(Un)Common Threads

Synchronization with Liliia and Iaroslav Bieliei

Liliia and Ioraslav are a married dance pair who have ascended to the top of the global ballroom standings. In this episode, Justin is explores their journey growing up in dance and in Ukraine, both in terms of their shared experiences and the ones unique to each of them.

Finding the small victories with Zach Buhler

Zach Buhler is a Paralympic Goalball player whose story is one of grit, perseverance, and optimism. In this episode, Justin and Zach discuss Zach's path to the paralympics and what advice he has for people searching for the will to keep growing.

Never Stop Practicing with Jaymee Sire

Jaymee Sire is a broadcaster with experience reporting on the sidelines for the San Diego Chargers, San Francisco,  the Giants, A’s, Warriors, and San Jose Sharks. She then switched to the East coast, where she debuted as an anchor for ESPN and helped launch Sportscenter AM. After a few years there, in 2017, she was among the group of over 100 people ESPN laid off and used that as an opportunity to pivot from a focus on sports to another: food. That focus has led to appearances on Beat Bobby Flay and her current role, hosting Food Network’s first ever official podcast, called Food Network Obsessed. In this episode Jaymee talks about taking feedback, putting in the reps, and exploring her passions.

Balanced Mindset with Stephania Haralabidis

Stephania Haralabidis is a water polo player for the US National Team who recently won Gold at the Olympics in Tokyo last summer. Since 2017,  she’s led the US to many victories including the FINA world cup in 2018, and the Pan American Games and World Championships in 2019. Before that, she was a collegiate player at USC where she led the team to an NCAA victory in 2016 and was awarded the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award which goes to the best collegiate water polo player of the year. Stephania was born in Greece and previously competed for the junior and senior national teams for Greece. In this episode she talks about finding your passions, maintaining the right mindset, and a strong worth ethic.

Importance of Support Systems with Bershawn "Batman" Jackson

In high school Bershawn earned his infamous nickname “Batman” from his flight-like running. He ran for Saint Augustine's University and set a Division II National Championship Record in the 400m hurdles. He went on to win three medals (two gold, one bronze) at the World Championships and one gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Bershawn won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles. In 2015 he started Run U Xpress and now coaches over 60 youth athletes in North Carolina. In this episode, Bershawn talks about the importance of having a support system filled with family and coaches to encourage him and the desire to push yourself to get better no matter what.