Forever Athlete Radio

Today I had the chance to sit down with former division one women’s basketball player and now founder of Playoff Dating app, an app focused on helping the human connection between current and former athletes. Amanda runs her start up app all while coaching and teaching in California. She shares a great bit about time management, what lessons she learned through a maybe not so typical recruiting process, and is a perfect example of someone taking action on her dreams. Please welcome on Amanda!

Today I had the chance to sit down with Professional Rugby player for the Rugby United New York club and former USA 7s team member Chris Mattina. Chris and I actually went to University of Delaware together and took a couple of classes as part of our coaching science minor. He attributes a lot of his education, especially that in sports nutrition, to his success on the rugby pitch. Now a few years removed from college, Chris is living out his dream of playing rugby professionally for his hometown’s squad and has had the chance to represent the United States on the international rugby scene as well. He offers great insight on sport selection as a youth in the US and how his unusual path to his current career could help those athletes currently participating in some not so mainstream sports. Check it out!

Today I had the chance to sit down with Professional Lacrosse player for the Philadelphia Fire, Haley Schweizer. Haley was a former standout at John’s Hopkins university where she was a third team all American, first team all Big ten, and holds the Hopkin’s school record for games played at 75. Beyond the field, Haley was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. Haley currently juggles a professional lacrosse with Physicians Assistant school and coaching her former high school team. If it sounds like she’s superwomen, it’s because she is. I really appreciated her taking time out of her busy schedule to share with me what has allowed her to be who she is. There are a ton of valuable lessons from our conversation so go ahead and check it out!

Mental Toughness is a key trait of the most elite athletes in the world. I breakdown 7 key characteristics that go into overall mental toughness. With an in-depth look at each one, I also detail exercises you can practice each day to improve your mental toughness. Listen in today and start getting the results you want out of your training.

Today’s guest is my role model in both swimming and in life, my father. He swam growing up and eventually went on to swim at Towson University, setting multiple school records along the way. Since his collegiate career, he has gotten in to coaching of all ages and levels. He’s coached kids from learning to swim all the way to qualifying for Olympic Trials. The past 40+ years of his life have been dedicated to helping young athletes realize their true potential and learn more about themselves through the sport of swimming. We talk about a lot, but mainly we focus in on how to deal with different athletes and finding the coaching style that meshes best with different personalities.

No doubt you've heard athletes speak on being in "the zone." It's a state of being where nothing can go wrong. How do these athletes reach this point of peak performance? Often times it's through years of practice and trial/error. Today's episode will simplify that process and leave you with a  clearer understanding of what your individual zone looks like. You'll learn how to further study your own peak performances, leading you to be able to repeat them more frequently.

Today’s guest is Catholic University’s all time leading goal scorer for lacrosse, three time first team all conference player, and athlete of the year. Nicolette has since graduated and explored the practice of yoga, becoming a certified instructor where she teaches along side her mom at Summer Rain Yoga.

Today’s guest is an Egyptian National record holder, 2 time world championships qualifier, and 4 time African Games gold medalist. Hania came over to the US from Egypt to continue her swimming and education at UMBC. She shares a very positive perspective and how she was able to develop that despite being homesick, something a lot of incoming freshman deal with, but especially so for international students. Her life was forever changed by her coach at UMBC so tune in and hear what advice she has to offer that can change yours!

Today’s guest is a former standout soccer player at Loyola University. Emily excelled in her four year career there, despite fighting through multiple injuries. I’m excited to share her message of how her soccer success has gotten her involved in coaching the sport herself now; as well as her other career aspirations! 

Today’s guest is an Olympian from Colombia, specializing in butterfly. Jonathan had a chance to come to the United States at age 13 from Cali, Colombia. At this time, he taught himself English while adjusting to a new culture and continuing to pursue his love of swimming. That passion and drive paid off as he eventually went on to swim at Southern Methodist University. In 2016, Jonathan had a chance to represent Colombia on the Olympic stage in Rio where he placed 15th. Jonathan has such a genuine passion for not just the sport, but giving back to his hometown community. If his story resonates with you, please consider helping out his organization!