Champions Mojo for Masters Swimmers

There are many myths about whether Dan Lotano truly did not swim before he quickly broke into the national and world rankings as a 35 year old first time competitive Masters swimmer.  Get ready to hear the inspiring truth about an athlete that ended up under the lane rope in his first race in 2016 and was world number 1 in multiple events in 2021.

Ever think you are too old or busy to start something? Then this episode is for you!  Although Dan has an athletic background, he only really started swimming at age 35 and has achieved immense success as a competitive swimmer. He is a member of the Palm Beach Masters swim team, has been ranked number one in multiple events both in the US and FINA World, and is also a US Masters National record-holder. 

Dan has been able to catapult his swimming career while balancing a full-time job and family, which is a tribute to his passion for the sport. Join hosts Kelly and Maria to learn Dan’s secret to success in this inspirational episode of the Champion’s Mojo podcast!

More great episodes at www.ChampionsMojo.com 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introduction and background on today’s guest and his achievements, Dan Lotano.
• We learn about Dan’s swimming history and how he picked up swimming. 
• What is it about swimming that got Dan hooked on the sport.
• How much Dan had to learn when he first started swimming.
• We hear a funny story about an early training experience he had.
• Dan shares details about his athletic background before he started swimming.
• The lightbulb moment he had when he swam butterfly for the first time.
• Details about Dan’s training routines and the role his wife plays.
• How many corrections Dan required from his coach when he first started.
• Whether Dan is still learning new aspects about the sport.
• Find out how many strokes he takes for his freestyle and butterfly.
• Details about Dan’s tapering routine and his current progress.
• How he balances competitive swimming with other aspects of his life.
• A unique method that Dan uses to prepare his mindset before a race.
• Ways in which Dan pushes through pain during a race or competition.
• Dan’s approach to staying motivated and inspired for training every day. 
• The future plans and goals that Dan has for his swimming career.
• What swimming means to Dan and the role it plays in his personal life. 
• An outline of Dan and his family diet plan. 
• We learn more about his full-time job and his current role.
• The three important things that Dan thinks aspiring swimmers should focus on.
• Who the biggest inspirations are for him and a final piece of advice for listeners.
• Find out some fun facts about Dan with a sprinter round of questions.
• Closing the show with some takeaways from Kelly and Maria for listeners.

Quotes from Dan:

“I wanted something that was more competitive that would be great for my health and just get some mojo back.” 

“I was always athletically inclined but didn’t achieve a sort of level of success that I have been able to have in the swimming world.” 

“It took me a decent while to appreciate just how technical the sport (of swimming) is.”

Dan Lotano on LinkedIn

Palm Beach Masters

NextEra Energy Resources

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Control Your Mind, Olympian Natalie Hinds' 5-MIN FLASHBACK, Episode 155

This week, get your mojo from a champion in 5 minutes or less! Enjoy this powerful MOJO from  Olympian Natalie Hinds on how to control your mind! Hinds made her first Olympic team in 2020, earning a bronze medal, and says it was her new mindset that paved the way. 

LISTEN HERE to the full interview on Champion's Mojo podcast in episode #122

https://www.championsmojo.com/episodepage/nataliehinds122

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Mute until she was 6 years old, World Champion Masters swimmer, coach, and “mountain mermaid”,  Eney Jones learned the power of observation. She joins Kelly and Maria to discuss how she approaches her own masters swimming and coaching with courage -- and why observation is such a key component of her success, both in and out of the water.  How do you overcome fear and pain to grow as an athlete and person? This episode will give you inspiration to do just that. 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

MORE ABOUT ENEY JONES

Eney Jones is an entrepreneur, inventor of the EneyBuoy, a swim coach, and a writer for SwimSwam and her own blog. A few of Eney’s swimming accomplishments include:

• Masters National Champion, 100-200-400-500-1500-1650 5k freestyle multiple times
• Open Water 5k World Champion 
• Overall Champion Aumakua 2.4k Maui Hawaii, September 2008
• Waikiki Rough Water Multiple top 3 finishes
• European Record Setter and Masters Swimming Champion
• Over twenty time finalist in U.S. Swimming Nationals, including Olympic Trials 1980
• Gold medal NCAA 800 yd freestyle relay 1979, silver Medalist 200 yd freestyle 1979. 
• United States National Team 1979-1980.

During her professional triathlete career, Eney was the first woman out of the water in every Hawaiian Ironman race she participated in which was six.  Eney Online: EneyJones.com and IG @eneyjones

 Episode Mentions and Topics

 Burwell “Bumpy” Jones

EneyBuoy

SwimSwam

Triathlon

Siesta Key

Italy

Crested Butte, Colorado

Sarasota, Florida

Pain threshold

Women in sports

Takeaways

Kelly

1. “Make the bad pancake.” Just get out there and try things, even if they aren’t perfect on the first try. 
2. Allow yourself to cross the threshold of pain and not be afraid.

Maria

1. Observe, listen, watch. You will learn so much.
2. Remember that you can do what you are doing because of the people who came before you. Give credit to the amazing athletes and leaders who blazed the trail.

Quote of the Week

“Everyone has a story, or some inspiration, or a connection that can help you.” -- Eney Jones

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

 In this week's 5-MINUTE FLASHBACK Olympic Champion Swimmer Lilly King exhibits her excellent sense of humor and talks about how she and training partner Cody Miller use  distraction to get through tough swims.  Give yourself a smile by listening.

King will be competing in the 2022 World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary June 18-24th with a chance to win all three breaststroke events.

This flashback is from episode 87, Training Partner Power with Lilly King and Cody Miller. LISTEN to the full show HERE.

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Marc Middleton, best selling author, world record setting masters swimmer and founder of Growing Bolder media, believes that how we age is most affected by our mindset.  If we don't buy into the negative image around aging we can achieve anything we set our minds to. Marc is on a mission to change the way society views the aging process through his media company, Growing Bolder. Marc joins Kelly and Maria to talk about his passion for changing conversations about aging in America and how he became such a champion himself.

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

MORE ABOUT MARC MIDDLETON

Marc Middleton is the Founder and CEO of Growing Bolder, a multimedia platform redefining aging by sharing inspirational stories of those aging in a revolutionary way. He’s a speaker, educator and author of the book, Growing Bolder: Defy the Cult of Youth, Live with Passion and Purpose. 

In 2021, Marc earned 4 All-American honors in one year in the men’s 70-74 age group. But over his career Mark has earned World records, and had a #1 time in 7 different seasons since he began his Masters Swimming Career in 2009 (almost 40 year break). He is also a nationally ranked high-hurdler! 

Episode Mentions and Topics 

Growing Bolder Media

Growing Bolder: Defy the Cult of Youth, Live with Passion and Purpose by Marc Middleton

Rowdy Gaines

Florida State University

College track/high hurdling

Masters swimming

Gordy Shields

Compressed morbidity

Quilting

Takeaways

Kelly

1. There are difficulties at every age - aging is not inherently “worse” than younger phases of life. 
2. Eliminate “no” from your vocabulary so you do not deal with decision fatigue. Just assume everything will be a “yes.”

Maria

1. People who age well try new things and are not afraid of trying new things.
2. Remember that your primary care physician is yourself. 

Quote of the Week

“No matter how old you are, you never lose the ability to extract moments of joy from life.” -- Marc Middleton

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.

Have something you want to share with us? Email it to [email protected].

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

This week's 5-MINUTE FLASHBACK is with University of California at Berkeley Head Women's Swim Coach, Teri McKeever.  In this episode she answers the question, "What is your team's culture?"

McKeever was the first ever female head coach of the U.S. Olympic women's swim team, earning this honor at the 2012 Olympics.

McKeever is under fire from allegations of former and current team members for verbal and emotional abuse. 

LISTEN HERE for to the full interview with Teri McKeever, Episode #79

More on Teri McKeever:

McKeever was the first ever female head coach of the U.S. Olympic swim team, earning this honor at the 2012 Olympics.  She has served for the past 29 seasons as the head women’s swim coach at the University of California at Berkeley.  McKeever has also been a two-time U.S. Olympic team assistant coach, seven-time U.S. World Championships team assistant coach, two-time U.S. Pan Pacs head coach and U.S. World short-course championships head coach. She’s also coached 26 Olympians who have won 36 Olympic medals.  

McKeever’s UC teams have won four NCAA titles and she’s been voted Pac-12 Coach of the Year eight times. She has won four Pac-12 team titles and an an unprecedented 11 years in a row of top three finishes at the NCAAs, She has coached six national Swimmers of the Year, including greats like: Natalie Coughlin, Missy Franklin and most recently, Kathleen Baker. Her Golden Bears have captured 65 NCAA individual or relay titles. 

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

How do you build a successful masters swim team?

World Class Masters Swimmer and Coach, Rick Walker says that difficult swim practices motivate his team, the renowned Sarasota Sharks, to work harder and that a spirit of camaraderie keeps morale high. Rick joins the show to talk about how he started the Sarasota Sharks Masters Team, his coaching and swimming successes -- and shares tips for others who aspire to do the same .

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

MORE ABOUT RICK WALKER

Rick Walker is a US Masters swimmer and the founder of the Sarasota Sharks, one of the most successful US Masters Swimming teams. Rick founded the Sarasota Sharks Masters in 2006 and they quickly grew to prominence, consistently carrying over 300 swimmers on their roster, which includes world record holders, national record holders, All-Americans and many happy sharks that swim for fun and fitness. 

The team has earned several YMCA National Championships and placed in the Top 10 clubs at USMS National Championships. The Sharks have also been honored as the USMS Club of the Year. In 2020 Rick earned an outstanding coaching honor, the U.S. Masters Swimming Kerry O'Brien Coaches Award. 

In 2021, Rick earned 7 FINA World #1 rankings and 9 USMS All-American honors in the men’s 70-74 age group. Rick did the swim around Manhattan in 1999 and won the 3K World Championships of Open Water in Budapest in 2016.  Over his career, Rick has earned world records, national records, and had at least one #1 in 17 different seasons since he began his Masters Swimming career in 1985. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Sarasota Sharks

US Masters Swimming

YMCA National Championships

Kerry O’Brien Coaches Award

Deb Walker

Breaststroke

Consistency

Melanoma

Budapest

Rick Colella

The “Shark Tank”

Veganism

Hello Fresh

Talenti ice cream

Wall Street Journal

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Consistency is key -- keep showing up.
2. People like to work hard, especially people who have gone through the trouble to show up to a practice.

Maria

1. Create routine wherever you go and even in the busiest times -- it brings peace.
2. It is so much better to just get along with others. It makes it smoother for everyone. 

“I believe that all my swimmers want to work hard and get a hard workout. We go at it pretty hard.” -- Rick Walker

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.
Have something you want to share with us? Email it to [email protected].

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

This week, get your mojo from a champion in 5 minutes or less! Enjoy this powerful MOJO from Olympic Swimming Champion, Cullen Jones! What do sports teach us?

LISTEN HERE to the full interview on Champion's Mojo podcast in episode 85, Cullen Jones: Breaking Barriers.  https://www.championsmojo.com/episodepage/cullenjones85

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Sheera Goren, CEO and Co-Founder of Zygo joins Kelly and Maria to talk about this game-changing product for swimmers. Zygo is the only underwater streaming audio product on the market. 

This micro pod explains in just 10 minutes how Zygo came to market, how it works and how the Champion’s Mojo community can get a discount by listening to this episode. 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Zygo: stream audio underwater

Masters athletes

Masters swimming

Fitness Swimming

Mindset

Music

SwimP3

“Swimming is an amazing workout and I love to do it.” -- Sheera Goren

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com

Why do we rarely hear the words adult and athlete used together? What is a masters athlete? Generally, we think of being an athlete for the young or being a masters athlete for the elite. But Kelly and Maria talk about their own mindset when it comes to being adult athletes, masters athletes and how keeping it fun and/or competitive is your choice. Whether you are a weekend warrior exerciser who wants to get back into being an athlete, or already an elite masters athlete—this episode of the Champion’s Mojo Podcast will inspire you to new heights. 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

6 Ways to Own Your Adult Athlete

1. Stop saying “I’m retired from my sport” or “I used to be a swimmer” or runner, etc. Your relationship may change with the sport or exercise, but you can always do it. 
2. Use future thinking and do what you can WHILE you can.
3. Surround yourself with other adult athletes, join a team and hire a coach. 
4. Change your mindset and OWN the title of athlete.
5. Try something new and fun to keep movement enjoyable.
6. Start with small goals and build from there.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Masters athletes

Masters swimming

Mindset

“You don’t run a marathon by running 26 miles; you run a marathon by putting on your running clothes and going out the door for a training run, and then another.” -- Maria Parker

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play.

Have something you want to share with us? Email it to [email protected].

Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com