The Rep Your Story Podcast

As we close out season 3 of this podcast, I am super excited to share this remarkable and inspiring story of a female boxer out of England whose name is Nicola Adams.

Growing up with an abusive father, Nicola found boxing as a means of defending and protecting herself and her mother from more violence.

From overcoming gender inequalities in her early career to becoming the first double Olympic gold medalist in boxing and finishing her professional career with an undefeated record, Nicola Adams has played a pivotal role in propelling female boxing to what it is today.

So, hit that play button and let’s end Season 3 by diving in to the LVLS of Nicola Adams’ story.

There are a lot of things that the average person takes for granted. When you go to tie your shoes, when you swing a bat, or when you throw and catch a ball, these are all actions that are typically performed with two hands.

Well today’s episode is about an athlete that didn’t just learn how to do each of these actions with one hand, he excelled at them, even at the professional level.

Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, but that didn’t stop him from proving skeptics wrong at every stage of his career, all while devoting countless hours to give back and inspire younger generations with disabilities to chase their dreams as well.

Hit that play button and let's get into the LVLS of Jim Abbott’s story.

When you go shopping at the grocery store, you’re probably not likely to see a future Super Bowl champion stocking the shelves, but this story is about an athlete that did just that.

The theme of Kurt Warner’s life is the underdog - overlooked in high school, college, and the pros.

Most athletes would’ve given up long before, but Kurt’s perseverance helped him break a number of records with not one, but two NFL teams in his Hall of Fame career.

His journey was so incredible and inspiring, that they even made a movie about it.

So hit that play button and let's dive into the LVLS of Kurt Warner’s story!

So far on this podcast, we’ve discussed athletes whose stories began with broken homes, physical impairments, financial struggles, and issues with the law, but today’s episode is about an athlete who experienced something entirely different.

This athlete not only lost his mother when he was just 9 years old, but he also grew up in a country going through a civil war - the Second Congo War.

From running barefoot through the streets, surrounded by gunfire and bombings, to eventually becoming an NBA Champion and earning well over $100 million in career earnings, these are the LVLS to Serge Ibaka’s story.

In December of 2013, a video went viral showing a football player on the Denver Broncos with tears streaming down his face during the national anthem...and these weren’t normal tears, these were like someone had opened up the floodgates and all the emotions boiling up inside were finally let loose. 

Well there’s a pretty inspiring and impactful story behind those tears and it starts with a kid bouncing around homeless shelters who ends up making it to the NFL, breaking a few records along the way. 

Hit that play button and let's get into the LVLS of Knowshon Moreno’s story!

This episode, we’re going to be talking about a powerful and impactful woman who, during the 1960’s, was referred to as "the fastest woman in history." 

She was one of the most visible black women in America, became a role model for black and female athletes around the world, and was an incredible civil rights and women’s rights pioneer. 

But, what makes her story even more inspiring and unbelievable is the fact that she was born prematurely and told she would never even be able to walk. 

These are the LVLS to Wilma Rudolph’s story.

Usually, when you hear about someone with a criminal record of 15 arrests before their sophomore year of high school, you don’t really think that there’s any hope for them. 

Well today’s story is about an athlete that turned what he learned from his time in solitary confinement into an NBA Championship ring, two NBA All-Star selections, and numerous multi-million dollar contracts. 

Hit that play button and let's dive into the LVLS of Caron Butler's career...

This episode, we talk about one of the most accomplished, decorated athletes of all time, and no, I’m not talking about anyone in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, none of that. 

I’m talking about Tamika Catchings.

Born with a severe hearing impairment, which led to her requiring speech therapy later in life, Tamika was bullied nonstop as a child for wearing hearing aids, glasses, and eventually braces. 

But, what’s incredible about her story is that she used her physical impairments to make her an even more talented athlete, eventually going on to win a WNBA Championship, WNBA MVP, and countless other accolades throughout her 15 year career.

Hit that play button and let's dive into the LVLS of Tamika Catchings' career...

In this episode, we talk about a guy by the name of Jimmy Graham. 

If you’re a fan of the NFL, then you’ve probably heard of him, but if you haven’t, he’s a tight end that has previously played for the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints (who drafted him). 

Regardless of if you’ve heard of him or not, his story of being dropped off at a group home by his own mother at age 11 to becoming a 5 time NFL Pro Bowler is incredibly remarkable and inspirational.

Hit that play button and let's get into the LVLS of Jimmy Graham's career...

With our new podcast format, we're excited to get things started with an NBA standout by the name of Louis Clyde Hudson or "Sweet Lou" as people called him.

Why start this season off with Lou? 

Well, after doing some research on who exactly we wanted to kick this podcast off with, we were reading through some historical accounts of impactful athletes and stumbled upon Lou’s story. AND he recently just got inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this year, so that always helps.

Lou Hudson is someone that you may not have heard of (if you’re not an Atlanta Hawks fan), but after this episode, hopefully you’ll understand just how much of an impact he made on the game of basketball and even the racial barriers at the time.

Hit that play button and let's get into the LVLS of Lou Hudson's career...