Chekpoint

On this episode of Chekpoint, we sat down with Mike a former Harlem Wizards Entertainment Basketball for 13 years, and now directs his signature Bounce Out the Stigma Basketball Program across the country helping children with special needs learn the game of basketball and become empowered leaders of tomorrow.

On this episode of Chekpoint, we sat down with Danielle who is the Founder & CEO of Tackle What's Next who serves athletes when they lose their team and are searching for a new identity and purpose in their lives by providing structure and a community of accountability so they can go all-in on their future, no matter what the playing field. 

We talk:

- Athlete transition

- Life after sport

- Making the best of your time as an athlete and setting yourself up for success

- Diversifying your identity

https://www.tacklewhatsnext.com/

On this episode of Chekpoint, we sat down with Tim who is the Sr. Associate AD for External Operations & Chief Marketing Officer at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

We talk:

- His journey in college sports and to #UNCG

- NIL and the future of athlete marketing

- How important it is to "set the tone"

- & much more!

On this episode of Chekpoint, we sat down with Bennie Fowler of the New Orleans Saints. From his time at Michigan State University to the National Football League (NFL) we hear about his amazing journey, and his Amazon #1 bestselling book Silver Spoon.

We talk:

- Why you should steal inches?

- Life after football

- What does success look like?

- Racing for improvement

To learn more about Bennie and your imperfect guide to success connect with him here on LinkedIn.

Cam is currently with the Calgary Stampeders in the #CFL and a #GreyCup Champion. He is also the teammate of our Host Scott Garber from their days at the University of South Alabama #goJags

We talk:

- Journey from to the CFL

- What it takes to be successful on and off the field

- Mental Conditioning

- Life outside of football

We "Chek" in with Doug Smith & if you haven't heard his story your perspective of life is about to change!

Doug was the youngest player to be selected by the LA Kings in 1981 where he was drafted 2nd overall into the NHL. He played 11 years of professional hockey until his career took a tragic turn...

Be sure to tune in as Doug's journey is nothing short of a #miracle!

Also, Chek out the website for GREAT resources on trauma & how to deal with it:

https://lnkd.in/e4b85FB

“Once we know better, we are bound to do better.”

-Doug Smith

Neeta is currently the COO @ INFLCR - a SaaS platform for sports team properties to store, track and deliver their content across their influencer network of athletes, coaches, former athletes, media, etc.

We talk:

- Neeta's journey from playing D1 basketball to INFLCR with stops at the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN, and IGN.

- The #1 thing athletes can be doing off the field to prepare for success

- The X's & O's of NIL

- How important it is for athletes to build their brand

Angel Mason a former D1 basketball player and now the AD for the Vikings at Berry College! 

We talk:

-  How Basketball shaped life

- The transition to life after sport

- How Berry College is handling COVID & Fall Sports

-  Is MJ the GOAT

- Engage in other cultures… It has profound effects!

Khadevis Robinson is a 2 time Olympian who is now the head Cross Country coach at The Ohio State University!

KD is a native of the Dallas / Fort Worth area where he would harness his craft and go on to attend college at Texas Christian University which was right in his back yard! Robinson was a multiple NCAA National Champion and earned his undergraduate degree in Social Work. While at TCU, Robinson was a multiple Conference #Champion in the 800 meters and the 4x400 meter relay.

After college, KD would go on to have a decorated professional career where he would have appearances in 2 Olympics. After hanging up the cleats KD still makes an impact by taking all of his perspectives and giving back through his non-profit, his coaching at #OSU & his powerful speeches that he delivers all around the country!

On this episode we talk:

- When was KD born & why was KD born?

- The real path to the #Olympics

- Did you go to the opening ceremony at your first Olympics? A MUST hear story

- Even the GOAT’S have coaches, why don’t you?

- Once you make it, why it’s important to give back

- LEARN YOUR WHY!

Ford Dyke is a professor of Kinesiology at Auburn University, a member of USA Team Handball, and Founder and CEO of Perfor[Hu]mance!

Dr. Dyke specializes in Performance and Exercise Psychophysiology and is a subject-matter expert in Mindfulness-Based Performance and Health Optimization©. 

Among his accomplishments, he was awarded the 2019 Undergraduate Teaching Award and nominated for the 2020 Outstanding Faculty Outreach Award. Dr. Dyke teaches courses in Kinesiology such as Pillars of Health, Motor Learning and Performance, and Performance-Based Psychology.

On this episode we talk:

- Life growing up in Florida #floridalife

- Why it’s important to stay true to your roots

- Journey to becoming a member of USA Team Handball

- How to balance #school | #sport | #life

- The power of #sleep & why it’s so important

- Leaving your hometown & embracing not being comfortable

Jedidiah is a former NFL Fullback who now the creator of MoneyVehicle which is meant for young professionals and students who want to begin understanding the language of money.

Jed's goal is to:

To TEACH 1 MILLION PEOPLE how to U.S.E. Money!

- Understand their money

- Strategize their money

- Efficient with their money

We talk:

- Early love for sports and how that shaped the journey

- How failure can shape you to be a WINNER

- Why is it important to “STEAL” inches

- Nuggets from the great Drew Brees

- BEGIN TO JOURNAL

Steve Nudelberg who is a Principal Thinker at On the Ball Ventures. He came on the show and dropped “Nudel” nuggets that everyone can learn from!

Steve is an energetic powerhouse who infuses adrenaline and ideas to ignite individuals and teams to sharpen overall performance. His specialty within organizations centers on creating daily sales processes, sales acceleration, and development, Social Selling, The Art of Building Relationships, Storytelling to make conversations engaging.

We talk:

- The Nudelberg family history ( Great stories )

-  Parallels between #sports and #business 

-  You are the sum of the 5 people you surround yourself with

-  Why #process is important & how it equates to #success

-  Have you ever done a “SWAT” analysis on yourself?

Coach Jen Welter is best known as the first female to coach in the NFL as an assistant LBs Coach with The Arizona Cardinals. However, what most people don’t know, is that Coach Jen broke into men’s professional football as the first female to play running back in men’s pro football. From that experience with the Texas Revolution, Coach Jen started her coaching career as the LBs coach with the Revolution.

Coach Jen's message has been widely acclaimed and well-received on worldwide platforms that speak to audiences from global enterprising companies, top-performing schools, brand nonprofits, and professional sports teams. 

We talk:

- Florida Football Religion

- Jen’s path to the NFL

- How Jen finally broke the barrier with the Arizona Cardinals

- Incredible initiatives Jen has going off the field 

-”Smile” You’re on a bag of Lay’s

Ed Kull is the interim Director of Athletics at Fordham University. He was formerly the Senior Vice President at GENYOUth Foundation, previously served as the Senior Director of Development and Senior Associate Athletic Director at Fordham University since May of 2017 where he was responsible for leading the annual and major gift fundraising efforts supporting 22 intercollegiate and club sports.

We talk:

- Ed’s journey from the corporate world to academia

- How Fordham is handling sports during COVID

- How adversity helped build a STRONGER unit

- Be open-minded and take a risk

Kris is the Co-Founder and COO of FanSaves, a digital platform that gives users discounts and deals from the sponsors and affiliated brands of their favorite sports teams, organizations, eSports teams, schools, Chambers of Commerce, events, influencers, media, and more.

We talk:

- Incredible story to professional hockey  (Great signing story)

- The journey from hockey to entrepreneur 

- Importance of learning how to FAIL

- Building a business with your partner

- Get rid of the excuses and JUST DO IT

An undrafted free agent and played in NFL for three years with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants.

He retired from the NFL in 2019 and is now a full-time real estate investor and national speaker & if you tune in you'll learn what he has on the horizon!

We talk:

- Journey to the big leagues

- Defying the odds & controlling your journey

- How a mission trip can change everything

- What encompasses a good leader

- Fortune is in the Follow Up

Brian is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who is now a data scientist on Nike's Commercial Analytics team. Brian is also Co-Founder of Walk-Off Analytics and Lead Data Scientist of Seqnzr and is passionate about innovation, analytics, and sports, in no particular order!

We talk:

- Journey to the big leagues

- Transition from sport to work

- Life at Nike

- Why it’s important to find your FLOW state

Marc is a former collegiate football coach who is now the President at On the Ball Ventures and is shaking up the sales world each and every day! Marc has a very unique perspective that he has brought from the football field to the business world and believes that teaching life through sport is the key to building winning cultures with championship habits.

We talk:

- The Family Legacy in sales

- Parallels between football and business 

- “Mental Conditioning” The path to success

- The importance of trusting the process 

- Continue to think differently 

Shika was a professional tennis player reaching the top 100 on the WTA Tour and #1 player out of India. She went on to have a decorated tennis career and won India a silver medal at the Asian Games.

Shika is now the president of Indi(https://indi.com/) which enables all people to monetize their individuality and unique expertise. Athletes, celebrities, thought leaders, instructors, and all individuals, receive their very own store and dashboard equipped with revenue generation features at the intersection of video content, video communication, and e-commerce. Indi enables independence, safe and prosperous individuality, and equal access to monetization for all.

We talk:

- Journey from India to USA

- Championship mentality from her father

- What it takes to be a champion

- The good, The bad, The ugly of the journey!

- Learn to JUST DANCE!!

Gary is a former NFL linebacker with the New York Football Giants and 2-Time Super Bowl Champion. As a Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Gary has enjoyed a 25-year television broadcast career as a CFB analyst with FOX Sports, ABC Sports, and ESPN.

We talk:

- The journey from Crowley, TX to NYC

- His experience at Northwestern State University

- Stories about Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Lawrence Taylor & other NFL greats

- The “YES” strategy for success

- How the game of football has changed over the years

Gary is a former Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl Tight End and is also the Co-Founder of the Non-Profit American Football Without Barriers (AFWB)

We talk:

- Journey from high school football to ProBowl

- What it takes to be successful on and off the field

- The power the game of football has around the world

- Find what works for you

- Gary tells us about his Egyptian themed bedroom!

Josh is a former professional BMX athlete and multiple brain tumor survivor, he is a living example of what optimizing one's mindset, health, and performance can do in progressing to the next level in one's life.

Chukky talks to us about the power of the mind and how it gave him a competitive advantage both on and off the football field!

Chukky Okobi uses his experience of using NLP and mindset programming to reach Super Bowl Levels of Success as an NFL athlete, to empower others the let go of their negative past and limiting beliefs to easily and effortlessly free themselves from the mental shackles of fear and self-doubt.

We talk:

- Brandi's journey to the USWNT

- Winning the 1999 World Cup

- Her drive and perseverance through the ups and downs

- Life after sports

We Talk:

- Brendan's journey through collegiate athletics

- How BU is handling Fall Sports during COVID

- BU innovative strategy for recruiting during a pandemic

- How to maintain opportunities for Student-Athletes

- Just finish the race! ( Boston Marathon )

We had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Reggie Walker in this episode of Chekpoint

We talk:

- Reggie's journey to the NFL and life after

- Mental Health and its vital importance in athletics and life

- Overcoming hardships

 Jake is the founder and host of the JBoy show! Jake has had football in his veins and was actually my coach for my final year of college!

We talk:

- Memories from South Alabama

- How recruiting is going in the SEC during COVID (Virtual Visits)

- How sports bridges the gap in society

- Go to the College Baseball World Series!!

Aaron is a trained and experienced social media expert with a Journalism background. He’s been working in sports social media for over six years. He was apart of the first social media team at Tuner Sports then had stops at Bleacher Report and the NFL before starting his own venture Eisman Digital Consulting!

We talk:

- Sports before social media as we know it
- Experiences at Turner Sports (TNT) w/ Shaq, Kenny and the gang
- How social media is shaping sports as we know them today
- Why everyone should go to the Master’s at least once

Andrew Gavin has served as the Director of Athletics at UW-Parkside since August 2017. In his role, Gavin leads the Rangers’ athletics department and its 15 varsity sports programs.   

We talk: 

 - UW Parkside journey through COVID 

- #RangerImpact 

- Division 2 is a hidden gem 

- How moving around builds perspective

Sanjay competed in the 2004 Olympic Games (Athens, Greece), 2008 Olympic Games (Beijing, China), He was the 2007 Jamaican National Champion 400M and possesses many other gold, silver, and bronze medals which represent his hard work and dedication over a 12-year professional career.

We talk:

- The journey to becoming an olympian

- Principles that carry over from sport to business

- Sanjay’s favorite olympic venue & why

- How the Jamacian National track team came to be

- What he's doing to give back to his sport

MVP Fintess: http://mymvpfitness.com/

ActiveDreamers: https://activedreamers.com/

Chase Athletics

This episode we "Chek" in with the Commissioner of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Jacob VanRyn, Be sure to tune in and hear the gems Jacob leaves us with as fall sports are kicking off (for some conferences)!  

We talk:  

- How the conference made the decision for sports this fall with Covid-19  

- Is E-Sports the future of sports?  

- How NIL could impact Division 3 athletes & where sports are going in the future.  

- It's time to evolve! 

https://www.neccathletics.com/

Sevwins: https://www.sevwins.com/ 

St. Mary's College Baseball: https://smcgaels.com/sports/baseball   

Chekpoint is a Podcast interviewing influential thought leaders in the athletic space. Our objective is to provide an engaging experience for our listeners by bringing on guests that are shaping the future of sports.   

We have coaches, players, AD, and folks from sport tech companies come on to tell their stories while giving us an inside look into where they think the industry is going!

For the 4th episode of Chekpoint we had the opportunity to chat with Adam Tschuor of the University of Dayton.

"Chek" out the nuggets of knowledge Adam drops in this episode!

In the 3rd episode of Chekpoint, Larry Long Jr. brought is famous energy and wisdom! Larry Long Jr. is one of the most amazing humans and will always leave you with a smile on your face and great new insights!

Listen to the insights and expertise Andrew Magee of Morgan State University, a preeminent HBCU, on the second episode of Chekpoint!

On the inaugural episode of Chekpoint we had the absolute pleasure of bringing on Haven Fields from Ball State.