Episodes
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Valarie Cagle essentially grew up on a diamond as her siblings played baseball and softball. Practicing with her father, she learned how to become a player before becoming a pitcher. Her approach to the game translated to the collegiate level where she played and excelled at multiple positions at Clemson earning awards as a pitcher and hitter. Throughout her collegiate career, she became a 4X All-American, 4X All-ACC honoree, and ACC Player of the Year in 2021 and 2023. In 2023, she was also named as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, NCAA D1 Softball Player of the Year, and Rawlings Gold Glove award winner.
Despite her tremendous success on the field, she struggled with her identity and faced several challenges that impacted her mental health off the field. She was so focused on being the player others needed her to be that she lost sight of the person she wanted to be. By learning to give herself permission to take care of herself and prioritize things she enjoyed doing, she redefined her relationship with the sport including her role on the field.
Valarie candidly shares that while we may see athletes smiling on the field, it does not show their entire story. She also explains that while others often remember us for what we did, it’s much more important to be remembered for who we are.
@val_cagle
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Growing up in a lower income household as the 5th of 6 kids, Kevin Krause did not have some of the privileges that others had and while he always knew there would be food on the table, he didn’t get to choose what he would eat. Early on, he learned that if he worked hard, he could earn the freedom to make his own choices.
While he stumbled into law enforcement as a career, his work ethic combined with his love of physical activity allowed him to excel and better handle the stress of his job. His appreciation for people and experiences caused him to invest in life outside of work by prioritizing scheduled and meaningful trips with friends and family evolving into what is now known as “Kevins rule.”
Kevin takes an intentional approach to his job, family, friends, fitness and other “boxes he needs to check” on a daily basis. As such, while others focus on the pain and discomfort of completing a major endurance event like riding a bike for 100 days x 14 days across country, climbing the equivalent of Mt. Everest in a weekend or completing an Ironman, Kevin looks at these challenges as a vacation!
Kevin Krause has been a law enforcement officer for 30 years, Ironman, winter mountaineer. He has completed two 100-mile races, finished Boston marathon in 2:28 and biked across America. He is a husband and father of 4. However, he believes that he is just, “an ordinary man doing extraordinary things!”
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Darian Cruz was always a huge dreamer working to chase the next great thing. Exposed to wrestling at age 4, he didn’t have to look far to find his heroes. They lived in his house or went to his local high school. Every Wednesday and Friday evening at the local dual meet, he witnessed how champions looked and acted. By surrounding himself with greatness and “keeping the main focus the main focus,” his own ideas turned into thoughts and ultimately became beliefs.
That belief system has been continuously tested with adversity, but he keeps learning to struggle well which lights a fire that motivates him even further. He has gone from a 2X Pennsylvania State Champ to a 3X NCAA D1 All-American to an NCAA National Champion and most recently he achieved the ultimate dream of becoming an Olympian competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Darian shares his experiences, his perspective and the evolution of his mindset that have helped him become the man he is today, continues to be and wants to be in the future.
@dariantoicruz.pur
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Lindsey Wilson is a mindset and mental performance coach best known as The Sports Hypnotist™. With a professional basketball career spanning close to a decade, Lindsey took her knowledge of the mental game to work with collegiate athletes, professional athletes from Olympians and players in the NFL and WNBA, all the way to youth athletes.
She is the founder of Positive Performance™ and The Mindset Coach Academy™ where she helps aspiring mental performance coaches start their dream business and impact lives. She’s also the author of the upcoming book Think Like an Athlete which teaches the critical and undertrained skill of belief and how to build it to be successful on the playing field and off.
Lindsey’s exposure to mental performance came at age 16 and completely changed her perspective on how to navigate physical training with her mental barriers. She also learned the power of belief and importance of consistently training it to achieve the highest goals. Despite a successful career, she did fall short of her ultimate athletic goals but is using that experience and message to create and surpass her professional goals! Her mission is to teach mental performance tools so that coaches can have a massive impact on athletes’ performance, enjoyment of competing and life.
@lindseypositiveperform
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Dr. Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist, national bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the mind and human performance. His clients include the NFL’s Super Bowl Champions, Seattle Seahawks, world record holders, Olympians, MVPs from every major sport, internationally acclaimed music artists, and Fortune 50 CEO’s. He is also the co-creator of the Performance Science Institute at the USC Marshall School of Business and has been featured in premier media outlets including NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, ESPN, NFL Network, Red Bull TV, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Outside Magazine, WIRED, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
As the host of the Finding Mastery podcast, he explores the psychology of the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers. Through his work and conversations, he explains how the top 1% have a fundamental commitment to be the very best leading them to seek out information and practices to train their mind.
Dr. Gervais also discusses the difference between mental toughness vs. psychological agility and how we can use specific mental training techniques to become better versions of ourselves, stop worrying about what others think of us and improve performance.
@michaelgervais
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Lanni Brown grew up surrounded by basketball. Her father, Dee Brown, was an NBA legend with the Boston Celtics. Her sister is currently playing in the WNBA and her brother is a D1 Basketball player. While she also found success in the sport, she faced lots of comparisons with her family, struggled to separate her self identity from her performance and ultimately realized that she was “not feeling basketball.”
Her transition to the D1 level exacerbated her struggle as she felt different from her teammates because she didn’t love her sport and even felt selfish, ungrateful and guilty that she was getting a scholarship despite not being fully invested. Lanni chose to shift her mindset and focus on energy, positivity and enjoying the moments and making an impact in her own way.
Since her competitive career has ended, she is pursuing a Master’s at Jacksonville University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with the plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology She is combining her personal experiences and education to better support student athletes as an advocate, ambassador and future clinician.
@alanni.noelle
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Dee Brown was a 12-year NBA legend and member on the 1990’s Boston Celtics all decade team.
While so many young kids dream of the NBA, Dee Brown just wanted to use basketball to get a free college education. By creating a process, locking in and having no fear of failing, he found himself as the 19th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 1990. Having the opportunity to play alongside legends like Larry Bird, he learned how to focus on solutions vs successes, apply mindfulness to sport and the power of information, motivation and inspiration.
By mastering these concepts, he was also able to build a level of confidence and trust in himself to make up an iconic dunk on the spot that was memorialized and recreated years later. Through his experiences as a player, coach, parent and now an administrator at Jacksonville U, Dee Brown shares the “B principles” that are necessary for a championship culture in sports, school and life.
@deebrown_og
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Sydney Moore is a Division 1 Volleyball player at Syracuse University pursuing her master’s in marketing. Before Syracuse, Sydney was a senior captain at Cornell University where she majored in psychology with a focus in neuroscience and human development. Her initial love was basketball but as the pressure increased, her confidence decreased and her motivation to improve became fear based, she found volleyball as a refreshing change. As her understanding of health and wellness grew, so did her interest in pursuing information for herself and others.
Sydney created a video podcast titled, “Let’s Talk About It” which discusses and advocates for important topics that affect student-athletes such as mental health, gender equity, going pro, and more. In 2022 Sydney was awarded the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the ESPYs for her work to introduce the Fair Play for Women Act into Congress and was named one of Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year 2023.
Sydney discusses her own process and passion that embodies the characteristics for which she has been recognized including intelligence, bravery, confidence and compassion. She has worked so hard to find her own voice and is using that voice to empower other female athletes.
@ssydney.mmoore
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Born with cerebral palsy, Kyle Pease knew his life was different and understood he would always need help but believed he could do everything others could do. His family believed the same and chose a mindset of relentless optimism to focus on what he can do vs cant’t do. He graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in sports management and partnered with his brother Brent Pease for a creer total 125 races including making history as the first push-assist brother duo to complete the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
While Brent’s resume includes 11 Ironman events and several 70.3 and Olympic distance triathlons, he shares countless examples of being physically broken needing his brother, Kyle to work even harder mentally to inspire them both to realize, “where there's a wheel, there's a way!”
Like many siblings, Brent and Kyle tease eachother, yell at eachother and show unconditional love for eachother. Through their nonprofit, the Kyle Pease Foundation, they have championed more than 100 athletes across 1000+ events and raised more than $10 million in aid. They have offered support through programs such as scholarship opportunities, purchasing adaptive sports equipment and participating in educational campaigns about cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
By going through this journey together, they have both become better brothers, better friends and better men by becoming better, “one mile at a time. “
@bpease9, @thekylepeasefoundation
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On the field, Ashley Hatch has dominated the game of soccer as a 2-time NCAA All-American at BYU, US Women’s National Team member with 21 appearances, 2017 NWSL Rookie of the year, the Washington Spirit’s all time leading scorer, 2021 Best Player of the Year and 2022 ESPY award winner.
Off the field, she has worked even harder establishing a foundation of undeniable belief through every stage and phase of her career. This mindset has grown with her commitment to mental training where she devotes intentional time and energy to learning actionable skills that have directly led to her success and confidence despite several setbacks Including major injuries and recently missing the World Cup Roster for 2025.
“Hatchy” as she is known by her teammates, is described as, a professional in every sense of the word, one of the most process-oriented people, someone who can create something out of nothing, and a really special human who is absolutely goated!”
@ash_smash33
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Shaylee Ungos has a special connection with Volleyball; it is a part of her Hawaiian culture, and her parents met each other playing the sport. However, she really fell in love with the sport while living in Korea on a military base during Covid. It provided an outlet and ability to see her friends when she would be otherwise isolated. Without the resources, coaching and support that other elite athletes in America are afforded, she created her own process largely training alone and used social media as a tool to document and track her progress but also develop content for recruiting.
Ironically, it was documentation of a major injury and the pain of losing her sense of self as an athlete that opened her eyes to how much support and love she had all along and inspired her smile at the little things and appreciate every piece of joy. In addition to redefining her relationship with sports, she also redefined her relationship with social media and become more intentional about creating and consuming. In doing so, she improved not only her p[physical but also mental health.
She is currently a collegiate volleyball player, THO Campus Captain, an awesome mental health advocate, and a content creator for student-athletes who has built her own social media following to over 50k followers while helping others learn how to capitalize on NIL. Shaylee has even partnered with United Sports Abroad a non-profit that supports military kids like herself with recruiting, media exposure, and camp or tournament opportunities.
@shayleeungosvb
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The Aumiller Sisters had it all. Or so they thought. Star collegiate lacrosse players, who graduated and landed jobs on Wall Street, married amazing men, and then moved back to their hometown of Baltimore to start their families. But their lives soon unraveled as they were confronted with the challenge of their lifetimes -- infertility.
In heartbreaking meetings with doctors, they were each told they would never have children. What followed was a decade long quest to prove the doctors wrong. Through grit and determination, digging into the mindset learned through athletics, they endured years of miscarriages, failed IVFs, painful D&C’s, the shattering loss of a newborn, and the birth of an “extreme preemie” with special needs.
Their memoir, Bitches on IVF, tells the story of their struggles and successes in the world of infertility. How, against all odds, they now have eight children between them including two cousins born by the same surrogate. This conversation highlights the challenges they faced, how they overcame them and how it has shaped their parental experiences.
@aumillersistersivf
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Growing up in Northern California with a single mom, twin brother and limited finances, Nahshon Garrett was unable to afford team sports, so he gravitated towards wrestling. Initially introverted, his confidence grew as from the beginning, he found himself, “always on the edge of beating someone.” Given his success, he had the opportunity to travel across the country to attend Cornell University exposing himself to a new area, new living situation and new culture. He was faced with the dilemma to conform to his environment or let his environment crush him. He made the choice to adapt and become the man he wanted to be. Despite always feeling a little behind his peers, every year he focused on more growth and more experiences.
This mindset led to more wisdom and joy within himself and his sport. Through his journey, he has found success on the mat becoming a 4X EIWA Champion, 4X NCAA All-American, NCAA Champion, 2X US Open Silver Medalist and 2X World Team Trials Champion. More importantly, he has found success in self-love and reflection by viewing setbacks as opportunities and taking accountability for every circumstance regardless of the outcome while accepting that sometimes things are not good or bad but rather, “just the way they are.”
@nahshongarrett_
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At age of 6, while all her peers huddled around the ball, Civana Kuhlmann was already setting herself apart as she had learned about proper spacing. Her ability to view the soccer field like a problem to solve cultivated a “no quit” mindset that helped her become relentless, aggressive and determined. The same belief system that helped her excel also ended up hurting her emotionally and physically.
As an athlete, Civana has represented the United States in multiple World Cup Qualifiers, a U17 FIFA World Cup, won 2 National Championships and played in 3 Final Fours as a member of the Stanford University women’s soccer team, and was drafted to the Washington Spirit in January 2023.
As a human being, she has endured seven surgeries for four major injuries since August 2019 including 2 torn ACL’s, 2 hip surgeries, and a fractured femur. She has also lost a close friend and teammate to suicide.
Through her experiences, she continues to ponder everything that got her to this point, and most definitely uses everything she has learned so far while still searching for lots.
@civanakuhlmann
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Ryan Deakin’s first impressions of wrestling were spot on: it was tough, it looked different, and he could directly affect the outcome. His work ethic set a foundation for success where he won the state title as a 10th grader in high school. The next year, he lost his state semi-final match in overtime to someone he had previously beaten. Instead of challenging his identity, he appreciated the major loss that enabled him to see that he was much more than just a wrestler who had unconditional support and love from his family. Free of pressure, he won another state title as a senior.
What followed was a historic career where he became an NCAA D1 National Champion, 4X NCAA D1 All-American, 3X Big Ten Champion, 2X Northwestern male Athlete of the year, and 2020 and 2022 Hodge Trophy Finalist awarded to the best collegiate wrestler in the Nation. He has also experienced success at the international level where he won US Open National Freestyle Title in 2017 and 2019 and won a silver medal for Team USA in the Junior World Championships.
Ryan shares the mindset that allowed him to accomplish success on the mat, in the classroom as a 5X Academic All-American and Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient but most impressively as a 5X team captain at Northwestern University. He works hard, he leads by example, and he never questions the tough things because he believes no matter the outcome, “you will never regret the sprints.”
@ryandeakin, @iron.summit
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Sammy Schultz grew up playing multiple sports including soccer swimming, horseback riding, and shooting rifles. By the time she was a senior in high school, she realized she possessed the skill set required for 4 of 5 events in the Olympic Pentathlon. She decided to give fencing a shot and really enjoyed that as well!
Joining the army gave her the support to train, created opportunities to grow, provided leadership experience but also challenged her to give up control and trust in her process. Her experiences taught her how to balance rhythm and aggression in her sport and in life.
Not only is she a 2021 Tokyo Olympian, but she is a seven-time US National champion, Pan American Games Silver and Gold medalist, and multiple world and national team member in the sport of pentathlon. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Pilates and yoga instructor, strength and conditioning coach and running coach.
Sammy frequently speaks to people of all ages in community at schools, sporting events and has worked with fellow Soldiers in the US Army to share her journey, overcoming obstacles, perseverance, and the importance of taking care of your mental and physical health.
@samanthaausa
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Stephen Johnston, MD, MBA, is a father, radiologist, non-profit founder, and Ironman athlete. When he found out his nine-year-old son, Luke, was going blind as a result of a rare disease, he founded A Race Against Blindness to fund sight-saving research for his son and thousands of others like him.
Though Stephen is relatively new to the nonprofit world, he’s a man on a mission to raise $1 Million for a clinical trial and taking on challenges like Ironman to raise money and be an example for his son.
To prepare himself mentally, he is using his knowledge from personal setbacks to look at himself, identify the role he plays, take ownership over what he can control to be the best he can be. Emotionally, he is deliberately taking on difficult and painful obstacles to process hard moments, learn how to experience and explain what he is going through, how he will handle it and what he will learn from it.
By showing up every day, experiencing micro failures and progressing through different levels he is working to be an example for his son. Ironically, his son’s approach and perspective to his own illness is inspiring Dr. Johnston to be a better father, athlete and overall human being.
@dad.vs.blindness, www.araceagainstblindness.org
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Born and raised in Toronto but growing up in an Italian household, “futbol was life!” for Jordyn Listro. She began playing at age 5 and loved to run, be part of a team and create relationships with families who lived nearby. The experience was as much cultural as it was athletic. However, as things became more competitive, she needed to adjust her focus to prioritize both the physical aspects of success such as nutrition, sleep, extra training but also the willingness to seek out information and feedback to get better. She needed to become her own biggest fan and advocate.
She attended the University of South Florida, where she was a 4-year starter, setting the USF record for career games played. She then made her professional debut in the Spanish Primera Division in 2017 before playing in the National Women's Soccer League. She has also been a member of the Canadian National Team.
Despite all her efforts, she fell short of a major goal to make the Canadian Olympic team who ended up winning gold without her. Rather than give up, she used her competitive mindset to dig even deeper on the mental side of the game while also gibing attention to her life outside of soccer.
Jordyn is looking forward to making an impact in the USL Super League for Tampa Bay Sun, still planning to compete for Team Canada on the biggest stage and helping grow women's professional soccer in her home country.
@jordylistro
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Kendall Wesenberg has been a competitor from an early age as she “wanted to win before I knew what it was.” She grew up playing all the typical youth sports and continued with club soccer through college. After seeing bobsled during the 2010 Olympic Games, this California girl moved to Park City, Utah 2 years later after graduation to learn more about the sport. She loved the adrenaline rush that bobsled provided but felt her body type was better suited for skeleton.
In 2014 Kendall earned an invite to US Team Trials where she took 4th then went on to become the first American woman to win the European Cup circuit overall title. The following season she earned a World Cup spot where she has competed for the last 3 seasons, winning a silver medal in the St. Moritz World Cup in 2017 and earning one of two Olympic spots for the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
Kendall shares how she trains her mind and body to access the zone and make 100 crucial decisions every minute. Her sport is extremely dangerous and challenging but she approaches it like she approaches life, by focusing on kindness, hard work and having the most fun!
@kendallorraine
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Donnell Whittenburg was born to be a gymnast. He grew up doing back flips, tucks and handstand walks in his backyard. To help him avoid injury, his mother enrolled him into formal gymnastics classes. The ability to learn new and more challenging skills, share experiences with teammates and focus on the process of improving laid a foundation where he has competed on the international level for over 12 years including multiple world championships, Pan American Games. He was an Olympic alternate in 2016 and even has a skill named after him, “The Whittenburg.” Despite all these accomplishments, his biggest obstacle is not competing at the Olympic Games.
Donnell shares his motivation to keep competing including unfinished business, growing the sport on the men’s side, inspiring others to create opportunities to expand their cultural experiences and investing further in lifelong friendships and bonds. He teaches us that, “it doesn’t matter how long it takes; as long as we keep trying, we always have a chance.”
@donnell_whittenburg
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