning coach job, coaches are hungry. I remember what it was like. I was so committed to this profession just early.
[00:21:25.66] And we had this all-in mentality that we have to take. We know how challenging it is to thrive in this field. And it's-- no, I hear just the authenticity and how you're looking at your career come through when you answer that question.
[00:21:46.45] And, for all coaches, it's an extremely personal path. It's so-- because it's your it's your career. It's your journey.
[00:21:55.93] It's what you thought about every step of the way. So that's inspiring. I think it's important for young coaches listening in to hear that.
[00:22:05.23] I think it's also important for coaches further along in their career to hear where maybe some of the coaches who are working for them or coming in as interns or young assistants are from a preparation and really a growth mindset that I really credit your generation of coach with just being so open-minded to information. And you have access-- we all have access to so much information right now. I see you on social media all the time posting some of your workouts. You're on the gains train. I like it. And--
[00:22:46.62] Thank you.
[00:22:47.66] I see some of your power lifting, and you're getting after it. Let's talk about social media a little bit. What value do you see in social media for coaches?
[00:22:57.88] Mm-hmm, so social media is funny because I think there's pros and cons to everything. And I think, for strength coaches, it can be a great thing if used well and appropriately. It's funny to think of what my Instagram page started as and what it's become.
[00:23:19.91] So this is further back. But, during COVID, I first started my page more so to just post my daily workouts. And it was a way to really just keep myself accountable because the alternative was maybe just sitting around all day.
[00:23:39.12] So, for me, it was something I did. I got up. I did my workout. I recorded. And I would post them on my page.
[00:23:47.99] And another thing I wanted to do with that account was to kind of just show how I got to, I guess, now, where I'm at now. So, at the time, I still didn't have my certification. I would post stories of the textbooks I was reading and my preparation.
[00:24:12.82] I made it a goal of mine to, I think, read about a chapter a week or something like that so that, by July, I was prepared, and I had read all the textbooks and ready to take the exam. So, really, at first, it was a way for me to hold myself accountable. And then I had teammates and friends who kind of started following along.
[00:24:34.81] And they would do the workouts that I would post. And it became more interactive. And then, eventually, when I got here to Hofstra and when I was at Fordham, at first, I believe I had it as a private account for a while.
[00:24:53.39] But then I started letting my athletes follow me because I think there is value in an athlete seeing that you're practicing what you preach. So we have these big, open windows here in our weight room at Hofstra. And, when athletes are walking by and they see their coaches training just as hard as them, I think they love to see that.
[00:25:19.83] And I think it's important for them to see that as well. We're practicing. We run their conditioning tests when we can, throughout the summer, to train ourselves.
[00:25:30.41] And we post that on social media. And it's kind of like, well, if I'm running your conditioning packet for the summer, hopefully, you are too. So I think that's great.
[00:25:41.61] And then, I think, when I first got here and maybe even more so, once I got to Fordham University and I was working with Coach Gilfedder, I became a big bookworm. So another thing I love about social media is just all the books that people post on their stories and adding it to my list. So I think sharing information but also kind of showing your athletes and other coaches and sharing ideas, but also kind of creating a community of encouraging each other, whether it's in professional accomplishments but also the PRs are fun too.
[00:26:26.26] Yeah, question on that, on social media. I mean, it's 2023. When you apply for a job, someone's going to be digging into your social media accounts and looking up who you are and what you put out there. Do you think there are risks in posting for coaches? What's your take on that?
[00:26:49.00] Definitely, I mean, I think one rule that I have for myself, when it comes to social media, is, while I allow athletes to follow me, I don't follow them back. I'm not interacting. And I don't want to see what my athletes are doing on weekends.
[00:27:09.22] Their social media pages are very different than what mine is. So, while I allow them to follow me if they'd like, I choose not to follow my athletes on social media until potentially I am no longer their coach just because I do think there are risks with that. You never know what someone's posting on a Friday night or a Saturday night.
[00:27:33.88] And then, is that a matter of, do I have to go to their coach and tell them x, y, and z? I choose not to put myself into that position. So I think it can be a slippery slope depending on how you use it. But I think if you use it well, it can be a great tool.
[00:27:57.28] Yeah, that's a great point about following athletes back, the risk with that, especially with some of the things that we've probably all experienced through our college years that if-- nowadays, you can get tagged in a post, and you don't really know what's up there. But a lot of people might see that. So there is risk with that from a career standpoint with coaches. And I've heard of coaches actually getting professional opportunities through social media. Do you have any experience with that?
[00:28:33.75] Yes, actually. So, like I said, social media can be a great thing. And, in a way, it's almost an online resume, some people I guess would consider it.
[00:28:48.63] But, funny enough, I, a few times, have either connected with coaches or followed a coach, and they follow me back. And we've developed relationships over social media. And I have been contacted about potential job opportunities.
[00:29:09.78] And I have ended up getting a role due to someone reaching out to me over social media just because they liked, I guess, what I was posting. They saw that I was passionate within the field. And, like I said, if used correctly, you can make some really great connections. And you never know where your next job comes from. And you never know who is kind of following along and admiring your work.
[00:29:41.04] That's awesome. Love that take. Love that approach.
[00:29:44.06] I liked how you called it an online resume. We should all be cognizant of what information we have out there in social media, the image that we are putting out there of ourself. Really, in a lot of cases, it's our first impression is being made before we're ever in the room at our prospective next job, so to speak.
[00:30:11.44] And so I really appreciate you diving into these topics today. I think you will get a few coaches wanting to reach out and connect with you. What's the best way for them to do that?
[00:30:23.28] Sure, so definitely via my Instagram. It is at Lilly, L-I-L-L-Y, underscore Bernardi, B-E-R-N-A-R-D-I, 1. And, additionally, my email address is on the Hofstra website. But I would say those are probably the two best ways to contact me.
[00:30:46.56] Awesome. Lilly, thanks for sharing that. We appreciate everything you shared today. And, to our listeners, thanks for tuning in. And a special thanks to our Sorinex exercise equipment. We appreciate their support.
[00:30:58.54] Hi, this is 2022 NCSA professional strength and conditioning coach of the year, Dan Dalrymple. Thanks for listening to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, a top resource to hear relevant stories and insights from great coaches like you. To always get the latest episodes delivered right to your phone or computer subscribe to-- on iTunes or look up the NSCA Coaching Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Also, go to ncsa.com to join the NCSA at an upcoming conference or clinic.
[00:31:30.64] 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. Serving coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.
[00:31:49.63] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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.