Nothing teaches you about pain and suffering better than endurance athletics. Hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker are both top endurance athletes and share with listeners some of their mojo for dealing with pain and suffering, in both sports and life. Both hosts share personal stories designed to motivate, inspire and educate you.

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More About Managing Pain and Suffering

The right mindset has been scientifically connected to better management of pain and suffering.

Check out this article in Psychology Today by Toni Bernhard J.D. on how mindfulness can help with physical suffering:  

 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/turning-straw-gold/201104/how-mindfulness-can-help-physical-suffering

Action Items from the Hosts

Maria: Find a way to tell a story that is helpful and positive during pain and suffering. Try to tell a story that is authentic and true.

Kelly: Be prepared. Life can have painful experiences and you need to be ready.  Think ahead for that go-to person or practice that help comforts you.

Quote of the week:  “As much as we would like to avoid pain and suffering, they are some of life's best teachers.” --William E. K. Parker

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

Listen in as Kelly Palace and Maria Parker interview legendary swim coach Mark Bernardino, the current associate head coach at NC State University. Bernardino discusses achieving excellence in his own life and with his swimmers from the over 40 years of coaching champions. He discusses what he thinks makes a champion and tells some fantastic stories to motivate listeners.

Photo credit: SwimmingWorld.com

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More About Mark Bernardino

Mark Bernardino came to prominence in the swimming community as the head swimming coach at the University of Virginia for 30 years. He went on to serve as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina and is now associate head coach at NC State. In total, Bernardino has coached more than 40 years in Division I, with 27 ACC championships under his belt. Since 1996, he has put a swimmer on every Olympic team.

More Items Discussed on the Show

Read more about Fran Crippen, a swimmer for Bernardino that died at the age of 26 in an open water swimming race:  http://www.espn.com/olympics/swimming/news/story?id=5718372

Bernardino’s “Law of the 8 Es”:  Effort, Emotion, Energy, Enthusiasm, Excitement, Execution and Encouragement = Excellence (do all of those things at the highest level possible and you'll find excellence).

Action Items from the Hosts

Maria - To prepare mentally for excellence, change the last thought of the day to something you are happy about.

Kelly - Part of achieving the 8 Es is to find someone who has a positive voice to bring enthusiasm and excitement.

Quote of the week:  "We're not born mentally or physically tough, those are acquired traits and if you’re willing to work hard to develop those traits, chances are you'll become better than you ever thought you could become." --Swim Coach Mark Bernardino

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

This week’s episode is all about the importance of getting out there and moving and how to incorporate movement into everyday life for better health, improved cognition and elevated mood. Kelly and Maria discuss how important moving is and the difference between movement and exercise. You'll hear Kelly's amazing story of running out of New York City on September 11, 2001 and how Maria got her start as an adult athlete.

More information on movement

Americans simply do not move enough. In total, Americans are  sitting an average of 13 hours per day, according to a survey from Research Now, prompting experts to declare that “sitting is the new smoking.” Not everyone has the desire to get out and exercise, but everyone should be prioritizing movement in their daily routines.

More information on the dangers of sitting:

https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/health/sitting-increases-risk-of-death-study/index.html

Action Items from the Hosts

Kelly: Buy an Air Desk / Floating Desk to use with a recumbent bike and move your legs while working on a computer, laptop or phone. If you don’t want to spend the money for the setup, find a countertop that is bar height or stack some books on a desk or table until you can stand to work at your screen.

Maria: Set a timer for 45 minutes and when that ends, get up and do something physical either outside, or right there in your home or office. Reset the timer when you are done. The timer is a reminder to get up and move.

Quote of the Week: "Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death." -- James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic

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

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

On today’s episode, Kelly Palace and Maria Parker interview Braden Holloway, NC State’s head coach for both men’s and women’s swimming. Holloway shares some of his strategic steps to success, including how he values being a mentor to his team members. Holloway talks about taking the NC State swimming teams from a “lull” to championship seasons and the progression over the last 8 years of his coaching tenure.

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More About Braden Holloway

Braden Holloway is coaching his 8th season in 2019 at NC State for both the men’s and women’s teams. He has been named the ACC Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year six times in the past seven years and was named the ACC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year in 2017. His swimmers hold multiple individual and relay records and NCAA championship wins.

Action Items From the Hosts

Maria: Reach out to someone you interact with personally or in business who you do not have a great relationship with -- and “think outside the box” on ways to improve that connection and build trust in the relationship.

Kelly:  Find one thing in your life that is not authentic and get rid of it or find a way to infuse your own authenticity into it so you feel comfortable and confident.

Quote of the Week: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde

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

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

On today’s episode, Kelly Palace and Maria Parker talk about achieving big things with small, actionable steps. Kelly shares her breast cancer experience and how the task of emptying her parents’ home to send her father to assisted living, before her mother passed away, was overwhelming but she approached both with baby steps along the way. Maria talks about competing in the Race Across America bike race. She had to have a “baby steps” mentality to succeed and tells her mailboxes story.

Embracing the grace is another tactic the hosts discuss that can be a useful tool in reaching goals and overcoming challenges.

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The Race Across America (RAAM) is an iconic bike race that stretches over 3000 miles from California to Maryland. Along the way, cyclists pass through historic landmarks while also traveling through deserts and mountain ranges. Maria Parker owns the 50-59 Recumbent course record, completing the journey in 11 days, 20 hours and 54 minutes in 2013. She was also named the Female Rookie of the Year in 2013.  

Action Items From the Hosts

Maria: Think to yourself “What is the very next thing that I should do/can do – and then do it – and celebrate it.”

Kelly: Write down what would give you a victory. Put one achievable goal a day for three days.  

Quote of the Week: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” - Vincent Van Gogh

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

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

Kelly and Maria talk to Ginny King, mother of superstar gold medal swimmer Lilly King, Olympic champion, world champion and the greatest NCAA breaststroker of all time. Ginny shares her insight into how her daughter became the confident, outspoken, strong athlete she is today.

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Ginny talks about who she is outside being “Lilly’s Mom,” including that she has been a public school teacher for 26 years and teaches engineering and robotics at an urban middle school in Evansville, Indiana. She also coaches swimming to middle to high school students. She was a swimmer in college, with two years at Eastern Kentucky then transferred to Illinois State. Ginny and husband Mark have been married for almost 30 years. Mark is a teacher and coach as well. Ginny reveals that everyone in the King family, including son Alex (swimming at the University of Michigan), are athletes.

There is some real wisdom in how the Kings parented their kids to having a balanced and intentional progression of their activities both in and out of the competition pool.  This episode also has great discussion on Lilly’s college selection, professional career and friendship with Cody Miller, fellow Olympic medalist breastroker.

More on Lilly King: Lilly King is an American swimmer who won the gold medal in the 100 meter breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also won a gold medal in the women's 4 × 100 m medley relay, in which she swam the breaststroke leg. She is the current world record holder in 100M and 50M breaststroke. Lilly grew up in Evansville, Indiana and is a current student at Indiana University.

Quote of the week: “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.” – Sue Atkins 

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

Keep up with the show by visiting YouTube, 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.

Today Kelly and Maria talk about the importance of rest and relaxation, especially for high achievers. If you have a hard time relaxing, trouble sleeping, don’t know when to quit or just need an excuse for some R&R you’re going to want to tune in. Of course we all know that champions are famous for their hard work, but this episode looks at the flip side of hard work.

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Helpful information mentioned in the show:

Kelly Palace shares seven scientifically backed benefits of relaxing, including the fact that relaxing:

1. Reduces muscle tension and chronic pain
2. Improves concentration
3. Improves your mood
4. Boosts your immune system
5. Lowers blood pressure
6. Helps you sleep better
7. Gives you more energy

Kelly and Maria also talk about the difference between Athletic Season Vs. Life’s Seasons. Sleep hygiene and visualization are also covered in the episode.

“Quote of the week: Your mind will answer most questions if you relax and wait for the answer.” -

-- William Burroughs

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.

Today Kelly and Maria talk with a high-performing elite team, the Andrew family, featuring world champion Michael Andrew and his dad/coach Peter Andrew in Encinitas, CA. What Michael has accomplished at such a young age is beyond impressive. At only 19, he has already been an international sensation, winning a World Championship, multiple Junior World Titles and Junior World records, breaking over 100 age-group records and he just keeps getting faster. Recently, Michael is dominating the TYR Pro Swim Series and has won four national titles at the US Nationals last summer which qualified him in four individual events at this summer’s upcoming World Championships. “Team Andrew” has done this using a unique training method called Ultra Short Race Pace Training (USRPT).  

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On this episode, swimming phenomenon Michael Andrew and his coach-father Peter Andrew share insights to their success that include an unusual training method and an unwavering faith. Hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker delve into what makes the Andrew family and larger support group tick and what lies ahead for the 20-year-old swimming phenom.   

Helpful information mentioned in the show:

USRPT: Michael Andrew uses the USRPT training method, which stands for “Ultra Short Race Pace Training” and is based on the idea that training at a higher intensity translate to improved performance.

Dr. Brent Rushall, a professor emeritus at San Diego State University, is the man behind the race-pace training methodologies (USRPT) that Michael Andrew uses to train under his coach and father, Peter Andrew.

International Swim League:  The  International Swimming League (ISL) will debut in October as the first professional sports league for elite swimming. It will host a series of competitions in the U.S. and Europe. Tina Andrew, mother of Michael and wife to Peter, was recently named the General Manager of one of four of the professional teams, the New York Breakers.  

Team building advice: Hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Palace share insights on successful team building, including the following components: Love, Service, Communication and Trust.

Here are the four steps to building a team that they share: 

1. Be clear on what you want, with specific goals. 

2. Write out your dream team of a support system (evaluating what you already have).

• Coach/Mentor, someone that has done it
• Motivator, someone that wants you to succeed
• Divergent supporter(s), someone that has skills you lack
• Co-player, someone that will work with you or has the same goal 

3. Motivate your team to be invested in the goal or be invested in their goals.

4. Celebrate small and big successes with the team.

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

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

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Innovation is part of a champion’s mindset.

In this episode, hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker speak with Mel Stewart, co-founder of SwimSwam, the hub for swimming information. Stewart, better known as “Gold Medal Mel”, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Games before moving on to a career in media.

Stewart talks about the “Dean Farris effect” and the phenomenon he’s become on SwimSwam.

Quote of the Week: “Innovation will get traction only if it helps people get something they’re already doing in their lives, done better”. -- Clayton M. Christensen

Take a look at the questions asked of Mel on this episode:

Q: How did you get into swimming?

Q: How did you first feel about swimming?

Q: Do you have any stories about identifying as a swimmer in those early days?

Q: How did the nickname Gold Medal Mel begin?

Q: What role do you think the positive of connotation, of being called Gold Medal Mel as a child, actually had in your becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist?

Q:“Let’s jump to SwimSwam, the cutting edge, online-everything-Swimming News website site that has taken the world by storm. Tell us about SwimSwam….”

Q: So Mel, you were truly one of the Pioneers of being a Professional Swimmer, Celebrity Swimmer role model. What other media connections helped in giving you a firm foundation for Co-Founding SwimSwam?

Q: How did the concept of moving into the internet world with SwimSwam come about and did you worry about competition?

Q: What advice would you give to those starting up a business?

Q What were some of the immediate areas of operations that Swim Swam needed to launch and who filled those key positions?

Q: Is this a full time endeavor for you?

Q: I love that, Swimming Never sleeps, can you dig deeper on that?

Q: What is your daily schedule like?

Q: What do you do to relax and de-stress?

Q: What skills can you say you took from your athletic career and applied to being a very successful businessman?

Q: What are your thoughts on mindset?

Q: What keeps Mel Stewart going to the next great accomplishment?

Q: Talk to me about your passion?

Q: What legacy do you want to leave?

Q: What do you think people need to be doing to be a champion in their own lives?

Q: What is going on with the Dean Farris phenomenon on SwimSwam?

Q: Do you think that all of the positive energy SwimSwam commenters give to Dean Farris might have helped his success?

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.

What makes one person persevere through challenges, while another succumbs to them? The character trait of grit is only partially inherent; people can develop the grit they need to flourish in difficulties with the right mindset.

In this episode, hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker speak with best-selling author about her latest book  GETTING GRIT  and how we can get grittier. You’ll love to hear great advice from  Caroline Adams Miller, who is one of the world’s leading experts on the science behind successful goal setting and the use of "good grit" to achieve hard things. For more than 30 years, she’s been sharing her research-backed, actionable strategies to help people cultivate more grit and dig deeper to clarify and achieve their toughest goals.

Caroline breaks down the idea of grit into several types:

Good grit: This is the type of grit that is authentic, and that awes or inspires others.

Bad grit: Also referred to as "stupid" or "stubborn" grit, this type happens when the individual pursues personal goals at all costs.

Selfie grit: The need to tell everyone about the difficult things the individual is accomplishing.

Faux grit: People who want the recognition of doing accomplishment without actually doing the hard work.

Hear Caroline speak in person at the upcoming event: Creating Your Best Life --

How to Pursue Meaningful Goals and Live with No Regrets on April 26 to 29 at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockton, Massachusetts. Learn more here.

Quote of the Week: "People with grit are renowned for setting hard—some would say unrealistic—goals. Because people with grit don’t go for easy, low-hanging fruit and have to work persistently for a long time to see success, their pursuit of tough goals, and often their success in achieving them, is what inspires other people to step out of their comfort zone, too." - Caroline Adams Miller

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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.