Rachel Smith

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“Seeing them not just at their highs but also at their lows and how they fought to climb back up has taught me a lot about resilience and being relentless. I've become a better coach because I have the opportunity to work with these pro women and I'm excited to continue to get better, learn from them, and make sure that they're at the center of everything that I do.

My guest for today's episode is Diljeet Taylor. We had her on the show last fall after she won the NCAA Cross Country Championships with her BYU women. For those of you who aren't familiar, she's one of the most transformative coaches in the sport. She's built BYU's women's cross country program and distance program into a national powerhouse, coaching NCAA champions, Olympians, and creating one of the strongest cultures in collegiate running.

Now she's stepping into an even bigger role, leading a professional training group with Nike while continuing to coach at BYU. Nike has announced Swoosh TC for Oregon, Utah, and Arizona. It's being described by the brand as a network of elite athletes, coaches, and innovators working together to push the boundaries of performance and progress.

Coach Taylor will oversee the Utah division, Jerry Schumacher will head Oregon along with Shalane Flanagan, and Mike Smith will lead the club in Arizona beginning in July 2025 in partnership from Rachel Smith. In this conversation, we make sense of what all of that means. 

We get into the behind-the-scenes details of her new role, how she's balancing coaching, both collegiate and professional athletes, and what it takes to develop elite runners at the highest level. We also touch on the mindset of success, the importance of culture, and the transition from NCAA to professional racing.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram 

Guest: Diljeet Taylor | @diljeetdosanjhtaylor on Instagram

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Carrie welcomes Rachel (Schneider) Smith back to the show! They catch up on everything that’s happened since 2020, including getting married to Mike Smith, becoming a mom and how that’s changed her training, getting ready for 2024, staying hungry on the comeback, the ups and downs of life, and so much more!

"Running has been super therapeutic for me these last couple of months. I've really taken time to heal and prioritize healing...When my own personal running isn't going well. I get so much joy out of watching my friends crushing it."

Rachel Smith (née Schneider) is one of the nicest people in track and field. Last summer, she fulfilled one of her biggest dreams when she crossed the finish line in third place in the U.S. Olympic Trials 5000m finals and qualified for the Tokyo Games. She just missed out on making it into the final when she ran 15:00 in the first round of the Olympics. We got the chance to catch up a few weeks ago when we were both in Washington, DC for the Team USA athlete summit ahead of their White House visit. It’s been a very hard year for Rachel. Earlier this year, she had a bout with COVID in January. In February, she shared that she learned she had skin cancer and underwent surgery to treat it. In April, she opened up on Instagram about having a miscarriage. It’s very sad to hear and we briefly touch on it. Through it all, Rachel still has turned to running and the sport as a way to heal. She’s at practice and helping her husband Mike coach the NAU team and the small professional squad that includes Elly Henes, Nikki Hiltz and Luis Grijalva. When she is ready to return to racing, she is certainly someone to root for.

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