Athlete - Purpose Beyond Sport

How can sport and music work together to enrich your soul and your experience of life? Well imagine being the number two ranked quarterback in the nation out of high school and also playing in a punk band on the side, then eventually making it all the way into playing pro ball in Canada, but still playing bar shows on the side, then hanging up the cleats to move to Nashville and pursue the thing you truly love thats always just been there one the side. Then imagine all of the people you'd meet and all the lessons about life and the world you'd learn along the way. That's Zachary Scott Kline, and this is an awesome conversation between Scott, Mac, and Zach, about music, sports, life, and human things.

What did the Native People who managed forests in the West do for thousands and thousands of years that kept forest fires under control? What are we not doing now? Indigenous Activist, Skier, and Climber, Micheli Oliver shares her research, what it's like to be a Native Athlete in the outdoor space, and a vision for a more inclusive and meaningful future of sport.

How do you balance learning the life lessons from sports and making sure your identity does not get consumed by it? What's it like as a woman playing basketball with men? Melissa Gilkey Benton was an NCAA 2x All-American in Basketball and Track, played professionally in Europe, and now works with Amazon in Seattle. In this conversation, Scott and Mac chat with Melissa to discuss the woman's game of basketball, moving on from sport, and the perspective at the end of a formal athletic career.

What are the most valuable components of an athlete's journey? What does one of the best young coaches in college sports look for in recruits? What are the ancient philosophies on the roll of sport in the world, and how do those play out in today's world? Scott and Mac get on the line with one of the biggest up and coming names in college coaching, Burl Toler III, former pro who played in the NFL, NFL Europe, Canada, and Arena, and current position coach for the Cal Berkeley Golden Bears.

He played in the NFL, the CFL, and the Arena League, but despite being as athletic and talented as anyone in the NFL, he didn't end up having a long, prolific professional playing career, so he moved on with life as an educator and coach. How do we come to terms with the end of an athletic career? How do we move on and find fulfillment in life beyond being just an athlete? And should we keep professionally sport in our culture for kids at such a young age? Scott and Mac sit down with Victor James to discuss.

Scott and Mac completely change the script for this episode to check in with how the Athlete - Purpose Beyond Sport Podcast is going. They share their sentiments about the project so far, including where they feel like they are coming up short and where they are shooting to go from here.

How do we quiet our minds, develop more awareness with our bodies, and form a relationship with the natural world? Josie McKee is a pro climber and prime example of purpose beyond sport, working to get more women involved in climbing, using climbing as a tool to teach empathy, self-awareness, and access the natural world. Scott and Mac mix it up with Josie about the sport of climbing and its role in the world.

What can hip-hop have to do with education? How do sport and music connect with kids in ways other things can't? And how can we do a better job at connecting and loving our athletes on a personal level? In this episode Scott and Mac welcome Norman Merrifield, the man behind 808 Education, to the show.

Junior College, NCAA, NFL, AF2, and CFL, Ricky Ray saw a lot of North America through his 31 year football career that included 4 Grey Cup Championships in the Canadian Football League. Scott, Mac, and Ricky chat about successful process, personality on and off the field, and how sport can build bridges to helping understand the personal side of the social justice issues at the forefront today.

Some of the top executives in the world send their kids to play football with Mark Grieb. Why? He goes into it in this episode. Mark is an Arena Football Legend. He was a quarterback who truly mastered and professionalized his craft, built a legacy, and had a whole ton of fun doing it. He's now a high school coach and teacher in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Tune in while Scott and Mac reconnect with their former teammate from their San Jose Sabercat days in the AFL.

Scott, and Mac dive deep with Chapman University Basketball Coach and Sport & Society Professor Dan Krikorian into the purpose of sport, where we hit the mark, where we miss it, and collage athletes being able to profit from their own likeness.

This episode presents a very iterative conversation with former NCAA athlete and Architect Cam Toler. Cam is the grandson of the NFL's first black official, Burl Toler I. He taps into a conversation with Scott and Mac about the crossovers between sport art, and design, and shares the powerful story of his grandmother's life, one of the subjects of a documentary film Cam recently narrated.

Xander Guldman has been a featured skier with Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions, The North Face, and beyond, but at the end of the day, he's pursuing a career as doctor. Scott and Mac get Xander on the line to chat the cultural differences between mainstream sports and outdoor sports, learning about yourself and your place in the world through sport, and continue the conversation about inclusivity in outdoor sports, especially skiing.

Ever have those moments that give you chills, or light a fire inside you? Native skier, Connor Ryan describes that as the Sacred Stoke. In this Episode, Scott, Mcleod, and Connor discuss the perspective and approach required to feel truly connected to the world through sport. Connor weighs in on heritage, inclusivity, and his journey to embody his identity of a Native Skier.

Jeremiah Masoli led the University of Oregon to a PAC-10 Championship and a Rose Bowl appearance in 2009. He's now the starting Quarterback for the Hamilton Tigercats in the Canadian Football League. In this episode, Scott, Mac, and Jeremiah discuss the tradition of sports excellence, exploring Samoa and Samoan Culture through the game, and providing healthy outlets for young people to express what they're going through.

Ever stop to think about how much you're actually enjoying your process, and how it's contributing to that voice in your head and what you're telling yourself? As it turns out, the stories we tell ourselves can effect the way we perceive the world a whole lot. Will Hewlett has coached some of the best quarterbacks in the Bay Area and in the country. In this episode Scott, Mac, and Will breakdown the Smart People Podcast interview with Neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, and discuss a much more organic and humanistic approach to coaching.

Sports Agent Eric Merrida is taking his past life as an athlete and transitioning to mentoring athletes at the professional level. In this episode Scott and Mac rap with Eric about mentorship in sports and life after, friendships, taking ownership of your life, and for a twist, sit down and watch 'High Flying Bird' on Netflix ahead of time to discuss the landscape of pro sports from the perspective of an athlete-agent relationship.

Star of Sistas on BET, Chido Nwokocha joins Scott and Mac to discuss self belief when transitioning to life after sports, staying true to a vision through adversity, and life on a budget while pursuing a passion.

Scott Michael Shotgun and McLeod Bethel Thompson welcome Steve Agreda to talk about how he implimented American Football to bring about peace in the violent country of El Salvador. Scott, Mac, and Steve open up about experiences through the game that have brought about emotional growth for each of them and connect the dots back to systemic peace.

Hosts Scott Michael Shotgun and McLeod Bethel-Thompson talk with Samora Goodson about the bizarre life of an Arena Football League Athlete, good mentorship vs bad mentorship and why going against the grain can be necessary, zone of proximal development, skin color and football, the purpose of life, and a little advice for young athletes who've had their seasons and careers cut short because of the pandemic.

Tony Krikorian is a school psychologist and former NCAA athlete who often uses sport as a vehicle to connect with his students. In this Episode, hosts Scott Michael Shotgun and McLeod Bethel-Thompson sit down with Tony and discuss the roll of sport in building social bonds, sport for youth development, the unfortunate dark side of youth sport, and introduce the concept of personal agency.