Game Changers: Incredible Stories of Resilience in Sports

Caelan "CJ" Jones was a standout basketball player at Vermont Academy before spending three years at Boston University, where he earned a degree in film and television. He later transferred to Claremont McKenna College, where he's now pursuing his Master’s in Business while continuing his basketball career. 

His journey is one I hear often—chasing the Division I dream at all costs, only to find true happiness in an unexpected place. At Claremont McKenna, he discovered an incredible coach, had two unforgettable seasons, and rekindled his love for the game. 

Coming from an athletic family, CJ’s parents were both college athletes, and his brother Parker currently plays at Colgate. His story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and redefining success 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. 

You all know how much I love a great comeback story, and today’s guest brings us an incredible one. I’m thrilled to welcome Sarah Meister to the show to share how her college volleyball team at University of Missouri transformed their culture by committing to a true team-first mentality and going from 19 and 12 in 2012 to a perfect undefeated season of 34 and 0! 

Sarah was a standout libero and helped the program win their first-ever SEC Championship Title. How did they make such a incredible turnaround?  Listen in to hear about the team's "Play Like They Have Something to Prove #STP" Mantra.

Also hear about how Sarah is making an impact off the court as a licensed professional counselor, specializing in student-athlete mental health and performance. She serves as the Athlete Wellness Director at Millennium Counseling Center in Chicago, helping athletes navigate both the pressures of competition and their overall well-being.  I’m so excited for you to hear her insights

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 have Jamal Allen, also known as "Sauce" on the show this week. Sauce made a name for himself as a standout college basketball player at New England College. In high school, he was a two-time Dual County League All-Star and a Metrowest Daily News All-Star during his senior year. He ranked among the top 10 scorers in Massachusetts and once scored an impressive 42 points in a single game. In college, Sauce continued to excel, earning NECC Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 16 points in just 17 minutes per game. In his senior year, he averaged 18 points per game and matched his high school record by scoring 42 points against Mitchell College. 

What really makes Sauce's story incredible is that he basically plays basketball with only one arm.  Sauce was born with a condition called Erb's palsy, which limits the use of his right arm, making his achievements and his basketball journey even more remarkable.  Don't miss this inspiring episode.

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. 

Record-breaking swimmer Becca Mann was a young swimming prodigy. A two-time USA National champion, she was the youngest person ever to place in the Top 10 in four events at a single Olympic Trials and represented Team USA at four World Championships. But after years of sacrifice, relentless drive, and coming heartbreakingly close to Olympic glory—three times—Becca’s dreams came crashing down.
But her story does not end there.  Becca made history as the first—and only—person to conquer the grueling, 21-hour, 40-mile Maui Nui Tri-Channel Crossing in 2019.  She has written a book called, Outside the Lanes, which is coming out in April and she will share her journey from the disappointment of Olympic defeat to making history.  She also opens up about the mental battles that shaped her: confronting the sacrifices she endured, OCD, and the relentless pressure to succeed.

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 week I'm talking to Maurice (Moe) Taylor, Jr.  Moe’s basketball journey is nothing short of inspiring as there were many ups and downs as he chased his dream of playing professionally —first he played at Cambridge, Rindge and Latin and then he transferred to Beaver Country Day where his team won a NEPSAC Class B Championship.  After graduation he went to North Carolina A&T, Western Texas College, and then Niagara University. 

Like most stories, he pushed hard to find his place and play his best basketball. After college, he went after his pro dreams overseas, playing in the Czech Republic’s TBL and then in El Salvador. With a BA in Psychology and a relentless passion for the game, Moe is a poet and now the founder of F.A.M Fitness, where he’s helping others level up through personal training. His story is all about grit, resilience, and the power of never giving up.

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 week I have Sunny Choi on the show.  Sunny, known in the breaking world as "B-Girl Sunny," is a prominent member of Team USA’s Olympic breaking team. She competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the historic debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. Originally from Tennessee, Sunny discovered breaking during her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Sunny won the first gold medal in breakdancing at the Pan American Games in 2023. She won a silver medal in the B-Girls event at the 2022 World Games.  She won a silver medal at the 2019 World Urban Games and placed 7th at the 2022 WDSF World Championship.  Her story is full of incredible twist and turns (no pun intended).  Don't miss this wild episode about a person who followed her heart even when her mind was telling her not to....

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 week is an exciting episode with an incredible storyteller and a passionate advocate for athletes worldwide! Today on the Game Changers podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Kevin Owens. Kevin’s basketball journey is nothing short of extraordinary – he’s got some of the wildest and most entertaining stories from his career. He played college basketball at Monmouth University before taking his talents around the globe, competing professionally in New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and Kosovo – not to mention three seasons in the NBA G League! 

But Kevin’s skills go beyond the court. He’s a talented writer who has contributed to SLAM Online and SB Nation and is the author of the must-read book Overseas Famous: The Travels and Tribulations of a Basketball Globetrotter.

Kevin is also the co-founder of Fokused Sports and the Managing Director of First Inning Ventures, where he helps athletes thrive in everything from IPL cricket to Formula 1, European soccer, and basketball.

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 week's guest embodies everything that the Game Changers podcast is all about: resilience. Kelsey O'Connor was a Division 1 softball player at North Carolina State when a traumatic brain injury during practice abruptly ended her athletic career. Faced with an unpredictable and challenging recovery, Kelsey refused to give up. She fought her way through and her story of grit and determination - even when she was facing a very difficult situation on her team and with her coaches is amazing. After it all, Kelsey graduated with a degree in social work and she was chosen to be the commencement speaker at graduation.

Her powerful commencement speech, where she shared her journey of overcoming adversity and redefining success beyond titles, resonated deeply with so many people. In fact, the speech went viral on TikTok and Facebook, racking up more than 40 million views. Today, Kelsey is a motivational speaker who travels across the country, inspiring others with her story. She’s also pursuing her Masters degree in Social Work while working with several non-profit organizations.  

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. 

Today we are continuing our amazing story of Noelle Lambert and her coach Carly O’Connell.  This week we will focus on Carly’s side of their incredible story.

Coach Carly O'Connell was a standout Div. 1 Lacrosse player at University of Oregon, starting all four years and earning First Team Conference honors twice. She holds multiple records at Oregon including: career draw controls per game (3.05), single season points (71), single season draw controls (77) and single game draw controls (10). She also ranks second all-time in career points (199), assists (86), draw controls (203), points per game (2.91), and assists per game (1.25).  O’Connell was drafted by the Philadelphia Force of the United Women’s Lacrosse League.
She was a Noelle Lambert’s coach at UMass Lowell and then an Assistant Coach at  Army West Point as well as Jacksonville University.  This story is about the incredible bond between a player and her coach and the insane comeback that they worked on together defying all odds.  Noelle’s tenacity, grit and determination along with Carly’s commitment, courage and drive to push Noelle outside her comfort zone was a Blueprint for Resilience and Glory.  

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. 

Today is a very special and unique episode of the Game Changer’s podcast because we are bringing together two separate guests who share one incredible story.
Noelle Lambert was an exceptional Division 1 lacrosse player at University of Massachusetts Lowell and Carly O’Connell who was also an exceptional college lacrosse player in her day at University of Oregon was hired to the UMass Lowell lacrosse staff in 2016.  In the summer between her freshman and sophomore year in 2016, Noelle was in a moped accident and lost her leg above the knee.
This story is about the incredible bond between a player and her coach and the insane comeback that they worked on together defying all odds.  Noelle’s tenacity, grit and determination along with Carly’s commitment, courage and drive to push Noelle outside her comfort zone was a Blueprint for Resilience and Glory.  Today, they each tell the story from their own perspective of how Noelle got back on the college lacrosse field and what Carly had to do to ensure that she was ready.
With a year of learning how to walk and then run and then figure out how to play lacrosse at a very competitive level, Noelle did get back on the field and scored a goal in her first game back making her the first above-knee amputee to play a Division 1 college sport. She graduated and went on to become a Paralympian having competed in the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo and the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.  
Noelle is the founder of The Born to Run Foundation which provides specialized prosthetics so young amputees can run again.

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.