The Focused Athlete

In this episode we talk with Daniel Garmendia, Artistic Swimming ahlete and coach.  Daniela was part of the Venezuelan National team, she was a swimmer at Lindenwood University, and she was also the assistant coach for the USA Junior National Team.  Daniela talks about visualization and turning negative emotions into positivity, and she talks about the importance of enjoying what we are doing…

In this episode we talk with professional skier and mountain biker and Director of Mountain Mind Project, Sasha Dingle.  Sasha talks about resilience and how having too much resilience can affect performance, the importance of tuning into the body and power of mindfulness and positivity…

In this episode, we talk to Olympic Silver Medalist, USA Women’s Water Polo, Maureen O’Toole Purcell.  Maureen talks about how managing emotions is a key component to being a good coach.  She talks about the power of gratitude and self compassion.  And she talks about the importance of connecting with her athletes and really getting to know each one of them…

In this episode, we talk to USA Artistic Swimming Olympic Gold Medalist and Coach, Tammy McGregor. “Mama McGregor,” as she is fondly referred to by her athletes, talks about how she tunes into each of her athletes to learn what is amazing about each one of them, she talks about investing in her athletes in order to build their life skills and not just their athletic skills…

In this episode, we talk to Maggie Steffens.  Maggie is considered to be one of the best female water polo players of all time in the world.  She is a 2x Olympic Gold medalist and Team USA Women’s Water Polo Captain and Stanford University graduate.  During the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, Maggie set an all-time record as the leading scorer in Olympic history for women's water polo.  In this episode,  Maggie talks about the how she manages pressure,  she shares some of the ways that she prepares for competition, and she talks about the importance of her teammates…

In this episode, we talk to Team USA Gymnast, MyKayla Skinner. MyKayla talks about the different mental cues she uses to stay  motivated and positive.  She shares her feelings about the challenges during the pandemic and what it takes to train for an extra year for the Olympics. She also talks about the importance of the relationships she has with her coaches…

In this episode we talk to women’s Olympic bobsledder, Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian.  Jazmine is a two time Olympian, the owner of GoalDen Theory, and part of the eiFocus team.  Jazmine talks about her “on” and “off” switch, how important it is to stay present, and the relationship between coach and athlete…

In this episode we talk with Artistic Swimming 4x Olympic medalist and Head Coach to Team USA, Andrea Fuentes.  Andrea talks about turning fear into challenge, the importance of being present, and she gives tips on how to keep things fun…

In this episode we talk with Valorie Kondos Field.  Valorie was the UCLA women’s gymnastics coach, she is a 7x NCAA champion, she is in the UCLA Athlete Hall of Fame, and she is the PAC12 Coach of the Century.  Valorie talks about the importance of vulnerability and creating connections with her athletes.  She talks about creating champions in life through sport and the power of silence…

In this kick off episode, Sarah Kivel, eiFOCUS™ Founder and Executive Coach talks about the importance of the relationships between teammates and coaches and how this impacts performance.  She shares her own story as a collegiate soccer player and how this experience has motivated her to train coaches and athletes on the skills of emotional intelligence.