Champions Mojo for Masters Swimmers

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 [email protected].

MORE ABOUT LILLY KING & CODY MILLER

Lilly King and Cody Miller train together at Indiana University in Bloomington under coach Ray Looze and have an amazing friendship. Both are breastrokers that walked away from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with some serious hardware. Lilly won two golds in the 100 breaststroke and 400 medley relay, while setting a world record. Cody earned a gold medal in the 400 medley relay and a bronze in the 100 breaststroke.  

At IU, Lilly accomplished the unprecedented four-peat of winning NCAA titles in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and Cody earned multiple All-American honors. Cody is the first professional swimmer to be sponsored by Endless Pools and his YouTube channel, The Adventures of Cody Miller, has nearly 150,000 subscribers.  

Episode Topics and Mentions

Power Partnership Series

2016 Rio Summer Olympics

2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics

Indiana University

The Adventure of Cody Miller YouTube channel

Endless Pools

Jack Roach

Michael Phelps

Michael Jordan

The Last Dance documentary

Ali DeWitt

Compartmentalize

The Weight of Gold documentary

Fear of failure

Takeaways

Maria 

1. Friendship can be great when you are just “being there” for someone, or when they walk beside you. 
2. The fear of failure can be a great motivator. 

Kelly

1. Humor is a great component to strong relationships.
2. “Try on” some different friends or colleagues and see who might be a good fit for your life. 

Quote of the Week

On Training Partners:

"It's a much less lonely journey when you have someone going through the same thing." -- Lilly King

"Having someone that's on your same wavelength makes practice so much better." 

-- Cody Miller

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

Confidence is not intrinsic for everyone but can be developed with small steps and consistent habits. Elite coach Greg Meehan joins the show and talks with Kelly and Maria about how he motivates collegiate and Olympic athletes while maintaining work-life harmony.

Have something to share with the hosts? Email it to [email protected].

MORE ABOUT GREG MEEHAN

Greg Meehan is the 2021 U.S. Olympic Women's Swimming Head Coach and 2020-2021 is his ninth season as Director of Women's Swimming at Stanford University. He is a three-time NCAA Swimming Coach of the Year and led Stanford to back-to-back-to-back national championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He has coached 36 different Stanford swimmers to a combined 274 All-American honors, which includes 17 national championship relays and 25 individual national championships. 

Meehan and his wife, Tess, reside in Palo Alto, Calif., with their two sons, Salvatore and James.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Stanford University

Katie Ledecky

Simone Manuel

Lia Neal

Maya DiRado

2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics

University of the Pacific

Adversity

Embracing failure

Flexibility

Long course swimming

Charlie Kennedy

Rich Coppola

Jon Urbanchek

Cyndi Gallagher

Dave Durden

Princeton University

Work-life harmony

Golf

Takeaways

Maria 

1. As the communicator, it is your responsibility to clearly convey what you need or are asking from others.
2. Work-life harmony is being peaceful with the choices you are making, even if it is not always equal.

Kelly

1. Confidence is a commonality between champions -- and it can be developed over time with small habits and routine.
2. Remember to live life one day at a time and it keeps you from feeling overwhelmed and helps you stay on task.

Quote of the Week

"For me life is all about people and most importantly, the people you surround yourself with" -- Greg Meehan

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

The responsibility of success is to ensure others have opportunities, too. Olympic gold medal swimmer Cullen Jones talks to Maria and Kelly about his competitive drive as an athlete and the organizations he is part of that strive to improve representation in sports. Tune in to this exclusive interview.

Have something to share with the hosts? Email it to [email protected].

MORE ABOUT CULLEN JONES 

Cullen Jones is a two-time Olympian, competing in 2008 and 2012. He’s earned Olympic gold medals, is a current world record holder, has held American records and has been an NCAA Champion for NC State University where he was recently inducted into its Hall of Fame. 

One of Cullen’s Olympic gold medals and his current world record came as team member on one of the most exciting events in Olympic history, the USA vs. France in the 4 x 100 free relay at the 2008 Olympic games. 

At the age of 5, Cullen nearly drowned at a water park with his family. Yet today he is the most decorated Black swimmer ever. Cullen is an ambassador for Black swimmers as the face of Make A Splash!, a USA Swimming Foundation initiative to educate children and their parents on the importance of water safety and drowning prevention. He is the founder of the Cullen Jones Diversity Invitational. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Michael Phelps

Jason Lezak

Garrett Weber-Gale

NC State

Make A Splash!, a USA Swimming Foundation initiative 

Cullen Jones Diversity Invitational

Swimmers for Change

George Floyd

Speedo

CG Sports Network

Newark, New Jersey

Tom Shields

Simone Manuel

Lia Neal

Reese Whitely

TYR

Braden Holloway

David Marsh

Ryan Lochte

Nathan Adrian

Caeleb Dressel

Takeaways

Maria 

1. Look at life’s challenges as an opportunity to reframe your current trajectory.
2. You learn from people around you. Watch those you admire and improve yourself. 

Kelly

1. Just stay in the moment and take things one day at a time. What are you doing today?
2. Be focused on helping others. Being altruistic infuses passion into your life and helps you see the bigger picture.

Quote of the Week

"Many things I learned in sports, like time management and discipline, carry over to the business world for success." -- Cullen Jones

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

Understanding the importance of long-term planning -- and being the absolute best version of yourself on the path to future success -- takes patience, hard work and appreciation for the support team in your life. In this exclusive interview with Kelly and Maria, world champion swimmer Michael Chadwick shares several examples of how pairing patience with persistence has paid off. 

MORE ABOUT MICHAEL CHADWICK 

Michael Chadwick is a world champion and an American sprint freestyle swimmer who is currently a member of the Toronto Titans professional swim team. Chadwick made his international debut at the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships in the 25-meter race, helping multiple U.S. relays win medals. 

Chadwick qualified for the 2017 U.S. World Championships team as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay. He placed fifth at U.S. Nationals.

In 2018, Chadwick swam as part of the 4x100 Freestyle relay team for the U.S. in the 14th FINA World Championships. The relay team set a new world record.

As a swimmer at the University of Missouri, Chadwick received 22 All-American honors.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Toronto Titans professional swim team

International Swim League, ISL

University of Missouri

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill, NC

Mark Gangloff

Postponement of 2020 Olympic Games

400 freestyle relay

Basketball

David Marsh

Patience

Squatty Potty

CG Sports Network

Having a purpose driven life

What is your why?

Health coaching

Life coaching

Indianapolis Natatorium

Joe Dispenza

Takeaways

Maria 

1. Trusting yourself when it comes to change and seeking out things that feel like a better fit is vital to personal growth.
2. Everyone has different talents and abilities but we can always be the best version of ourselves, right now. 

Kelly

1. When you are new at something, the belief in the support system around you is so helpful and valuable. 
2. Long-range planning and accepting that some things may take more time than you’d like is a key to long-term success. 

Quote of the Week

“We are formed more by our disappointments than our successes. Success is fleeting, but there is some sort of fire that comes out of disappointment that is indescribable." -- Michael Chadwick

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

Olympic Champion and professional swimming general manager Kaitlin Sandeno approaches challenges with a mindset that they are minor -- and that in order to find your true path in life, you have to face your doubts and fears head-on. In this exclusive interview with Kelly and Maria, Kaitlin shares about her decision to brighten the lives of children with cancer and the positive character traits she’s developed as an athlete.  

MORE ABOUT KAITLIN SANDENO

Kaitlin Sandeno is an Olympic gold medalist, six-time World Champion, former world record holder and current Pan American Games record holder for Team USA. She is a sports broadcaster, keynote speaker and serves as the general manager for International Swim League team the DC Trident.

Kaitlin Sandeno is the author of Golden Glow: How Kaitlin Sandeno Achieved Gold in the Pool and in Life which recounts her swimming career and details the impact she has made in the world outside the pool. She is the national spokesperson for the Jessie Rees Foundation and spreads joy around the country to children fighting cancer. She is the host of her own podcast, Behind the Blocks. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

DC Trident professional swim team

International Swim League, ISL

Golden Glow: How Kaitlin Sandeno Achieved Gold in the Pool and in Life 

Jessie Rees Foundation 

Hamilton: An American Musical

Las Vegas

Konstantin Grigorishin

Fair pay

Katie Ledecky

Jason Lezak 

Lenny Krayzelburg

NEEGU - Never ever ever give up

Joy Jars - items for childhood cancer patients

Time management

University of Southern California

Grit

Jon Urbanchek

WiSP network

Behind the Blocks podcast

Podcasting

Amanda Beard

Cyndi Gallagher

Obstacles are speed bumps, not stop signs

Takeaways

Maria 

1. Use what you can around you to motivate you to get to a positive place. Strength and energy do not always have to come from inside -- we can borrow them from others. 
2. Socialization is so important - even during times of physical distancing. 

Kelly

1. Fear can get in the way of something that we may be really good at doing. Learning to “shake it off” can help you discover a new calling.
2. Flexibility in attitude is a skill that can be developed.

Quote of the Week

“We want to celebrate and share our highs, but our lows are just as important." -- Kaitlin Sandeno

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

The role of strength training is underutilized -- but entrepreneur Chris Ritter is trying to change that. In this exclusive interview with Kelly and Maria, Chris talks about how strength is the foundation for all athletic growth and how seeking out mentorship from others has helped him succeed in his own business. 

MORE ABOUT CHRIS RITTER

Chris Ritter is the founder of RITTER Sports Performance, offering specific training sets and workouts, in-depth technique tips and analysis and dryland and strength training programs to help coaches make their swimmers faster. 

Leading up to the founding of the RITTER Sports Performance, Chris was both a strength coach and a swim coach for a number of programs at the club and collegiate level, including a professional swim group that was training for the 2008 USA Olympic Trials and the 2008 Olympic Games. Chris Ritter hosts two weekly podcasts: Swim Coaches Base podcast and the SURGE Strength podcast.

Episode Topics and Mentions

RITTER Sports Performance

Dryland training

Cullen Jones

Swim Coaches Base podcast 

SURGE Strength podcast

Masters swimming

Health coaching

Life coaching

Mentorship

Golf

Hiking

Kobe Bryant

Takeaways

Maria 

1. Strength training is the basis of athleticism and gaining better endurance.
2. The role of mentorship is vital, even to people who serve as mentors and coaches. Hire a mentor or a coach.

Kelly

1. Creativity is often stimulated through other deep thinking subjects.
2. Self-care is so important to productivity and success. 

Quote of the Week

"Trying to continually increase endurance and completely dismiss strength is a waste." -- Chris Ritter

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 listen to your inner voice can lead you to the best, most authentic decisions. Olympic swimmer Kara Lynn Joyce talks about how she avoids a “people pleasing” mentality to truly follow her heart. Masters Swimmers will love this!

Kara Lynn Joyce is a three-time USA Olympic swimmer. Kara competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics for Team USA, winning a total of four medals. As a swimmer for the University of Georgia under Coach Jack Bauerle, Joyce won 18 NCAA titles and set the American Record in the 50-yard and 50-meter freestyle.

Her Olympic journey has been captured in the beautiful and inspirational film, "Touch the Wall”, which has been screened globally in theaters and is available on Amazon Prime. 

In 2017, Kara founded the LEAD Sports Summit for teenage girl athletes which connects female athletes with accomplished women in sports. In a few short years, the initiative has grown from a yearly event to an online community and academy. The LEAD Sports Academy is a home base for teenage girl athletes, parents and coaches. It offers comprehensive online courses in leadership, confidence, sports psychology and more. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Jack Baurele

LEAD Sports Academy

Touch The Wall - film

Denver, Colorado

Madisyn Cox

Elizabeth Beisel

Missy Franklin

Jason Lezak

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Ph.D.

Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher

The Power of When by Michael Breus, Ph.D.

Archetypes of sleep

Perseverance

Meditation

The importance of trusting your gut

The Price is Right

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Play the long game. Do not expect to be an overnight success at anything. If something matters enough, tap into the “why” and keep going.
2. Don’t worry about pleasing others. Find confidence in yourself and forget about what others think.

Maria

1. Trust your gut. Take the time to think about how you feel about something. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. 
2. Find a way to “meditate” every day -- wherever or however you do it. Walking, deep breathing and getting outside in nature can facilitate this.

Quote of the Week

“Perseverance is so important. It means playing the long game.” -- Kara Lynn Joyce

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

Chronic worry and stress steal joy and can lead to physical health problems. Dr. Martin Rossman joins Kelly and Maria to share his techniques for finding peace in life -- especially in the midst of the pandemic.

More about Dr. Rossman

For nearly 50 years, Dr. Martin Rossman, an expert in mind/body medicine, has been teaching people to skillfully use their minds to release stress, relax the body, help with body healing and solve problems more creatively. He co-founded the Academy for Guided Imagery and has trained more than 10,000 doctors, nurses, and therapists to utilize the powerful form of mind/body therapy called Interactive Guided Imagery. 

Dr. Rossman is a long-time Marin physician and Clinical Faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco. His large body of work is also available via online classes and tools at TheHealingMind.org. 

He is the author of three popular books, numerous medical textbook chapters and co-founded a postgraduate training institute. He also created a national PBS television show that reached over 4 million people. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Free Resources to help with your stress and self-care

The Course: The 3 Keys to Calmness

Academy for Guided Imagery 

Interactive Guided Imagery

University of California, San Francisco

TheHealingMind.org

PBS

Pandemic

The Worry Solution (book)

The role of the imagination

How to cope with worry

Visualization

Takeaways

Kelly

1. Chronic worry is really just a bad habit. It does not take a million reversals, but just minor changes can correct this. 
2. It’s not that hard to change course if you get ahead of stress and tap into free resources to manage it. 

Maria

1. Interactive Guided Imagery is not hard to do and it is so important.
2. We can manage mind/body interactions to stay healthy. 

Quote of the Week

"Your imagination is very powerful, untrained it can injure you. You must learn to train it like a stallion; guide it, befriend it and make it work for you." -- Dr. Martin Rossman

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

Trailblazing swim coach Teri McKeever has earned an astonishing number of achievements as a Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Team and collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley, including an unprecedented 11 years in a row of top three finishes at the NCAAs. She says that recognizing strengths and working hard to maximize them is a path to success. She also advises her swimmers to be creative in how they train and perform in order to reach their goals. Listen in as she shares these and other champion insights with Kelly and Maria. 

Contact Kelly and Maria at [email protected].

MORE ON TERI MCKEEVER

Teri McKeever was the first ever female head coach of the U.S. Olympic swim team, earning this honor at the 2012 Olympics. She is currently the head women’s swim coach at the University of California at Berkeley, where she has served for the past 28 seasons. 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 coached six national Swimmers of the Year, including greats like: Natalie Coughlin, Missy Franklin and most recently, Kathleen Baker. These are just a few of her NCAA awards and her Golden Bears have captured 65 NCAA individual or relay titles. 

Episode Topics and Mentions

Bob Bowman

Jenny Thompson

University of California at Berkeley

Elementary Education

Natalie Coughlin

Missy Franklin

Kathleen Baker

University of Southern California

Family of 10

Teri’s mom was her coach

Personal excellence

Helen Silver

Takeaways

Maria

1. Be willing to fail and pivot. Recognize the opportunity in things that don’t work out. Fail quickly and move forward with what is next.
2. Building up others -- making others better -- in the long run is more important than individual wins. 

Kelly

1. There is more than one way to skin a cat - be creative at reaching success. 
2. Discover and own your strengths -- then exploit them. 

Quote of the Week

"What you really need to do is figure out what you do well and exploit the heck out of it." -- Teri McKeever

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

The root cause of conflict in relationship communication frequently isn’t what IS said but rather, what ISN’T said. Kelly and Maria share tips for improving communication to bring greater understanding and intimacy to all types of relationship. 

Contact Kelly and Maria at [email protected].

Episode Topics and Mentions

Good communication

Closeness/Intimacy

John M. Gottman

Politics

Stonewalling

“Put yourself on the other person’s map.”

Life coaching

Bi-romantic

Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages

Harville Hendrix, Getting the Love You Want

Two Types of Communication 

1. Closed Heart Communication - includes the Four Horsemen that poison relationships: 

 a. Criticism: When one person implies that there is something wrong with the other person. The other person will most likely feel attacked and respond defensively. 

 b. Defensiveness: When the person responding to a perceived criticism counter attacks with another criticism or plays the innocent victim.

 c. Contempt: When one person puts themselves on a superior moral high ground or holds the other with disgust. 

 d. Stonewalling: When one person withdraws from the conversation either physically or energetically.

2. Appreciative Communication -- coming from a lens of appreciation for another person’s point of view and asks these questions:

 a. What? 

 b. When? 

 c. How? 

 d. Who?

Five Love Languages

 1. Words of affirmation

 2. Quality time

 3. Giving/receiving gifts

 4. Acts of service

 5. Physical touch

Quote of the Week

“The number one problem, though I prefer the word challenge, in marriage is indeed effective communication.” -- Laura Young

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]

Keep up with the show by visiting ChampionsMojo.com and visiting the Facebook page, Instagram page, and Twitter page. 

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