The Path Distilled Podcast

Iris and Felicia Zimmermann, US Olympic Fencers 

Is your success yours, or are you chasing someone else’s? In this episode, we speak with Iris Zimmerman and Felicia Zimmerman, sisters who grew up participating and competing in the sport of fencing including a chance to compete with each other at the Olympics. Following their transition out of the sport, they decided to take over and co-own the Rochester Fencing Club where they spent years training for excellence. They discuss their individual and collective paths and experiences as high performing athletes, the realities of being entrepreneurs and owning a business together, managing expectations, and their definitions of success. Iris, now a performance coach with Valor Performance, and Felicia, who splits her time between business consulting in Egypt and owning a business in New York, share many perspectives and takeaways useful for listeners pursuing excellence in sport, business, or any performance domain. 

Learn more about Iris and Felicia: Iris LinkedIn, Felicia Twitter, Valor Performance, Rochester Fencing Club

Dr. Mark Williams, Professor, Author - The Best - How Elite Athletes are Made

Do you keep moving forward every day toward your goals? In this episode, Dr. Mark Williams shares his path from international youth footballer to world-renowned expert on human performance. He discusses the tremendous growth in the use of science applied to sport, touches on many of the current debates in the world of coaching, and provides his take on the role of genetics versus environment in the development of elite level performance. Dr. Williams also discusses his newest book on elite athletes for which he and his co-author interviewed dozens of elite athletes including Steph Curry, Marcus Rashford, and Pete Sampras to name a few.

To learn more about Dr. Williams: https://www.markwilliamssportsscience.com

To learn more about The Best - How Elite Athletes are Made: https://www.amazon.com/Best-How-Champions-Are-Made/dp/1529304350

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Abe Kamarck, CEO and Founder of True Made Foods. Highlights include their discussion about the role of serendipity in success, capitalizing on opportunities when they are presented, and making sure that one really wants the outcome being pursued. Kevin and Lauren also discuss the difference between routine- versus adaptive- expertise,

Abe Kamarck, CEO & Founder of True Made Foods

Do you get stuck on the emotional rollercoaster, too high with successes or too low with failures? In this episode Abe Kamarck shares his path from growing up on his family’s Italian cooking, to military officer, to founder and CEO of a successful startup company. He shares what he learned in flight school about preparing for the worst-case scenario, navigating the pressure of starting and growing a business, and how success is a moving target. This episode is full of great information for anyone pursuing their goals, from students to entrepreneurs. 

Learn more about Abe: Instagram, Twitter

Learn more about True Made Foods: Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Lockwood Barr, Country Music Recording Artist

Is pushing yourself outside your comfort zone a theme in your life? In this episode Lockwood Barr shares her path from her first writing sessions after arriving in Nashville to becoming a successful artist. She discusses consistently pushing out of her comfort zone, fighting impostor syndrome, her first CMA festival as a performer, and touring for a living. Lockwood also shares the importance of addressing mental health needs and her efforts to bring awareness to, and advocate  for,  suicide prevention. Her story is inspiring and reminds us not to be deterred by rejections along our path.

Learn more about Lockwood: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Brandon Barnett, Songwriter and Founder of the Left of Nashville Podcast Network. Highlights include their discussion of how burnout can happen even when you love what you do, and that being extremely passionate about something possibly can lead to an even greater chance of it. Kevin and Lauren also discuss how draining the true-crime genre can be, how an idea without an investment goes nowhere, and the alliteration of Kevin’s self-designated nickname - bald Brad Pitt.

Brandon Barnett, Songwriter and Founder of the Left of Nashville Podcast Network

Would you walk away from a good living to take a shot at your dreams? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren speak with Brandon Barnett, whose path includes collaborating with one of Nashville’s best known songwriters to his true crime podcast that led to an arrest in a decades old missing person cold-case. Brandon shares his experience of not giving up, the joy and stress of podcasting about cold cases, and the importance of having fun no matter what you pursue. He also talks about the realization that he had hundreds of thousands of listeners, and his mantra of not putting out garbage just to release something.

Learn more about Brandon: Instagram, Facebook

Learn more about Left of Nashville: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Amie Wells, Broadcasting Manager for the Tennessee Titans and cohost of Titans All Access. Highlights include their discussion of the importance of sharing your goals with others, how a lot of people are willing to help you along the way, and the reason for not being shy when touting your accomplishments. Kevin and Lauren also discuss what modern networking looks like.

Amie Wells, Broadcasting Manager for the Tennessee Titans; Cohost of Titans All Access

Are you coachable? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren speak with Amie Wells about her path from political science major to one of the media faces of an NFL team. Amie shares the lessons she learned as an intern for the Baltimore Ravens sharpening pencils for the offensive line, the importance of being coachable, and what it is like working around household names on a daily basis. In addition to an insider’s look at an NFL team, Amie’s episode is full of great advice for anyone looking to reach their goals and possibly land their dream job.

Learn more about Amie: Instagram, Twitter

Jonathan Avalos, Founder of Athletic Golf Fitness 

Do you show people that you are invested in them? In this episode Kevin and Lauren speak with Jonathan Avalos about his path from using his background as an athlete to become a trainer to founding his own business specializing in physical fitness training for golfers. Listen to hear Jonathan’s advice on ignoring your thoughts telling you that you can’t do something, the importance of knowing the intent behind every movement, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of getting better at being average. He also shares the importance of leading when no one is watching and the important lesson he learned from his young sons about happiness.

Learn more about Jonathan: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Learn more about Athletic Golf Fitness: Facebook, Instagram