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Sean Kelly, Recording Artist and Past Member, Sixpence None the Richer Could you handle the demands of your dreams coming true? In this episode, Sean Kelly shares his path from jamming with his high school friends to being a member of the Grammy-nominated band Sixpence None the Richer. Sean discusses the grind of making it in the music industry, the excitement of touring on a tour bus for the first time, and the roller coaster ride of humbling versus rock star moments along the way. He also discusses the myth of overnight success and his advice for up-and-coming musicians. Learn more about Sean’s production company: Stereophonic Films

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. 

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

Dr. Mark Williams, Professor, Author – The Best – How Elite Athletes are Made Do you keep moving forward every day toward your goals? In this episode, Dr. Mark Williams shares his path from international youth footballer to world-renowned expert on human performance. He discusses the tremendous growth in the use of science applied to sport, touches on many of the current debates in the world of coaching, and provides his take on the role of genetics versus environment in the development of elite level performance. Dr. Williams also discusses his newest book on elite athletes for which he and his co-author interviewed dozens of elite athletes including Steph Curry, Marcus Rashford, and Pete Sampras to name a few. To learn more about Dr. Williams: https://www.markwilliamssportsscience.com To learn more about The Best – How Elite Athletes are Made: https://www.amazon.com/Best-How-Champions-Are-Made/dp/1529304350  

Abe Kamarck, CEO & Founder of True Made Foods Do you get stuck on the emotional rollercoaster, too high with successes or too low with failures? In this episode Abe Kamarck shares his path from growing up on his family’s Italian cooking, to military officer, to founder and CEO of a successful startup company. He shares what he learned in flight school about preparing for the worst-case scenario, navigating the pressure of starting and growing a business, and how success is a moving target. This episode is full of great information for anyone pursuing their goals, from students to entrepreneurs.  Learn more about Abe: Instagram, Twitter Learn more about True Made Foods: Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Lockwood Barr, Country Music Recording Artist Is pushing yourself outside your comfort zone a theme in your life? In this episode Lockwood Barr shares her path from her first writing sessions after arriving in Nashville to becoming a successful artist. She discusses consistently pushing out of her comfort zone, fighting impostor syndrome, her first CMA festival as a performer, and touring for a living. Lockwood also shares the importance of addressing mental health needs and her efforts to bring awareness to, and advocate  for,  suicide prevention. Her story is inspiring and reminds us not to be deterred by rejections along our path. Learn more about Lockwood: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook 

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Brandon Barnett, Songwriter and Founder of the Left of Nashville Podcast Network. Highlights include their discussion of how burnout can happen even when you love what you do, and that being extremely passionate about something possibly can lead to an even greater chance of it. Kevin and Lauren also discuss how draining the true-crime genre can be, how an idea without an investment goes nowhere, and the alliteration of Kevin’s self-designated nickname – bald Brad Pitt.

Brandon Barnett, Songwriter and Founder of the Left of Nashville Podcast Network Would you walk away from a good living to take a shot at your dreams? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren speak with Brandon Barnett, whose path includes collaborating with one of Nashville’s best known songwriters to his true crime podcast that led to an arrest in a decades old missing person cold-case. Brandon shares his experience of not giving up, the joy and stress of podcasting about cold cases, and the importance of having fun no matter what you pursue. He also talks about the realization that he had hundreds of thousands of listeners, and his mantra of not putting out garbage just to release something. Learn more about Brandon: Instagram, Facebook Learn more about Left of Nashville: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Amie Wells, Broadcasting Manager for the Tennessee Titans and cohost of Titans All Access. Highlights include their discussion of the importance of sharing your goals with others, how a lot of people are willing to help you along the way, and the reason for not being shy when touting your accomplishments. Kevin and Lauren also discuss what modern networking looks like. 

Amie Wells, Broadcasting Manager for the Tennessee Titans; Cohost of Titans All Access Are you coachable? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren speak with Amie Wells about her path from political science major to one of the media faces of an NFL team. Amie shares the lessons she learned as an intern for the Baltimore Ravens sharpening pencils for the offensive line, the importance of being coachable, and what it is like working around household names on a daily basis. In addition to an insider’s look at an NFL team, Amie’s episode is full of great advice for anyone looking to reach their goals and possibly land their dream job. Learn more about Amie: Instagram, Twitter

Jonathan Avalos, Founder of Athletic Golf Fitness  Do you show people that you are invested in them? In this episode Kevin and Lauren speak with Jonathan Avalos about his path from using his background as an athlete to become a trainer to founding his own business specializing in physical fitness training for golfers. Listen to hear Jonathan’s advice on ignoring your thoughts telling you that you can’t do something, the importance of knowing the intent behind every movement, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of getting better at being average. He also shares the importance of leading when no one is watching and the important lesson he learned from his young sons about happiness. Learn more about Jonathan: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Learn more about Athletic Golf Fitness: Facebook, Instagram

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

Tracy Tutor, Author, Fear is Just a Four Letter Word, and Star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing LA  Are you able to embrace fear, put it aside, and nail that big opportunity or performance? In this episode, Kevin and Lauren speak with bestselling author and television star, Tracy Tutor. Tracy shares her path of entering the L.A. luxury home real estate market at a young age, and the drive and determination that it required. She also shares what she has learned about what it takes to be successful, how to get into the proper mindset during stressful situations, and the important lessons from failures along the way. This episode is full of great advice including resisting being silenced, being true to yourself, and not striving for perfection.  Learn more about Tracy: Instagram, Twitter

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with Nashville entrepreneur and artist manager, Justin Causey. The highlight is a conversation about the give and take of saying “yes” versus “no,” from the risk of taking on too much to the risk of missing an opportunity. Kevin and Lauren also touch on the power of a like-minded collective and ponder the relationship between participation in high-risk sports and the willingness to take chances in the artistic space.

Justin Causey, Entrepreneur and Music Artist Manager  Are you willing to take the Ls in order to get to the Ws? In this episode we speak with Justin Causey about his experiences as an entrepreneur and artist manager in Nashville’s rising hip-hop music scene. Justin discusses his path in the music business, designing a shoe for Nike, and being named one of Tennessee State University’s 40 under 40. Listen to hear him share how a serious injury solidified his entrepreneurial approach, the rarity of finding a collective of artists moving forward together, and the importance of learning from failure. This episode is packed with motivational advice for anyone striving to live their dreams. Learn more about Justin: Instagram, Twitter

Dr. David Eccles, Professor of Sport Psychology at Florida State University (Parts 1 & 2; Science of High Performance) Do you have the patience to temporarily slow down enough in the midst of a high stakes situation to cultivate the best next move? Across two episodes we speak with Dr. Dave Eccles about his 20+ years of research on expert performance in a variety of domains. He describes research findings on how athletes plan ahead and simulate the competitive environment, his fascinating work on team coordination, and the impressive amounts of knowledge that orienteering athletes possess about navigating terrain. In Part 2, we get into his latest research exploring the role of rest in optimal performance, and discuss how not getting enough rest has been glamorized. This first installment of the Science of High Performance series is packed with useful tips for everyone. Learn more about Dr. Eccles: Twitter

Dr. David Eccles, Professor of Sport Psychology at Florida State University (Parts 1 & 2; Science of High Performance) Do you have the patience to temporarily slow down enough in the midst of a high stakes situation to cultivate the best next move? Across two episodes we speak with Dr. Dave Eccles about his 20+ years of research on expert performance in a variety of domains. He describes research findings on how athletes plan ahead and simulate the competitive environment, his fascinating work on team coordination, and the impressive amounts of knowledge that orienteering athletes possess about navigating terrain. In Part 2, we get into his latest research exploring the role of rest in optimal performance, and discuss how not getting enough rest has been glamorized. This first installment of the Science of High Performance series is packed with useful tips for everyone. Learn more about Dr. Eccles: Twitter

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.

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

BONUS: Hosts Drs. Kevin Harris and Lauren S. Tashman discuss their conversation with stand-up comedian and podcaster Brian Bates with the microphone hot.  Highlights include their discussion about developing an identity as a comic, comedy as a coping and defense mechanism, and the tremendous amount of work that goes  into comedy. Kevin also shares his perspective from having performed stand-up including comedic timing and the pitfall of “my friends think I’m funny.”