Category: Podcast

Melissa Copeland is the reigning Powerlifting America +84kg M1 National Champion and is the co-chair of the Athlete Committee on the Powerlifting America board. She took the silver medal at the IPF World Championships in 2022. She talks about powerlifting as a 40-something, her role with Powerlifting America, how she managed to finish second despite a dramatic injury during squats at the World Championships, and a whole lot more! Melissa is an amazing competitor who is very capable of winning a world championship and breaking world records in 2023. She also gives back to the sport in so many ways, from being a referee to volunteering for the Athlete Committee and more. Follow her and cheer her on at Nationals and beyond. 
 
Special thanks to the new Powerlifting America Podcast co-hosts Julia Williams and Amy Hutchinson!
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.
 
Follow Melissa Copeland on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/melarmy/
 
Follow Amy Hutchinson on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/liftingonaprayer/
 
Follow Julia Williams on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/sleepersbd/
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting

Joy Rindfleisch is the 63kg subjunior national champion who finished second at the world championships in 2022. Now she’s a junior, two weeks out from Nationals where she’ll be one of the youngest lifters in her class. Joy had a meteoric rise to fame on social media this year, gaining over a million followers on Tiktok and over 600k on Instagram! She uses her platform to inspire people and raise awareness about mental health issues like disordered eating, anxiety and depression. She also wants to inspire women to take up more space, get strong and be true to themselves. And she does all of this by creating amazing powerlifting content day in a day out, bringing our beloved sport to the masses. 
 
In this episode you’ll get to see a different side of Joy, the person behind the big social media accounts and get to know her a little better. She talks about her trials and tribulations at big powerlifting meets like nationals and worlds, her huge performance in Buffalo earlier this year, and her mindset going into Junior Nationals in two weeks. And yes, she also gives us some tips on how to grow a community on social media. She’s wise beyond her years so there’s a lot to learn and be inspired from this interview with Joy Rindfleisch.
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.
 
Follow Joy on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/joyjoysfitness_/
 
Joy on Tiktok here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@joyjoysfitness_
 
Joy on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/@joyjoysfitness_/
 
Follow Julia on instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/sleepersbd/
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting

Shelly Stettner is the reigning world champion in the Masters 4, 63kg class. She also won best lifter at the world championships and walked away with all four world records in her class. She’s currently under three weeks out from defending her national title at Powerlifting America Nationals in Scottsdale. Shelly talked about her big year in 2022, how she stays motivated while being so dominant, and all of the ways that strength training has enriched her life after picking up a barbell at age 68. Shelly is a huge inspiration, showing the whole world that you can always get stronger no matter what age you are!
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.
 
Follow Shelly on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/shelly_ann_28/
 
Follow Julia on instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/sleepersbd/
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting

Quick check in with US National Team coach Austin Brown. Austin is the 105kg equipped bench press national champion and two weeks out from the Bench Press World Championships in Sun City, South Africa. He talked about his experience coaching on the biggest stages in powerlifting at the World Games and the Open World Championships in 2022. He tells his backstory, recaps some of his notable performances over the years, and gives us a mini preview show for Bench Press Worlds, where he shouts out a lot of the favorites and storylines from the US National Team. Austin is coached by James Townsend and is part of the Elite Iron crew in Georgia and he assured us that they will be bringing a formidable team to equipped nationals in Scottsdale in 3 weeks. After that, Austin will be coaching the US National Team at the North American Regional Championships in the Cayman Islands in August. Make sure to follow him @austinbrown105 and @powerlifting_america for the links to all of these upcoming competitions.
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.

You can find Austin on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/austinbrown105/
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting

World Champion Meghan Scanlon 6 weeks out from worlds in Malta. We talked about her big year in 2022 where her total went up 42.5 kilos in 8 months, how she won worlds without her biggest weapon, competing sick at nationals and a lot more. Meg has an amazing story that inspires everyone who hears it so please enjoy this one and be sure to cheer her on at the world championships on June 13.
 
You can find Meg on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/megscanlift/
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting

The back to back National Champ, Dayna Mcneal talks about her life in Japan, what it’s like being in one of the most competitive and most watched weight classes in the world, competing against her idol and GOAT Kimberly Walford and so much more. Dayna is in the US Military stationed in Japan, so even competing at Powerlifting America Nationals is an international event for her. She has two national titles to show for her efforts despite having to travel across the world for each. Last year she was only a few inches away from making the podium in arguably the most stacked division at IPF Worlds, nearly edging out her idol and GOAT Kimberly Walford on her final pull. But Dayna, and her weight class, has only gotten stronger since then, setting the stage for an epic battle of the 76s at 2023 Worlds in Malta. Dayna is a wonderful person who gives back to her sport, her community and her country so we couldn’t be more grateful for this interview with her.
 
You can find Dayna on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/versus_myself/
 
Dayna is also on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/@daynamac
 
Thank you to our partners, SBD and Eleiko.
 
Check out all of our upcoming events on the Powerlifting America events page here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/events
 
Become a member of Powerlifting America here:
https://powerlifting-america.com/registration
 
Visit the Powerlifting America store here:
https://powerlifting-america.square.site/s/shop
 
Follow Powerlifting America on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/powerlifting_america/
 
Support Open Powerlifting here:
https://www.patreon.com/join/openpowerlifting