Game Changers: Incredible Stories of Resilience in Sports

Today’s episode features the incredible Brooklyn McDougall — a true force of nature on the ice and a visionary with a paintbrush.

Brooklyn is a Team Canada long-track speed skater, a 2022 Olympian, 2021 Canadian Champion in the 500m, and a 2023 World Champion in the Women’s Team Sprint. Her rise has been nothing short of remarkable — after switching from AAA hockey to speed skating at 15, she was competing at the national level within a year.

🎨 But Brooklyn isn’t just racing toward Milano Cortina 2026 — she’s also creating beauty along the way. In 2024, her artwork was featured in the Olympic Art Gallery in Paris, proving that her talent extends far beyond the track.

Tenacity, grit, creativity, and joy — Brooklyn brings it all, and I can’t think of a better way to launch a new season of conversations that inspire.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

This season kicks off a little differently—because I’m in the guest chair. I’ll be joined by psychologist, sports parent, former college athlete and lifelong sports fan Dr. Martha Glisky, who turns the tables and interviews me about the biggest highlights from Season Two. 

We will revisit some of the most powerful moments and inspiring conversations with my amazing guests—athletes, coaches, and leaders who’ve redefined resilience, leadership, and what it means to truly change the game.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

 Welcome to the Season Two Finale of the Game Changers podcast — I can’t think of a better person to help me wrap this season than Bryson Williams.  

Back in high school in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bryson was a standout athlete. A 3-star football recruit by 24-7 Sports and ESPN, First Team All-State his junior and senior year, a Class A state champ in shot put, a varsity basketball player, and a finalist for the Lincoln Journal Star's Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year. Basically, if it involved competition, Bryson was in — and probably winning.

He ended up going to play football at the University of Wisconsin.  Just as he was working his way into a starting position during his sophomore season, Bryson had a season-ending knee injury  and at the same time, he was denied entry into the Business School. 

Not only did he bounce back and finish his football career strong, but he also earned a Finance degree, landed a job at Morgan Stanley in New York City, and was literally chosen as a commencement speaker at graduation.

Recently, Bryson has been training and just completed a 100-mile ultra-endurance race and finished in 27 hours. Bryson Williams is one of the most mentally fit, relentlessly positive, and wildly disciplined people I’ve ever met. So settle in — this is a story of setbacks, comebacks, and what happens when you refuse to quit and you put gratitude in the forefront of everything you do.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

I'm thrilled to welcome Linda Flanagan to the show — a powerful voice in the conversation about what's really happening in youth and college sports.

Linda is a freelance journalist, a former cross-country and track coach, and the author of the eye-opening book "Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports—and Why It Matters."  She is also collaborating on a new documentary called, “Beyond Stigma” about mental health in women’s college sports.

She’s not just talking about problems — she’s working to change the system.
 Linda is:

• A founding board member of the Positive Coaching Alliance (NYC chapter)
• A contributor to Project Play at the Aspen Institute
• A regular writer for NPR’s MindShift
• And a contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Runner’s World

If you care about sports, coaching, mental health, or young people — this episode is for you. 

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

This episode guest is UK boxer and former cruiserweight boxing world champion Chris Billam-Smith.  Chris’ professional boxing record is 21 wins and 2 losses, with 13 wins by knockout. He won his last fight on April 26th against Brandon Glanton. At regional level, he held the European, British, and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles between 2019 and 2022.

Known as "The Gentleman" in the ring, Chris combines quiet confidence with fierce determination, and his story is one of grit, growth, and unwavering belief.

Chris didn’t come from boxing royalty or have a fast-tracked rise. He turned professional at 27—an age many critics said was too late—and faced early setbacks that would’ve made others walk away. But Chris kept turning up.  His motto is also his Initials CBS – Consistency Builds Success. He embraces and commits to the mental and physical grind to get better every single day. 

Whether it’s bouncing back from defeats, navigating self-doubt, or boxing through pain, Chris Billam-Smith is proof that champions aren’t just made in the ring—they’re made in the everyday choices to keep fighting.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

Byron Jackson is a dynamic force in both sports and media. The brother of former NFL (Philadelphia Eagles) star DeSean Jackson, Byron has built a remarkable career of his own—as a former football player at Fresno State and then Kansas City Chiefs and now an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and founder of Sports Rhythms, a skill development company empowering student-athletes, parents, and coaches since 2002.

From the field to the editing room, Byron has a unique perspective on storytelling and sports. His work includes “The Making of a Father’s Dream”, chronicling his brother’s rise to the NFL, “LA Marathon: Nipsey Hussle”, and the BET reality series The Home Team.

Tune in to hear Byron’s journey, the decades of footage he’s captured of DeSean, and how he continues to inspire through film, mentorship, and innovation in athlete development.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

I love to talk to Olympians and this week I have a Gold Medalist on but like all of my guests, his story is windy and full of ups and downs.  You are going to love this one.  Steve Mesler is an exceptional athlete, an Olympian, a coach, a father, a husband, a mentor and also the co-founder, and CEO of the international award-winning non-profit Classroom Champions.

Steve grew up in Buffalo where he learned some pretty incredible lessons about rising above your mistakes. He attended the University of Florida on a track scholarship as a Decathlete.  He faced a lot of setbacks and injuries and knew that his athletic career was far from over. He went on to become a pusher for the US four-man Olympic bobsled team in Salt Lake City games, Vancouver games and then in the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver his team won a gold medal - the first gold for the United States in 4 man bobsled in 62 years!

In March 2011, Steve was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and in October 2011 he was inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.  I can’t wait to get this started – there’s so much to cover here.  Welcome Steve.

He also previously served on the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee from 2015-2022.  

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

Coach Alex Popp is a high school basketball coach at The Winchendon School in Massachusetts. Popp brings an impressive track record of talent development and a wealth of experience in coaching at various collegiate and prep levels. He holds a Master’s degree from Springfield College and a Bachelor’s degree from Assumption University.

Popp most recently served as the Head Coach of the Academic Post-Graduate team at IMG Academy. From 2014 to 2020, Popp was the Head Coach at Vermont Academy, a perennial NEPSAC power, where he developed seven top 100 nationally ranked players, three NBA Champions, and one McDonald’s All-American. His tenure also saw the team secure the school’s first-ever New England Prep School Championship in 2016 – he was NEPSAC Coach of the Year that year as well. 

Popp’s collegiate coaching career includes roles as Director of Basketball Operations at Holy Cross (NCAA Div. I), Associate Head Coach at Middlebury College (NCAA Div. III), and an Assistant Coach at Springfield College.   Listen in and he talks about what its like to develop some of the best high school players in the game today.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

In the Fall of 2023 the Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball team was riding high.  They were on a 50 game winning streak and were going after the NCAA Division 3 National Title.  They had a lot of talented players including 6 Israelis.  Then the attack on Isarael on October 7th changed everything.  The team had to make a choice about cancelling their season or to keep playing. 

They chose to play.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Pat Dimon decided to direct the documentary about this team and their incredible spirit in the new documentary called, Rebound: A Year of Triumph and Tragedy at Yeshiva University Basketball that just premiered on April 9, 2025 on Fox Nation.  I’m thrilled to welcome the Director Pat Dimon and Head Coach Eliott Steinmetz to the Game Changers podcast this week. 

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories. 

Robert Steinfeld is a renowned sports television producer and author with a career spanning over four decades. He has earned 10 Sports Emmy Awards and produced major sporting events including MLB, NBA, WNBA, NCAA championships, and 3 Summer Olympics. He’s produced and or directed for ESPN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox Sports networks, Bally Sports, the NBA and more. 

He is the Executive Producer of the WNBA Dallas Wings and has worked on iconic sports moments such as Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout and directing two perfect MLB games. Recently, he authored 3...2...1...We’re On the Air, a book that delves into his experiences in sports television, gender equity in sports, and key behind-the-scenes stories

He’s produced five highly successful and critically acclaimed baseball pitching instructional videos – including Nolan Ryan’s Fastball with Randy Johnson.  Listen in as he tells us about some of the greatest moments in sports.....

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories.