Empowerment & Courage

For today's episode we had the honor of speaking with Swedish curler Anna Hasselborg. She's an Olympic Champion, a two-time European Champion, a two-time World Championships medalist and a 5x Grand Slam Champion with Team Hasselborg. We speak about how she’s always known that she would one day compete at the Olympic Games, about not being scared to fail and loving the feeling of pressure. Anna also shares how her perspective and approach to the sport has changed after becoming a mom and all the things that curling has taught her about herself, and also about other people, throughout her career. Being the captain of Team Hasselborg Anna speaks about teammates who become family and the importance of supporting others and being a nice friend and teammate.

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In today’s episode, we speak with German Tennis player Laura Siegemund. She competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has 2 singles and 6 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including 2 Grand Slam doubles titles. We speak about memories from her career where she got to represent Germany at the Fed Cup and at the Olympics but also about all the pressure and expectations that come with competing and winning tournaments at home. She shares what went through her mind when she tore her ACL and the way that it impacted her and her mentality moving forward. Laura also speak about the meaning of success and how it's more than just awards and trophies and the importance of doing what you love and be very selective when it comes to taking other people's advice.

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For the first episode of season 2, we had the great pleasure of speaking with Professional Disability Golfer Joakim Björkman. He’s a 2x World and 2x European Champion with the Swedish National Team, which he has represented for 15 years. We speak about how it was for him to grow up with a disability and how golf became his free space and outlet at a young age. He opens up about the tough moment where he suddenly collapsed at home one day and how this experience left him feeling reborn, changed him as a person, and played a big role in him getting to where he is today. Joakim also speaks about his winning mentality and goal to become number 1 in the world, as well as shares his advice for how to overcome adversity and find your greatness.

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For this episode we had the chance to speak with professional basketball player Julie Vanloo. Being a part of the Belgian National Team for 11 years, she’s a European Championship medalist, has played professional basketball in many different countries and is currently playing for Basket Zaragoza in Spain. We speak about the meaning and pride in representing your country at the highest level and what motivates her to keep playing but also about focusing on happiness in the moment rather than just future goals as well as the importance of learning from your mistakes and surrounding yourself with the right people.

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For today’s episode we spoke with Canadian badminton player Michelle Li. She’s a two time Olympian, the first Canadian to ever win gold at the Commonwealth Games and has won a combined 17 medals, including 12 gold medals, at the Pan American Games and the Pan Am Championships. We speak about the difficulty of traveling the world alone to competitions and facing players who have a coach in their corner but also about being a professional badminton player coming from a country where the sport isn’t very big and how she wants to be an inspiration for the next generation to never give up.

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For this episode we had the pleasure of speaking with American ice hockey player Amanda Pelkey. An Olympic Champion and two time World Champion with Team USA, Amanda was also part of the Boston Pride team who won the Isobel Cup at the inaugural season of the NWHL. We speak about the player boycott of professional ice hockey during the 2019-2020 season and the underlying issues of inequality and a lack of resources and salaries within women’s ice hockey but also about what it’s like to become an Olympic Champion, the importance of building relationships and her AMP hockey camps for kids.

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For this week’s episode we spoke with professional soccer player Clay Dimick. He’s currently an outside back for Charlotte Independence in the USL Championship but also played over in Australia after finishing his college soccer career at Belmont Abbey College, where he served as the team captain for two years. We speak about the challenges and growth he experienced when moving abroad by himself to play soccer and his adoption and the definition of family but also about how his faith and helping others has given him perspective that has fueled his motivation and that pushed him not to give up on his dream to become a professional soccer player.

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For this episode, we had the chance to speak with retired diver Tonia Couch. Representing Great Britain, she’s a three time Olympian and a European Champion and two time silver medalist as well as a silver medalist at the Commonwealth games and she has many times been recognized as one of Great Britain’s finest female divers. We speak about her favorite memories from her 18 year long career and the issue of beauty ideals and body image specifically within sports but also about what it’s like to compete in the Olympics at home and her transition into becoming a diving coach for young kids after her career and how it has changed her approach to diving.

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In this episode, we spoke with Italian fencer Marco Fichera. A European Games and European Championships medalist, Marco has been part of the Italian National team for 12 years and in 2016 the team won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics. We speak about his experiences competing at both the Youth and Senior Olympic Games, what it’s like to be a professional in a sport where you compete both with and against your teammates and about the importance of not only focusing on winning but also on taking the opportunity to teach kids and bring value to others.

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For this episode, we had the great pleasure of speaking with American swimmer Jessica Long. She’s a four time Paralympian and has won 23 Paralympic medals, including 13 gold medals, 52 World Championship medals and she has also broken multiple world records. We speak about her background of being adopted at the age of 13 months and having to amputate both legs below the knees and how the pool became the one place she was free from her prosthetics but also about making a Paralympic debut at age 12, the dangers of comparing yourself to others and how to believe in your own strength and ability to overcome difficulties.

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