Cody Miller took home two medals from the 2016 Olympics, but that might not even be why you’ve heard of him.
Following those Games, he launched a YouTube channel and took control of his own spotlight, gaining popularity for his relatable and informative vlogs. Miller’s channel, “Cody Miller Adventures,” now has over 165,000 followers and a reach within the swimming community that’s harder to quantify.
Miller’s videos range from the wacky — like a video about Olympians eating hot wings — to the technical, like a behind-the-scenes look at breaststroke workout with the Indiana University professional group. His videos get upwards of hundreds of thousands of views, though his how-to video on how to create the perfect underwater bubble ring has over four million.
“This is my super-simple, kinda-stupid, hopefully helpful tutorial on how to blow bubble rings,” Miller said in the video before demonstrating his tried-and-true method.
“If you look stupid, you’re probably doing it right,” he added.
Miller’s often laid-back and always-positive videos have provided an uncommon view into the world of swimming. His channel regularly features Olympian guests, views from inside his practice, and vulnerable moments about the ups and downs of life as a prominent swimmer.
“It’s been about three years, and [the channel’s] evolved over time,” Miller said on the SwimSwam Podcast. “I’m really happy to see that it’s had such a positive impact on the swimming world.”
Unprecedented Access
Miller’s channel has provided unprecedented access into the often-guarded world of professional swimming, through both his International Swimming League experiences with the DC Trident and as a member of various United States international teams.
His videos provide a look at what it really means to be a professional swimmer in a time when the career is rapidly evolving. That can be as basic as shedding light on a training cycle — like one from May 2019 titled “Extremely TOUGH Swim Training” that includes a time lapse as the team swims through a set.
“Sometimes, the most painful parts of the season are coming back from a little taper, like having to spike your yardage back up,” Miller explains in the video. “But it’s a necessity.”
Other times, Miller appeals to fans with an all-access pass to the stars, such as a video that includes a behind-the-scenes look at an ISL meet and a race with Caeleb Dressel.
Miller’s also not afraid to get vulnerable, which he said adds to the authenticity that makes his channel popular. In various videos, he’s discussed how his perspective changed after having his first child, the challenges that can be associated with setting time aside to complete necessary drug tests for professional swimmers, and more of the harsher realities associated with his profession.
“Being a professional swimmer is a part of the DNA of this video series,” he said in the 2021 podcast.
Documenting Growth
But the road to success hasn’t always been a straight one for Miller. In 2021, he competed at U.S. Olympic Trials but didn’t make the Olympic team.
As a result, Miller said he had to reevaluate what he wants out of life.
“The bottom line is I really still enjoy and love swimming, I really do enjoy and love going to the pool and making these videos,” Miller said. “I still feel super, super lucky.”
Miller said that the Olympic Trials meet was disappointing not just because he didn’t make the team, but also because it was one of his worst meets of the last decade. The meet, however, made him go back and reflect on both the positives and negatives of the season. Miller said he analyzed what led to his negative results, including external factors like the impacts of having a kid during his training season.
Now, Miller said, he’s a lot more cognizant of the negative things he tried to ignore while completing training. He and his wife, Ali, are expecting their second child in February.
The process of making Cody Miller Adventures has also shifted how he views the sport and its ups and downs, Miller said.
“I’m definitely not the same person I was in 2017 when I made my very first video as I am now,” Miller said. “It’s given me a greater appreciation for the sport. That sounds really cheesy, but there are days when I wake up and I don’t want to go to the pool, and there are days that I’m grumpy, but on any given week I determine a day, schedule out in advance that this is going to be the day I’ll shoot this video…I have to be the guy for the camera. Over the years, I’ve honed in on this ability to really sideline other things that are going on that may be negatively impacting me because I have to be that guy on camera.”
He added that those days where he has to force a smile, even when there are negative things happening around him, have helped him look at life differently and better control his own feelings and how they affect others.
What’s next for Cody Miller?
Despite an unsuccessful Olympic bid, Miller has no plans to stop swimming.
Shooting new content for the channel remains paramount, whether that means participating in a top international competition or at a summer master’s meet. Miller will return to the pool later this year for the next round of the ISL season and added that he plans to keep swimming at least for a few more years.
He also loves the positive reaction he’s gotten to his work so far. At a recent swim clinic, he said several groups of young swimmers came up to him saying how they started their own swimming vlog after watching his videos, and that his appreciation for that engagement with his content is hard to quantify.
For now, Miller said his career is specially focused on swim media, even though he’s still competing on the international stage.
“As far as what would be ‘defining of your career,’ right now I think it’s more so on the media side,” Miller said. “It’s more so on creating lasting content that is fulfilling me and ultimately making a bigger impact on other people.”
What is Cody’s MAKE WAVES moment?
Cody’s a proud member of Team Speedo, and his MAKE WAVES moment is personal, one that crystalizes swimming-family and connection. Recently, during the 2021 ISL regular season, Cullen Jones was his DC Trident assistant coach, his day-to-day guide shepherding him through the first round of pro competition. Cullen, a 4-time Olympic medalist and Team Speedo member, is one of Cody’s childhood heroes. “Can you imagine that?” Cody smiled. “He’s a former pro, now working with Speedo as a manager on their philanthropy side. He’s married, building his brand and business. And…he’s coaching me? In Italy? I walked into one of the matches, and he’s like ‘You look great today.’ And I’m like, ‘Cullen you look great today!’ My life is weird and wonderful, and that tiny moment pulled it all together. That’s my MAKE WAVES moment.”
What is Cody’s go-to Speedo Gear?
Cody’s done a deep dive on all Speedo gear. The huge upside of being Team Speedo is the gear access. All elites know what it’s like to walk through the SoCal HQ and shop for their favorites. Right now Cody’s really into Speedo Power Paddles Plus. See his video about them which he captured during the 2021 ISL Regular Season:
Subscribe to Cody Miller Adventures on Youtube here.
Follow Cody Miller on Instagram here.
Follow Speedo USA on Instagram here.
Follow Speedo on Instagram here.
If he is getting paid for those Hello Fresh ads in shares, he sure has made a pretty penny for himself …
I sometimes wonder whether Cody’s focus on creating content and improving his skills in that area is damaging to his swimming. It doesn’t HAVE to be causality, but there is a direct correlation between Cody’s declining international successes and his vlogging quality. When one of them went up, the other went down.
His London Olympics bordered on a fluke. He, like, others (Schooling, LeClos etc) just had the meet of their life at the most important time. He’s not a consistent 58 breaststroker.
Rio, you mean?
His taper was off and that’s why he swam so slow at Olympic Trials. He trained hard and had some good swims leading up to the meet.
He said that his focus was less intense than in the past because of his child.
I think he was reluctant to blame his coach for the bad results. Because he’s still swimming at Indiana for the same coach. Zane Grothe also bombed at the Olympic Trials, which was very sad to watch.
He should blame his coach. Lily bombed in the 100, which was one of the shocks of the Games. Looze’s record with his three breaststrokers at Trial and Games: 2 good events (Lazor and King in the 200 at the Games) and 3 terrible ones (King in the 100, Cody in 100 and 200) out of 6 events.
Grothe talked about not wanting to grind out volume anymore in the lead up to trials. Hard to have success in his events unless you’re putting in that kind of work.
Cody didn’t just miss a taper. He was considerably slower than he had been at the US Open in December. He no-showed multiple meets in the lead up to trials as well. It just doesn’t seem like he was motivated to train the same way in 2021, and when you plan on having a child after the Olympics and it happens almost a year before, that’s understandable. At a certain point, as an older athlete, you have to be able to tell your coach what you need in… Read more »
Love Cody’s stuff.
I wonder why SwimSwam never posts about Brett Hawke’s podcast, that’s some SERIOUS content!
Let’s just say Cody’s content moves swimswam….TO A BIGGER HOUSE!
Brett blames ss for his failure at Auburn. Anybody who has ever spent any time around him in any capacity has heard those rants. Knowing Brett and his penchant for scorched-earth self destruction, I would bet money that he’s said some not-so-nice things to ss and its owners.
Never? That’s incorrect… Hawke clearly gets most of his news and background from SwimSwam’s news production. HOWEVER, when Brett “breaks” new information in the sport, SwimSwam reports it and notes him as a source.
Brett blames ss for his failure at Auburn. Anybody who has ever spent any time around him in any capacity has heard those rants. Knowing Brett and his penchant for scorched-earth self destruction, I would bet money that he’s said some not-so-nice things to ss and its owners.
I have no idea if this has any merit, but he’s doing something great for coaches and athletes everywhere with his podcast. I hope people can disconnect his time at Auburn good or bad from his recent venture.
Cody gets a lot of hate (multiple Dolphin kicks), however, dude is a saint compared to Dolphinovich.
Really though, swimming needs this. You look at hype videos for football and basketball and swimming is way behind. I like the production value of his channel and it helps make swimming more appealing and interesting. I hope he finds success in his channel which in turn helps make swimming more mainstream and “cool.”
…Cody will only see upside and growth. I think he’ll remain curious about improving his production skills and narrative. Sounds like he’s less concerned about his number of followers and rev—more focused on simply being better at the series. He knows if he keep pushing boundaries, the subscribers/rev will automatically come. That’s always a positive sign for future success.
He definitely puts a lot of work into his craft. Its gotta be time consuming to walk up those stairs at IU, put the camera down, walk back down the stairs and then back up again for that perfect shot. Unless he has an intern that does all those shots for him.
…I’m pretty sure he does it all…but that’s a great question I should’ve asked. I will the next time he’s on the pod…