Champions Mojo for Masters Swimmers

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 episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

MORE ABOUT MEL STEWART

“Gold medal” Mel Stewart is a 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 200-meter butterfly and co-founder of SwimSwam. Mel has also worked as an Olympic analyst for ABC, NBC, ESPN,  and TBS. Since 2008, Mel has worked with USA Swimming as an ambassador. 

In addition to being an Olympic gold medalist, Mel was a World, American and NCAA record holder. He was a pioneer in becoming a professional swimmer back in 1991, when he turned pro after his junior year of college at the University of Tennessee.

Episode Topics and Mentions

SwimSwam

Mel Stewart’s first interview on Champion’s Mojo

World War I

World War II

Patience

Dryland training

2021 Tokyo Olympics

Competitive drive

Therapy

Yoga

Meditation

Alone time

EMDR (type of therapy)

Matt Biondi

Aaron Piersol

Rowdy Gaines

Heritage USA

Jim Bakker 

Tammy Faye Bakker 

RISE Athlete Mentoring

1. It’s important to confront the trauma before we can experience calm and peace.
2. With patience, hard work can outlast the competition, even when there is rest built in.

1. Find time to just get quiet and tune into your thoughts. 
2. Tapping your authenticity makes you powerful and people cannot ignore what you are doing.

“The beauty of swimming is that it does teach you patience; the beauty of swimming is that you can have what you want, but you’re going to have to take these teeny, tiny baby steps to get there.” -- Mel Stewart

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

Self-care is a buzzword but there is a lot of misinformation surrounding it -- including the limiting belief that true self-care is somehow selfish. Kelly and Maria share 8 tips for getting started with your own self-care, inspired by research from Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. and Brad Krause, and commit to one tangible step they will both take to improve their self-care practices. 

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Self-care

Binge watching

Netflix

Swim tether

Cold shower

Cold plunges

Exercise

Meditation

Prayer

Naps

Outsmart Your Smartphone: Conscious Tech Habits for Finding Happiness, Balance, by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.

Brad Krause, Connection IRL and self-care specialist 

Martin Rossman

RISE Athlete Mentoring

8 Ways to Get Started on Self-Care

1. Make sleep part of your self-care routine. Reducing stress is also key. 

2. Take care of yourself by taking care of your gut. Start with a probiotic and be conscious of how food impacts you.  

3. Exercise daily as part of your self-care routine to boost your mood and reduce stress.

4. Eat well for self-care to fuel your mind and body. 

5. Say no to others, and say yes to your self-care. 

6. Take a self-care trip. 

7. Take a self-care break by getting outside. 

8. Take care of yourself by getting organized. 

Maria -- She is going to focus on taking a self-care trip, even if it is just overnight. 

Kelly -- She is going to schedule her self-care time, including meal planning.

Quote of the Week

“After you engage in self-care, you should feel better, not worse.” -- 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

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 how she finds joy and confidence by embracing the present.

MORE ABOUT REBECCA SONI

Rebecca Soni has earned 22 medals in major international swimming competitions, making a name for herself in the 2008 Olympics when she won a gold medal in the 200 meter breaststroke, setting a new world record. In 2012, she came back and defended her title-breaking her own world record and becoming the first woman ever to break 2:20 seconds in the event.

Rebecca and her friend Caroline Burkle started RISE Athletes in 2015, a mentorship program.  After retiring from professional swimming Rebecca was learning more about aspects of performance she hadn’t even consciously known during her professional swimming career like mindfulness, breathing, yoga and body position. She wanted to share this with young athletes.  Through RISE, Rebecca and Caroline -- along with a team of elite athletes -- are mentoring and training the next generation of young athletes, working with them 1:1 to discover their power in sport and life.  

Episode Topics and Mentions

RISE Athlete Mentoring

Caroline Burckle

Pilates

Positive psychology

Mindset development

Body awareness

Ego

Confidence

Trail running

Self-focus

Journaling

Heart condition

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

Lilly King

Depression and Anxiety Toolkit for Athletes

Takeaways

Maria

1. Remind yourself that transitions are hard, even joyful ones, so give yourself grace.
2. Be in the moment and observe the joy in the things right in front of you.

Kelly

1. Listen to your inner voice and then let go of everything else -- allow yourself to flow.
2. Connecting with other beings can ground you.

“Making space in my life for the simple things has drastically helped me to just connect into myself and feel more grounded.” -- Rebecca Soni

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

Character strengths and their importance, which were founded by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, are the most positive part of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave. Knowing your own character strengths -- and specifically your top five character strengths -- can help you maximize their use in your life, benefiting yourself and others. Kelly and Maria share how to find your top five character strengths and several examples of how to use them to succeed.

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.

Positive psychology

Christopher Peterson 

Martin Seligman

24 character strengths

Caroline Adams Miller

Values in Action Inventory

ViaCharacter.org

Dr. Wanda Bethea

RISE Athlete Mentoring

Maria

1. Reflection can help you identify your character strengths -- and remember that everyone has different strengths that can complement yours.

Kelly

1. Learn your character strengths -- and encourage others to learn theirs. 

“What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength”-Meryl Streep

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

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 busy Mom work while putting in 12 hour days.

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 ON COURTNEY SHEALY HART

Courtney Shealy Hart is in her 11th year as the head swim coach at Georgia Tech. For most of those years she has been the only woman in the entire NCAA Division I that coaches a combined men’s and women’s program. Courtney not only coaches both genders, but her men’s team is one of the best in the nation. According to SwimSwam’s Swimulator from January 2021, her Yellow Jacket men are predicted to finish as 7th best in the nation.  

At Georgia Tech, Courtney has coached nearly 50 NCAA Championships participants, multiple NCAA All-Americans and ACC Champions and under Coach Hart, 40 program records have been broken. Courtney was herself a two-time Olympic gold medalist, 26-time NCAA All-American, five-time NCAA Champion and a 19-time SEC Champion while at the University of Georgia. 

Georgia Tech

Atlanta, Georgia

SwimSwam’s Swimulator

Volleyball

Beach volleyball

Columbia, South Carolina

Beth Herald

University of North Florida

Mental health

Sports psychology

University of South Carolina

Anne Marie Wozniak

Susan Tieger

Mentoring

Confidence

Jenny Thompson

Dara Torres

Amy Van Dyken

Caio Pumputis

Self care

RISE Athlete Mentoring

Maria

1. Open communication is such an important life skill.
2. Organization is a positive trait -- and it leads to greater confidence. 

Kelly

1. Every good choice brings you closer to reaching your goals.
2. Self care is knowing your limits and prioritizing what you need.

“I have the confidence to continue to use my voice, whether it is heard or not; I think it helps me know at the end of the day that I said what I thought needed to be said.” -- Courtney Shealy Hart

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 have stinkin’ thinkin’? Better known as cognitive distortions, these 10 thought approaches can sabotage your mental health, relationships and success. They are based on the ground breaking work of Dr. Aaron T. Beck. Kelly and Maria share ways to recognize these behaviors and redirect them for good.

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.

10 Cognitive Distortions

1. Overgeneralization, which happens when you make a rule after a single event or a series of coincidences. The words "always" or "never" frequently appear in the sentence.
2. Mental filters, which is the opposite of overgeneralization, but with the same negative outcome. Instead of taking one small event and generalizing it inappropriately, the mental filter takes one small event and focuses on it exclusively, filtering out anything else.
3. Discounting the positive, which involves ignoring or invalidating good things that have happened to you.
4. Jumping to conclusions, which happens in two ways: Mind reading: When you think someone is going to react in a particular way, or you believe someone is thinking things that they aren't. Fortune telling: When you predict events will unfold in a particular way, often to avoid trying something difficult.
5. Magnification, which is exaggerating the importance of shortcomings and problem while minimizing the importance of desirable qualities.
6. Emotional reasoning, which is a way of judging yourself or your circumstances based on your emotions.
7. "Should" statements, which are self-defeating ways we talk to ourselves that emphasize unattainable standards. Then, when we fall short of our own ideas, we fail in our own eyes, which can create panic and anxiety.
8. Labeling, which involves making a judgment about yourself or someone else as a person, rather than seeing the behavior as something the person did that doesn't define them as an individual.
9. Personalization and blame, which happens when you entirely blame yourself, or 
   someone else, for a situation that in reality involved many factors and was out of your control.
10. All or nothing thinking, which involves ignoring or invalidating good things that have happened to you.

Depression

Anxiety

Cognitive distortions 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy, or CBT

Dr. Aaron T. Beck

The CBT Thought Diary app

Red Skin Syndrome

Topical steroids

Depression and Anxiety Toolkit for Athletes

RISE Athlete Mentoring

“Your mind is a ship; it can sail across the universe as long as you don't allow negative thoughts to sink it.” -- Matshona Dhliwayo

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

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 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 ON MCKENZIE COAN

McKenzie Coan represented the United states in both the 2012 and the 2016 Paralympic Games. At the games in Rio, McKenzie brought home three gold medals and a silver medal and set a paralympic record in the 50 freestyle. She is a current world record holder in 800 & 1500 and holds multiple American records.

McKenzie Coan was born with a connective tissue disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. She has had countless hospitalizations and surgeries, and broken 65 bones.  As a young child she started aquatherapy and soon was swimming with her brothers competitively.  She learned about the Paralympics when she was 8 years old and hasn’t looked back.  

McKenzie is currently living and training at the Olympic and Paralympic training center in Colorado Springs, preparing for the Tokyo games. She is sponsored by Adidas, NuMotion and Lending Tree.

CG Sports Network

Paralympic Games

Loyola University

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Para Athletics

BlazeSports America

Sports psychology

Legally Blonde

Law school

Chemotherapy

Kenzie Cares 

McKenzie Coan on Instagram

McKenzie Coan on Twitter

McKenzie Coan’s Paralympic profile

RISE Athlete Mentoring

1. Positivity is a choice and something to work for in life. It takes dedication and isn’t an inherent personality trait.
2. Have gratitude for who you are in life and what you can celebrate, no matter what limitations or challenges you face.

1. Para athletics and paralympics run parallel to their mainstream athletic counterparts.
2. Only worry about what you can control -- and let go of everything else. 

"Even in the darkest moments, and the darkest places, you can find good in that." -- McKenzie Coan
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

Taking the time to celebrate accomplishments is not only fun -- it lends itself to gratitude, motivation, self-reflection and more. Kelly and Maria celebrate their 100th episode of the podcast with 8 important ways celebration builds success.

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 Reasons to Celebrate

1. Celebrating gives you that visual cue at the end of the journey.
2. Celebrating helps you remember your strength and encourages you to “look back at the pile” of what you have accomplished.
3. Celebrating relieves stress.
4. Celebrating allows for positive and constructive reflection.
5. Celebration inspires motivation.
6. Celebrating builds momentum and gives you a break from the “head down” and “nose to the grindstone” mentality.
7. Celebrating recognizes positives in our lives.
8. Celebrating shows appreciation and acceptance.

Visualization

Coffee

Race Across America

Indianapolis 500

Kentucky Derby

Personal Accelerator Course

Starbucks

Google Keep app

Gratitude

V Shred

Kabra Media

The CG Sports Company

Indi app

Maria

1. Remember to be positive about the day-to-day small wins, particularly when interacting with loved ones. Focus on what went well.
2. Celebrating ties into listening to yourself and recognizing step-by-step wins.

1. Celebration requires discipline -- it doesn’t happen on its own.
2. Celebration helps relieve stress so tap into the good feelings. 

"A rising tide lifts all boats" -- John F. Kennedy

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

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.

Erika Brown is newly-sponsored by Mizuno and fresh off completing her first year as a pro swimmer in the International Swimming League and being part of the overall championship team, the Cali Condors and World Record setting relay. Erika Brown swam at the University of Tennessee, where she was a 21-time NCAA All-American. She is the American record holder in the 100-yard fly and is only the second woman to swim the 100-yard free in under 46 seconds.

Mizuno 

The University of Tennessee

NCAA

SEC

Cali Condors

International Swim League, ISL

Coleman Stewart

Townley Haas

Bible study

Visual learner

Madeline Banic

Foam rolling

Kinesiology

Budapest

Caeleb Dressel

Matt Kredich

Kathleen Hershey

Karlee Bispo

Meghan Small

Molly Hannis

Kelsi Dahlia

Hillsong United

Natalie Coughlin

Erika Brown on Instagram

Erika Brown on Twitter

Indi app

Maria

1.    Keeping notes on your emotions throughout the day and then revisiting them can help you work through negativity.

2. Look for new ways to improve, all the time. Do extra things and ask yourself “how can I get better?”

Kelly

1.    Take video of whatever you are working on to get a better idea of how you are doing and how you can improve.

2.     Be a student of whatever you want to be good at -- including showing up early.

"If you are feeling down, you have to be self aware of negative thoughts and ask yourself, what have I been thinking for the last two hours? Then work to change those thoughts to something positive, and your feelings will change." -- Erika Brown

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

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.

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 would have won the 100 free at the ISL finals. Siobhan was also the overall winner of the 200 free and finished as runner up in the 100 free and the 400 free.

Siobhan is a citizen of Hong Kong and has represented Hong Kong in the Olympic Games, but she swam in the NCAA while attending the University of Michigan, where she was a 14-time All-American and 15-time Big 10 Champion. She still holds University of Michigan school records in the 200 free and IM.

Hong Kong
Olympics
International Swim League, ISL
Energy Standard team
University of Michigan
Hong Kong Sports Institute
Psychology
Mindset
Time management
Positivity
Optimism
Migraine
Chronic pain

Maria

1.    Discipline is learned. You can improve your discipline with focus and consistency.
2.    Planning plus flexibility go together for the best results.

Kelly

1.    Positivity can take you far. Look at things, even challenges, in the best light.
2.    Accept the things that really will never change and ask, how can I still live my best possible life?

“I think champions learn from their mistakes and move on quickly," -- Siobhan Haughey

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