The Victory Degree

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to dive into the minds of high performers, in sports and related fields, to uncover their long road to success and the tools & strategies they picked up along the way.  

Today’s guest is David Kilgore - David may be one of the world’s greatest endurance athletes, but his route to the top is perhaps not what you would expect from an ultra-runner. While David did compete in traditional competitions during his college years, he also spent much of his youth chasing alligators through swamps in his home state of Florida. And it’s this fearless nature that has helped him achieve some incredible results. A four-time Florida state track and cross country champion and All-American runner, David soon began to compete in more challenging events and push his body to the limit. Now part of the US World Trail and Ultra team, he’s used to covering huge distances. In 2020, he ran 100 miles in a single day to raise money for charity, and the following year ran the entire circumference of Manhattan. But perhaps his most remarkable feat to date was participating in and winning the World Marathon Challenge. This saw David and 34 other hand-selected runners compete in seven marathons in seven days across seven continents.

In this interview, David reveals his journey to running, how he pushes himself past his own limit, his training regimen for ultramarathons, the life changing insights he had from running 7 marathons in 7 days across 7 continents, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

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Josh Dobbs

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Dr. Jim Loehr

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Connect with David Kilgore:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkilgore/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.kilgore.98/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVictoryDegree

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Dr. Jim Loehr - a World-renowned performance psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, Co-founder, & Coach. Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine and law enforcement, including Fortune 100 executives, FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, and military Special Forces. Dr. Loehr’s sports clients include 17 number ones in the world in their respective sports, multiple clients from professional tennis, golf, basketball, football, hockey, boxing, race car driving and the Olympics. He has applied his methodology to both individuals and entire teams. From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfillment and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character. Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist, whose ground-breaking, science-based energy management training system has achieved worldwide recognition. Dr. Loehr has been chronicled in leading national publications, including: Fortune, Harvard Business Review, US News Report and has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. 

In this interview, Dr. Loehr reveals his journey to sports psychology, what mental toughness is and how to increase it, how the best tennis players in the world stay mentally tough during a match, the power of your inner voice and how to harness it to achieve greatness, how to build up your resiliency, the idea of an ideal performance state, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) The Gift of Sport

(04:16) Sports Psychology in the 80's

(13:10) The Psychological Struggles of Tennis Players

(21:07) Learning From Athletes

(25:15) Inner Voice

(42:31) The Perils of Competition

(45:54) Dan Jansen

(54:50) Modern Day Struggles of Athletes

(59:09) How To Become More Resilient 

(01:01:25) Ideal Performance State

(01:06:06) Novak Djokovic: GOAT?

(01:13:17) Athletes Dr. Loehr Wishes He Worked With

(01:17:51) Proudest Moments

(01:22:23) Life Advice

Connect with Dr. Jim Loehr:

Website: www.jim-loehr.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jim-loehr/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Frank Fleming aka Frank the Tank. If you follow Barstool Sports, then you know Frank as the diehard Mets, Dolphins, Devils, and recently converted Knicks fan. His over the top rants combined with his insane knowledge of sports history have earned him a huge base of loyal supporters online. Before Barstool, Frank was a court clerk, substitute teacher, and frequent user of the New Jersey Transit System. Little did Frank know that a viral rant about NJ Transit was about to change his life forever…

In this interview, Frank reveals his journey to Barstool, how he built one of the largest sports history websites in the world, the crime that was the 02’ Lakers/Kings playoff series, his insane weight loss journey, an array of stats and facts about the 4 major North American sports leagues, a rant about the Miami Dolphins, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) US Soccer

(05:00) Pre Barstool Days

(08:36) SportsEcyclopedia.com

(12:46) NBA in the 80's & 90's

(19:46) 02' Kings Lakers Playoff Series

(23:09) Sports Conspiracies 

(25:56) Hard Rock Stadium

(28:00) Becoming a Dolphins Fan

(31:32) Working at Barstool

(36:01) Frank Walks

(38:15) Sports History

(54:56) Insane Dolphins Story

(58:55) How to Fix the Dolphins

(01:01:29) Life Advice

Connect with Frank:

Twitter: https://x.com/NjTank99

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/njtank1975/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Merril Hoge. Merril was a running back in the NFL for 8 seasons for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears. Hoge’s NFL career saw him amass 3139 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns before having to retire due to a concussion misdiagnosis. Merril went on to have a successful career as a sports personality on ESPN before being laid off in 2017. Merril’s journey has been full of ups and downs: from losing his mother at the age of 19 to being diagnosed with cancer in 2003 to having open heart surgery in 2015. Despite all these challenges, Merril has always been able to “find a way.”  

In this interview, Merril reveals his journey to the NFL, how he deals with moments of self-doubt, how he’s been able to navigate tragedy and life’s toughest challenges, his abysmal draft combine experience, what he has learned from hunting with Big Ben, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro 

(02:08) Johnny Manziel 

(03:59) Find a Way

(13:13) How To Defeat Self-Doubt

(18:57) How Merril Dealt With His Mother Passing Away

(24:45) Merril's Draft Combine

(30:00) Concussion Misdiagnosis 

(39:01) Cancer & Open-Heart Surgery 

(47:58) Happiness 

(54:01) Hunting With Big Ben 

(01:00:06) Life Advice

Connect with Merril:

Twitter: x.com/merrilhoge

Instagram: www.instagram.com/merrilhoge/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is TeeTee Terry. TeeTee is a 2 time track and field world champion who specialized in the women’s 100 and 200 meter sprints. She’s a 2 time gold medalist in the 4x1 relay, set a school record at USC, and recently qualified for the Paris Olympics representing Team USA. TeeTee made Junior Olympics her first year in track and field and is quickly becoming one of the fastest women in the world. TeeTee is easily recognizable from her signature double ponytails, loves DIY projects, and has a passion for working with kids.

In this interview, TeeTee reveals her journey to track and field, what she’s looking forward to in the Paris Olympics, the reality of being an olympian, how she gets her mind right before and during a race, the power of discipline, her takeaways from working with George Mumford, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(02:01) Who is TeeTee?

(03:39) Relationship w/Parents

(09:07) Is Passion Real?

(11:21) TeeTee's Relationship w/Track

(13:06) Motivation 

(15:15) Behind the Scenes Look at the Olympics

(19:14) Difficulty of Competing in 100m Sprint

(21:30) Pre-Race Routine

(23:07) Experience at USC

(26:11) Discipline 

(30:17) Priorities 

(31:07) Intention

(32:06) George Mumford

(39:06) Mindset During a Race

(41:01) Is Winning as Fun As It Seems?

(46:06) Criticism 

(49:38) Role Models

(52:09) Paris Olympics

(54:12) Sports Broadcaster

(55:16) Advice to Kids

(57:06) Plans After Track

(57:22) Life Advice

Connect with TeeTee:

Twitter: https://x.com/TeeTeeTerry_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canonlybeme__/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Jimmy Traina. Jimmy has been with Sports Illustrated since 2000, covering the world of sports and sports media in various capacities. He has been writing daily sports columns since 2007 and has been the host of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2017 interviewing athletes and media personalities like Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Charles Barkley, Bill Simmons, Ryen Russilo, Pat McAfee, and more.

In this interview, Jimmy explains why New Haven Pizza is overrated, how he landed a job at Sports Illustrated, what separates great broadcasters like Kevin Harlan and Mike Breen from everyone else, the future of sports media, the grind of writing a daily sports column, what he’s learned from interviewing Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons, Charles Barkley, Scott Hansen, Pat McAfee, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(03:22) Worst Tuesday of the Year?

(04:08) Working From Home

(06:00) New Haven Pizza

(10:30) How Jimmy Got Into Sports

(14:54) Sports as a Career

(16:09) Sports Broadcasting

(19:54) How to Deal With Criticism

(22:17) How Twitter Changed Sports

(24:21) Athlete Podcasts & Future of Sports Media

(28:37) The Optimal TV Setup

(32:28) Streaming Platforms

(33:29) How Fantasy & Gambling Have Changed the NFL

(36:00) The Grind of Writing a Daily Sports Column

(40:04) Getting Into Sports Media

(44:17) Starting a Podcast in 2017

(49:08) Jimmy's Interview Style

(55:38) Ryen Russillo

(56:57) Bill Simmons

(58:16) Charles Barkley

(61:10) Scott Hansen

(01:02:21) Pat McAfee

(01:07:55) Downsides of Working in Sports

(01:11:24) Jimmy's Favorite Character from The Office

(01:14:19) The Legacy of Bill Walton

(01:17:00) Life Advice

Connect with Jimmy: 

Twitter: https://x.com/JimmyTraina

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmytraina/

SI Media Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/si-media-with-jimmy-traina/id997819235

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Allistair McCaw. Allistair is a sports performance and mindset coach who has worked with extraordinary athletes and olympians like Kevin Anderson, Xavier Malisse, and many others. Allistair’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable as he grew up working various jobs like: delivering newspapers, mascotting for a sports drink company, and cleaning gyms. In his spare time, Allistair has competed in 29 marathons and in 5 duathlon world championships. Currently, Allistair travels the world sharing his knowledge on leadership, motivation, and team culture. 

In this interview, Allistair outlines the importance of preparation, how to seek out success, his experience working with top athletes and how they differ from everyone else, how to build lasting habits, and much more…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(01:45) What Allistair Does and Why?

(03:52) Working Various Odd Jobs

(07:07) The Impact of Our Circumstances

(09:19) Why Many Are Difficult to Coach

(13:20) No Money in Sports

(16:52) How to Become a Sports Performance & Mindset Coach

(20:15) Knowing When to Quit 

(22:34) Allistair's First Big Break

(24:61) Kevin Anderson

(27:03) Working w/Grand Slam Champions

(37:05) The Origins of Obsession

(43:30) Nick Bollettieri

(48:48) Marriage Advice 

(51:20) The Importance of Mindset

(54:52) "Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity"

(59:41) Self-Talk

(01:06:31) Coach K

(01:10:23) Building Habits That Last

(01:16:57) Life Advice

Connect with Allistair: 

Twitter: https://x.com/AllistairMcCaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bechampionminded/

Mindset Is Your Superpower Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNM1VCV8?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_XEM43ZBS55BYBP1QHQVH&language=en-US

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Coach Bob Starkey. Coach Starkey has more than 30 years of SEC coaching experience including stints with both LSU Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams from 1989-2011. During this time, he coached LSU greats like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Temeka Jonson, and Shaq. All in all, Coach Starkey has had a decorated career, having been a part of 790 collegiate victories, 24 NCAA Tournaments, eight trips to the Elite Eight and five straight trips to the Women’s Final Four (2004-08). He is currently the associate head coach on the LSU Women’s Basketball team, under head coach Kim Mulkey and was largely responsible for implementing defensive principles that ultimately helped LSU win the national title in 2023. 

In this interview, Coach Starkey reveals his journey to coaching, how to push through adversity, what he’s learned from studying coaches like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, the growth of women’s basketball, experience coaching Angel Reese and Shaq, how athletes should approach social media, and much more. 

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. With that, let’s get to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(02:19) Coach Starkey's Journey to Coaching

(05:54) Differences Between Men's and Women's Basketball

(09:12) How To Fight Through Adversity & Focus on the Process

(17:40) Staying in the Moment & Kobe

(21:31) What Makes for Good Team Culture?

(25:39) The Downstream Effects of Poor Leadership

(26:48) Learning From Bill Belichick & Nick Saban

(29:39) Failure

(32:53) Angel Reese

(37:38) Social Media

(40:46) Growth of Women's Basketball

(45:52) Shaq

(53:05) Coach Starkey: Hall of Fame Coach

(55:08) Work Ethic

(59:40) Finding Your Passion

(01:08:28) What Coach Starkey is Most Proud Of

(01:09:59) Online Blog

(01:21:50) How Basketball Has Changed?

(01:29:29) Phil Jackson

(01:35:36) Life Advice

Connect with Coach Starkey: 

Twitter: https://x.com/CoachBobStarkey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoopcoachbobstarkey/

Hoop Thoughts Blog: https://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is Sylvia Hoffman aka SupaDupaChick. Sylvia is a 7 time World Cup Medalist and former Olympic Bronze medal winning bobsledder. In her own words, Sylvia is “a multi-sport athlete that has had three main sports throughout her athletic career. And she have gone Pro in two of them all while working full time in corporate. She is very passionate about reaching for goals that others deem impossible. She is an engineer, a national, international and Olympic record holder, an undefeated national champion, and an aspiring keynote speaker.” Not to mention, Sylvia is also a huge Eagles fan. 

In this interview, Sylvia reveals her extraordinary journey to bobsledding which involves an appearance on The Next Olympic Hopeful, the ins and outs of bobsledding, the difficult of juggling a full time job while training for the Olympics, how everyone can improve their self-confidence, and how to never give up…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. Alright, now on to the episode…

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Philadelphia Eagles

(02:06) How to Become a Bobsledder

(10:50) What is Bobsledding?

(13:12) The Military or The Olympics

(17:20) Astronauts & Space

(20:30) The Randomness of Life

(28:36) Working a 9-5

(33:50) How to Break Out of the Rat Race

(39:26) Making Team USA

(46:07) Olympic Training

(56:05) Financial Hardships

(01:05:32) Medaling in the Summer AND Winter Olympic Games

(01:13:59) Life Advice

Connect with Sylvia: 

Twitter: https://x.com/MsSylviaHoffman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ms_sylviahoffman/?hl=en

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic

Welcome back to The Victory Degree Podcast! There are plenty of podcasts out there and so I thank you for choosing The Victory Degree today - the podcast where my mission is to interview the most influential people in sports both on and off the field. 

Today’s guest is George Mumford, a.k.a. The Performance Whisperer. George is a globally recognized speaker, teacher, and pioneer in sports psychology and performance. Since 1989, he’s been honing his groundbreaking performance and mindfulness techniques with people from locker rooms to board rooms, Yale to jail — as Phil Jackson’s ‘Secret Weapon’ to winning eight NBA Championships, helping Michael Jordan transform his leadership, and teaching Kobe Bryant to “just be.”

In this interview, George shares his experience working with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. He reveals why Kobe and MJ were some of his best meditation students and why MJ embraced the idea of “competing against one’s previous best self.” George also discusses the work he did with prison inmates and why they’re not so different from NBA players…

As always, I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode. And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find this episode. It helps the show more than you know. And finally please remember: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take….

TIMESTAMPS

(01:41) 12 Siblings

(04:11) George's Childhood

(09:36) The Power of Adversity 

(17:11) Self-Realization 

(24:20) Kobe's Jump Shot and Freedom

(29:29) Working With Phil Jackson & The Bulls

(35:48) Meditation Experts: Kobe & Michael Jordan

(41:40) George's Improbable Journey 

(45:17) Working With Prison Inmates 

(49:03) How Social Media Has Impacted Athletes 

(55:42) Advice From Athletes 

(57:38) Life Advice 

Connect with George: 

Twitter: https://x.com/gtmumford

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/george.mumford/

Website: https://georgemumford.com/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikatanackovic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nik_Atanackovic