Champions Mojo for Masters Swimmers

Are you surrounding yourself with the right tools to bring out your best, champion self?

Life and leadership coaches Kelly Palace and Maria Parker share six ways you can improve your chances for success, including examples from their own lives.

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.

6 Ways to Create an Environment that Brings Out the Champion in You

1. Control Negative Input
2. Embrace and Study Failure
3. Unclutter Both Physical Space and Emotional Space
4. Take Control of Your Actions and Environment
5. Beautify Your Environment to Your Taste and Needs
6. Surround Yourself with Other Champions

Episode Topics and Mentions

Media fast

Emotional clutter

Dan Plesac

Major League Baseball

Takeaways

Kelly

Improve your environment and beautify it to feel more at home in it. 

Maria

Study failure and embrace it in a lighthearted way.

“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” — Earl Nightingale

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

Are you coachable in life?

Being able to level up and live your life’s true purpose takes focused listening, vulnerability and self-reflection, according to performance coach and former D1 swim coach Steve Mellor. He joins the podcast to talk about his recent switch in careers, how therapy improved his outlook and continues to improve his life, and why incorporating a life coach is so valuable. 

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 ABOUT STEVE MELLOR

Steve Mellor is a performance coach and culture consultant who is a former D1 associate head swim coach at Louisiana State University. Steve coached LSU’s Brooks Curry to a spot on the 2021 Olympic Swim team, and Brooks went on to win gold. This was the first time a member of the LSU Swim Team qualified for the US Olympic Team. Steve is the host of the Career Competitor podcast, which is part of the CG Sports Network.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Brooks Curry

Louisiana State University 

Career Competitor podcast

Leadership coaching

Swim coaching

2021 Olympics

Christen Shefchunas

Cycling

Cruzbike

Strava

Caeleb Dressel

CareerCompetitor.com

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Listen to yourself and get in alignment with your values. It will guide you the right direction. 
2. Do not attach yourself to the outcome. Focus instead on the journey and the overall experience. 

Maria

1. Try to figure out what people really want out of life by listening to what they actually want. It’s so important to listen.
2. Share something about yourself if you are trying to learn about other people. It gets the ball rolling and encourages them to open up to you. 

“We have optimal versions of ourselves. We are in control of whether or not we realize that version of ourselves.” -- Steve Mellor 

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

Are you grateful for the gift of health?

Liver transplant recipient and endurance swimmer Jillian Best joins the show to talk about how a hereditary disease, and near death, continues to inspire her to greater heights today. She talks about the importance of organ donation and how she stays motivated to reach all of her goals. 

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 ABOUT JILLIAN BEST

Jillian Best is a record-setting endurance open-water swimmer. She swam 52 kilometers (32.3 miles) across Lake Ontario in 18 hours and 36 minutes, becoming one of a handful of people to complete this.  She did it to raise money and awareness about the importance of organ transplants through her Move for Life Foundation.  

Jillian was diagnosed with a condition that attacked her liver at age 15 and at age 22, she started to have liver failure  and was put on the organ transplant waiting list. At age 29, Jillian received her life saving transplant. After she recovered, she went back to swimming and hasn’t stopped since, winning gold medals and breaking records at the 2019 World Transplant Games.  

Jillian’s life since then has been about bringing hope and encouragement to others and raising money for life saving equipment for organ transplants. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Lake Ontario

Endurance swimming

Organ donation

Liver failure

Move for Life Foundation

2019 World Transplant Games

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

Toronto

Perseverance

Goal-setting

Prioritizing sleep

Confidence

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Australia

London, Ontario

Takeaways

Kelly

1. When you’re going to do something big, say “I’m ready” -- and work to BE ready. Put in the work and time to get to that point.
2. Sleep is so important and underrated. Having consistent sleep -- and enough of it -- really does trigger better mental/physical health. 

Maria

1. If you’re doing something hard, think about the others you are doing it for to help you feel motivated and grateful.
2. We can rewire our brains by instilling confidence and positive thoughts, self-talk and mantras.

“Whatever it is that will make you really happy, or fulfill you, or fuel your passion - just go for it. It can lead you to better, happier times in your life.” -- JIllian Best

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].

From this episode’s sponsor: 

Tim Kafer, the inventor of the ThrowMAX throwing trainer, is also the founder of a network of tournament websites that help sports players find playing opportunities all across the nation. These tournament websites span across 8 different sports like softball, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, etc. and the sign-up is free for a limited period.

Learn more:  

https://fastpitchsoftballtournaments.com/

https://www.throwmax.com/x/

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

Swimming in open water during a date, Rachael Lilienthal felt something brush across her back. At first she thought it was a kayak. Then she realized it was a huge alligator.  Hear what ensues from that point on during this amazing interview.  Did an angel save her life?  Could Rachael relearn everything in her life after losing a limb? Could she do it with a positive attitude?

Alligator-attack survivor and Masters swimmer Rachael Lilienthal joins the show to share the details of her attack, her road to recovery and the silver linings she recognized along the journey. 

Why are alligator attacks on the rise? What can you do to help prevent them? 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

MORE ABOUT RACHAEL LILIENTHAL

Rachael Lilienthal is a Masters swimmer who was attacked by a 9-foot alligator while swimming in open water in the Wekiva River near Apopka, Florida in 2015. Racheal lost the majority of her right arm in that attack, and almost her life. Rachael continues to swim and recently took home gold in the 200-meter butterfly at the Rowdy Gaines Short Course Meters Masters Classic meet. Rachael is a Spanish professor at Rollins College in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Alligator attack

Rowdy Gaines Short Course Meters Masters Classic 

US Masters Swimming

Rollins College

Ego

Death roll

Canoeing

Boston Marathon bombing

Silver linings

Angels

Assistive devices

Paralympics

Yoga

Breast cancer

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Be ready for life to be hard. Get your mind, body and life in shape for when it gets hard. 
2. When things are REALLY hard, stop and ask yourself: Do I really need to do this and in this way?

Maria

1. Look for the little moments of gratitude in each day and over the course of time, your whole life improves. 
2. Make the decision to “exhale” instead of panic when you are in a stressful situation. 

“When we approach the day focusing on things to be grateful for, we have a better day; when we have a lot of better days, we have a better life.” -- Rachael Lilienthal

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].

From this episode’s sponsor: 

Tim Kafer, the inventor of the ThrowMAX throwing trainer, is also the founder of a network of tournament websites that help sports players find playing opportunities all across the nation. These tournament websites span across 8 different sports like softball, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, etc. and the sign-up is free for a limited period.

Learn more:  

https://fastpitchsoftballtournaments.com/

https://www.throwmax.com/x/

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 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 ABOUT DARA TORRES

Dara Torres is one of the greatest Olympic swimmers of all time, with five Olympic performances (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008) and 12 Olympic medals. She is most known for her age-defying comeback at the 2008 Olympics, where at age 41 and as the mother of a 16-month-old, she became the oldest swimmer to stand on the podium, winning silver in the 4 X 100 relay and silver in the 50 meter.   

Dara is also an entrepreneur and bestselling author, writing two books, Gold Medal Fitness and Age is Just a Number. She’s a regular keynote speaker, has worked as a model and regularly works in sports media. Dara is involved in charitable work to raise money for cancer research and drowning prevention, and since 2019 she’s been the health and wellness officer for  CanIBrands, a CBD health and wellness company.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Olympic swimming

Gold Medal Fitness by Dara Torres

Age is Just a Number by Dara Torres

CanIBrands, a CBD health and wellness company

Aging

Psoriasis

Pilates

Spin classes

Surfing

Paddle boarding

Parenting

Jill Sterkel

Sportsmanship

Better sleep

Injury recovery

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Underschedule yourself as an aging athlete and allow yourself built in rest days and periods of time.
2. When you just accept what you look like, or other parts of your identity, you are able to release anxiety around it and others accept you, too.

Maria

1. It’s hard for athletes to “listen to your body” but as you age, you need to balance out the pain/discomfort with discipline. 
2. Kindness is admirable and makes a bigger difference than athletic performance.

“The people I admire aren’t always the ones who come in first place. It’s the ones who try their best and who treat people how they want to be treated.” -- Dara Torres

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

We have a responsibility to share our struggles with others -- even the most tragic. A Masters swimming gem.

Keynote speaker and author Karen Allen joins the podcast to talk about how the still-unsolved murder of her husband drives the work she does today to help others embrace the “beauty in the mess” of their lives.

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 ABOUT KAREN ALLEN

Karen Allen is a keynote speaker, author, podcaster and executive leadership coach who helps others embrace the mess of their lives through her 100% Human brand. After losing her husband to a still-unsolved murder, Karen also lost her car, her job and her home in her despair. To save her own life and build a better one for her son, she began the work of healing -- step by step -- and in the process found her calling to help others work through the pain and conflict in their own lives, and use it for good. Learn more about Karen Allen on her website. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Karen Allen’s website

Karen Allen's podcast 100% Human

Growth mindset

Karen Allen’s Ted Talk

CrossFit

Murder victim

Cold case

The Shack by Willliam P. Young

Forgiveness

Personal healing

Neuroplasticity

Stop and shift mentality

Mental strength

Mental wellness

Mental performance

The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

Dharma

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Find one simple tool that helps you get through a hard day or to build a new habit -- and you will be stronger over time.
2. Connect with someone else when you are in a traumatic or difficult situation, even if you don’t talk. Do not isolate yourself.

Maria

1. Look back and see how long it’s been since the last time you did something you are trying to change, and compare behavior to how you were before -- not to how you want to be later.
2. Productive venting is important to say how we really feel, in a safe place. Then once your feelings are out, decide what you want to do next to move forward.

“People think that acceptance means that everything’s okay. Acceptance is acknowledging your starting point and just saying, “Okay, I acknowledge where I am, I accept where I am and now I can choose more clearly what direction I want to go.’” -- Karen Allen

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

Many thought leaders believe that to be successful we must get out of our comfort zone. And also that today's society is making us, well, soft.  Kelly and Maria share concrete ideas for getting uncomfortable in life, including in athletics, relationships and ambitions.

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.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Do Tough by Maria Parker (December 2021 release) 

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easton

Seventeen Magazine and the Alternating Theory of Happiness

Breast cancer awareness

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Relational vulnerability

Vulnerability

Native American concept of having “75 problems”

Brain cancer

Anxiety

Grand Canyon

Cold showers

Death awareness  

Death scare 

Pawtuckaway State Park

Franconia Loop Trail

Intermittent fasting

Prevalence-induced concept change

Dementia

Trans-American Race (cycling)

Takeaways

Kelly

1. When you see an opportunity to build something new, take it -- even if you feel hesitation.
2. Be brave and confront uncomfortable, inconvenient relationships -- despite the outcome.

Maria

1. Go out of your comfort zone to do things with people you love, right now, instead of waiting until you find the perfect time or fit.
2. Take on new, exciting challenges where you may know nothing going into them and learn from them.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'” -- Eleanor Roosevelt

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

How has adversity inspired your success?

Renowned cross-country coach Desmond Dunham, known to his athletes as Coach Dez, joins the podcast to talk with Kelly and Maria about how he turned pain in his childhood into a passion for mentorship. He talks about the lessons in his new book, Running Against the Odds, and how coaching is one way he gives back to the community. 

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 ABOUT DESMOND DUNHAM

Desmond Dunham, or as he’s known to many, Coach Dez, is a nationally-renowned running coach, mentor, Under Armour Coach Ambassador and the author of the newly released book, Running Against the Odds. Coach Dez is a nationally acclaimed track and field and cross-country coach who has been teaching, mentoring and coaching in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area for over two decades. He’s also the founder of Kids Elite Sports which offers summer sports camp and youth sports training. This camp has positively affected nearly 800 students.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Cross country running

Coaching

Kids Elite Sports

Running Against the Odds by Desmond Dunham

Vietnam War

PTSD

Domestic violence

Speech impediment

Dyslexia

Endorphins

Serotonin

Howard University

Mentorship

Alcoholism

Gary, Indiana

Little League Baseball

The steel industry

South Africa

Bronchitis

Apartheid

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Goals need a plan to be successful. There is a place for wishing -- but goals need actual planning to come to fruition.
2. “Anti-influencers” can inspire us to do the opposite of what they do and inspire us to positively change the world.

Maria

1. Follow your passion, even if it leads somewhere that doesn’t seem as shiny as another option. 
2. Failure can be a great teacher and inspire later successes. 

“You can find something that can be your passion, your outlet, that can give you a lot of fuel so that you can have maximum output in everything else that you do.” -- Desmond Dunham

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

Purposeful living takes us to a higher level of joy in life -- but how do we find our purpose? Health and leadership coaches Kelly Palace and Maria Parker outline eight steps to finding your life’s purpose -- and then implementing it.

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.

8 Ways to Find Your Life’s Purpose

1. Ask yourself: What am I passionate about or what do I LOVE to do?
2. Ask yourself: What values and strengths drive my behaviors?
3. Create a Life Purpose or Mission Statement. 
4. Decide what you want out of life, and outline your goals.
5. Use tools that can help you figure out your purpose. 
6. Take the Passion Test, developed by Chris and Janet Attwood.
7. Take time for yourself to find and experience your purpose and passion. 
8. Ask yourself: When was the last time I experienced pure joy? Then go do more of that. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

The Power of Myth and Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell 

Character strengths

Viacharacter.org 

What color is your parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles

Passion Test, developed by Chris and Janet Atwood

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Be present with your mission statement - revisit it, refine it, reflect on it.
2. Remember to set new goals so that you still feel driven.

Maria

1. Take the Passion Test, even once a year, to align your actions with your purpose.
2. It’s so important to take time for yourself, to be quiet with yourself and not fill every second with “stuff.”

“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.” ― Steve Maraboli

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

Do you realize what a gift this ONE life truly is? How do you find your self worth and overcome life's challenges to enjoy that gift? How do you improve at Masters Swimming?

Wellness and high performance coach Nordine Zouareg, author of the book Inner Fitness, talks with Kelly and Maria about how he overcame physical challenges and anxiety in his childhood to become a world-renowned bodybuilder -- and how he continues to motivate others today through his books and coaching.

Nordine Zouareg is a French-American fitness personality, high-performance coach and author who has won Mr. France, Mr. Europe, Mr. World and Mr. Universe. He was a sickly infant, with a birth weight of two pounds. Poor health played a huge role in his childhood, resulting in a lot of spinoff problems, such as bullying. During his teens, he focused on becoming a gymnast, eventually finding bodybuilding and earning his first national title in 1985. He went on to win Mr. Universe twice - in 1986 and 1988. 

Today he is an author and promotes his “mind over body” philosophy.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Bodybuilding

COVID-19 pandemic

Bodybuilding

Inner fitness

Inner conflict

Wellness coaching

Anxiety

Mental health

Finding your passion

Racism

Meditation

Gymnastics

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Self worth

Happiness

Nordine’s InnerFitness Tribe

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Follow your passion and it will release you from your anxiety.
2. Remember to do more of what you love, less of what you tolerate and none of what you hate.

Maria

1. Use the concept of the anchor -- a vision in your mind that programs you to walk in the direction of your goals. 
2. At the base of every mountain, there is someone willing to help you. Find that person or those people

“Inner fitness is simply the harmony or the equilibrium between the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual aspect of one’s self. When you have that in equilibrium, you have inner fitness.” -- Nordine Zouareg

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