Their Story

Josh Kauten: K's Academy, Player Development and Delayed Gratification

This episode featured K's Academy founder and instructor, Josh Kauten, and we covered a variety of topics. We cover the principles and philosophies that Josh uses while training athletes - the same core ideas that have helped him train hundreds of DI athletes and professionals. We discuss the world of player development, what is looks like today vs. what it used to be, and what's yet to be accomplished. We also cover the concept of delayed gratification and why it's important to view things in longer time horizons rather than wanting something today, tomorrow or next week. The simplicity in putting in a lot of work and effort now with the realization that it's unreasonable you won't be significantly better down the road shouldn't be overlooked. Closing Tradition features the question: If you can change one day or event in your life, what would it be?

Stan Granger: Parenting, Effort and an Evolving Relationship with Failure

Five years ago, Stan Granger and I sat down for an interview. It was centered around late Holt wrestling coach, Rocky Shaft. I learned a lot from Stan in that interview so I asked him to hop on an episode of Their Story. Stan unfolds his thoughts on parenting, effort and failure. It's been a long road to where Stan is today, and he pays homage to his mentors, idols and those who kept him on the right path. By being on the right path, he has enabled his two sons to become great human beings along the way. Despite learning on the fly, Stan is doing the work to be the best parent he can be. With learning on the fly comes failure. Stan talks about his relationship with failure and how its evolved throughout the years. Stan does a great job storytelling and giving us an insight into his life in this episode.

Jayce Riegling: Discipline, Building a Brand and the JKR Podcast

Jayce is a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Since he was young, he wanted to be an agent. As the years progressed, he focused on becoming an MLB agent and began laying the groundwork to do just that. He started JKR Baseball and the JKR Podcast in order to put himself in position to talk, interview and network with athletes, coaches and scouts. In this episode, Jayce talks about his upbringing and some personality traits he acquired that have helped him become the outgoing person he is today. He's driven and motivated, and he also talks about why that is. His entrepreneurial spirit is showing in his brand and work ethic and everything he puts forth towards his passion project which will help lead him to his desired career path. JKR Podcast: https://jkrpodcast.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jkr_baseball/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JKR_Baseball

Collin Baumgartner: Identity, Leadership and Surrendering the Outcome

Collin Baumgartner has had quite the journey since graduating high school in 2017. While pitching for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Collin quickly became an MLB draft prospect. Before the 2021 season, Collin suffered a partially torn UCL. This lead to Tommy John surgery and sitting out the 2021 season. This also squashed a lot of talks he already began having with MLB organizations about the possibility of selecting him in the draft. Collin just finished his final year of eligibility at Kansas University. Having experienced Power 5 baseball at a school like KU is something he'll never forget. Throughout the episode, Collin talks about the importance of family. During his injury and recovery, Collin leaned on family a lot, and got to spend more time with them because he was sidelined. He also began to come into his own as an adult and started forming an identity outside of sports. Sports had so long been what the center of his life was, and the injury helped him form an identity that didn't surround itself with sports. He talks about leadership styles and how he's always been a lead-by-example type of guy. Regardless of styles, Collin knows that in order for people to follow your lead, they must respect you first. Respect and trust is formed through genuine encounters. This is a great conversation, and we wish Collin the best in his future endeavors. He is, currently, as of July 9, heading to law school at Saint Louis University. There is a possibility he's selected in this year's MLB draft in which we will be watching closely in case we hear his name called.

Gavin Smith: Athlete's Mindset, Transforming Failure and Passion Projects

Gavin Smith is incredibly wise beyond his years. In his early 20's, Gavin already has loads of experience when it comes to athletic and life experiences. He played college baseball at Carl Sandburg College up until the covid-shortened 2020 season. At Carl Sandburg, Gavin had mental hurdles to overcome when it came to baseball. Things like imposter syndrome and self-doubt crept in and never seemed to leave him, which ultimately helped lead him to the end of his playing career. After Carl Sandburg, Gavin transferred to Illinois State University. Gavin is now working at Prep Baseball Report in a few different capacities. He's also the face behind Mindlete, a social media page dedicated to helping student-athletes, especially baseball players, master the mental side of the game. Since Gavin faced struggles of his own, he believes his mission is to help those get through the things he went through. In this conversation, we talk about how to transform failure into learning opportunities and lessons. We talk about Mindlete and the mission behind it. We talk about a lot of things that can help young athlete today, and it would be a disservice to NOT listen to Gavin talk about his experiences. You can find Mindlete on Tik Tok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindlete?lang=en