GrowthReady Podcast

Amanda Beard, one of the greatest American women to have ever graced a swimming pool joins the show to discuss her career including a meteoric rise to stardom as a 14 year old Olympic medalist back in 1996, to how she handled the highs of further Olympic journeys as well as the ensuing lows that followed once journeys came to an end. We hear about the role Amanda is now playing as the owner of a Swim School (Beardswimco.com) and the mother of 2 budding athletes on somewhat similar paths to the ...

A delicious dose of insightful conversation being served in this episode as we welcome successful health & fitness professional, Ashley Drummonds who a few years ago founded ABS Protein Pancakes that has since launched her to great success and new career highs. With these amazing milestones she has accomplished in recent times she has also encountered frequent episodes of uncharted territory that has forced her to be vulnerable towards her weakest areas as a professional. These trials are areas...

We have the honor of hearing from Paralympic medallist & World Champion Long Jumper, Lex Gillette on this episode as he inspires us to implement the very approaches that have led him to where he is today. Overcoming a truly life-altering time in his life as a child, Lex is a product of investing time and energy into the growth & development of himself the person, before then applying his efforts towards a competitive career as he has been able to successfully do. We learn about the power of a ...

Delighted to welcome in a true legend of NFL Football in that of Steve Atwater, who as a member of the Denver Broncos in the 90's won 2 Super Bowl titles, was named to the 1990's All-Decade team, and most recently was named to the 2020 Hall of Fame Class. Steve provides some incredible insight into the level or camaraderie he and his Broncos teammates shared during their successful seasons together, including stories of how bonds were made off the field in order to enhance them on the field. D...

On this episode we welcome in Ciera Burdick who has made a career as a professional basketball player for the past 6 years since she was drafted into the WNBA back in 2015. As a competitor she is relishing the daily opportunity to learn and better herself as she takes on the best competition across Europe and within the Women's game stateside as well. The discussion includes the ways Cierra prioritizes giving back to others through her work and platform, the ways she integrates humility in her ...

On this show we welcome in highly established health & fitness professional, Katie Chung Hua to the show who today is helping people across the US build a greater version of themselves through exercise & nutrition insight. A former Ice Hockey player, Katie is a competitor in the purest sense as she relishes the chance to prove her value to clients the same way she would be enticed to compete with women on the hockey rink! Furthermore, building a career within an industry filled with less than ...

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of my series on a "checklist" approach to competing at your optimal level. This last chapter in this short series is all about setting yourself apart with an ever-evolving checklist that allows you to constantly build off the moments when you satisfy an objective or complete a part within your process. There is no denying that this episode covers an idea that is easy to say, yet difficult to do, but I truly believe we can all get closer to implementing...

We welcome a first to the show today in that of Olympic and World Championship medalist Wrestler, James Green who joins us to tell us all about his preparations for the Olympic Trials that commence today. Our discussion is filled with great content on the power of remaining present in performance, how our hardworking approach behind the scenes can allow us to perform within the present, and also the importance of knowing who you are as person first behind you the competitor. Follow James' Olym...

In the 2nd part of this series on "checklists" we establish the need to know exactly who we are establishing this minimum standard for. When we are trying to satisfy the expectations we put on ourselves it is easier to establish a personality of that of a "doer"; we allow our actions to be based upon our process no matter how small or significant a task may be. Part 2 is all about creating a proactive version of ourselves that is not going to be influenced by the minimum standards of ...

We welcome to the show an incredible story in that of Johnny Quinn who despite reaching his ultimate goal in life of competing in the NFL saw that dream taken from him due to injury, and in a moment of potential collapse, he was available for the greatest "unexpected opportunity" he didn't even know would be perfect for him! Today, this now US Winter Olympic Team Member tells his story of how he found the sport of bobsledding in the most unusual of circumstances and allowed the very transition ...

Starting the week off right with a COMPETITIVE CALL to challenge you on a level of honesty you might not be ready for!!! Are you some one who checks the boxes of standards expected of you each day and that's it? Do you simply show up on time, complete assignments, and do enough to avoid punishment? I believe we can all be guilty of this and I want to get you thinking with this first in a 3-part series on what is can mean to just follow and complete the daily check list presented to you Let me...

We welcome in a historic figure in Indian sports history to the show today as Shikha Tandon - the first Indian person to represent her country swimming multiple events at an Olympic Games - joins us to share her story and provide fascinating perspective on some of her competitive qualities. Working in her role today with Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics, Shikha has become accustomed to providing data to athletes of all levels on how they can learn from performance in order to optimize it in th...

On this episode we welcome in an absolute legend of the Bike world as 4x Mountain Bike World Champion, Brian Lopes joins Steve to discuss the highly competitive level of performance he has maintained for over 3 decades. A born competitor, Brian emphasizes often within the interview how he invests himself fully into everything he is a part of and how he is striving to be at his best and succeed at every opportunity possible. In addition to the competitive world of biking, Brian is making efforts ...

New week and here we go with a new take on how to best approach the competitive journey's you are setting out on. I define toughness as one's ability to see things through to the end and I know we all have the ability to demonstrate such toughness, we just have to be disciplined enough to not over-commit to things we maybe are not ready or willing to see through to the end. Send a text Support the show Connect with Steve Mellor Stay connected and keep growing with Steve: LinkedIn - ...

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with one of Rio 2016 greatest Paralympic stories in McKenzie Coan as we learn all about the competitor behind the 3-time Olympic champion from 4 summers ago. Occasionally this show presents someone who demonstrates a holistic lifestyle approach to competitiveness and McKenzie certainly applies 100% of herself to every component of her day, looking for ways to win every step of the way. We learn from her how she prides herself on always giving a 100% effort ...

Some thoughts I wanted to share on the power of "acceptance" and how it can be the determining factor in your ability to perform at optimal levels when in a competitive arena. Whether it be a race, competition, presentation, test, or maybe a job interview, there is a strength that comes from accepting you have done enough, which results in surrendering yourself to the present moment so that you are immersed in the competitive situation. When we are unable to accept and find ourselves ...

On this episode we welcome a true global Track & Field star in Tianna Bartoletta who has earned 3 Olympic Gold's across 2 Games (4x100 Relay in London 2012, Long Jump & 4x100 in Rio 2016) and is currently in preparations for her 3rd trip to the Olympics in Tokyo later this summer. A competitive career that has spanned over a decade at a world class level, Tianna has gradually established a version of herself that can consistently awake at 4:30am daily to focus solely on the day at hand so as to ...

Here with a new Competitive Call early in the week to present a concept called "competitive rejuvenation" that proposes the need to take time on building a better version of ourselves in order to deliver DAILY rejuvenation to our careers. Imagine if you could deliver a rejuvenated competitive approach every single day?!?!? Well I am here to challenge you that it is possible, as long as the system the energy is coming from receives the attention it deserves! Follow Career Competitor on ...

This week on the show I welcome in a veteran of the game of Soccer here in the United States, Jonny Bornstein who was a member of the generational US National Team that attended the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Over his 15 year professional career, Jonny has represented his country 37 times, played in both in Major League Soccer and the Mexican Primera League throughout his career, and is currently a member of the Chicago Fire for this upcoming MLS Season. Some of the major talking points of...

Welcome into a brand new work week with a Competitive Call that should help establish greater expectations for yourself when it comes to performing during times when you don't quite feel it is possible. As a coach I frequently have athletes tell me "I feel like shit" which in my professional opinion is rarely a reason or excuse to not perform, usually it means they are simply in need of being reminded about their goals and require inspiration to work hard despite feeling a little fatigued. I b...

We welcome to the show a true competitor within the photography industry, Alex Palombo who over the past 17 years has established himself amongst the best out there and delivers a unique perspective on what it means to establish success within the most intense of careers. In addition to covering his career to this point we discuss his most recent project "The 20 2020 Project; the Pursuit of a Dream" which is a book showcasing the journey of 20 Olympic hopefuls for the forthcoming games this summ...

We welcome Olympic Champion and Long-time friend of mine, Cullen Jones to the show to discuss the incredible work he is doing today in regards to diversifying the sport of swimming, along with his Make-A-Splash foundation that empowers black children across the United States to learn to swim. In addition to the many things he has going on today, Cullen take us back to where the competitor in him was born within his swimming career, how he handled the pressure of assisting Michael Phelps to his ...

Starting the week off with a thought on a term I heard recently when a former teammate of Tom Brady referred to him as having "incredible competitive stamina". When you look at the great athletes of all time they have this innate ability to SUSTAIN their competitive spirit in pursuit of further glory. So many of us had our competitive stamina tested to its absolute lengths this past year when COVID derailed so many in the pursuit of lifetime goals such as those pursuing Olympic bids. This is a...

We welcome on World Track & Field Sprint star, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake to the show to talk about the finite details that allow him to compete with the worlds best. He has established a professional career for himself through his purpose-driven lifestyle where today, he finds himself training alongside some of the worlds best in order to keep his competitive nature at an optimal level. Like all Olympic athletes, Nethaneel's 2020 was derailed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and despite cont...