Episode 90: Talking to the Student Athlete: Montana Grizzlies Football Player, Geno Leonard

Kirsten continues her discussions in the “Talking to the Student-Athlete” Series, speaking to Montana Grizzlies Linebacker, Geno Leonard. The Montana Grizzlies put together one of the most memorable seasons in program history in 2023, with a Big Sky championship and made a magical run to the NCAA Division I Football National Championship (FCS) game.

Prior to joining the Griz, Geno was a four-year letterman at Sentinel High School in Missoula, MT. He helped lead the Spartans to a 10-0 record and the State AA championship as a senior. Geno shares his story of redshirting his freshman year and then overcoming injury during his sophomore year. Kirsten and Geno talk about mindset, ultimately getting your body healthy, beating the injury and then focusing on becoming better football players. Geno shares how injury led him to be a player-coach from the sidelines and learning to help his teammates as a teacher.

Kirsten and Geno also bonded over the great community the both grew up in - Missoula, Montana, where Kirsten and Geno’s Dad, Brad Leonard, were classmates and respective Male and Female Athletes of the Year for Sentinel High School way back when in 1988.

Go Griz!

Episode 89: Brandin Bryant: NFL Journeyman and Children’s Book Author

You’re in for a treat!

Brandin Bryant, Nebraska-born NFL professional and mental performance enthusiast, has had to fight for every opportunity in his pro and college football career. He earned a spot at Florida Atlantic after starting his career at Fort Scott Community College. In 2016, Bryant went undrafted, and he’s been fighting to stay in the NFL ever since. He’s been on an NFL practice squad for five of the last seven seasons and walks us through the cutthroat NFL process. He played in the Canadian football League in 2018 and 2019 to try and keep his dream alive.

Kirsten and Brandin talk about a host of subjects dear to #RaisingAthletes podcast hearts:

• Overcoming Adversity

• Making your own Luck

• Inspirational Teachers and Coaches

• Importance of Discipline and Routine

• Reframing Setbacks and Rejections

Brandin shares his wisdom and experience in his debut book, So, You Want to be an Athlete? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQTVKD3N/.

With an 8-year career in professional football and a belief in the power of a growth mindset, Brandin champions the integral role of education in an athlete's journey. He frequently addresses university audiences across the nation, inspiring the next generation of athletes.

Instagram: @el_sacko

Season 5 - Episode 88: Getting Out of FEAR & Getting What YOU Want

Season 5 kicks off with Kirsten and Susie giving actionable steps for goal setting. The two friends talk about such topics as the power of manifesting, "remembering the future", and the all-important line and parking karma 😂

Getting out of Fear and Getting into Action:

Give yourself permission

See yourself doing it

Feel yourself doing it

Take steps

Power of Objectivity

These women athletes will walk you through the steps above with wisdom and humor because between them they are parents to 7 and grandparents to 9 (that's all Susie!!!) and both love to share the lessons learned along the journey.

Show notes:

Raising Empowered Athletes by Kirsten Jones

Key to Personal Freedom: How Myths Affect Our Family Lives by Susie Walton

Episode #7: D'Wayne Edwards: Founder of Pensole Footwear Design Company & Former Creative Director of Brand Jordan - Power of Visualization

Episode 24: Austin Hatch- "Adversity is Opportunity" (Re-Air)

This story is special to me and I wanted to share it again with you as we start 2024. Austin Hatch's episode first aired 3/20/19 and I shared his story in Raising Empowered Athletes (Chapter 13, WE over ME). It's all about living in THIS moment and taking advantage of what's in front of you. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do!

Austin Hatch is a survivor. A two-time plane crash survivor, he epitomizes what it means to be resilient. In 2003, at the age of 8, Austin’s mother, sister and brother were tragically killed plane crash. Eight years later, with many hours of hard work, the 6’6” basketball phenom was offered a college scholarship from his dream school, University of Michigan. Just nine days later, Austin would be aboard a plane with his father and “second mother” (he never considered her a step-mom) and this plane too would go down, killing both his parents and leaving Austin in a coma with severe injuries including traumatic brain injury.

I was so honored to speak with Austin and hear him talk about how he made it to the University of Michigan through tireless work, unrelenting positivity that “a miracle is going to happen” and belief that he was truly blessed to have had all of his amazing family members in his life.

We can learn so much from Austin’s outlook as we parent and raise adults about what it means to be optimistic, even in darkest of times and what the belief in yourself and gratitude for the gifts you have been given can do for you.

Episode 87: Lauri Kriva – "Raising a Golfer"

A former NIKE colleague, Lauri Kriva, joins Kirsten on this week's podcast.

Lauri’s early life followed a predictable progression of academic and professional accomplishments: overseas study. College degree. HR Management certification. Fifteen years global HR experience with NIKE and Timberland.

In 2006, her heart led her to life coaching, and a cascade of experiences that married her skills with a love of learning: voiceover, real estate, health/wellness, and authoring a children’s book. She often says she lives life with her head in the clouds, her feet on the ground and her heart wide open.

Her son, Axl’s, experience learning how to play golf (and the limited number of kids books on the subject) inspired her to write Fore! The Love of Golf. Lauri took up golf at age 50 and taps into her own mental superpower frequently on the course.

Lauri is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher through the McLean Meditation Institute and a certified Dr. Sears Health Coach. Lauri and her family live in Santa Barbara, California and can be reached at: www.swellheart.com.

Episode 86: Prep Athletics Cory Heitz shares his Basketball Wisdom "Prep Schools vs. Academies vs. JUCO"

Kirsten sits down with Cory Heitz from Prep Athletics to speak about helping high school basketball players find the right fitting prep school, with the goal of finding the best option for student athletes to play in college.

They have a great talk on going DI vs DIII and going where the fit is right because if you don’t listen to the signs, you will be miserable playing the game. The break down the process of Prep Schools vs Basketball Academies vs JUCO. As Cory states, Basketball is not fair. Bumping up a level is not easy. And, differentiators aren’t often hard work. That's a given. It’s often your grades or your relationship to your Coaches. So many great nuggets here!

Cory comes from basketball pedigree. His father played at West Virginia University before playing professionally in Switzerland. His uncle played for the University of Kentucky’s 1984 Final Four team and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. He is also cousins with Brad Miller, who played at Purdue University prior to a fourteen year NBA career which included being a two-time all-star. He also has relatives who have played for the University of Oklahoma, Morehead State, and the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

Cory attended a prep school for a post-grad year and his cousin Brad spent his senior year of high school at a prep school. Without this year Cory would not have played Division 1 and Brad would not have made the NBA. Prep schools have changed family’s life and he wanted to help other families have a chance to improve their futures.

Episode 85: Sunshine Volleyball Coach, Alex Chigas "Mental Game"

Kirsten sits down with fellow Sunshine Volleyball Coach, Alex Chigas. Alex explains that he coaches and plays volleyball because he loves the game and tries to give his athletes space to find their passions.

Alex Chigas grew-up in the suburbs of Chicago where he played volleyball for Oak Lawn Community High School and the Ultimate Volleyball Club. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Statistics. While attending university Alex worked as a line judge for Big10 Women’s Volleyball.

Alex is currently the head coach of Sunshine’s 17 Westside team. Alex’s coaching philosophy is mostly based on the “mental game.” He puts a heavy emphasis on what the team is doing when they don’t have the ball, this translates into better movement, ball control, and overall awareness.

Kirsten and Alex align on mindset and communication and Kirsten has worked successfully with Alex’s teams as a result (They tell a fun story of how they both worked together with a team that got in flow at the end of the season and placed #5 at Nationals!!)

Episode 84: (Parenting & Child) Happiness is about the (sports) journey (with Olympian Kristin Keefe)

On this week of Thanksgiving, I want to say I’m grateful for this women’s insight and friendship.

On our newest #RA podcast, Kristin and I will share tips and words of wisdom for parents and athletes. It is something we often do - hike, talk, coach and learn from each other. So, we hope you enjoy a look inside our friendship and together we came up 5 Top Tips to help YOU and help your child!

Thankful!

Kristin Keefe played four years of volleyball at Marymount High School before playing for Stanford University; she was a four-time All-American Outside Hitter and 1991 National Player of the Year. From 1992 through 1996 she was a member of the US Women’s National Team and participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She played professionally for three years on the Bud Light Pro 4 Women Beach Volleyball Tour.

This is her fifth season coaching for the Sunshine Volleyball Club. In 2018 and 2019 both of her teams, 15s and 16s, won bronze medals at the Junior Nationals.

Episode 83: NYU Volleyball Coach Andrew Brown Returns, "Hunter vs Hunted"

Today’s guest, NYU Coach Andrew Brown, is the head coach of the highly successful (29-7 record and advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament Final Four 2022 season) New York University’s Women’s Volleyball Team.

Coach Brown sits down with Kirsten to talk about how his program has changed from the jungle tiger - practicing ugly mentality to playing from the top and being the hunted vs the hunter. He speaks to how you show up after success, when opponents are so motivated to take you down.

Kirsten and Andrew talk about how to onboard 5-7 new players, and not overload them in the pre-season. And, he talks about how they bring in consultants to give data and science (think Meyers-Briggs) to give another tool in his athletes toolbox for not just volleyball, but life in general.

A fascinating discussion on mindset, grit, expectations, culture and really finding out who your team is!

NYU Violets repeated as UAA conference champs in 2023 and are currently playing in the NCAA DIII tournament.

Episode 82: Joy Harris, Mom and Entrepreneur, "Don't be afraid of NIL"

Kirsten and Joy have a fascinating discussion of NIL and youth sports. Have you wondered how this NIL thing works? Joy and Kirsten try to unpack this process of NIL, entrepreneurship and building your own brand (spoiler – it’s not all about sports!). They talk also about how much NIL is doing for women. Did you know women are getting paid 3:1 to their male counterparts!?

Joy Harris is a successful entrepreneur with over 10+ years of experience helping others scale their ambitions. CEO of Score and Co-founder of Connect Electric, Joy is passionate about student-athlete success and helping families gain the leverage necessary for them to win on-and-off the field. Joy is also a speaker and the author of the book series "How to Get Paid Before Going Pro".