Athlete Minded: Stories

Today we speak to Brennen Forster, a former collegiate baseball player who is now a financial advisor.  He also runs a program to connect former athletes called Life After Sports. 

Former Professional Ice Hockey Player Richie Crowley discusses his story growing up, playing on the men's national team, his experiences overseas, and what he's doing now.

Vasu Kulkarni, Founder of Krossover and Investor at Courtside Ventures.  Check him out at VasuKulkarni.com

Today, we talk to Ian Warner.  Ian ran track at Iowa State, was on Team USA during the 2012 Olympics, and now has his own startup entitled Kho Labs, which helps athletes connect with other athletes and physical therapists in their area. Check them out at Kholabs.com

Today, we talk to former professional water-skier in South America, Camilo Andrade.  Camilo discusses his training, career, and eventual career transition to what he is doing now, marketing in the running division at Nike in North America.  

Rick Barrett, founder of Gym Rats basketball in south jersey, has helped young basketball players get scholarships for the past 30 years. He also played in college and professionally in Argentina.

All the way from Louisiana, Dana Blair decided she wanted to be a ballerina, and then move to New York City. She did both.   After moving to New York City and briefly dancing professionally, she got her MBA, and is now in marketing.  She worked as a media personality for Essence magazine, and is now working freelance in marketing and media. Check out her websites at Iamnotthatgirl.com and Justdanablair.com

Today's episode is special, because I talk to my former roommate and teammate from the University of Maine, Phil Bofia.  Phil and I went through a lot together in our first two seasons of college, and he was a great roommate and teammate. He now lives in Maine, and is helping to develop his community.

Today is a really special episode because we talk to Troy Barnies. Troy is a Mainer through and through. He was the Mr. Basketball for the state of Maine in high school, which is the top men's basketball player in the state, went to the university of maine for 4 years, where he became an all-conference player in his senior season, and who has now been playing professionally overseas for the past six seasons. His story and journey is really inspiring, as you will hear.

Today we talk to Dr. Seth Hickerson, founder of Boost mental training. Dr. Hickerson was in the navy and Air force prior to this, where he learned a lot about mental toughness and leadership, and now helps athlete with the mental part of their lives and careers. Check them out at aboostabove.com

Today we talk to former NBA basketball player Adonal Foyle. This conversation is really interesting because we talked about one of the biggest issues facing athletes, and that's what they will do once their careers are over. Adonal helps athletes with this, and also has a number of different ventures and books. Check him out at AdonalFoyle.com

Today, we talk to former collegiate gymnast Jean Alban. Jean was a high-level gymnast, had a baby during her sophomore year in college, and then returned to competition by her senior year. A really interesting story, and she was a great podcast guest. She is now working in marketing post-career.

Today's episode is really interesting, because we talk to former NFL player Marques Ogden.  Marques also started his own construction company, but after a few years, he went bankrupt, and ended up being one of the statistics that he never wanted to be.  However, he's now a motivational speaker and helps athletes and non-athletes find their way in life and how to deal with setbacks.   Check him out at MarquesOgden.com

Today we talk to Dr. Brett Wingeier, who's the co-founder and CTO of Halo Neuroscience. Halo helps athletes perform better which a special set of headphones that helps create stronger and more synchronous neuro-muscular connections in the brain, which, in turn, helps increase performance in sports, or any other endeaver. Check them out at Haloneuro.com

Today we talk to cait mccann, who played softball growing up in california, then played Division 2 at Pace University.  

Today we talk to Joe Crispin, who was one of my idols growing up, who played in the NBA for about a year, then played about 9 seasons overseas. An awesome episode, and he's now the head coach at rowan university. Check him out at rowanathletics.com.

Today, we talk to Breeja Larson, an Olympic gold medal swimmer who won her gold during the 2012 400 meter relay in swimming.  At the time, she had her pick of sponsors. However, she didn't make the 2016 Olympic swimming team, and, as she says, the media people tried not to look at her when they passed by each other.  The reason for this is that she wasn't the "flavor of the day".   Really awesome episode, and you can follow her on Twitter with @BreejaLarson

We spoke to Michelle Carter before the Rio Olympics about her journey into shot put, and alas, she won a gold medal! We talk about her winning the medal, and what she has in store for the coming years.  Tokyo 2020! Check her website at ShotDiva.com

Today we speak with former collegiate swimmer and co-founder of Dreamfuel, Emily White.  Dreamfuel is a platform that helps athletes raise money for competition or events they may have upcoming in the future. Check them out at Dreamfuel.me.

Today's episode is awesome because we talk to my former teammate growing up playing basketball, Steve Castleberry. Steve played Division 1 basketball, played for the Philadelphia 76ers for a few games, and then played overseas for about 5 years. He's now a real estate agent in Florida, and his story is really inspiring.

In the 3rd part of our USA Handball series, we speak with Ford Dyke who is on the USA men's handball team and who also studies at Auburn University.   This episode is cool because he was an extreme sports athlete growing up, grew into basketball, and now excels in handball.

In the 2nd part of our handball series, we talk to Jence Rhoads, who was an all-american basketball player in college, and who even played professionally overseas for a few years before picking up handball.  She has a really cool story, and it's great to see her transition her basketball skills to a new sport.

Today we talk to a USA handball athlete Sarah Gascon. Sarah's story is awesome because she was a softball, volleyball, soccer, and basketball player growing up, and now she combines all those sports into one by playing handball. Follow her on twitter with @sj4usa.

Today is special because we get to talk to an olympian who was down in Rio who fought in Taekwondo, Stephen Lambdin. this is his follow up episode, and he talks about the training down in Brazil, his competition, and meeting President Obama when he got back to the states. Follow him on facebook at stephen lambdin, or twitter with @stephenlambdin.

Today we talk to a sports psychologist and mental coach for NBA athletes, Graham Betchart.   Graham has been coaching athletes on the mental side for years, having worked with top NBA draft picks and with George Mumford, who helped train Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant on the mental side back in the day.

Today we talk to Martin Braxton, who grew up playing basketball in new york city and who has been a referee for over 25 years.   This episode was really cool because we see the other side of basketball, not from the player, but from the official who has to deal with fans, coaches, players, and who don't get much recognition at all.

Welcome back to the athlete minded: stories podcast.  For today's episode, we step outside of the US and talk to Olympic Wrestler for Canada, Korey Jarvis. We spoke to him before Rio, and he talk to us this time about what it was like down in Rio from his personal experience. The media kept portraying it as this place that wasn't finished, but he said he had a great time. Get in touch with him on facebook at Korey Jarvis, and on instagram at Korey.jarvis.

Alvin Pearman, Former NFL Player and Current Doctoral Student at Vanderbilt joins us to discuss his NFL career and what he is doing now. Alvin's research focuses on urban schooling, social inequality, and neighborhood effects. His current research on education examines the impact of city-wide income inequality on schooling outcomes, the influence of neighborhood gentrification on disciplinary patterns in schools, and the role of neighborhood environments in shaping the efficacy of preschool interventions. Other projects examine the effects of neighborhood poverty on the mathematical trajectories of Black children, as well as descriptive analyses of the social and economic contexts in which urban schools are located nationwide. Overall this was an amazing interview, and I hope we can discuss in more detail in the future.

Cubs Win! Cubs are World Series Champions for the first time since 1908! I was outside of Wrigley Field for the Cubs win in game 5 of the world series this year, and was shocked when they finally won in game 7 in the 10th inning by one run. Absolutely amazing. So this episode is for the Cubs, and JDH.

In this episode of Audiobook Friday, I talk about my life during my sophomore year of college when I was playing Division 1 basketball. A tough time, but it made me realize where I was, and I learned a lot about myself. For more, just to go to hoopdreamsfulfilled.com.

For today's episode, I talk to my main man Bobbito Garcia. When I was growing up, I watched videos of Bobbito with the And1 mixtapes, the Nike commercials, and even "Bobbito's basics to boogie" that they promoted on NBA.comTV. When I came to new york, Dime magazine hooked me up with him, and I have been attending his open runs in new york city ever since he invited me to the first one. I can't name all his accomplishments and all he's done because it's so much, but this episode will be focused on his new york city streetball tournament called full court 21. It's a type of game where it's every man or woman for themselves. If you score a basket you get 2 points, then you have a chance to hit 3 shots from the top of the key for free, with the game to 21. there are a lot of other rules, so if you want to learn more about it just to go fullcourt21nyc.com. Also bobbito just turned 50, so bobbito, happy birthday man, you rock. .

For today's episode I talk to my former south jersey competitor, Kyle Hines. Kyle was a high Division 1 basketball player who has played in the EuroLeague for a bunch of years. most recently he's played for CSKA Moscow in Russia being one of the best players in the league. He's an awesome guy and it's really cool to see someone I grew up battling with being one of the best players in the EuroLeague year after year. You can find him on twitter with @sirhines and check out his academy at teamhinesbasketball.com.

Well, here we are. The final episode of our olympic series. This has been amazing talking to the top athletes in the entire world for their sports. think about that for a second. There's seven billion people in the world, and these are the top 5, top 3, or even top athlete in their sport. In the entire world. that's pretty amazing. Finishing up, we talk to Korey Jarvis. This episode was powerful because he talks about the losses he occurred in the past, even one where he lost in the final 3 seconds. It's heartbreaking to lose in that way, but he mentions how he eventually got back into the training mindset, and how he eventually qualified for Rio. He wrestles tomorrow, Saturday August 20, so look for him. You can find him on twitter with @daddyjar86 and watch him live at nbcolympics.com.

With only a few days left in these Olympic games in Rio, we have two more people to talk to. today's episode is when the pentathletes compete. Last episode you heard Margaux Isaksen, and today we talk to men's pentathlete for the USA, Nathan Schrimsher. Nathan is also in the US Army, and talks about his training, along with his military duties. He competes today, so make sure you follow along. You can do that at nbcolympics.com

These olympics have been amazing so far, and in today's episode we talk to Margaux Isaksen, a women's pentathlete for the USA. This episode is really cool because as pentathletes they not only have to be good at one sport, but 5. these sports are fencing, swimming, equestrian, shooting, and running. She competes tomorrow, Thursday August 18, so check out her compete at nbcolympics.com where you can watch her live, or where you can watch the replay after she's finished. You can also find out more about her at margauxisaksen.com

Today, we talk to Stephen Lambdin, USA men's over 80 kilograms Taekwondo athlete who will be competing on Saturday, August 20th. We talk about his training, his experienes growing up, and most recently, with his experience with Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, where Stephen picked up breathing techniques that he uses to increase his performance. I'm excited for him to compete in Rio, and he's a smart, amazing guy. You can check him out on his website at stephenlambdin.com or on twitter with @stephenlambdin.

For today's episode, we talk to the captain of the #1 women's volleyball team in the world, team USA's Christa Dietzen. This was an awesome episode since she was an all-american volleyball player in high school and college, and now they have the possibility of winning a gold this year. Their qualifiers are completed, since they played China yesterday. The quarterfinals are tomorrow, august 16, the semifinals are Thursday, august 18, and if they make the finals it will be on August 20. Watch their replays at nbcolympics.com and follow christa on twitter with @christadietzen

Today, in part 5 of 10 in our Rio Olympics series, we talk to Michelle Carter, who is competing in the women's shot put for the USA. She is actually competing today, Friday, August 12, so you can check her out at nbcolympics.com This episode was really cool because her father actually was a shot put champion and got a super bowl ring and an olympic medal in the same year. We discuss her career in shot put, her time when she was featured in ESPN's body issue, and the real life of an athlete. She mentions how olympic athletes have to get jobs to make money, as well, and they don't just practice their sport for 4 years straight. She also is a makeup enthusiast, and you can find her at shotdiva.com

Today, in part 4 of 10 in our Rio Olympics series, we talk to Victoria Folayan, who is competing in the women's rugby 7's for the USA. They already finished competing, but you can watch their replay at nbcolympics.com. This interview was powerful because Victoria was one of the best rugby players at Stanford, and how she continues to compete. We also discuss a scary head injury she experienced earlier in the year, but how she continues to compete even though she knows there are risks with playing a full contact sport like rugby. You can find her on twitter with @vixfly and watch their replay at nbcolympics.com

Today, in part 3 of 10 in our Rio Olympics series, we talk to Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass, who are both competing in the equestrian event for the USA. They are actually competing today, Wednesday August 10th, so if you can't catch them Live check out their replay at nbcolympics.com. This interview was really cool because they talk about how they not only have to be prepared physically and mentally, but they also have to make sure their horses are prepared physically and mentally. In Laura's case, she's been working with her horse for over 10 years to develop harmony, and now she's competing to be the best in the world down in Rio. They are competing in the equestrian dressage event, and you can find Kasey and Kaseyperrydressage.com and Laura at crosstiesllc.com

In part 2 of our Rio Olympics series, we talk to Rugby 7's player JJ Javelet. She discusses her experiences growing up, and changing sports to rugby.  Very interesting, and shows that being a high-level athlete isn't an easy thing to do. Watch the replay of them in the Olympics at nbcolympics.com, and you can follow her on Twitter at @jjavelet.

For the first episode of our Rio Olympics series, we talk to USA women's soccer player Christen Press, who was actually recently featured in ESPN's body issue. It was really great hearing her story, and about how the women's soccer team really hasn't had much time to relax since winning the world cup in 2015. She also has some great writings on her website at footballschristenpress.blogspot.com, and you can follow her on twitter with @christenpress.

Today's episode is really special because we get to talk to the mother of Maria Burns-Ortiz and Ronda Rousey, who co-authored the book "My Fight, Your Fight", which I consistently reference in this podcast. If you've been listening to the episodes, you know what I mean. Her name is Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, and she was a world judo champion in 1984, the first american to accomplish this. She now runs 7th generation games, which helps young people learn in a practical and fun way. She also has a blog which I absolutely love. Her blog website is drannmaria.blogspot.com and learn more about 7th generation games at 7generationgames.com.

Remember, we have the Olympic series coming up with some amazing guests, so we will be focusing on that for these Olympic games in Rio. Now, for Part 11 of my book hoop dreams fulfilled, I go into what my freshman season playing Division 1 basketball was like, the road trips we went on, and how I barely was able to balance school and practices. For more, just go to hoopdreamsfulfilled.com.

Today's guest is Brandon Hudgins, who is a runner who just missed qualifying for the Olympic by a few seconds. We discuss that, and the pain he felt, second-guessing himself and wondering if there is more he could have done. He also has vasculitis, which is a disease that made him quit running for over a year at one point. It's an amazing podcast, one that goes into the business and the mental toll of the sport of running. You can find Brandon on Twitter at @bhudgnasty and if you want to help him out just go to athletebiz.us/brandon-hudgins

Today, we talk to Kally Fayhee, who was a Divison 1 swimmer at the University of Michigan, and who helped to co-found Michigan's Athletes Connected program, which helps athletes through the mental side of sports. We talk about some really cool stuff, like when people asked her, "Why aren't you in the Olympics yet?" and the constant pressure she put on herself. Check out Athletes Connected at athletesconnected.umich.edu.