The Victory Degree

Coach Beyah Rasool has coached football at nearly every level of the game where he spent last season inside the Raiders building around Max Crosby and Brock Bowers before joining the Philadelphia Eagles. This conversation is about what he saw up close. What actually separates the players at the top — and why it's not what most people assume. What he noticed watching Max Crosby's practice film that he still can't get over. Why he believes a weakness is something else entirely, misread. And a theory about winning that I haven't heard from anyone else in a hundred-plus episodes of asking. We also get into evaluating talent, the mindset lesson Pete Carroll taught him, constraints, courage, and the question he's still wrestling with in his own career. 

Connect with Coach Rasool: 

Instagram: instagram.com/coachbeyrasool/ 

X: x.com/CoachBeyRasool 

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik 

Seth Wickersham ESPN Article: bit.ly/4vQUYbe

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Michael Phelps won more Olympic gold medals than most countries. This episode is about how.

I spent over a week inside the mind of the most decorated Olympian ever — his book No Limits, New York Times profiles dating back to 2002, and every interview I could find. What I found wasn't a story about talent. It was something stranger: a training philosophy most athletes would refuse, a coach who pushed him to his limits, and a confession from Phelps about what he saw when he looked in the mirror that I haven't stopped thinking about since.

This is a chapter-by-chapter deep dive into how Phelps thought about preparation, losing, doubters, and the price of being first — told in his own words, from primary sources.

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik 

Sources: 

Buy No Limits: The Will To Succeed By Michael Phelps: amzn.to/4vCgFLW

New York Times Articles: 

nyti.ms/4wdTRDq

nyti.ms/4wmYn2n

Interview With Will Ahmed: bit.ly/3TaBjoS

Interview With Tony Robbins: bit.ly/4fJp6jJ

Interview With Bhrett McCabe: bit.ly/4yvyGhE

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Steph Curry:

Spotify: bit.ly/4wwEfuk

Kobe Bryant

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Prior to taking the position at ESPN Seth Greenberg was a coach for 34 years, the last 22 as a head coach. Greenberg has been the head coach at Long Beach State, the University of South Florida, and Virginia Tech. He was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year.

This conversation is about what all those years actually taught him. Inside: the mindset he calls "being an everyday guy" and why he believes winning and losing are byproducts of something else entirely, the story of the night he got thrown out at Duke — and what happened three weeks later, the legendary summer camp where he learned in the shadow of Bob Knight and Chuck Daly while future Hall of Famers ran the courts, the mentor who saved his career in 1983, and his rule for handling critics who've never walked in your shoes. 

Plus: what he learned about resilience, why he says the grind is a privilege, and the advice he gives every young player trying to make it. 

Connect with Seth: 

Instagram: instagram.com/sethonhoops/  

X: x.com/SethOnHoops 

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

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Josh Dobbs

Spotify: spoti.fi/4cmtQXu

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Magic Johnson said there was only one player he ever truly feared.

This episode goes inside the mind of Larry Bird — not a career recap, but a deep dive into how he actually thought. How he practiced, why he took losses personally, what he did the summer after getting swept, and why the man who "couldn't run or jump" became one of the greatest to ever play.

The episode is built around eight principles pulled from Bird's own words — his autobiography Drive: The Story of My Life, newspaper archives from the '80s and early '90s, and a rare interview from his final NBA season. Including the story of the night he decided to play an entire game with the wrong hand — and announced it beforehand.

All sources linked below.

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik 

Sources: 

Buy "Drive: The Story of My Life" by Larry Bird: bit.ly/4pecGDD 

NBA Interview With Larry Bird During His Final Season: bit.ly/4vm2NFe

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Steph Curry:

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Kobe Bryant

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Alex Barrett spent nine years in the NFL — undrafted out of San Diego State, through stints with the Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers. But his journey looked nothing like the highlight reels. In this conversation, Alex opens up about the side of professional football that rarely gets told: the constant uncertainty, the sacrifices behind the scenes, and what it takes to keep showing up when nothing is promised. We discuss what it means to be a "pro's pro," the habits that kept him in the league, the role luck plays in every career, life on and off the field, and the mindset he now brings to helping the next generation of athletes. 

Connect with Alex: 

Instagram: instagram.com/alex.barrett/ 

X: x.com/alexbarrett 

Website: alejandrobarrett.com/ 

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

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Josh Dobbs

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Dr. Jim Loehr

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Kurt Benkert is a former NFL quarterback, content creator and entrepreneur. 

Kurt spent his career inside the quarterback rooms of some of the best to ever play the position, and the perspective he gained there has made him one of the more thoughtful voices on the mental side of the game. Today, we get to go through his best lessons about mindset, human behaviour, psychology, resilience and life after the game. Expect to learn why every quarterback Kurt backed up went on to become the highest-paid player at his position, what Aaron Rodgers taught him about handling failure, the real reason talented players ride the bench, how to stay motivated when success isn't guaranteed, the hidden cost that comes with winning, the mindset differences between Rodgers, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love and Matt Ryan, why doubting whether you'll succeed is a waste of energy, the relationship between balance and leverage, what playing in a Shanahan system actually demands of you, how to put yourself in position to get lucky, the one thing he'd tell himself heading into the draft, what football taught him about building a business and much much more… 

Connect with Kurt: 

Instagram: instagram.com/kurtbenkert 

X: x.com/KurtBenkert 

Website: thedimelab.com 

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

Other Episodes You May Enjoy:

Josh Dobbs

Spotify: spoti.fi/4cmtQXu

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George Mumford

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This video recaps everything I learned about Steph Curry, his mindset & how he operates from reading the book: Shot Ready By Stephen Curry bit.ly/4g3jRfr 

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

Sources: 

Bleacher Report Interview: bit.ly/4vzvlfq 

Chris Mullin Interview With Mark Jackson: bit.ly/4gHJfHJ 

NY Times Article: bit.ly/4gJDcT3 

Chris Reilly Article: bit.ly/4eN6u0L 

Coach Bob McKillop & Steph Curry Interview: bit.ly/3R90aIZ 

Davidson Steph Curry Interview: bit.ly/4uZrLu6 

Alex Hormozi Tweet: bit.ly/4v44Uh9

Former Navy SEAL medic and instructor David Rutherford has spent 30+ years studying what drives people to perform — and what makes them quit — in the most extreme environments on earth. From the SEAL teams to Blackwater to the CIA, and now working with elite sports organizations and the world's top performers, David has built a career around one question: how do you restructure your relationship with pain to unlock what you're truly capable of?

In this conversation, we get into delusional self-belief, the truth about fear, the "40%" most people never explore, and the stories and lessons that have stuck with David long after he left the battlefield. We also talk about what war really does to a person — the parts nobody warns you about — and how the same principles that carry operators through combat apply to anyone chasing a goal.

This one goes deep. David holds nothing back.

Connect with David: 

Instagram: instagram.com/teamfroglogic/

X: x.com/teamfroglogic

Website: davidrutherford.com/

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

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Josh Dobbs

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This episode dives into the mindset, habits, and philosophy that made Kobe Bryant one of the most relentless competitors in sports history. Through Kobe's own words, discover the lessons, stories, and principles behind the Mamba Mentality—and why his approach to greatness continues to inspire athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers around the world.

Whether you're chasing success in sports, business, or life, this conversation will challenge the way you think about discipline, preparation, resilience, and what it truly means to be great.

This episode is what I leaned from reading The Mamba Mentality: How I Play By Kobe Bryant: amzn.to/4x9oPgC

Sources/Links Referenced:

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

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Josh Dobbs

Spotify: spoti.fi/4cmtQXu

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Former NFL Pro Bowler Patrick DiMarco joins the show to share the untold reality of life inside the NFL — from being an undrafted free agent and nearly losing football after a devastating injury, to the emotional aftermath of Super Bowl 51 and the hidden pressure athletes carry behind the scenes.

We dive into the culture behind the legendary 2016 Falcons team, Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Matt Ryan’s MVP season, Julio Jones off the field, NFL politics, mental health, leadership, faith, and what it really takes to survive 10 years in the league.

One of the most honest football conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

Connect with Patrick: 

Instagram: instagram.com/patdimarco42/

Twitter: x.com/PatDiMarco42

Connect with Nik: 

Instagram: instagram.com/victorywithnik/ 

Twitter: x.com/victorywithnik

Other Episodes You May Enjoy:

Josh Dobbs

Spotify: spoti.fi/4cmtQXu

Apple Podcasts: apple.co/4e9hmVB

George Mumford

Spotify: spoti.fi/4bIywaR

Apple Podcasts: apple.co/45ltHBR

Dr. Jim Loehr

Spotify: spoti.fi/3yyddu8

Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3AcnX21