Pursue Podcast

Start your weekend off with a fantastic story about adventures and opportunities. Just traveled to the US with a determination to play high-end D1-soccer, but as time went by, he realized that there was something else that drew his attention. He packed his bag and moved from Green Bay to Hawaii, and that's when his life took a turn. Just has made content that several hundreds of millions of people have watched, he's befriended and made content with superstar Logan Paul and made his US experience all about the word “YES”.

Not many words are needed here: CSUSA's latest MLS Draft Pick Sivert Haugli joins us for an exclusive talk about getting drafted by the Portland Timbers. We'll cover all the decisions leading up to the MLS-Draft, his amazing determination and attitude towards his own goals, and of course his time at Virginia Tech. Episode out on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube.#Pursueambition #whatsyourjourney

Severin Sørlie started his adventure in the US at Gardner Webb University, before making a transfer to Syracuse University and the ACC. Severin had an amazing journey and we'll be covering life in sunny North Carolina vs upstate New York, life as a D1-soccer player, the prestigious ACC, and of course how he became a Youtube sensation at Gardner Webb. Start your weekend with a great story. #pursueambition #whatsyourjourney

Head Coach TJ Kostecky joins us for a chat about recruiting international student-athletes. Throughout his career, Kostecky has been an instrumental figure in facilitating the growth of soccer in America. He's probably most known for his 20-years at LIU Brooklyn (D1), where his program had massive success in the classroom and on the field, winning 3 conference titles, made 3 NCAA Tournament appearances, and became the NEC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018. TJ is conducted into the Ukrainian Hall of Fame, is a big believer in Vision Training, and is currently the Head Coach at prestigious Bard College (D3).

Craig Rogers (Liverpool, England) started his college career at Cloud County Community College in Kansas before taking the leap into NCAA D1-soccer at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. The word “No” is not in Craig's vocabulary and has therefore opened doors most people could not. With an incredible work ethic and determination, he ended up playing professionally in the US, Iceland, Wales, and Norway. We'll talk about his untraditional route into soccer, how he ended up being redshirted for one season, the USL-combine, and of course his incredible nomad career.

We're finally covering tennis on Pursue Podcast and with us to tell his story, we have Christoffer Greve. Christoffer played D1-tennis at Illinois State University and did remarkably well both on and off the court. On the court, Christoffer wrote himself into the history books of the school with several wins throughout his 4-year spell, got nationally ranked in doubles, and competed against some of the best pro-players that competes in the big tournaments today. We're going to touch on the differences between playing tennis in the US vs Europe, the massive crowds that turn up for the games, and of course life outside of tennis. Check this episode out on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Youtube.

We're joined by professional footballer Markus Fjørtoft. Markus had an incredible college career at world-renowned Duke University, not only did he play in one of the toughest conferences, but he also managed to get his bachelor’s and master’s degree in a short spell of time. Markus topped it all of when he got drafted to MLS club Seattle Sounders. He then went on to become a professional footballer in New Zealand before eventually ending up in Scotland. He’ll get into great details about playing against Rangers in front of 40 000 fans, his adventure in New Zealand, and of course his fantastic college experience.

We are finally covering one of the biggest sports at the college arena. Track And Field athlete Elise Grong Ruud joins us for a chat about her experience at North Park University. Elise became a very decorated student-athlete, picking up a ton of medals along the way and in her last season qualifying for the D3 National Tournament. On top of her achievements on the track, she became an Academic All-American. Elise will go into great details about her life in Chicago, the traveling, and of course her incredible determination to be one of the better runners North Park University has had.

Former Swedish youth national team player Amanda Hallesjö is our next guest. In this episode, we will cover the differences between top league soccer in Sweden and D1 soccer in the US, the choice of leaving a professional contract in Sweden to pursue a career in the US, and how Amanda fell in love with Richmond, Virginia. Amanda gives us a great look into how life as a student-athlete at Virginia Commonwealth University is and how her years in the states have made a huge impact on her working career back in Sweden.

Emil Laursen from Denmark joins us for a great chat in today’s episode. Emil had a spectacular college career, took the step from Danish Super League club AGF to playing D1 soccer at Georgia Southern University. He did a 2.5-month spell with MLS club New England Revolution but unfortunately got a career-ending injury straight after. He’s now back in Denmark working for an investment firm.

We’ve finally gotten a golfer to join us for a chat. Stina Resen started her college career at Lamar University (Texas) before she took the trip up to President Bill Clinton and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Despite not being sunny and clear blue skies throughout her time at college she ended up being the Sun Belt conference golfer of the year and has taken her swing out into the professional arena where she today is playing the Ladies European Tour.

Charlotte Crisp started her college-soccer career at Pearl River Community College ( Mississippi) before she took the short trip over to Alabama and The University of Montevallo. We’ll be chatting about how she overcame some very tough obstacles throughout her years in college, how she gained captaincy at both schools, and her current life as a PT in London’s most exclusive gym.

We are joined by Runar Borgen who was an elite swimmer for the University of Tampa. He’ll tell us all about his time surrounded by palm trees, the 10 school records he possesses, the 5 National Championships he won, and of course how it was to be named as an NCAA All-American. Runar will also go into detail about fighting for a spot in the Olympics and how he ended up renting out luxury real estate in Florida for 2 years. Give it a listen!!#whatsyourjourney #pursueambition

Joel Rydstand joins for a long talk about his incredible college soccer-career at Creighton University that ended up with him getting drafted to the Seattle Sounders in the 2019 MLS Superdraft. We will hear about how all this came about, how the draft is for a player, how life in Omaha, Nebraska is, the amazing resources and facilities in college and the life as a professional player in Spain.

This week’s episode is all about Lotta Fennefoss. She started her college career in Nashville, TN at Lipscomb University before she moved further down south to the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Lotta is now back in Norway doing her master’s in Pharmacy and playing professional soccer in Toppserien for Stabæk. We’re going to talk about life in two of the coolest cities to be a student, the bible-belt and of course life as a student-athlete in the US. #whatsyourjourney #pursueambition

In this episode, we will meet The Charity Adventurer and Right To Play ambassador – Josh Stinton". Josh has completed several of the toughest challenges around the world, from taking on Vasaloppet (90km) without ever having had skis on before, unicycling down a mountain in Spain, crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a bike, and many more. The word impossible is not in his vocabulary, and he will explain why he does all these challenges for charity. To top it off, he also has 3x world records. Josh is a motivational speaker, and hopefully, will this episode inspire you.

An especially important Pursue Podcast episode as we start our annual 1 Donation 1 Education campaign, raising money for Right To Play. We will meet Jimmy Vika who spent 2 years as a cross country skier at the University of New Mexico. We will hear about how he won the National Championship, how Jimmy and Michael Jordan shared the spotlight together, and how it’s like to be a skier in New Mexico. Most importantly this episode will shed a light on the important work he now does as the National Director of Right To Play Norway. Contribute to our 1 Donation 1 Education campaign here. https://bit.ly/DONATE-A-SCHOLARSHIP

Felix Smith Halle played NCAA D1 soccer at both Florida Atlantic Univerisity and Hofstra University. He'll give you an insight into the differences between living in sunny Florida compared to big city life in New York. Felix will explain how he finished his bachelor's a year early and how he grew us a person throughout his years in college. And lost but not least he will walk us through the dream goal he scored in front of 1700 fans.

Kristin Haugstad played NCAA D1 women's soccer on a full scholarship at La Salle University in Philadelphia. She explains why she chose college soccer over the national team, how she ended up playing professionally in both Sweden and Norway after graduation, and how she started her own business. Listen to her inspiring journey.

Pursue Podcast - The podcast where our graduated student-athletes from the American college system will tell you all about their unique journeys. Hear about their college recruiting process and how they got a scholarship, their time as a student-athlete, and what they are doing after graduation. Their stories will teach you more about the US college system, important things to think about, and hopefully also inspire you for what opportunities you will get from a college journey. #WhatsYourJourney

Our first guest is Stian Sanner from Kristiansand, Norway. Former soccer student-athlete at Mars Hill University where he completed his bachelor's degree and then played his last season of college soccer while completing his master's degree at Lynn University in sunny Florida.