Olympians & Elite Athlete Interviews Episodes

What would motivate you to ride more than 200 miles per day on a bike for a year? For ultracyclist Amanda Coker, it was to heal from a traumatic injury, to inspire others and to prove the naysayers wrong. She shares her story with Kelly and Maria of biking 86,573 miles in 365 days, and how bullies in childhood and during her record-setting year fueled her to rise to the challenges. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at Champion...

How do you return to what you love to do after many years off -- and do it well? Olympian and All-American Masters swimmer Benjamin Lo-Pinto joins the show to share his philosophies on returning to athletics in his 40s, raising a family and helping others. He loves Masters Swimming! Benjamin Lo-Pinto was born in Victoria, Seychelles and swam for the Seychelles National Team from 1993 - 2002, represented the Seychelles in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and carried the flag in the opening ceremony.&n...

Are you living in the present? Or stuck on past mistakes or future worries? Swimming legend Amanda Beard swam in four Olympics, but struggled silently with depression, bulimia and body dysmorphia. She joins the show to talk about how confiding in people she trusted helped her through her darkest days -- and how she now tries to engage with, and live inside, each moment. And how building out her business keeps her striving for important goals. Sign up for your free consultation on health, lead...

Are you brave enough to do something differently than everyone else? Paige Madden sometimes goes against the conventional “swimming wisdom” and still wins. Paige’s road to the Olympics had bumps and setbacks but she says consistency and finding her own style of swimming have helped her succeed. She joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about the Olympics, professional swimming and how she swims best under pressure. As the reigning NCAA Champion in the 200, 500 and 1650 Madden answers a q...

How can athletes strike a balance between normal discomfort and understanding the constraints of aging? Olympic swimmer Dara Torres joins the podcast to talk with Kelly and Maria about how she stays active but respects the boundaries of her body as she ages. She also talks about parenting and what she’s up to now. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com. MORE...

Olympic swimmer Natalie Hinds thought that she was finished with swimming in 2016 when she placed 40th at Olympic Trials. After some time away from competitive swimming she decided to compete again -- this time with new self talk, new boundaries and a new perspective on her abilities. Tune in to this exclusive interview as Natalie shares her Olympic-preparation routine and how what she does outside of the pool helps her performance. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and l...

The pool is just one part of Olympic legend Aaron Peirsol’s lifelong, spiritual connection to the water. He joins the show to talk about his family history of swimming, sailing and connecting to the water around them -- as well as the ways he continues to engage with his sport, and his responsibility to it, more than a decade after officially retiring from it. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. Catch ...

Are you living up to your true potential? 2021 Olympic hopeful Michael Andrew returns to the podcast to talk about his recent success and embracing his talent and hard work so he never “wastes grace” in his life. He also talks with Kelly and Maria about his mindset change when it comes to competitively swimming the 200 IM -- and how he remains grounded in his faith and family as his clout in the swimming world continues to grow. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life ...

Maddy Banic is not only a swim champion, but a champion of mental health. How does a person come back from the brink of suicide to become a record-setting athlete and Olympic hopeful? Professional swimmer Madeline Banic joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about the darkest time of her life -- and the tools she used, and continues to implement, to recover, and how she also shares those tools with others through mental health advocacy. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leaders...

Hard work can often make up for a deficit of time, or even raw talent. Two-swim-sport Olympian Jordan Willimovsky joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about how his work ethic keeps him at the height of his career, as he prepares for his second Olympic showing in open water and pool swimming in the summer of 2021. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com...

Matt Biondi is one of America’s most decorated Olympic swimmers -- but he left the sport 30 years ago due to unhappiness with the status quo. He felt forced to give up his dreams to become a professional swimmer and earned a Masters Degree in Education, teaching math for nearly two decades. Today, he has returned to the sport as the founder of the International Swimmers Alliance, where he fights for other swimmers to have the opportunity to go professional and be compensated fairly for what the...

Discipline is in the details for two-sport elite athlete Ashley Twichell who has already qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in open-water swimming and will compete in June 2021 for a spot as a 1500-meter pool swimmer on Team USA. She joins the show to share her tips for discipline in the little things, leadership by example and the importance of sleep. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. Catch up on...

What does it mean to step into your authenticity, despite the risks? Olympic gold medalist and SwimSwam co-founder Mel Stewart returns to the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about his inspiration for swimming -- as a child and today -- and how the trauma of his early life and competitive drive have fed into his motivation, self-care and successes. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. Catch up on EVERY...

Going through a life transition? How can you understand yourself as an athlete? A non-athlete? It is about so much more than the physical, tangible metrics. Rebecca Soni, wants to find ease within effort and inspire others to do the same. An Olympic gold medalist, former world-record holder and co-founder of mentorship program RISE Athletes, she joins the show to discuss aspects of athleticism and post athleticism, such as positive psychology, mindset development. Rebecca also gives examples of ...

Feb. 16, 2021 Georgia Tech head coach Courtney Shealy Hart hates to lose more than she likes to win -- and that competitiveness, along with strong organization and communication skills, drives her coaching to consistently successful heights. Courtney’s techniques helped her break the glass ceiling as one of the first D1, Power 5 Head Coaches of both men and women. Courtney joins Kelly and Maria to talk about her tangible advice for leading championship teams and how she makes being a b...

Positivity is a muscle, developed with practice and discipline. Gold medalist Paralympic swimmer and World Record Holder McKenzie Coan, who has broken 65 bones, joins the show to share with Kelly and Maria her strategies for positivity, training and success. McKenzie has Brittle Bone disease and after listening to her interview you’ll be raised up by this Champion’s gratitude and view on life! Though her bones are more breakable because of her disease, her spirit seems utterly unbreakable. Sign...

Taking stock of how you feel -- and drawing motivation from the people around you -- are two ways that professional swimmer Erika Brown grounds herself and prepares for success. Erika joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about how she strengthened her mindset and how faith, discipline and hard work play a role in her swimming career, and life. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. MORE ABOUT ERIKA...

What can you learn from your challenges? World-record holding swimmer Siobhan Haughey joins the show to talk to Kelly and Maria about how she combines discipline and positivity to improve resiliency and outcomes. MORE ABOUT SIOBHAN HAUGHEY Siobhan Haughey is a world record holding swimmer, fresh off an amazing season in the International Swim League as a member of the Energy Standard Team. As part of the Energy Standard’s 4x100 relay team Siobhan led off the relay in 50.9 seconds, a time which...

Harnessing the power of the mind through meditation, visualization and positivity sets you up for success and greater enjoyment of life, no matter what the phase or situation. Elite swim coach Sergio Lopez Miro joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about his winning mindset that includes powerful mind exercises and chasing authenticity. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. MORE ABOUT SERGIO LOPEZ ...

Confidence comes when practice, courage and trust come together. Olympic Champion swimmer Townley Haas joins the show to talk with Kelly and Maria about his recent record-breaking swim and how he takes the time to relax in order to be stronger. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership and life coaching with Kelly or Maria at ChampionsMojo.com/cm-coaching. MORE ABOUT TOWNLEY HAAS Townley Haas is an Olympic gold medalist swimmer and American record holder. Townley was part of the...

Since this interview, Coleman is now the assistant swim coach at Duke University. This interview is some great insight into his mindset. A consistent routine (taking care of the little things every day), goal visualization and support from the right people is what makes professional swimmer Coleman Stewart perform at his highest level. He joins Kelly and Maria to talk about his latest swimming record, how he sets goals and what is next. Sign up for your free consultation on health, leadership a...

How can you form the mental fortitude to overcome pain, discomfort and deprivation in order to meet your goals? Elite endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox joins the podcast to talk with Kelly and Maria about how she adapts to natural elements, criticism and her own inner voice to triumph at some of the world’s toughest endurance bicycle races. Have something to share with the hosts? Email it to hello@championsmojo.com. MORE ABOUT LAEL WILCOX In 2016, Lael Wilcox was the first woman and first American...

The desire to succeed can outweigh other advantages or challenges -- and Canadian Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak shares this philosophy and others with Kelly and Maria in this exclusive interview. The elite swimmer also talks about her recent pairing with the Phelps brand of swimming apparel and gear. Canadian Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak earned her spot on the Canadian Olympic team as a 15 year old who had only been swimming for 5 years. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, she earned go...

Friendships don’t need to be overly sentimental or obviously well-matched to be a good fit, as elite American swimmers and training partners Lilly King and Cody Miller share in this exclusive interview with Kelly and Maria. The pair discuss their unconventional ways of motivating each other and how their training partnership has improved their swimming and lives. Have something to share with the hosts? Email it to hello@championsmojo.com. MORE ABOUT LILLY KING & CODY MILLER Lilly King and Cody...