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On episode twenty-three of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Suzi Landolphi, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with extensive experience working with veterans. Most recently, Suzi worked as a Senior PATHH Guide at Boulder Crest Retreat (BCR) in Bluemont, Virginia, a privately funded retreat for combat veterans, their families, and first responders. Suzi is one of the co-creators of BCR’s signature program: Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes (PATHH). PATHH is the nation’s first curriculum-based retreat with eighteen months of follow-up support based on the science of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). Suzi’s understanding of and expertise in childhood trauma and it effects on adult development is a cornerstone of the success of the PATHH program. In addition to BCR, Suzi has consulted for The Wounded Warrior Project, Save A Warrior, Veterans 360, The EOD Warrior Foundation, Operation Mend, and Team Rubicon. She is also on the Advisory Board of Merging Vets and Players (MVP), an organization dedicated to connecting and supporting elite athletes and veterans. In 2007, Suzi founded BIG Heart Ranch and Farm (BHR) in Malibu, California she works with clients of all ages to form deep connections with animals to facilitate healing from the effects of trauma. While managing BHR, Suzi also developed an equine therapy model called Horse Inspired Growth and Healing (HIGH) which includes both ground and mounted activities to nurture healing through trauma and to support holistic wellness. In addition, Suzi was the first Clinical Director of Alo House Recovery Centers, a progressive strengths-based, dual-diagnosis treatment community with facilities in Malibu and Los Angeles. Alo and Suzi continue to support veterans and first responders by creating new treatment programs housed at a working horse ranch.Before becoming a licensed therapist, Suzi received a BA in Theater from Middlebury College and worked as a theater, video, and film producer/director. She hosted her own television and radio programs in Los Angeles and is a frequent guest on national talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show.Suzi and I talked about managing life transitions, the connection between self-confidence and self-value, how our childhood impacts every part of our adult lives, how to mitigate triggers and emotions, the role that animals–and horses, in particular–play in healing, the importance of trusting your spirit rather than your thoughts and feelings, and the power of sharing your spirit with others.Suzi talks about the power of self-value: “Confidence comes from value. If your value is about winning, if your value is about the uniform, if your value is about your title and the people you hang out with and then all of that is gone, then most of your value is what you do and not who you are.”Suzi reflects on the human spirit: “Spirit is the basis of our principles. It shouldn’t be our thoughts. It shouldn’t be our feelings. I may be the only therapist who says I don’t give a shit about your thoughts, and I don’t give a shit about your feelings. I care what you do! And spirit is ‘do.’ It’s what you do! It’s how you walk the surface. It’s what you say. It’s who you are with. It’s how you are with yourself and others. That is spirit.”To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
On Episode Twenty-Two of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Hank Wise, an elite waterman, surfer, and coach who is the reigning King of the Catalina Channel—a 32km open water crossing from Santa Catalina Island to the Southern California mainland—that took him just under eight hours to complete. A Stanford graduate, Hank is the founder and director of Swim Focus and SWIM Long Beach and the Head Coach of Rocket Fish Swim School and SWIM Long Beach Masters. Happiest when he’s sailing, diving, paddling, kayaking, rowing, body surfing, and teaching both in and about the ocean, Hank knows a thing or two about assessing risk and finding flow. While he has a commanding physical presence, it is his open heart and generous spirit that has the greatest impact. A day with Hank in and around the water is magical.
In this episode, Hank and I discuss a range of topics: how to maintain mental discipline when the end-goal is not in sight; how to interrupt and manage fear; how to commit, submit, and find excitement in challenges; how to prepare for and build into flow; the role that love, gratitude, curiosity and humility play in well-being and success; and how to embody being a warrior with an open heart.
Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.
Our guest on Episode Twenty-Two of Mindful Warrior Radio—Hank Wise—is an elite waterman, the reigning King of the Catalina Channel, and the founder and director of Swim Focus and SWIM Long Beach.
Hank reflects on commitment when facing challenges: “Once you are trained and ready there’s this idea that you submit: you submit yourself fully to the task at hand. You not only submit but you lean in. You really lean in. And embrace it. So much so that you look forward to it. You give yourself so wholly to the task that you are like, ‘I am in, I am so in right now.’”
Hank describes his approach to embodying love as a warrior: “I look at love like it is an effervescent flow in my heart—like a fountain in my heart. The more love that I give, the more love that comes back. That is true giving to yourself. That is true giving to others. And that is true sharing what you have to share with communities. If you can tap into the power of love, then you have tapped into a source that is so powerful, so regenerative, and the laws of karma are in place. Love is so powerful.”
Hank talks about the power of curiosity and humility: “The goodness is out there you just have to be curious. A word that I oftentimes put together with curiosity is humility. Because if you are curious and you’re humble that is the secret sauce of going forward. The humility allows for future experimentation and education.”
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!
To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
On Episode Twenty-One of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Lauren Monroe, an accomplished musician, healer, noted author, and speaker who is also a globally recognized advocate for mental health awareness, PTSD therapies, suicide prevention and crisis healing. These powerful themes are echoed in the music she and husband Rick Allen—drummer for Def Leppard—share to awaken hearts, ease suffering, and activate the souls of those who are ready to create powerful change. Through the Raven Drum Foundation, Lauren and Rick have inspired thousands of people in need with a specific focus on veterans. Lauren embodies warmth and wisdom. She welcomes listeners into her heart with her insights, healing presence, and compassion. I promise, you will want to attend her next live performance!
In this episode, Lauren and I discuss a range of topics: how to leverage the intersection of science and spirituality; how to enact the healing power of energy medicine, storytelling, and artistry; how to create and hold healing space; how to amplify heart, intuition, and authenticity; how to pause and pace yourself as a creative; how to protect yourself as a healer and empath; and how to allow yourself to experience the significance a human moment.
Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.
Our guest on Episode Twenty-One of Mindful Warrior Radio, Lauren Monroe, is an accomplished musician, healer, noted author, and speaker who is also a globally recognized advocate for mental health awareness, PTSD therapies, suicide prevention and crisis healing.
Lauren reflects on the power of being with vulnerability to experience flow: “I think some of the most powerful things I’ve been able to do is to be in that state of vulnerability—being afraid on stage in front of people and just wait. Just wait… And I’ve learned that if I just stand there and wait, it’s like a magnet: everyone starts to wait. And this pregnant pause of energy starts to happen. And as soon as I start to feel that begin to integrate, I can start talking and things begin to flow.”
Lauren talks about the process of opening to her audience: “For me, being open is to immediately check in with my body because that is a doorway. So, for me, it’s the beginning place, or starting place, to achieve openness when I feel like I am not. To take a breath. I am telling myself to relax and physically open.”
To learn more ways to experience and support Lauren Monroe’s mission please visit the https://laurenmonroe.com/ and https://ravendrumfoundation.org/.
Enjoy Lauren Monroe’s new album, Messages from Aphrodite Storyteller Edition. Click the following link: https://laurenmonroe.ffm.to/mfa_storyteller.
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!
To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
On Episode Twenty of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Amani Legagneur. Amani brings her experience from a decade-long career as System Manager of Spiritual Health and Education in one of the nation’s largest community hospital conglomerates. Amani is a specialized spiritual leader who has completed the gold standard program of Clinical Pastoral Education and is a performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior. She brings her expertise in areas such as crisis response, conflict resolution, education theory, interpersonal neuroscience, intercultural relations, spiritual care, and multi-faith theological studies to her work. Amani brings a beautiful grounding and insightful presence that has you leaning on her every word.
In this episode, she and I discuss a range of topics: what it means to be a chaplain; how she defines faith and spirituality; the role faith plays in high-stakes environments when you’re flooded with fear; how faith plays a role in performance excellence; the practice of staying connected to your Truth during challenging times; how to let go under pressure; the difference between self-care and self-compassion; the use of boundaries, rest, and recovery; and the importance of a mind, body, spirit balance.
Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.
Our guest on Episode Twenty of Mindful Warrior Radio is Amani Legagneur whose decade-long career as System Manager of Spiritual Health and Education is a specialized spiritual leader. She has completed the gold standard program of Clinical Pastoral Education and is a performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.
Amani shares her definition of faith: “I think faith is something that is ultimately ineffable, but if you have it, you know it and you feel it. Everyone on a human journey who is cognitively able to tries to make meaning of their existential experiences. Faith is your ‘Ultimate Concern.’ It’s the thing that matters most to you.”
Amani reflects on the power of love within faith: “I think there is a certain resilience to believing that love wins. I think there is an incredible energy and emboldening sense of well-being that happens when you believe not only that there is something beyond you, but that there is something beyond you that is loving and that there is a source that cares about the details of your life.”
To learn more about Amani Legagneur’s life story, you may enjoy reading Healing Touch written by Laurie Enyon for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!
To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
On Episode Nineteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Danell Leyva a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist for the men’s USA gymnastics team. Today, Danell wears many hats. He’s an actor, writer, performer, advocate, coach, and mentor. No stranger to pressure or performance, Danell describes the roller coaster ride of being named an alternate to the 2016 US Olympic Team and then being called to compete after a member of Team USA was injured. Danell went on to medal in two events at the 2016 Games in Brazil. A charismatic athlete turned actor, Danell has an authentic and open way of sharing inspiring life lessons.
In this episode, Danell talks about the practice of letting go, the mindset needed to recover after making mistakes and failing, the role of self-compassion in living a happy life, the relationship between confidence and having a growth mindset, how to balance motivation, and why well-being positively impacts performance.
Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.
Our guest on Episode Nineteen of Mindful Warrior Radio is Danell Leyva, a two-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medalist, and former member of the men’s USA gymnastics team.
Danell talks about his mindset at the 2016 Olympic games: “My biggest perspective change is it’s no longer, ‘I need to do this,’ but rather ‘I want to do this.’ As simple or as small as that seems, I feel it is very powerful. You remove so much personal pressure, and it remains a passion rather than a necessity.”
Danell reflects on the practice of creating space for failures and mistakes: “As athletes once we get to this certain point, we no longer accept failure. And, I think that is counter intuitive. It’s the only way we can learn to grow. You are going to have people say, ‘Oh, you want to be a failure?’ What I am saying is it’s the only way to move past it, experience it, so then you can grow—and keep growing—until you can become your version of what successful means.”
Danell shares his perspective on balanced motivation: “Hyper-focus is good if you use it productively, but if it starts to invade other aspects of your life because you are too focused on this thing, then that’s not productive. And, ultimately, it takes away from you performing at your highest level in that thing you are focused on and love so much.”
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!
To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
On Episode Eighteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I’m joined by Adam Krikorian, a three-time Olympic champion, the head coach of the U.S. women’s national water polo team, and former head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at UCLA. In this episode, Adam focuses on bringing out the best in others—in athletes and coaches, alike—and describes the process of achieving and sustaining performance excellence at the highest level of sport.
In short, winning is what Adam knows how to do. In his 17 years as a player and coach at UCLA, Adam won 15 national titles—11 as head coach, three as assistant coach, and one as a student-athlete. Now the head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, Adam led the team to gold at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic games. Since being named head coach in 2009, Team USA has earned gold in 19 of its last 22 major international competitions (Olympic Games, FINA World Championships, FINA World Cups, and FINA World League Super Final Crowns). This is a remarkable 86% winning record!
In this episode, our listeners will gain important insights into what it takes to build and lead a high trust, high performance team. They will see the wisdom of integrating a fierce competitive drive with humility and humor, and they will be inspired by Adam’s commitment to lifelong learning.
Adam and I explore the process of building and leading teams to achieve and sustain flow. Reflecting on his past experiences, Adam describes the role love plays in helping a team achieve flow. “When we are talking about a flow state in a team setting, you are adding so many layers and so many more dynamics to it. And I think the other thing that cannot be understated is if you want to try to get there, then there is so much love that has to be created within that group—there is so much unselfishness—that it’s going to be difficult to find that flow state within the team setting if there isn’t that love, respect, and trust that you have for one another. That’s what makes team sports incredibly special.”
We also discuss the importance of designing an environment to build a successful team. Adam highlights the value of consistency and discipline to create change and build team strength. “Pressure paralyzes. And when pressure is involved, bad habits blossom and they rear their ugly head. So, the environment we create in practice—and it can’t be like this every day—but we need to find moments in our training where the team feels the pressure and has to deal with adversity because adversity always appears. It always shows up.”
Purpose, people, and perspective are three key elements that help Adam navigate challenging and tedious times. Focusing on the larger “why” allows him to maintain focus. He says, “I need to go through all these baby steps: There is a reason to what we are doing. There is a purpose to what we are doing. The people that you are doing it with. Creating relationships through the journey…how important that is. Having the perspective. Knowing we are going through all of this—this monotonous stage—and that this is going to get us to this place. And it’s not always about winning. It’s about learning and growing. And understanding if you can have that perspective through the process, it can keep you dialed in and motivated.”
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!
To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to Mindful Warrior Radio, a podcast that explores the intersection of leadership, culture, performance, and flow. Through thought-provoking conversations with innovative change-makers and…