Category Archives: Sport

Season 2, Ep 12 – Jake Kelfer

July 18, 2021Business, SportAthletes, Author, Basketball, Business, Coaching, Drive, Entrepenuer, Entrepreneurship, High Performers, Mental Toughness, NBA, Professional Basketball Combine, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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Jake Kelfer, Founder of Professional Basketball Combine and Bestselling Author

Is “no” better than “maybe”? Kevin and Lauren chat with Jake Kelfer about his path to creating a secondary combine for the NBA and becoming a bestselling author. He shares what it was like using his own money to fund his startup, the pitfalls of trying to please everyone, and the art of asking the right questions. His episode is full of great advice for everyone.

Learn more about Jake: Twitter, Instagram

Learn more about Professional Basketball Combine: Twitter

Season 2, Ep 11 – Gentry Estes

July 4, 2021SportAthletes, Drive, Football, Gentry Estes, High Performers, Mental Toughness, Nashville, NFL, Persistence, Sport, Sports Columnist, Success, Tennessean, Work Ethicthe-path-distilled

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Gentry Estes, Sports Columnist

Do you want it enough to withstand the challenges? Kevin and Lauren chat with Gentry Estes about his path from a 16 year-old sports reporter to well-known sports columnist. He discusses the challenges he has faced, how work ethic separates performers at the highest levels, and the need to honor the opportunities one is given. Gentry also discusses his philosophy of digging deeper into a story with the goal of giving the audience something they don’t already know.

Learn more about Gentry: Twitter

Season 2, Ep 9 – Blaine Sumner

June 6, 2021SportAthletes, Chicken Shakes, Drive, Football, High Performers, Mental Toughness, Persistence, Powerlifter, Strongman, Success, Training, Word Championthe-path-distilled

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Blaine Sumner, World Powerlifting Champion

Do observers recognize the grind or just see the glory? Kevin and Lauren chat with Blaine Sumner about his path from a very lean kid to becoming the World Powerlifting Champion. He discusses the importance of reaching incremental goals, overcoming injuries, and being incorrectly viewed as a “genetic freak.” Blaine also shares his view on the importance of a systemic approach to tackling goals, the mental aspect of reaching the top, and what it is like to lift over 1000 lbs. Check this one out to hear how the self-described “skinny kid” became a world champion powerlifter.

Learn more about Blaine: Instagram, Twitter

Bonus Episode – Debrief & Analysis: Dr. Adam Naylor and Joe Jacobi Discuss Goals

May 19, 2021Education/Research, SportAnalysis, Athletes, Canoe, Coaching, Dr. Adam Naylor, Drive, High Performers, Joe Jacobi, Mental Toughness, Olympian, Olympic Medal, Olympics, Performance, Persistence, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with a sport and performance psychology expert (Dr. Adam Naylor) and an Olympic Gold Medalist (Joe Jacobi). Highlights include their discussion of how goals can be counterproductive, how everything that gets popularized is at risk of being oversimplified, and the importance of contextual intelligence. They also discuss the approaches of focusing on what you have to lose versus have to gain, and assessing whether a goal is helping or hindering you.

Season 2, Ep 8 – Dr. Adam Naylor & Joe Jacobi Discuss Goals

May 16, 2021Education/Research, SportAthletes, Canoe, Coaching, Dr. Adam Naylor, Drive, High Performers, Joe Jacobi, Mental Toughness, Olympian, Olympic Medal, Olympics, Performance, Persistence, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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Dr. Adam Naylor and Joe Jacobi – Discussion on Goals

What is your relationship with goals? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren chat with a sport and performance psychology expert (Dr. Adam Naylor) and an Olympic Gold Medalist (Joe Jacobi), about goals and goal setting. Highlights include a discussion of what makes goals truly helpful, the problem with rigidity in pursuing goals, and whether the easy access to analytical tools has pushed us to collectively overemphasize goal setting. The panel also discusses the difficulty many have with being in the moment and the addictive nature of having goals provide structure for our lives. Anyone who has ever set, or is pursuing a goal will want to tune in to this one.

Season 2, Ep 7 – Lauren Regula

May 2, 2021Business, SportAthletes, Business, Coaching, Drive, Entrepenuer, Entrepreneurship, High Performers, Impostor Syndrome, Lauren Regula, Mental Toughness, Olympian, Olympics, Persistence, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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Lauren Regula, Olympian; Founder of the Strong Mom Movement, and Trak Athletics

What would your goals be if there were no limitations? Kevin and Lauren chat with Lauren Regula about her path from a very small town to becoming an Olympian and professional athlete. She discusses the need to personalize training for what works for you, having conversations with coaches while being coachable, and her struggles with mental health. Her journey of founding the Strong Mom Movement and returning to the mound is full of great advice about handling success, picking yourself up, and not placing limits on yourself.

Learn more about Lauren: Instagram

Learn more about the Strong Mom Method: Instagram

Ep. 035 – Iris and Felicia Zimmermann

December 13, 2020Business, SportAthletes, Coaching, Drive, Entrepenuer, Entrepreneurship, Felicia Zimmermann, Fencing, High Performers, Iris Zimmermann, Mental Toughness, Olympian, Olympics, Persistence, Rochester Fencing Club, Success, Training, Valor Performancethe-path-distilled

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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

Ep. 034 – Dr. Mark Williams (TPD Developing High Performers)

December 6, 2020Education/Research, Sport, TPD Developing High Performers SeriesA Mark Williams, Athletes, Author, Coaching, Drive, Footballer, High Performance, High Performers, Persistence, Professor, Professor Mark Williams, Research, Soccer, Sport, Sports Science, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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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

Ep. 030 – Amie Wells

November 1, 2020SportAmie Wells, Drive, Football, High Performers, Nashville, National Football League, NFL, Persistence, Success, Tennessee Titans, Titans, Titans All Access, Titans Amiethe-path-distilled

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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

Ep. 029 – Jonathan Avalos (TPD Developing High Performers)

October 25, 2020Sport, TPD Developing High Performers SeriesDrive, Golf, Golf Trainer, Golf Training, High Performers, Jonathan Avalos, Mental Toughness, Persistence, Success, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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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

Ep. 028 – Dr. Lea Ann Parsley

October 18, 2020SportDr. Lea Ann Parsley, Drive, EMT, Firefighter, Healthcare, High Performers, Olympian, Olympic Medal, Olympics, Persistence, RN. Registered Nurse, Success, Training, Valor Performancethe-path-distilled

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Dr. Lea Ann Parsley, Olympic Silver Medalist, Former Firefighter and EMT, Registered Nurse and Health Educator, Valor Performance Coach

When you encounter something new, particularly something a little scary or risky, do you think “that looks awesome, I’ve got to try that?” In this episode, Dr. Lea Ann Parsley shares with us the life, sport, academic, and work experiences that led her to competing and earning a medal at the 2002 Olympic Games despite starting the sport just a few years prior in her 30s. She discusses being a multi-sport athlete, the influence of her upbringing and family, and how her work as a firefighter, a nurse, and an EMT helped her navigate the mental and physical aspects of skeleton. She also shares how a teammate earned her the second spot on the Olympic roster which, among other experiences, helped her learn the value of surrounding yourself with good people. Lea Ann shares many great takeaways including the value of keeping things in perspective and exploring lots of interests until you find what you’re good at and are passionate about, so you can push that as far as it goes to benefit not only yourself but others.

To learn more about Lea Ann: Bio, Twitter

Ep. 024 – Joe Jacobi

September 20, 2020SportCanoe, Drive, Gold, Gold Medal, High Performers, Mental Toughness, Olympian, Olympic Medal, Olympics, Persistence, Success, USA, USA Canoe/Kayak, Valor Performance, Whitewater Canoe Slalomthe-path-distilled

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Joe Jacobi, Olympic Gold Medalist, Former CEO of USA Canoe/Kayak, and Performance Coach

Do you focus on and remember more about your start lines or finish lines? In this episode, we speak with Lauren’s Valor Performance colleague, Joe Jacobi, about his sport career, as well as his experiences with leading a national governing body which led him to becoming a performance coach. Joe joins us from Catalonia, Spain, and shares his “outlier” story of getting involved in the sport, his case for a good routine, and how he and his doubles canoe partner implemented deliberate practice, simulation, and visualization leading up to the 1992 Games where they won the first American Gold Medal in whitewater canoe slalom. Joe also tells us about his philosophy on goals, what he views as the real difference maker in high performance, and how he thinks the river is an excellent analogy for life. Whether you are in sport, business, or any other performance domain, Joe shares many applicable stories, takeaways, practices, and lessons.

Learn more about Joe: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram

Learn more about Valor Performance: Website

Ep. 019 – Sean McEvoy (TPD Developing High Performers Series)

August 16, 2020Sport, TPD Developing High Performers SeriesCoaching, Deshaun Watson, Football, High Performers, Josh Dobbs, Joshua Dobbs, NFL, Persistence, QB, QB Takeover, Quarterback, Quarterback Takeover, Sean McEvoy, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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Sean McEvoy, Quarterback Development Coach with Quarterback Takeover

Would you be willing to scrap the technique that you literally wrote the book about? Sean McEvoy discusses his path from a side gig as a high school coach to working with a roster of well known NFL quarterbacks. We talk with him about the phenomenon of recruiting players at younger ages, his approach to developing a QB’s ability to diagnose plays and self correct, and the importance of performing under pressure for success. Listen for great advice and insight on continuous improvement, the value of making genuine connections with others, and the relevance of understanding the “why” behind anything one does.

Learn more about Sean: Instagram, Twitter

Learn more about Quarterback Takeover: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Ep. 013 – Alycia Powell

July 5, 2020Philanthropy, SportAlycia Powell, Champions for Philanthropy, Law School, MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NYC. New York City, Philanthropy, Sportsthe-path-distilled

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Alycia Powell, Co-Founder of Champions for Philanthropy

If you realized you weren’t passionate about a goal you already started pursuing, would you keep going or quit? In this episode, we speak with Alycia Powell, Co-Founder of Champions for Philanthropy, a consulting agency that helps professional athletes build, launch, manage and promote their philanthropic interests and goals. Alycia takes us on her journey starting out with her pursuit at an early age of a career in law, to the decision to co-found a company and take the leap to pursue that full-time, through to now where she shares what she’s learning about herself during the pandemic.

Learn more about Champions for Philanthropy: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube

Ep. 12 – Bryce Tully & Mike Bawol (TPD Developing High Performers Series)

June 28, 2020Business, Sport, TPD Developing High Performers SeriesBasketball, Canada, Canoe, Canoeing, Gold Medal, High Performers, Innerlogic, Mental Toughness, Olympic Medal, Olympics, Opponent Scouting, Practice, Preparation, Sport Science, Sportsthe-path-distilled

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Bryce Tully, Mental Performance Coach for Canadian Olympic Teams, and Mike Bawol, Performance Analyst, Co-Founders Innerlogic

What differentiates those who succeed once versus those who are serial winners? In this episode of the TPD High Performers Series, we speak with Bryce Tully and Mike Bawol, who both work in Canada at the highest level of sport. Listen to our conversation with them as they share stories about their own paths and what they’ve learned about themselves and high performance along the way, explore team culture and the role it plays in performance, and discuss their new venture Innerlogic, a tool aimed at helping companies and organizations monitor and measure culture in real-time to predict performance and utilize the data to make impactful and intentional adjustments to drive success.

Learn more about our guests: Mike Twitter, Bryce Twitter

Learn more about Innerlogic: Twitter, Website

The Path Distilled Podcast, Ep 006 – Brandon Payne (TPD Developing High Performers Series)

May 10, 2020Sport, TPD Developing High Performers SeriesAccelerate Basketball, Basketball, Brandon Payne, Drills, High Performers, NBA, Steph Curry, Stephen Curry, Trainingthe-path-distilled

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Brandon Payne, Founder of Accelerate Basketball, NBA Player Development Specialist, and Personal Development Coach for Stephen Curry

Can you look in the mirror and acknowledge what you don’t do well? In this episode we hear from Brandon Payne, founder of Accelerate Basketball, whose roster includes over $900 million dollars worth of player salaries. Be inspired by his story and approach to high performance development as he tells us about his goal of bridging the talent gap in professional sports, the power of philosophy and aiming for systematic daily improvement, and how Stephen Curry’s meteoric rise cemented the effectiveness of his approach.

Learn more about Brandon: Instagram

Learn more about Accelerate Basketball: Instagram, Twitter

The Path Distilled Podcast, Ep 004 – Matt Palazzolo

May 7, 2020SportGolf, Top 50 Golf Trainerthe-path-distilled

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Matt Palazzolo, Golf & Body NYC Performance & Movement Specialist

Do you set goals to have something to strive for or because you need to accomplish something? In this episode we speak with Matt, a performance and movement specialist at Golf & Body NYC who was named one of this year’s 50 Best Golf-Fitness Trainers in America by Golf Digest. Matt’s story about his path to this point in his career highlights the role of autonomy and motivation, how much time he’s spent researching his craft, and other strategies he uses…and how he defines success.

Learn more about Matt: Instagram

The Path Distilled Podcast, Ep 002 – Inga Stasiulionyte

May 5, 2020Business, SportCoaching, Entrepenuer, Mental Toughness, Olympianthe-path-distilled

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Inga Stasiulionyte, Olympian & Founders Coach

What would you do if you got pulled out of math class and a man you never met before — turns out was a national team coach — said you were going to be a javelin thrower? Inga is a former NCAA Division I Track & Field athlete and Olympian representing Lithuania in the 2008 Games in Beijing. She leads a startup called Ofounders.com that specializes in mind coaching helping startup founders, teams, and professional athletes achieve superior results by using Olympic-standard mindset development techniques, is a Performance Coach for Valor Performance, and heads the MIT Sports Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. Inga’s episode is packed full of useful takeaways from her journey, including the mental shift that propelled her to a world record, what it was like to have to compete in a duel for the last spot on her Olympic team, and how she defines high performance.

Learn more about Inga: Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

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