We had the good fortune of connecting with Drew Robertson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance, well 2 and a half years ago my wife and I decided to build and open up our own training facility. This changed the work life balance a lot, during the building process we would be working 60-70 hours a week. Then when we opened I’d be there somedays from 6am till 8pm. The nice thing is my wife and kids are involved at the facility, this allows us to still get in some family time so to speak.The last 4-5 months we’ve been able to step back a bit and work less which has been great!! We added to the family a few months back, we got a dog, his name is Odie and he has helped us both, as we take him out 2-3 times a day and plan day trips and so forth to get him so exercise.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since I was a little kid I played multiple sports, like most Canadian kids my first love was hockey but I also boxed, played soccer, baseball, tennis and swam competitively. Sports Science wasn’t a thing and strength and conditioning was in its infancy. Being mildly athletic I was always interested in how the body worked, how you can effect change and how to increase performance, because I could have used the help!!So after finishing my degree I started working and designing food plans and diets for people and athletes. I then had an opportunity to work more on the strength and conditioning side of things and fell in love with it!
Over the last 22 years I have worked with Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta, I was the athletic director for both Ski-Doo and Yamaha, responsible for performance and recovery of their extreme sports athletes. I spent 7 years working with Extreme Sports athletes in Motocross, supercross, and snowcross. I travelled all over North America was able to work with a multitude of athletes, see and experience incredible things. I was able to attend winter X games 5 times, attend the Motocross Des Nations, multiple AMA supercross races and of course meet a number of incredible people!
10 years ago, I decided to spend more time around home as I didn’t want to miss out on my two children, Brody my son and Trinity my daughter growing up. I was hired on as the Athletic Director for The Athletic Development Centre (ADC) here in Calgary. I oversaw the development of their rugby, football and hockey programs.
COVID hit and changed things considerably.
During my time at the ADC I had developed relationships with various high schools in Calgary. They would either bring some of their phys.ed classes to the centre or I would go to the high school and teach. After COVID I resumed this and started developing my own business dealing with youth athletics. We partnered with different facilities until 2.5 years ago when my wife and I decided to open up our own facility. I continue to oversee the planning and development of our programs, as well as mentor young S&C coaches.
There have been ups and downs over the years but I have been fortunate to have the support of my family, friends and clients!!
The one thing I would like to be remembered for is caring about and creating bonds with my athletes! The science matters don’t get me wrong, but if you can form a connection and earn the trust of the athletes, it will go a long way as to how they respond in a program, all some people need is one person to believe in them!!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Over the years we would have athletes fly into Calgary and stay for a week or two. Depending on the time of year we would always take take them out to Kananaskis, about 30-45 minutes west of Calgary, great hiking trails and the scenery is unbelievable.
There are amazing restaurants in Calgary, one of our favourites is a Deli called Spolumbo’s, they make the best sandwiches and if you go on Thursday or Friday you can have my personal favourite Momma’s Meatloaf!!!
Looking for a good steak? I would recommend a place called Chairman’s located in the south of Calgary, in the community of Mahogany.
A great location for both food and atmosphere you have to check out the Bank and Baron, it’s a historical site (an old bank) that’s been done into a great restaurant!!
Calgary is a beautiful city, we often walk around downtown, or along the river. If you are looking to come during the summer you have to come early July and check out the Calgary Stampede. Even if you aren’t a big Rodeo fan the city is one big party for 10 days straight and I’m sure you could find something that you would enjoy!!
With a view to the west of the mountains, a city that gets the most days of sun , Calgary is not only a great city to live in, it’s a great city to visit!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I Love my job, I’m excited to go to work every day, watching young athletes grow and develop is amazing.
One of my mentors,Doug Crashley was instrumental in laying a foundation of hard work and high standards.
One of the things I tell young coaches is to continue to challenge yourself, learn and grow all the time. I’ve been lucky to have two great friends Iain Hayden and Cody Ehrmann who I continue to learn from and are both a great ear to run new ideas by!
Iain was one of my athletes for years and has gone on to become a very successful businessman. He’s a great resource when it comes to how to create systems and operate a business. Cody is arguably one of the best Football coaches and minds in Canada. He has been a huge influence on how I coach and how we create community inside our centre!
My wife, of all the people over the years, she has been by my side and is a constant companion, inspiration and support system for me, I can never thank her enough!!!

Website: https://Www.evolvedss.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvedsportsperformance?igsh=bnoyZWFvY3Y2Z24%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-robertson-a273561a?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Twitter: https://x.com/evolvedmx?s=21&t=qxUEX0mcYjbeYX5EjmMZ7w

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@drewrobertson7524?si=i3r_Wtbilds2ZVyi

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