The Sport Lifestyle Network Podcast

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, our friend of the Network, Ermis Sfakiyanudis, from Uproar PR, speaks with his pal, James Miceli, the founder of Epoch Lacrosse. They talk about James' formidable years growing up on Long Island and his first love, lacrosse. James developed a passion for business while "majoring in lacrosse and minoring in everything else" at Adelphi University. James would parlay an internship at NASCAR into a career in consumer electronics calling on the likes of Best Buy. While cycling, James became obsessed with composite technology and knew it would enhance lacrosse products, so Epoch Lacrosse was born.

This episode of the SLN Podcast is a replay of a panel John Peters had the privilege of moderating as part of Lake Point Sports' recent sports technology conference. Lake Point is the ultimate youth sports destination with over 1 million visitors annually. Featured on this panel was the CEO for Mustard, Rocky Collis, the CEO from Strive, Nikola Mrvaljevic, and Comcast's very own Ken Durand, who is the program director for Comcast Sports Tech.

Chad Capellman had the opportunity to talk with world famous author Jeff Kinney, whose 16th book in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, a sports-themed book called Big Shot comes out on October 26. Jeff talked about how he figured out how to put together a sports-themed book, the surreal nature of many parts of his life, including the jump between writing in isolation to encountering fans around the world, seeing his books come to life in live-action and soon in 3D animated Disney, the responsibility he carries after once being named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people, his thoughts on the current state of the publishing industry and how he fits in it. Jeff also talked about his perseverance, how he was guided to his target audience and the importance of perfecting your craft in an age of instant, connected feedback.

Chad Capellman had the chance to re-connect with a colleague from his student newspaper days, Jon Schwartz. After successful runs with NASCAR and the National Football League, Jon has just begun his role as Senior Vice President, Communications, Marketing, Digital & Social Media at the Big Ten Conference. They talked about Jon's goals for his new role at the Big Ten, and some of his favorite moments during his time as Senior VP of Communications and Public Affairs at the NFL. Those moments included preparing for a Zoom draft during Covid-19, coordinating messaging around the league's 100th anniversary, the league's response to Black Lives Matter protests and the satisfaction that came from league's Coming Out Day promotional efforts. They talked about how the role of public affairs has evolved and the challenges and opportunities that exist when every single player can now be their own media entity. Jon brought us back to school to share what he's gleaned about the media consumption and creation habits of current students as a professor at New York University, and how his own lessons learned during his student newspaper days helped start him on a path that led to the creation of his own mentoring podcast. Jon also talked about the evolution of NASCAR and why it has a love-hate relationship with a certain Will Ferrell racing movie.

In this episode of the Sport Lifestyle Network Podcast, John Peters is joined by Eloiza Tecson, Managing Partner for EY Ventures. Eloiza spoke about her background at Red Bull and Orange Theory Fitness, and how stepping outside her comfort zone helped her land in the world of Venture Capital. Eloiza also spoke about EY Venture's thesis as investors in the wellness and active lifestyle ecosystem, and gave three clear actions on how we all can do more to empower women in sport today.

Chad Capellman had the chance to re-connect with Michael Parks Randa, a former colleague who is coming off the release of his first feature film after more than a decade as an established music video director. Best Summer Ever, an original inclusive high school musical, features a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, and has been backed by the likes of Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Maggie Gyllenhaal and others. The critically-acclaimed film was a labor of love for Randa, whose parents have been actively involved in supporting people with disabilities for more than 50 years. They talked about the challenges of shooting realistic sports scenes, the star turn and by two young sports announcers in the film, the teamwork involved with co-directing, and Randa's ties to the people behind the Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp. They also talked about life at Doomsday Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based agency that includes industry standouts like Childish Gambino, Barry and Atlanta director Hiro Mur-ai, and how Michael's activist father's adventures are now providing inspiration for his next writing and directing endeavor.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat catches up with his old friend Andy Levinson. As an executive at the PGA Tour, Andy wears several different hats. His day-to-day role is Senior Vice President of Tournament Administration, while he also serves as Executive Director of USA Golf. With a Communications, Business Development, and Marketing background, Andy is the PGA Tour's go-to guy for Anti-Doping Policy and the Tour's response to Covid. We touched on shared experiences at Mizuno while also delving into Team USA and the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic games.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Chad Capellman had a chance to re-connect with Jim Brady, the person who hired Chad for his first online job when he was the sports editor for the just-launched WashingtonPost.com. Jim is currently CEO of the consulting firm Spirited Media, and in between has held roles that included Executive Editor of washingtonpost.com, Editor in Chief of Digital First Media, General Manager of TBD, Head of News and Sports for America Online, and public editor of ESPN from 2015 to 2018. Jim looked back on some of the more free-wheeling days at WashingtonPost.com ahead of a 25th anniversary reunion. They also talked about how local publications should think about measuring success, the generational divide from both a journalistic and a digital perspective, his favorite management lesson, the value of extended road trips, when being cursed at can be a good thing and how, as a NY Jets fan, he has dealt with the infamous Butt Fumble game.

Chad Capellman had a chance to reunite with a former colleague, Suzanne Medina, who has spent the past 15 years with Major League Baseball and where she was recently promoted to Vice President of Spanish Content Development & Operations. They talked about her early days building out the first Spanish-language sites for major league teams, and how that became a business model for her current department. They talked about how both teams -- and companies outside of baseball -- should approach multilingual endeavors, and how social media better connects her and her team to passionate fans around the world. She shared a great story about how years ago, her mother once mortified her in front of Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson. She also shared her take on the importance of the hiring of Kim Ng as major league baseball's first female general manager and how Fernando Tatis, Jr. is transcending languages and cultures as he brings a welcome energy to the game.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by George Sun, the CEO and Founder of Nextiles, a materials science company that has patented the ability to sew circuitry directly into fabrics. George is no stranger to the lab, having completed his Ph.D. in bioengineering from MIT where he was inspired to innovate a new solution for wearable technology through fabric and sewing. George spoke about the genesis of the company, early challenges presented during Covid-19, and the ability to pivot while navigating a fast-growing startup. George shared some great case studies for entrepreneurs as he explains how Nextiles has been building products for professional athletes and how sports found Nextiles as a solution to a major market need. George also spoke about the beauty of sewing technology and why he's most bullish on leveraging fabrics as a platform for a more connected future.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Matthias Metternich, CEO of Art of Sport, discusses how he co-founded America's fastest-growing men's skincare brand with the late Kobe Bryant. Matthias is no stranger to entrepreneurship having started four companies and now scaling Art of Sport to nearly 15,000 retail doors in 2021. Mathias unpacks several points in the interview, including what attracted Kobe and the founding team to this market, why Art of Sport decided to list on Amazon right away, Mark Cuban's recent investment into the company, and how Art of Sport plans to power every gym bag and locker room in the country.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, our friend Dave Larson, the CMO of Sweet Onion Consulting, speaks with his former Nike colleague, Ian Hamilton. It will become clear as to why Dave has such admiration for Ian. Together, they built Nike Tennis with Phil Knight's support. They signed and outfitted Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and many other legends of the game. Ian would then lead Planet Hollywood's All-Star Cafe, working with the likes of Tiger Woods and Shaq. After years in sports marketing, Ian was highly sought after to be the PBA Tour Commissioner. Today, Ian Chairs the Board of Nike's U.S. and Canada Sports Camps while also serving on several other boards. Dave caught up with late last year while Ian was between playing tennis and drum lessons.

Chad Capellman caught up with Jamie Mottram, President of meme-based apparel maker BreakingT. The company leverages real-time social monitoring to design, produce and sell a selection of hundreds of T-shirts in close to real-time. The shirts capture moments and trending memes, have become must-have additions to the collections of sports fans and players alike, and are licensed by college and pro teams, the MLBPA, NBPA, WNBPA, MLSPA, USWNTPA, and most recently, the NFLPA. Chad talked with Jamie about how his past experiences at places like AOL, Yahoo, USA Today and others prepared him for his current role. They explored the roller-coaster ride of getting from meme to merchandise in a matter of just hours, about his favorite shirt from BreakingT, how the community around women's SPORTS is like no other, and how to deal with a self-described “bunch of jerks.”

In this episode of the Sport Lifestyle Network Podcast, our friend of the Network, Rob Langstaff, catches up with his good friend and former adidas colleague, Sandrine Zerbib. They originally met at adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in the winter of 1994. Sandrine began her career as an investment banker in Paris, working for the famed financier Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Robert was an entrepreneur who believed in making bets on people; this is why he made a Parisian, non-Chinese speaking woman the head of adidas in China. In a booming China, Sandrine would catch the entrepreneurial bug, founding Full Jet in 2013. As many may not know, retail in China is different than anywhere else in the world. It requires an expert to navigate the Alibaba's and Tmall's of the world, and this is why brands like Adidas, Under Armour, Skechers, Brooks, Hoka, and many more engage Full Jet as a leading TP partner. Full Jet's success as a bespoke TP partner made them a desirable acquisition for China's leading e-commerce and digital technology company, Baozun. This acquisition closed in February of this year. Today, Bauzun is the TP partner for both Nike and the Adidas Group. Rob and Sanderine's business relationship blossomed beyond their time working for the three stripes, as Rob brought Brooks and Toms to Full Jet. If you're interested in expanding your consumer goods business in China, or Asia for that matter, you should consider engaging Rob Langstaff's Sweet Onion Consulting for guidance and introductions to subject matter experts like Sandrine Zerbib.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Baudhuin from Mad Dogg Athletics joins in with John Peters. In 1994, Baudhuin told his dad that he was quitting his day job as a CPA to co-found Mad Dogg Athletics, a fitness startup that ended up inventing an entire category - indoor cycling. 25 years later, John and his team not only defined the category, but they ended up scaling to over 35,000 facilities, presence in over 80 countries, and they've gone on to certify more than 300,000 instructors globally. John spoke about early struggles building the initial prototype, discussed the community behind the brand, and how Spinning sets itself apart from other fitness brands. John also spoke about the importance of brand and why Spinning, which they trademarked in the early ‘90s, is worth fighting for.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by Stephen Griffin, someone who's never been afraid of the numbers. Stephen is a father, husband and worked his way up the corporate ladder as a trained accountant. Stephen eventually found himself helping private equity firms as a forensic accountant of sorts and would go on to work as a board member while helping diligence investment opportunities before ultimately becoming a private investor himself. Stephen later invested in Legacy Global Sports, one of the largest youth sports operators at the time. Legacy, who reportedly generated over $1MM / week in revenues, provided elite programming and events in youth soccer, hockey, lacrosse, and more. Today, Legacy is bankrupt and still under an ongoing criminal investigation by the DOJ. John spoke to Stephen about what went wrong and how he was inserted as CEO in 2018 to clean up the mess created by the founding team. This, as well as other life surprises, inspired Stephen to write a tell-all book, which serves as a masterclass on business ethics and corporate governance: “Front Row Seat: Greed and Corruption in a Youth Sports Company” is out now and available on Amazon.

Chad Capellman had the chance to talk with Eric Doty, founder of the sports card box breaking app Loupe (pronounced “loop”). Fresh off announcing an initial $3M fundraising round, Doty talks about a most adventurous year, in which he started the company just as the pandemic hit. Doty talks about how past experiences working in radio, with Xbox, Minecraft, and other ventures prepared him for the app, which bundles live streaming of sports card “box breaking”, microtransactions, and online community in one app. He also speaks candidly about learning how to pitch to venture capitalists, what cards he's personally seeking and why he's not a huge fan of the comedy Silicon Valley.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, guest host Rob Langstaff speaks with his friend, former Nike executive, and sustainability expert Kirk Richardson. You'd think a former President of adidas North America and a Bowerman Award winner (the Nike equivalent of an Oscar) might need a moderator to prevent Sneaker Wars II. Still, these guys respect one another and get along famously. They spoke about family, design, architecture, consumer insights, conservation, the outdoors, and much more.

Chad Capellman spoke with Jon Solomon, Editorial Director, Sports & Society Program at the Aspen Institute. Jon came to the Institute after a sportswriting career that included stops at The Birmingham (Ala.) News and in South Carolina at the State in Columbia and the Independent-Mail in Anderson. Most recently, Jon worked as a national college football reporter at CBSSports.com and was vice president of the Football Writers Association of America. At The Birmingham (Ala.) News, Jon twice won Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative stories. Jon shared his perspective on the giants of college football, Clemson and Alabama -- both of which he covered, on the role of college sports in states with no major professional sports teams and how even trees aren't always safe during heated rivalries. Jon also talked about the transition away from a sportswriting career, and the important work done in general by the Aspen Institute, and in particular in the Sports and Society Program. Jon spoke of some enduring take-aways from the recently completed Project Play Summit, and as kind enough to offer some thoughtful, first-person insights into how parents can better equip themselves to best support their children's approach to playing sports.

In this episode of the Sport Lifestyle Network Podcast, our guest host Michael Jaquet, or MJ, speaks with his friend Rob DeMartini, the current CEO of USA Cycling and formerly the CEO of New Balance. MJ is uniquely qualified to have this conversation as he is the Chief Partnership Officer at DRAGONFLi Media and was the CMO for USA Ski and Snowboard. No one knows the NGB space better than MJ. The guys discuss Rob's path to USA Cycling, previously running business units and divisions at P&G, later serving as the CEO at New Balance, all before becoming a small business owner in Park City, Utah, where he currently resides. Rob discusses the challenges of leading a passion-driven organization like USA Cycling, along with the silver linings the Covid Pandemic has provided. USA Cycling has ambitious goals for Tokyo in 2021, along with Paris and Los Angeles.

In the episode of the SLN Podcast, a friend of the network, Kim Blair from Cooper Perkins interviews his close friend, Tom Waller, who is now the Chief Science Officer at Lululemon. Kim covers a variety of topics, including Tom's early career dating all the way back to Tom's Ph.D. in sports technology. Tom shares how that led him down a path at the intersection of design engineering and human performance. Tom went on to consult for many of the sports industry's largest brands before joining Lululemon and ultimately founding the famed Whitespace, Lululemon's R & D and innovation group. Tom also touched on why Lululemon is a community first brand, the meaning of Sweatlife, and how Mirror integrates into their plans.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, guest host Dave Larson speaks with his good friend and former Nike colleague Tony Ambroza. Tony is now the Chief Brand Officer at Carhartt, previously having worked for Under Armour. The guys discuss Carhartt's ethos for hard work and the importance of storytelling. They also reference many of the shared experiences they had a Nike. Tony was candid about how Carhartt had to scrap most of their plans for 2020 but emphasized how its values have guided the team during the pandemic and accompanying social unrest. Internally, Carhartt operates with leadership truths, and we're grateful to Tony for sharing these truths with our listeners.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Chad Capellman interviews Tyrone Brooks, Senior Director of the Field Staff Diversity Program at MLB. After twenty years moving up the ladder working as a scout and in the front office for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cleveland Indians and a formative decade with the Atlanta Braves, Tyrone talks about how the experience of interviewing to become the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers led to his current role working on diversity initiatives for Major League Baseball. Tyrone shares memories from many stops on his career journey and how he's working to provide opportunities for others both in both his full-time role as well as through the wildly popular group he created, the Baseball Industry Network.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by Bob Neville, Founding Director of Direct to Consumer, a leading design and prototype agency for brands and retail experiences. Bob has been telling brand stories through retail experiences and design for over 30 years. Bob cut his teeth in Hong Kong, opening stores for adidas across Asia before ultimately joining New Balance as Global Creative Director and Head of Retail where he oversaw over 5,000 locations. With his new venture, DTC, Bob is now helping brands like Coca-Cola activate in new ways across the globe.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by Asaf Avidan Antonir, the Co-Founder of Onyx, the World's Smartest Digital Trainer and Workout App. Asaf touched on a variety of topics, including how Onyx is connecting consumers through fitness during Covid, how their proprietary algorithms are giving them an edge in personalizing the fitness experience, and why the gym of the future looks more like Amazon Go than it does Peloton. Asaf also spoke about the upcoming Fitness and Active Brand Summit on November 17 where he is speaking alongside the CEOs of Tonal and Liteboxer.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by Jean-Michel Fournier, CEO of Les Mills Media. Jean-Michel is no stranger to health and technology as he's held senior roles with companies like HP, GE, United Health, and even founding a successful startup BitGym. Jean-Michel spoke about the consumerization of fitness and how his company is serving its communities through rich and engaging content. He also teased who will be sharing the stage with at the up-and-coming Fitness and Active Brand Summit.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat speaks with Ermis Sfakiyanudis, an entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of Uproar PR. Ermis is a Maryland guy through-and-through, having grown up in the state, receiving his engineering degree from the University of Maryland, and now residing in Annapolis. We talk about his early career as an engineer, following in the footsteps of his father, and later having his father work for him. Ermis always had the bug for entrepreneurship, leading him to acquire the award-winning PR firm Uproar.

On this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters had the privilege of interviewing the founder of Reebok, Joseph William Foster. Joe just released his new book, Shoemaker: The Untold story of the British Family firm that became a global brand. Joe was able to review the book and deep dive on topics like his upbringing, his global ambition for the brand, key players who helped him along the way and how Joe, a kid from Bolton, found himself rubbing elbows with Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and so many more Hollywood celebrities.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters speaks with Adam Zeitsiff, the newly named CEO and President of Intelivideo. Intelivideo is a video-on-demand and technology platform for health clubs and gyms. Most recently, Adam was the President and CEO of Gold's Gym and led the sale to RSG Group back in July of this year. Having just been named CEO, Adam was generous with his time and spoke about the intersection of fitness, technology, and specifically Apple's entrance into the at home fitness market. Adam also touched on the hybridization approach gyms are now taking, the localization of fitness, and how Intelivideo is really a services business whose mission is to help their gym partners grow.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat speaks with his friend Pat Hitchins, Founder and CEO of FitRankings. Before FitRankings, Pat was the second employee at FloSports. Born and raised in the city of Chicago, Pat traded cold winters and Old Style Beer for sunshine and Hazy IPA's from Central District Brewing in Austin. His claim to fame might very well be beating Lance Armstrong in a Beer Mile, but his superhero status lies with his two kids. Pat provides insights into the psychology of participation, the engagement of leaderboards, and the value of social capital.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, we speak to Nick Larsen, Founder of Charge Bikes. Nick has spent the last 25 years at the intersection of brand design and cycling. Charge Bikes lives under the parent company of Cycling Sports Group, or better known as CSG which is the parent company to Mongoose, Cannondale, and other household names. Nick spoke about the benefits of having the backing of a parent company like CSG and the challenges of launching a new brand during COVID-19. He also gave us thoughts on trends in the micro-mobility space, and e-bikes in general.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Laurenn Cutshaw sits down with James Brennan, CEO of Enlightened Brand Ventures. James is an investor and entrepreneur who's experienced success in several different industries but is best known for creating the cold-pressed juice category. You may have heard of a little brand called Suja Juice. James is also the mastermind behind Kopari Beauty and Lively, a nootropic supplement company that shifted its focus to CBD wellness. In this episode, James and Laurenn explore some interesting topics, including what's going on with CBD regulation, the emergence of the celebrity-backed brands, and his priorities when entering new partnerships. James also touches on how his teams are maximizing the curious year that is 2020 and the two new consumer product brands he is launching through his new venture Sway Brands in 2021.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters speaks with Jeffrey Morin, CEO and Co-Founder of Liteboxer, and Todd Dagres, Chairman and Co-founder of Liteboxer. Todd is also the founder of Spark Capital, one of the leading venture capital firms, having successful exits in both Mirror and Runkeeper as well as many other technology unicorns. Jeff spoke about the transition from building bomb squad robots to the early day iterations, and merging hardware and software when he co-founded Liteboxer. He also touched on how music and rhythm technology sets them apart from the fitness market. Todd explained how they landed on boxing as the fitness, modality of choice. He spoke about raising strategic capital, having just closed this round, and he also explained why he loves the fitness space so much as an investor.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat speaks to his friend George Wrightster. George is a husband, father, entrepreneur, radio & tv broadcaster, and podcaster. Born in Memphis, George grew up in the San Fernando Valley, having gone to The Buckley School with Kim Kardashian. George would go on to be a standout student and tight-end at the University of Oregon yet shares season tickets for UCLA Football with his wife Danisha, a Bruin alumnus. After being a celebrated Duck, George would go on to play several years for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. The interview took place on August 27th, the day after the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers refused to play in protest of Jacob Blake having been shot 7 times by a Kenosha police officer. George and Mike spoke at length about this pivotal moment in sports.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, we speak to Tyler Steinhardt, Director of Marketing for the Premier Lacrosse League, and Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter. PhotoShelter is one of the leading visual media technology companies today and just announced how their artificial intelligence solution is powering a new partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League. Tyler spoke specifically how AI from PhotoShelter is saving his team hundreds of hours of work by auto-tagging pictures, and even automatically identifying brands on the field of play!

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Laurenn Cutshaw is joined by Ed Buckley, Founder, and CEO of Peerfit. Peerfit is a flexible fitness solution that lives in the corporate wellness category and is fully paid for by health insurance. COVID as we all know created a lot of chaos for fitness operators. Many are struggling to innovate, stay relevant to members, and find alternate revenue streams. Peerfit in contrast used this time to enhance operational efficiency, strengthen their culture, and prepare for the future. Ed and Laurenn cover a lot of topics in this episode, including how Fitbit made counting steps cool, the next big personal data metric, and the value and behavior of the 65+ crowd.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, John Peters is joined by his friend and fellow podcaster Tim Katt. Tim is an angel investor, the co-founder of TACK Ventures, and the co-host of The Game Plan Podcast. He has been around sports technology and media for over a decade. Tim shared his thoughts on working in sports and how he got his start with the Detroit Lions, which ultimately led him to work at Vice Media before launching the Global Sports Venture Studio for RGA and the LA Dodgers. As an early investor in Overtime, Tim gave his thoughts on the digital media landscape and the toughest thing about investing in sports tech today.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat speaks with Jeff Rosenthal, most recently the CEO of Hibbett. Jeff has been a merchant for most of his professional life. He helped grow Robby's Sports from 12-60 locations and Champs from 100+ locations to more than 500. Jeff joined Hibbett in 1998 and would go on to serve as CEO from 2010-2019. He discussed the balancing act of leading a publicly traded company with then 1,000 locations. He emphasized the importance of relationships when it comes to managing vendor partnerships with brands like Nike, adidas, Under Armour, and Puma. Jeff made it clear that he is most passionate about the product. He also lent his perspective on the future of retail. SLN was especially appreciative of his willingness to share his personal experience with COVID-19. Please wear a mask.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, Mike Gugat speaks with industry veterans Rob Langstaff and Dave Larson. Rob, a standout distance runner at the United States Air Force Academy wasn't going to fly planes, so he left the Air Force for an MBA that landed him on the doorstep of adidas in Germany, where he'd later become Head of adidas in Japan before becoming President of adidas for North America. Dave found his way to Stanford to play tennis alongside John McEnroe. After college, Dave would go on to serve brands like Reebok, Nike, Brooks, and Under Armour as a marketing executive. Rob and Dave first became colleagues and friends at Brooks Running. They're now forming a partnership that will serve organizations in need of their respective business development and brand strategy expertise. Our conversation was had over Squadcast, as Rob resides in Portland and Dave in Orange County.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, guest host Brad Maybe speaks with Jim "The Rookie" Morris, baseball rat, lefthander, science teacher, baseball coach, the oldest rookie to ever start an MLB game for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, author, movie producer, motivational speaker, and dream maker. His book "The Oldest Rookie" was made into the Disney blockbuster, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid. Jim discusses his failures, overcoming illness, and the difference between killing yourself and not living, all of which is in his latest book called Dream Makers.

Laurenn sits down with Joe Kudla, Founder and CEO of Vuori, a performance apparel brand with a nontraditional approach to activewear. Vuori was inspired by the Southern California lifestyle and aims to make great products to help people live extraordinary lives. Joe and his team value their relationships with consumers, of course, and each other, but also our relationship with the planet.

In this episode, we speak with Jonathan Snyder, Founder & CEO of Contenders, the leading lifestyle fight brand. Jonathan spoke about the grassroots origins of Contenders, how the brand continued to grow during COVID which enabled them to give back to the fighting community. Jonathan also touched on the Contenders licensing business, which has opened up a really cool opportunity with Cobra Kai and Netflix.

In this episode, Laurenn Cutshaw interviews Valorie Kondos Field, also known as Miss Val, the former Head Coach of the UCLA women's gymnastics team. During her 29-year career, she led the Bruins to seven NCAA championship titles and 18 Pac-12 championship titles. Miss Val is a published author, speaker, breast cancer survivor, and faculty member at UCLA, where she teaches transformative coaching. Miss Val and Laurenn dive into her philosophy on coaching and leadership, definitions of winning and success, and the impact of COVID on college sports, and more. Official Miss Val Website TED: Why winning doesn't always equal success Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance by Valorie Kondos Field

In this episode, we spoke to Robin Thurston, the CEO of Pocket Outdoor Media, the world's leading creator of active lifestyle content reaching 15M+ consumers every month. Robin was formerly the Chief Digital Officer at Under Armour, after having found and sold his startup MapMyFitness in 2013. Robin spoke about the recent acquisition of magazine titles from Active Interest Media, his vision for the company, why lifetime customer value is so important, and his thoughts on the future of fitness technology.

In this episode, we spoke to Carolyne Savini, Head of North America at Nolan Partners, a global executive search firm with a focus on sports and entertainment. Carolyne spoke about the current landscape in sports, her thoughts on hiring trends overall and specific to Covid-19, and she also touched on the cultural differences between working with a sports team versus a consumer-facing brand. Carolyne also spoke about the importance of diversity and inclusion and why having multiple perspectives is so important.

On this episode, we speak with Johnny Adamic and Jimmy Martin, co-founders of Brrrn. Before co-founding the company, Johnny was on the Obesity Task force for Mayor Bloomberg and Jimmy was writing jokes for Saturday Night Live and personal training, so naturally, they ended up founding Brrrn together. The guys spoke about Johnny's admiration for Brett Favre, the story behind founding the company, why we should all slide train more, and their new at-home fitness push launch, the Brrrn Board.

On this episode, we speak with Jay Schroeder, creator of The Evolution Code. Jay was paralyzed from the chest down early on which led him on a path to curing his own paralysis by reading academic literature and researching the importance of the nervous system. Jay has been perfecting his nervous system training over 40 years and the results speak for themselves as some of the world's top Olympians, professional athletes and even executives use the EVO Code for maximum performance. Jay spoke about the origins of EVO, shared a few examples of how MLB's Stephen Strasburg and NHL's Matt Barzal use EVO to perform better, and how focusing on training any individual muscle is flat out wrong. From paralysis to being the only non-team employee to get a world series ring in 2019 from the Washington Nationals, Jay has made his mark on athlete training. Let's get to the interview.

In this episode of the SLN Podcast, we speak with Mikal Peveto. Mikal is Head of Aō Air for North America, an innovative air filtration mask coming to market later this year. As a former colleague of his at adidas, Mike, along with many others, call him Peev. Peev cut his teeth in product innovation leading business units and divisions for brands like Nike, adidas, and Fila.

On this episode we spoke to Gene McCarthy who until last year was the President & CEO of ASICS America. Gene has had a long and storied career that began in 1982 when he joined Nike. In the last four years of his 21 years there Gene was part of the fabled Jordan Brand. He then went on to work at the senior executive level at both Reebok and Under Armour as well as being the Co-President of Timberland and the President of Merrell. Gene spoke with us about the current market landscape and also he shares with us one of his favorite Michael Jordan stories from the late 90's. Be sure to listen to the end when Gene shares a big announcement about the Sport Lifestyle Network!