Telich Talks

This is the second edition of my Best of for this year . Thank you to Virgil Dominic, John Voso, Gabriella Kreuz, Ron Ross, Jack Mulhall, Dean Hall and Jessica Eye. And most of all, thank you for listening. Suggestions for pod [email protected]. Please, if able, Follow, Subscribe, Rate and Review and share a favorite episode.

52 episodes this season and some great interviews. Impactful as well. On this episode, Corwyn Collier, Kahari Hicks, Babe Kwasniak, Mitch Hewitt, Dr. Richard Schlenk, Natalie Herbick, Sandy Alomar. It’s part One of the Best of Telich Talks for 2023. As always please rate and review and share..Thanks and Happy Holidays!!

Robert Smith is a retired NFL running back for the Minnesota Vikings. He is listed as one of the 50 greatest Vikings in team history. Smith ran for close to 7000 yards in his career but decided to retire while still in his prime . He said he wanted to be healthy to enjoy life after football. Smith was a two-time Mr. Football award winner in the state of Ohio while starring at Euclid high school. Smith excelled for the Ohio State Buckeyes before turning pro. Smith talks on the podcast about a tough upbringing with drugs in his household, and how disruptive that was for him. He also discussed how he became sober after years of drinking, and spoke openly about the need for more mental health discussion in sports. Note: this episode does not have a voiced open or close as I didn’t want to subject your ears to hearing someone who was rasping and coughing.

Jessica Eye is a retired mixed martial artist who competed as a flyweight in the UFC. She signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2013. She retired in 2022. However, in 2016, after a split decision loss to Bethe Correia, Eye announced she was taking a year long hiatus from MMA competition. A horrific car accident caused by a drunk driver when Eye was 16, resulted in a broken back, amoung other injuries. In 2019, Eye wrote an article for the Players Tribune, detailing abuse she suffered as a teenager from her father, including one incident that led to her father being arrested and charged with child endangerment and domestic abuse. As a flyweight, in 2018, Eye was named comeback fighter of the year, due in part according to experts because she was finally able to fight in her natural weight class, Flyweight. My interview with Jessica detailed her early years, and the training work she did with champ Stipe Miocic & the Strong Style Fight Team.

This is encore presentation of podcast dropped Feb, 27, 2023. Dr. Schlenk is a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also an ultra marathoner and puts of races with a charitable bent to them. His most fascinating work could be the custom guitars he constructs in his wood shop . All from scratch and all guitars are given away with the only edict being “ do something for someone else”. You can see his work on his Instagram page @custom_charity_guitars

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Rob Pope, a veterinarian and marathon runner from Liverpool, England became the first person to replicate the epic run across America by Forrest Gump in the popular movie starring Tom Hanks. Pope, ran 15,621 miles during several cross country runs, hitting all the famous spots depicted. The run started during the US presidential election in 2016. Since the amazing run, Pope wrote a fun and reflective book on the entire experience, called Becoming Forrest. The book was published in 2022, and Pope did the audio version of it as well. He also hosted two seasons of a Red Bull sponsored show called “How to become SuperHuman”. Rob was a fantastic interview guest. We really clicked. I share his strong sense of adventure but I’ll limit my escapades to ultra marathons, not cross country jaunts.

Shawn Spencer is the successful head basketball coach of the Rhodes high school team in Cleveland Ohio. His Rams won the city championship last season.Much of this podcast centers around his ability to emerge from the Hough projects and how he has been able to become a bright light to influence others. It’s a interview about Being exposed to how successful people go about their business and it’s a testimony to the individuals who were there for him as a kid and why he’s so adamant about being a bright light for young people nowadays. On Twitter/X he is @CoachSpencer1 as he says “ The struggle will not define you, so don’t let it blind you.”

Gabriella Kreuz is a former college track and field athlete, media personality, and advocate for non violence through her non profit “ Love Doesn’t Shove”. Kreuz endured a lengthy , abusive, toxic relationship with a high school boyfriend. His abuse followed her to college at John Carroll University. She takes us through the ordeal, and how she received help and how she established her non profit. Kreuz is an in stadium host for Cleveland Guardians games, and is a media personality at Big Play Network and other media outlets. She has a rambunctious dog, Blue

Friday Night Touchdown is a very popular weekly recap of high school football in northeast Ohio on Fox 8 tv. Our region is mad about football ( Pro Football began in Canton) and the show delivers the hilites every week. We take you along for a Friday night during playoff action and chat with Dan Coughlin, PJ Ziegler, Ken Carman and John Sabol. Nick Kovach, the producer and MVP is my final interview and rightly so. In someways, it’s my homage to high school football and our relationship to the game. Also, thanks to Glenville coach Ted Ginn, who was interviewed