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  Welcome back to the new and improved The Andre Fraticelli  Podcast. I have been so honored to be able to talk to some of the best coaches, athletes, and professionals, who are all doing tremendous work and having inspiring stories and messages. What makes talking to my guest so fun, powerful, and to a point, a necessity in my life is because I am learning so much about life, myself, and the tools to become the best version of myself. My guest this week, is someone again that I have learned so much from during our chat and has so many great quotable moments through his wisdom of coaching for over four decades. Russ Rose is entering his 41st season as the head coach at Penn State (1979-2019), winning seven NCAA Championships, 17 Big Ten Championships and accumulating 1,272 wins which is the most among D1 coaches. He has coached 44 All-Americans, been named National Coach of the Year five times, and was inducted in the AVCA Hall of Fame at the end of the 2007 season. Between the years 2007 through 2010, the Penn State volleyball won four consecutive National Championships and went through a streak of 109 straight wins. What made Russ Rose one of the most incredible coaches that I talked to, was an willingness to be his authentic self while running the Penn State program. Whether it was a recruit that he was talking to or his players and/or staff, Coach Rose didn't deviant from his philosophy and values, and had an honest and open communication system. One phrase that Coach Rose shared with me during our conversation that I thought was so powerful was telling his players, "I don't know what your thinking, but this is what I see". With all his accolades, what really makes Coach Rose special is the way that he connects and cares for his players with one player saying, "he connects with us better than anybody could ever imagine". Every great coach I believe needs balance and along with caring and connecting with his players, Russ Rose also knows how to challenge them on a daily basis in practice. We talk about the importance of making practice harder than any match and knowing what his team could handle being pushed to the ceiling. I learned a lot from Coach Rose and things that I will definitely implement throughout my coaching career. I know that you will learn a lot from him too. Enjoy!  Music Credit: Star Party - Legends Nocopyrightsounds – Star-party-legends-ncs-release  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This weeks guest was an incredible women to talk with great insight in the game of softball and life and was one of my favorite people that I’ve had on my show, Lonni Alameda.  Coach Lonni is the head coach for the Florida State Seminoles softball program who in 2018 won the NCAA Championship. She has won over 600 games between her time as the head coach at UNLV and Florida State. Entering her 11 season with the Seminoles, Lonni has been to the WCWS three out of the last five years, won five straight ACC tournament titles, five ACC Coach of the Year awards, and the National Coach of the Year award in 2018.  Every softball coach that I have talked to on the show or in other settings have nothing but nice things to say about Coach Lonni. The one consistent thing that all those coaches say, is how much she cares for her athletes, which is no doubt one of the reasons why she has been so successful throughout the years.   Coach Lonni talks about the importance of creating a family culture and how she doesn’t really look at her players as players. She said that she sees them as people playing a sport they love and that if coaches want their players to play free, they have to free them of expectations.  We discuss what it looks like to live above the line rather than below the line in life, sport, coaching, and doing things that improve yourself rather than things that weigh you down.  I will end this with a quote by Be The Best Softball article about Coach Lonni that I think sums up perfectly who she is as a person and a coach.  “As successful as Lonni Alameda is as a coach, she’s equally as impressive as a person. She’s passionate, approachable, interesting and fun. She cares deeply about the game, but even more so about her players. She knows how to Be the Best and how to get the best out of everyone around her” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s guest was a remarkable man to talk to and one that has incredible wisdom over his 30+ years  at the University of Oklahoma.  Mark Williams is the Head Coach of the Men’s Gymnastics Team at the University of Oklahoma. In his 31 years with the program (19 as head coach), Williams has won 12 National Championships (nine as head coach), 16 conference championships, and coached 39 individuals national champions and 68 individual conference champions. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2015, holds multiple Coach of the Year Awards, and was the head coach for the US Men’s National Team during the 2016 Olympics in Rio.   Williams stresses the importance of team culture, where everyone is pushing each other to get better even in a sport where a single individual is competing at a time. That he is not willing to put another athletes personal goal over what the team needs. The most powerful message of our conversation is coach Williams explaining how to deal with pressure and failure. He challenges his gymnast at practice by getting them to visualize that they are at the NCAA Championships performing their routine, to get them to slow everything down and get in that zone by the time the championship comes around. Coach Williams talks about the importance of taking failure as a learning experience and using that to motivate ourselves to work on getting where we want to be.  Coach Williams had such great insight on both sports and life, and it’s no coincidence that all these great coaches hold similar values that they instill in their programs. I’ll end this with a great quote by Coach Williams that can should be all of ours attitudes in life “Are you willing to break through the barrier and find a way to succeed, or are you just going to stay there and lay down”.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

In Episode 14, I was honored to have my first olympian on the show who was the greatest volleyball player of all time, Karch Kiraly. Now in Episode 17, I am once again honored to have a conversation with another olympian, who this time is one of the greatest softball players of all time.  Laura Berg is the head coach for the Oregon State Beavers softball program, taking over for Kirk Walker. She was a former center- fielder for the US National Team who won gold medals in the Olympics in 1996, 2000, 2004, and a silver medal in 2008. Laura was a 4x All-American and won the NCAA Championship in 1998 playing for the Fresno State Bulldogs.  During her time with the USA team, Laura played for Mike Candrea who I had on the show, and along side legendary players such as Lisa Fernandez, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Dot Richardson, and Stacy Nuveman just to name a few.   We discussed what she did to become a four time olympian and how she motivated herself day in and day out, the attitude revolving expecting a lot out of her teammates because she expected a lot out of herself, and where her competitiveness comes from. She discusses how she has taken all the lessons she had learned from the national team, and how she instills it in her program at Oregon State.  What makes Laura so inspiring to talk to is her grittiness and how she understands that nothing is going to be given to you, you have to work for it. Her insight on success and that it is measured based on looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing that you gave it everything you could and left it all out on the field, is something that everyone should adopt.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

One of the things that I tell people in interviews or when they ask what it’s like to host a podcast is, “to me there is nothing more humbling than helping individuals become the best version of themselves”.  My guest this week is someone that has truly lived by those words and is a true humanitarian that has been doing amazing work within her community as well as on a national and federal scale for over 25 years. Dr. Celia Williamson is a professor at the University of Toledo School of Social Justice, and Executive Director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute.  In our conversation, Dr. Williamson explains that her motivation behind helping victims of human trafficking and prostitution, is inspired by her personal code of ethics, which is to “help the vulnerable, poor, and oppressed”  Dr. Williamson discussed what she learned from her six months of research out on the streets talking to these women and girls as young as 12 and what it’s like to live their lives and go through the things that they go through on a daily basis and to figure out ways to help them. Other aspects that she learned such as who the drug dealers and human traffickers were, and where the “dope” houses were. She stresses that no one take the approach that she did in her research, but that it provided her with tremendous insight on the situation at hand.  One of the most powerful messages and skills that Dr. Williamson has, is her ability to be grateful for the things in her life and platform that she has built for herself helping those that can’t help themselves.  I mean this when I say that you guys need to listen to this whole conversation till the end. The message that Dr. Williamson present at the end of our conversation was life changing for me and will be for you as well.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

Do you ever have this need to always be in control? That if your not in control then your whole world is out of balance? To have that control is like having a shield and armor protecting you from your greatest fears and challenges. Well my guest this week challenges all of us to let go of “false control” and to “love your fear”, realizing that it’s only trying to protect you.  My guest this week is License Clinical Social Worker and founder of Chicago Compass Counseling, Sarah Suzuki. Sarah was one of those guest that gave me goosebumps throughout our entire conversation because her philosophy on life is so unique, inspiring, and powerful.  Sarah has a remarkable story dating back to her childhood with an alcoholic father, watching him leave the family, begging him to stop drinking, and eventually visiting him in the psych ward, to getting into a life threatening accident later in adulthood, and her battle with depression.  In our conversation we discussed Sarah’s powerful speech where she discusses how to “love your fear” and to understand that having fear is nothing to be ashamed of. She stress the importance that we have the choice everyday when we wake up, to move towards things that make us better or to stray away from those things.  Sarah understands that when she works with clients, the most powerful aspect in changing their self-destructive behaviors, is by changing what they say after the words “I am”. How lining yourself up with your values and understanding that you don’t need to control everything, is the key to living the highest version of yourself moment to moment.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

 This weeks conversation is one of my dream interviews, one of the greatest athletes of all time, and a man that really needs no introduction, the legendary volleyball player and current Head Coach for the US Women’s National Team, Karch Kiraly. Karch is the greatest volleyball player ever. Three time National Champion at UCLA under the legendary coach Al Scates. He then goes on to win gold medals for the US Men’s National Team in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Karch, then makes the transition to beach volleyball and became the first person ever to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball (1996). In 2012, Karch wins a silver medal as an assistant for the US Women’s National Team in London and than goes on to win a bronze medal in Rio as the Head Coach in 2016. The thing that I admired the most about Karch Kiraly in our conversation, is his natural love and passion for the game of volleyball beyond any extrinsic rewards. He absolutely loves the game for the shear competition aspect, learning and growing aspect, and getting pushed to your limits and seeing how you’ll respond. It’s no coincidence is known to have a gritty, fiery, competitive personality, which has propelled him into one of the greatest athletes of all time, in any sport, in any country. We cover a lot in our conversation including, his playing career both at the college and USA level. We discuss what it was like being 11 years old, having his father as his teammate, and playing beach volleyball tournaments against grown men and how much impact that had on him. Then, we of course talk about what goes into coaching the US Women’s National Team squad and what makes olympians, olympians. You’ll definitely need your notepad for this one guys. So many great teaching lessons. One of my dream interviews that I am so honored and grateful to have done. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s conversation is with someone that I am lucky to call a friend and mentor, Geoff Miller. Geoff is the Mental Skills Consultant for the Philadelphia Phillies and author of the book “Intangibles”. Geoff is one of the top Mental Skills Consultants in the game and has had a tremendous success throughout the years.  In 2012, Geoff wrote one of the best mental skills books surrounding the game of baseball out there. Intangibles was written about Geoff’s time within the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and working with some of the best coaches and players in the game. There are so many quotable moments and lessons in this book, that can be used to tackle obstacles in both sports and life.  Topics we covered from the book included leadership, pressure, competition, and athletes own personal challenges.  Geoff also talks about the importance of evaluating one’s performance with an open mind and the tools he uses to help baseball players in all stages of their development. Besides discussing Intangibles, Geoff and I discussed the biggest struggles that players these days deal with coming up through the Minor Leagues and once they get to the Major Leagues. We discuss the importance of putting things in perspective and being grateful for all situations in life. The most important aspect that we discussed, is the challenge players go through “managing their own expectations to be great.”  What makes Geoff one of the best in the game, is his ability to get athletes to recognize how to approach a situation, while not changing who they are as a person. "A must read for athletes looking to gain a mental edge or simply better identify their own strengths." -Bryan Minniti, Assistant General Manager, Phillies --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s conversation is one that I am extremely excited to share with you and the first of what I think to be many conversations between me and my guest, Dan Wise. Dan (also know as RDAP Dan), has a remarkable story and does remarkable work helping individuals as a Federal Prison Consultant. In our conversation, Dan talks about his life choices that ultimately led to him serving 13 months of a 42 month sentence in federal prison and his experience before, during, and after prison. We talk about Dan being introduced to the Residential Drug Addiction Program (RDAP) in prison, where he learned to take responsibility for his actions and changed his life habits for the better.  We discuss the work that Dan does coaching his clients how to appear in front of a judge, what to expect in prison, how to ownership for their current situation, and how to change their life habits for the better. Dan stressed that no matter who we are and no matter what situation we are in, that we don’t need to be define by the poor choices and mistakes that we made in life.   Inspired by our mutual friend and fellow guest on our shows Dr. Mark Goulston, we discussed the relationship between guilt and shame in our lives. Dan is someone that I look up to as a mentor and he is the perfect example of using reinventing yourself and using his life experiences to give back and help individuals in the same situation.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s conversation is part two and the conclusion of my conversation with Amy. The response from part one has been amazing and thank you to everyone that has shared their support for Amy and her family.  In part two, we discussed how Amy began her healing process from the day after Cris’s death to the present day eight months later. She gave credit continuously  to the two aspects in her life that gave her the strength to push forward. One was her spirituality and relationship with God, and the other was asking herself, “How am I going to honor my son’s life”. Amy and I, dove deep into the conversation behind the stigma that still surrounds individuals that attempted or committed suicide. Amy being her loving, insightful, and kind hearted self, gave remarkable advice for anyone that is struggling with mental health issues and to families that know a loved one struggling mental health issues.  This opportunity to speak with Amy was such an honor and impactful for me beyond words can explain. You will hear the emotion I was filled with throughout the whole conversation. Amy is such a strong and beautiful example for anyone that is going through a tough time.  There were so many quotable moments in our conversation and Amy is so insightful and it is an absolute honor to call her a friend.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

As many of you know, the topic surrounding mental health and suicide is one that I hold very close to my heart. In recent years, we have made tremendous strides to spread awareness surrounding the topic, but unfortunately that stigma surrounding it still exist. There is still a universal issue surrounding men and the ability to talk about their thoughts and emotions, which is why this weeks conversation was such a powerful one to share with all of you.  This week’s conversation is with someone that I am lucky enough to call a friend and a genuine human being that has inspired me through her unfortunate lost of her son, Amy.  In part one of our deeply personal conversation filled with tears, inspirational moments, and honest truths, we discussed Amy losing her son Cris just a over eight months ago in March to suicide. We spoke about Cris’s life as a child, his years through junior high and high school, to the day of his suicide. You’ll hear Amy talked about how loving, insightful, and deep Cris was, but also his struggles relating to his peers, going through being bullied, and how events that occured affected Cris’s mental health.  This was the most raw, honest, and intimate conversations I’ve ever had with someone and the similarities that me and Cris have in common such as personality, beliefs, struggles, has made this conversation even more impactful in my heart. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s conversation is with the Hall of Fame men’s volleyball coach at The Ohio State University, Pete Hanson. Coach Hanson entering his 35th season is the winner of three of the last eight National Championships capturing them in 2011 and back to back championships in 2016 and 2017. He’s captured 18 MIVA regular season crowns, 13 MIVA Tournament titles, and has been to six Final Fours. Coach Hanson winner of four National and 13 MIVA Coach of the Year Awards, is a two-time Hall of Fame inductee — Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame (class of 2017) and America Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (class of 2015) . Coach Hanson stresses how it is a full team effort from coaches and players, to their strength coach and everyone in between that has propelled the Buckeyes to one of the of the top programs year in and year out. He states that when the players expect more out of each other than the coaches do, is when you know you have a good thing going. Just like the other great coaches I’ve been honored to have a conversation with, Coach Hanson stresses the importance of putting things into perspective. He stresses to his players that they may think they are having a tough week, but they are in college, getting an education, and need to find a way to push through it. It was great having a conversation with another successful coach and gaining knowledge from Coach Hanson’s decades in the coaching world that relate both to sports and life. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This weeks conversation is with the iconic and legendary softball coach Mike Candrea. Coach Candrea is entering his 34th season at the helm of the University of Arizona softball program. He has won eight national championships, 11 conference championships, and made 22 Women’s College World Series appearances. Coach Candrea has been named National Coach of the Year four times and Pac-12 Coach of the Year 12 times. In 2017, he became the fastest coach in NCAA history in any sport and level, to win 1,500 games and was inducted to the National Softball Hall of Fame. He is the softball Division I leader in wins and only five coaches in any sport have more Division I victories than Coach Candrea. Along with his coaching career at Arizona, Coach Candrea was also the head coach for the United States Women’s National Team, that earned a gold medal in Athens in 2004 and a silver medal in Beijing in 2008. He coached some of the greatest athletes of all time including, Jennie Finch, Laura Berg, Lisa Fernandez, and Jessica Mendoza to name a few. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This weeks conversation is with Dr. Mark Goulston, board certified psychiatrist, former UCLA Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, and international best selling author. Dr. Mark has worked as a psychotherapist for over three decades specializing in suicide prevention, depression, anxiety, PTSD, death and dying, to name a few. Besides being a professor for over twenty five years, Dr. Mark was also a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer. As of now, most of you know that the topic surrounding depression and suicide is a topic that I hold very close to my heart. One of the most powerful tools that a person can use and has made Dr. Mark one of the best in the business, is to really deeply listen to someone. To be able to learn (like he did) to “listen into people’s eyes”. During our conversation, it was no coincidence how Dr. Mark has helped so many people during his career because of his ability to form a deep connection and energy between himself and others. I hope that you learn from Dr. Mark just as much as I have , and how powerful the connection between people can be by really listening deeply to individuals that come across our path in life. It could ultimately save someone’s life. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s episode is part two and the conclusion of my conversation with distance runner and author Brandon Hudgins. In part two of our conversation, we discussed Brandon’s book “Going the Distance” released in 2018. Brandon was so authentic and raw in telling his story, and filled the book with insightful and unique takes on life. The most impactful messages that I took away from the book, was Brandon’s take surrounding the the concept of HOPE and RISK. Brandon discussed once he made the conscious decision to not leave his life in HOPES hands he was able to fully live his life. He also discussed how we misuse the term RISK and how if we prepare enough for something then its not taking a risk at all. Brandon also shared the importance of surrounding yourself with family and friends and how they saved his life. We talked about the event of losing a teammate and friend at the age of 13 that forever changed Brandon’s take on life. I hope you continue to enjoy , feel, and learn from Brandon in the conclusion of our conversation together. It was an absolute joy and honor to speak to Brandon and I hope he has made an impact in your life as much as he did in mine. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This weeks conversation is with the inspiring and resilient Brandon Hudgins. Brandon is an American Distance Runner and author who’s incredible story about persevering during challenging times and not giving up on his dreams has touched the lives of many. In August 2015, Brandon became the 448th American to run a mile in under four minutes and the first and only to do it while battling the rare Vasculitis disease. In part one of our conversation, Brandon discussed being diagnosed with Vasculitis at the age of 21 in 2008 and having two relapses in 2012 and 2013. He described the experience of going through chemotherapy and drug treatments, body aches, and sinus pressures, while contemplating if he was ever going to run again. Brandon stressed in our conversation and in his book “Going the Distance”, the importance of finding your why, and how finding his why in inspiring others and being that role model people could look up to is what kept him going during his darkest times. Having people counting on Brandon to keep fighting, his genuine passion to impact people’s lives, and the importance to raise awareness for Vasculitis, is what ultimately motivated Brandon to keep pursuing his running career. Eventually, earning a spot to compete at the Olympic Trials in 2016. I am so excited for you to learn and embrace Brandon’s passion for making a difference in the world and in the lives of others. Enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week’s conversation is with the authentic, genuine, and inspiring HALT Co- Founder and spokesperson, Jeremy Forbes. Jeremy gained worldwide recognition for his work with HALT, (Hope Assistance Local Tradies) an organization that spreads awareness of mental health in the trade industry across Australia and other countries. In our deeply personal conversation, we shared stories of our own experiences, as well as the people in our lives experiences surrounding mental health and suicide. We talked about the suicide of Pete, a local “tradie” and the conversation surrounding “Who’s Next” at his funeral that motivated Jeremy to make a change and raise awareness about mental health within the community. This was one of the most intimate, honest, and layered conversations I’ve ever had with someone and I left this exchange better for having had it. It motivated me to continue my journey and how I can make an even bigger impact to help people affected by these issues. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This week's conversation is with the incredible and insightful Valorie Kondos Field, known as "Miss Val". She has been the Head coach of the UCLA Women's Gymnastics team since 1991 winning seven National Championships including the 2018 NCAA Championship. As a head coach and assistant, she won 17 Pac-12 Championships, 21 Regional Championships and Coached 18 athletes to 34 NCAA Individual Championships. In 2010 she became only the second active coach to be inducted in the UCLA Athletics Hall Of Fame and won Pac- 12 Gymnastics Coach of the Century in 2016. Over the years, student-athletes have credited Coach Val with providing them with the skills to excel in athletics and life after graduating from UCLA. Included in the many athletes over her coaching career, are Olympic champions Simone Biles, Jordan Wieber, Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez and Nastia Liukin. Miss Val has one of the most insightful and unique takes on life of anyone I've known. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

This weeks conversation is with the iconic softball coach Kirk Walker. He is a winner of six national championships, six Pac 12 Championships, and 14 WCWS appearances, in his time as an assistant with UCLA (1984-94, 2012-present) under the legendary coach Sharon Backus and currently Darcy Inouye-Perez. He then became the head coach at Oregon State (1995-2012) becoming the winningest coach in program history and fifth overall in any sport at OSU. He led the Beavers to their first Pac 12 Championship in any women's sport at OSU, eight 40 win seasons, all 10 postseasons births, a WCWS appearance and received two Coach of Year Awards. Kirk was also a head coach of the Women's Major’s team that won four national championships. Kirk became the first openly gay male coach in Division 1 sports in 2005 during a team meeting while at Oregon State. He became an inspirational figure for the LGBT community in sports and have impacted many lives with his story. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support

The very first episode of The Andre Fraticelli Podcast! Andre Fraticelli is fascinated by the mindset behind someone becoming their best self in life. From individuals involved in sports and business, to spiritual leaders and professors, to individuals that have inspiring stories needed to be told. Through these conversations "I'm excited to share the many paths to becoming our best selves with people who have inspiring stories and to share their journey, skills, and mindset that propelled them to become the best version of themselves". --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theandrefraticellipodcast/support