Tag Archives: Olympics

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



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



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



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


Bonus Episode – Debrief & Analysis: Iris and Felicia Zimmermann



BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Iris and Felicia Zimmermann, US Olympic Fencers. Highlights include their discussion about the personalized needs of an activity serving to allow one to be seen or remain unseen, the need to customize lessons from others to one’s own needs, and the unpleasant components of all goal attainment pursuits. Kevin and Lauren also discuss the various interpretations of grit, the importance of self-compassion, and building confidence by how you have dealt with past adversity. 


Ep. 035 – Iris and Felicia Zimmermann



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. 028 – Dr. Lea Ann Parsley



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


Bonus Episode – Debrief & Analysis: Joe Jacobi



BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Olympic Gold Medalist, Former CEO of USA Canoe/Kayak, and Performance Coach with the mic hot. Highlights include the idea of holding competing emotions (excited and nervous), being in the right place at the right time, and a discussion about the purpose of the pre-performance routine. Keep listening to The Path Distilled Podcast to catch future discussions about the pros and cons of goal setting.


Ep. 024 – Joe Jacobi



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



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