Champions Mojo for Masters Swimmers

Big-Hearted Swimming

On today’s episode, Kelly Palace shares her interview with distance swimmer Zane Grothe that she conducted at the recent Pro Swim Series event in Bloomington, Ind. Grothe talks about how watching himself on video improves his technique and how other swimmers like Michael Phelps, Michael Andrew and Caeleb Dressel inspire him.

Grothe talks about how pushing himself to do his best in the pool has helped him succeed in other areas of life too. He shares a typical training week and what his diet entails with listeners -- and explains the “why” behind his mohawk hairstyle.

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More About Zane Grothe

Zane Grothe is a freestyle swimmer who shines in distance and mid-distance events. He broke the American and U.S. Open records in the 500 yard and 1650 yard freestyle events at the 2017 USA Winter National Championships and is training for a chance to compete on the USA Olympics Swim Team for 2020. Grothe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Aerospace Engineering and said he hopes to one day work for a space-focused company, like SpaceX or Boeing.

Episode Topics and Mentions

Kurt Cady

Caeleb Dressel

Michael Phelps

Michael Andrew

Niki Nolte

Indiana University

Auburn University

Florida State University

Pro Swim Series

2020 Summer Olympics

Aerospace Engineering

SpaceX

Boeing

Livestrong Foundation

TEAM NEGU

Love Your Melon Foundation

Thyroid Cancer

Childhood Cancer

Mohawks

Pickleball

Action Items From the Hosts

Maria: Challenge yourself to deal with pain - how much pain can I manage? Pain isn’t a bad thing. Move through pain to become more mentally strong.

Kelly: Inventory whatever you are working on in your life and identify your strengths and weaknesses and then decide to work on your weaknesses.

Quote of the Week: “The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart." -- William Hazlitt

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.

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

The pressure to succeed can feel overwhelming for athletes or anyone preparing for something that means a lot. Conquering performance anxiety takes the right mindset and building up confidence in tangible ways.   

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on  YouTube. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. Champion on's Mojo is also on  iTunes,  Spotify and  Google Play. 5 Tenets to Combat Performance Anxiety 

1.  Practice, practice, practice - If you've done your preparation, you know you are ready and it can give you confidence. 
2.  Create a pre-performance routine - Have a set routine before a performance. 
3.  Stay in your lane - Focus on your own performance, not what others are doing. 
4.  Use adrenaline for fuel - Use caffeine as an ergogenic. 
5.  Add a "so" to your "what ifs?" - Visualization is key. 

Action Items from the Hosts Kelly: Think about something coming up and give yourself a “So what?” so that the event is not so scary. Maria: Focus on the process and focus on what you are doing -- not what others are doing. Do what you do and enjoy it in the moment.
Episode Mentions
Pickleball
Quote of the Week
 “There is no strong performance without a little fanaticism in the performer.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson 
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.

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

Ray Looze is the head men's and women's coach at Indiana University and has seen success as a swimmer and a coach. On this episode, he talks to Kelly Palace and Maria Parker about how his drive as a coach may be motivated by his own unfinished business. Photo credit: SwimmingWorld.com

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on  YouTube. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. Champion on's Mojo is also on  iTunes,  Spotify and  Google Play. More about Ray Looze Looze was on the USA 2016 Olympic team staff and coached seven 2016 Olympians, including Cody Miller and Lilly King. In 2016, he was named Big 10 Coach of the Year. Looze is also a former USA national-team swimmer and a medalist at the 1991 Pan American Games. He swam for the USC Trojans in college. "Coaching is the hardest thing I've ever done - and it isn't even close," Ray Looze said in this podcast interview. 

Episode Mentions

Swimmers: Lilly King, Cody Miller, Blake Pieroni, Zane Grothe

Coaches: Teri McKeever, Jonty Skinner, Eddie Reese

Action Items from the Hosts

Maria - Consider yourself a professional in whatever you do.

Kelly - Rip off the Band-Aid and do something you've been scared to do.

Quote of the Week

"Life is not simply a series of exciting new ventures. The future is not always a whole new ball game. There tends to be unfinished business. One trails all sorts of things around with them, things that simply won't be gotten rid of." -- Anita Brookner

(Anita Brookner was an English award-winning novelist and art historian. She was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge from 1967 to 1968 and was the first woman to hold this visiting professorship. She was awarded the 1984 Man Booker Prize for her novel Hotel du Lac.)

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.

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

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.

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on  YouTube. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. Champion on's Mojo is also on  iTunes,  Spotify and  Google Play.

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.

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

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

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on  YouTube. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. Champion's Mojo is also on  iTunes,  Spotify and  Google Play.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on  YouTube. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. Champion on's Mojo is also on  iTunes,  Spotify and  Google Play.

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.

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

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.

Subscribe to the Champion's Mojo podcast on   iTunes,   Spotify  YouTube and  Google Play. Leave us a review, too! If you subscribe on YouTube you could win one of our monthly prizes. 

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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