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Innovation is part of a champion’s mindset.

In this episode, hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker speak with Mel Stewart, co-founder of SwimSwam, the hub for swimming information. Stewart, better known as “Gold Medal Mel”, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Games before moving on to a career in media.

Stewart talks about the “Dean Farris effect” and the phenomenon he’s become on SwimSwam.

Quote of the Week: “Innovation will get traction only if it helps people get something they’re already doing in their lives, done better”. -- Clayton M. Christensen

Take a look at the questions asked of Mel on this episode:

Q: How did you get into swimming?

Q: How did you first feel about swimming?

Q: Do you have any stories about identifying as a swimmer in those early days?

Q: How did the nickname Gold Medal Mel begin?

Q: What role do you think the positive of connotation, of being called Gold Medal Mel as a child, actually had in your becoming an Olympic Gold Medalist?

Q:“Let’s jump to SwimSwam, the cutting edge, online-everything-Swimming News website site that has taken the world by storm. Tell us about SwimSwam….”

Q: So Mel, you were truly one of the Pioneers of being a Professional Swimmer, Celebrity Swimmer role model. What other media connections helped in giving you a firm foundation for Co-Founding SwimSwam?

Q: How did the concept of moving into the internet world with SwimSwam come about and did you worry about competition?

Q: What advice would you give to those starting up a business?

Q What were some of the immediate areas of operations that Swim Swam needed to launch and who filled those key positions?

Q: Is this a full time endeavor for you?

Q: I love that, Swimming Never sleeps, can you dig deeper on that?

Q: What is your daily schedule like?

Q: What do you do to relax and de-stress?

Q: What skills can you say you took from your athletic career and applied to being a very successful businessman?

Q: What are your thoughts on mindset?

Q: What keeps Mel Stewart going to the next great accomplishment?

Q: Talk to me about your passion?

Q: What legacy do you want to leave?

Q: What do you think people need to be doing to be a champion in their own lives?

Q: What is going on with the Dean Farris phenomenon on SwimSwam?

Q: Do you think that all of the positive energy SwimSwam commenters give to Dean Farris might have helped his success?

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Email us at [email protected]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.