In this episode, I chat with Canadian long lumper and professional model Divya Biswal. Divya is the older twin sister of one of my previous guests Devyani Biswal. Divya Represented Canada at the Francophone Games where she finished fourth in the triple jump. She is a graduate of St. Lawrence University where she majored biology and minored in mathematics and where she became a two-time NCAA DIII Champion, two-time NCAA DIII Field Athlete of the year, nine-time All-American, six-time Liberty Field Athlete of the year, NCAA woman of the year nominee, as well as the program record holder in the 60m, 60mh, long jump, and triple jump. On top of that, she is a model as I said earlier, and has worked with brands such as Nike, Samsung, Athleta, and more. In this episode, we chat about being willing to take risks and try new things, stepping outside of your comfort zone, how she has managed so many different careers, letting go of outcomes, navigating through life, and more.

About Divya Biswal.

Divya Biswal is a model and athlete training and living in La Verne, CA. She is originally from Ottawa and attended college in New York at St. Lawrence University. In college, she was a nine-time DIII All-American in the long jump and triple jump which included being a National Champion twice. Upon graduating from college she moved to NYC to work at a hedge fund. After working and training full time for 3 years she made the leap to pursue her Olympic dreams and moved to California. She now models full time for brands like Samsung, Toyota, T-mobile, etc while training at the University of La Verne. She is married to Justin Wood and a dog mom to a golden doodle named Oscar.

To connect with Divya, you can follow her on Instagram @divyabiswal or on her blog @dailydoseofdiv.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, and Content Creator. Connect with Segun online via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde or follow The Inner Olympian on Instagram.

In this episode, I chat with professional New Balance Athlete and 400m sprinter Vernon Norwood. Vernon is a decorated NCAA and track and field athlete 4x NCAA Champion, 8x All-American, 9x All-SEC, 2x IAAF outdoor gold medalist (4x400), and IAAF indoor gold & Silver medalist (4x400). We talk about his mindset when it comes to training, how he overcame some tough career moments, not letting your past define you, hard work vs talent, staying focused, the importance of family, and more.

About Vernon Norwood

Vernon Norwood is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters. Raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he started running track in his junior year at Morgan City High School and quickly became one of the fastest 400m runners in the state. He ended up attending South Plains College where he was a multiple-time NJCAA national champion before transferring to Louisiana State University (LSU). It was at LSU where he really started to make a name for himself. At the end of his college career, Vernon was a four-time NCAA champion (becoming one of the few sprinters in collegiate history to sweep NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor titles in the 400-meter dash), an eight-time All-American, and a nine-time All-SEC sprinter. He later went on to sign a contract with New Balance as a professional track athlete and has since won two gold medals at the IAAF Outdoor World Championships as part of the 4x400m relay (2015, 2019), a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in the 4x400m (2016), and one silver at the World Indoor Championships in the 4x400m (2018). He currently trains in Baton Rouge, Louisiana under coach Dennis Shaver with the hopes of qualifying for his first Olympic team in 2021.

To connect with Vernon, you can follow him on Instagram @vernon400 or Twitter @vernon400.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, and Content Creator. Connect with Segun online via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde. Follow The InnerOlympian on Instagram.

I chat with professional Canadian Football League player and current free agent Nate Behar. Nate has been active in the CFL since 2017 where he was drafted in the first round by The Edmonton Football Team as a wide receiver. Recently, Nate published a powerful essay titled, "To Pimp a Movement", discussing racial tension and understanding that garnered a lot of attention from national outlets such as the CBC, CTV, and others. In this episode we discuss his journey to the CFL, stepping out of his comfort zone as a writer, what inspired him to write the essay, the BLM movement, and what it takes to be fearless and unapologetic. 

About Nate Behar

Born in London, Ontario Nate played for the Carleton University Ravens where he became a 3x All Canadian and Carlton University's All-Time leading receiver. He was drafted 5th overall in the first round by the Edmonton Football Team in 2017 where he played for two years before signing with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2019. He is currently a free agent.

To connect with Nate, you can follow him on Instagram @natebehar11 or Twitter @natebehar11.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, Content Creator, and "Professional RiskTaker" (Entrepreneur). Connect with Segun on his website www.segunmakinde.ca or on social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also follow The Inner Olympian here.

In this episode, I chat with 2016 Olympian and Bronze Medalist Bolade Ajomale. Bolade is 9x National Team Member, High school OFSAA champion, 17x Pac-West Conference Champion, 20x All-American, 10x NCAA Champion, NACAC Gold Medalist, 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist and graduate from the University of Art. In this episode we chat about his Olympic and NCAA experiences, transitioning from junior to the senior level in track and field, the mindset he uses to approach competition, and the insights and wisdom he's picked up along his journey.

About Bolade

Born in London, England. Bolade grew up in Lagos, Nigeria until he moved to Canada at age 11. Some of his hobbies include listening to music, creating video/ audio content, reading and watching comics (DC to be exact), and traveling. Now 25, he's been competing internationally for Canada since he was 16. Which included 2012 & 2014 World Junior Championships, 2015 World University Games, 2016 World Indoor Championships, 2016 Olympic Games, 2017 World Relay Championships, 2017 World Outdoor Championships, 2018 NACAC, and 2019 Pan-Am Games.

He went to school and graduated with a BA in Multi-media Communications and Technologies, from The Academy of Art University. While there he competed in the Pac-West Conference within the NCAA Division II. As far as accomplishments go he is a High school OFSAA champion, 17x Pac-West Conference Champion, 20x All-American, 10x NCAA Champion, NACAC Gold Medalist, and 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist.

Bolade currently trains Toronto, while also coaching part-time for Flying Angels Track club. He recently started a broadcasting company with his dad after the loss of his grandfather called Gemini 8 Inc.

To connect with Bolade, you can follow him on Instagram @boladicus or on Twitter @BoladeA.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, Content Creator, and "Professional RiskTaker" (Entrepreneur). Connect with Segun on his website www.segunmakinde.ca or on social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram . You can also follow The Inner Olympian here.

In this episode, I chat with former 100m hurdler now aspiring law student, Tia Thevenin. Tia is a former 100m hurdler and has represented Canada at the World Youth, World Juniors, and World University Games. She is also a 2x All American, 3x Canadian National Champion, 6x Provincial Champion and is the 60mh/ 100mh record holder for Syracuse University. In this episode, we chat about her decision to step away from the track, how she makes tough choices, advocating for yourself, letting go of the outcome,  and what she looks forward to now that she has stepped into the world of law.

About Tia

Tia is a former Canadian 100mH from Montreal, Quebec. She started track and field at the age of 15 competing in the 100mH and used that skill to earned herself a scholarship to attend Syracuse University. During this time she became a 2x All American, set the school records in the 60mH at 8.21 and 100mh at 13.13, and represented Canada at the World University Games. Tia has also represented Canada at the World Youth and World Junior Championships, in addition to being a 3x National Champion, and 6x Provincial Champion. Earlier this year she made the tough decision to leave the sport of track and field to pursue her dream of becoming a criminal justice lawyer.

To connect with Tia, you can follow her on Instagram @tiathevenin or on Twitter @tiathev as well as on LinkedIn.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, Content Creator, and "Professional RiskTaker" (Entrepreneur). Connect with Segun on his website www.segunmakinde.ca or social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or connect directly with The Inner Olympian here.

In this episode, I chat with Canadian music artist Lance Lorenzo. Lance is a Canadian artist from Ottawa, Ontario, who has been making music since 2017 and released his first project in March 2020. We chat about the process behind creating new music, the effect going all-in on music has had on his life, where he draws some his inspiration from, and the importance that passion plays in what you decide to do.

About Lance

Lance Lorenzo is an artist from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, who has been making music since 2017. He has been passionate about all things music, from the background facts surrounding the "making-of”, to the rigorous analysis of the beat, lyrics, and potential music video that would come with it since a young age. Being an immense Kanye West fan, the creative process of things always fascinated him and would push him to seek the fulfilling feeling of coming up with a creative idea, and executing it. He spent the year of 2017 and early 2019, working on his craft, releasing his debut project, “ChanksLorenzo” and EP entitled, “Boundless”. After releasing numerous singles throughout the summer, he released “müde” in March 2020, believing it to be the first project to truly mark his progression since his debut. Wait and see what more Lance has in store as he kicks it into high gear from here on out!

To connect with Lance, you can follow him on Instagram @lvnce.lorenzo or on Twitter @lvnce_lorenzo.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, Content Creator, and "Professional RiskTaker" (Entrepreneur). Connect with Segun on his website www.segunmakinde.ca. Or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde.

In this episode, I chat with Strategy Consultant and lifestyle finance expert Tembeka Pratt. Tembeka has been in the banking industry for 10 years with two of Canada's big 5 banks and is the founder and creator of the personal-finance platform "Rich Her". We talk about what it took to move to a brand new city, the "fake it till you make it" concept, networking strategy, stepping out of your comfort zone, the importance of soft skills, and going after what you want.

About Tembeka Pratt

Tembeka, born and raised in Ottawa, has been in the banking industry for 10 years with two of Canada’s big 5 banks. After moving to Toronto in 2016, she transitioned from providing advice to clients in a branch to a role in enterprise process management, and now strategy consulting within the Mobile Advice channel.

As she began to expand her network in Toronto, she noticed there was a lack of basic financial literacy knowledge among her peers - mainly young Black female professionals. With everything becoming digital, and going into the branch becoming a thing of the past among millennials, she was inspired to create ‘Rich Her’ – a personal finance platform providing young, Black professional women with simple financial tips, tricks and advice, and branding herself as a lifestyle finance expert.

Tembeka’s hope is for ‘Rich Her’ to spark conversation among her community that is focused on everything financial literacy, and foster a safe space for Black women to express their concerns and questions about their finances as a way to empower themselves. Rich Her can be found at @shes.richer on Instagram.

To connect with Tembeka, you can follow her on on Instagram @tembeka and @shes.richer

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Community Ambassador. Connect with Segun on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde.

In this episode, I chat with Canadian Olympian Christabel Nettey. Christabel is a 2016 Canadian Olympian, 2018 Commonwealth Champion, 2015 Pan American Games Champion, 7x National Champion, and 2021 Olympic hopeful. She is also the Canadian record holder in the long jump both indoors and outdoors. We talk about handling disappointment, losing her friend in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics, injury, taking the pressure off yourself, mindset & emotion management, giving yourself an opportunity, and much more.

About Christabel Nettey

Christabel grew up in British Columbia, Canada and is the youngest of two sisters. She made her first Canadian team at age 14 when she competed at the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championships in the long jump and the 100m hurdles. This motivated her to work hard so that she would be able to compete on the world's biggest stages one day. In 2013 she finished second at the NCAA Championships while attending Arizona State University followed that success with a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Her break-out season came in 2015 where she set the Canadian indoor and outdoor record in the long jump at 6.99m, won gold at the 2015 Pan Am Game,  and finished fourth at the 2015 IAAF World Championships with a leap of 6.95m - 6cm shy of the podium. In 2016 she qualified for her first Olympic games despite facing a challenging season, but unfortunately did not make the final. Her hard work was rewarded shortly after in 2018 when she won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Currently, she trains in Louisiana with the goal of making her second Olympic team.

To connect with Christabel, you can follow her on Twitter and on Instagram @queenchristabel

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador,  and Christie Lake Community Ambassador. Connect with Segun on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde.

In this episode, I chat with Canadian 100m sprinter and 4x100m relay member Bismark Boateng. Bismark is a double Canadian National Championship medalist in the 100m (2018, 2019), 2019 NACAC Gold Medalist in the 4x100m, Francophone Games Bronze Medalist in the 100m, and RBC Olympian. We talk about what lead him to leave soccer for track and field, where he gets his confidence from, picking yourself back up after experiencing tough times, the importance of working hard for what you want, and one of my favorite books, 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho.

About Bismark Boateng

Bismark has been a staple on the Canadian Sprint scene since 2015. As a kid, he was a touted soccer star in Ghana and always held a strong passion for sports. Upon coming to Canada he enrolled in university and played two seasons for the Ryerson Rams before transferring to York University where he found his true calling - Athletics.

In his first international competition - The World University Games, Bismark turned heads with his 10th place finish in the 100m. This huge feat for a first global competition combined with the electric atmosphere made Bismark hungry for more

Impressed by his stats and professionalism on the track, Bismark was recruited and signed as an RBC Olympian - Canada's longest-serving corporate sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team. He represents the brand as both an athlete and speaker inspiring youth of all ages

To connect with Bismark, you can follow him on Instagram @bboateng15 or check out his podcast "I am_and this is my story".

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, 3x International medalist, Keynote Speaker, AthletesCAN Ambassador, Christie Lake Kids Ambassador, and Content Creator. Connect with Segun on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde.

In this episode, I chat with Canadian hurdler and Ph.D. candidate Devyani Biswal. Devyani is the 2016 University of Ottawa Athlete of the year, 2016 CIS (now USport) Gold medalist, University of Ottawa record holder in the 60m hurdles, 2016 valedictorian, and is completing her Ph.D. in Financial Math. Yes - Financial Math. We talk about how she discovered her passion for the hurdles and math, some of the obstacles she's faced along her journey to where she is now, overcoming fear and self-doubt, and the mindset shifts that have allowed her to step out of her comfort zone.

About Devyani Biswal

Devyani is a Canadian 100m hurdler and Ph.D. candidate in Financial Math. She grew up in Ottawa, Canada with her twin sister and was a figure skater in high school before turning her focus over to track full time in university. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for math as well as her love for the hurdles. In 2016 Devyani had a break out year which saw her win gold at the CIS Indoor Championships, set a school record in the 60mH, win athlete of the year, and be named valedictorian of her graduating class. Devyani is now halfway through her Ph.D and is training to potentially represent Canada at the next Olympic Games. Recently she moved out to California to train with Coach Kevin Reid who also coached 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Bryan Clay.

To connect with Devyani, you can follow her on Instagram @dbiswal.

About Segun: Segun is a 2x Canadian Olympian, Keynote Speaker, Content Creator, and "Professional RiskTaker" (Entrepreneur). Connect with Segun on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SegunMakinde.