Executive Athletes

Ed Cunningham is an American sports announcer, film producer, and former professional American football player. Following his career in the National Football League, Cunningham worked as an commentator for different media outlets, most recently ESPN. In 2017, he resigned citing his personal concerns with safety risks posed by the sport of football. He played center for five seasons for the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Prior to his professional football career, Cunningham played center for the Washington Huskies, helping them win a national championship in 1991. In 1997, Cunningham became a regional college football analyst for CBS Sports. Cunningham moved over to ABC Sports in August 2000. In 2006, with the merger of ESPN and ABC Sports, Cunningham began appearing as analyst on ESPN College Football as well. Cunningham resigned from ESPN prior to the 2017 college season, citing disenchantment with football due to growing evidence of the risk of chronic traumatic

Rob is currently the CEO of the Iditarod and for most of us the Iditarod conjures images like no other sporting event: blinding white terrain, icicles knotting ruddy-faced mushers’ eyebrows, silver-eyed dogs lunging frantically into a vast unknown. Basically, crazy people charging headlong into challenging horizons. The word is Ingalik Indian for “distant place.” The Iditarod race across Alaska couldn’t be much farther from where Louisville Kentucky native Rob Urbach began his career in sports management. After earning his degree—and competing as a nationally recognized tennis, swimming, and cross-country athlete moved to Philadelphia to earn an M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business. Next were executive vice president positions at premier sports and entertainment firms such as SFX and Octagon, where he oversaw international marathon, tennis, and golf events and soccer’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa. A highly decorated “Ironman” himself, Urbach moved to Colorado in 2011 to become CEO of USA Triathlon, whe

She was an influencer before the term even existed...and when brands like Lamborghini, Cedars-Sinai and Lionsgate want to better understand influencer marketing, they call one person...Amanda Russell. As an international fitness icon, sought-after speaker and brand strategist, Amanda has been at the forefront of the digital marketing and social media revolution from its infancy. Amanda designed & co-created UCLA's' Influencer Marketing curriculum, the world’s first fully accredited program in Influencer Marketing and currently teaches this program, along with marketing, branding, and business strategy at UCLA at UT Austin, to a global audience of students and future leaders. She advises some of the top companies in the world on influencer marketing and how they interact with their customers. Her upcoming book, The Influencer Code, teaches brands how to use collaboration to grow and scale their business. The Toronto Star calls her the “Real-life Iron Woman” and “the ultimate go-getter”. Amanda is here in [

Dr. Takla is an emergency medicine physician and amateur athlete with a passion for health and fitness. The role of an ER physician can be stressful, and he is responsible for one of the busiest emergency rooms in Michigan. In addition to practicing clinically, he has extensive administrative experience as a medical director supplemented with an executive MBA from the University of Michigan. While emergency medicine and innovation in health care remain passions of his, He also thrives on the pursuit of health and fitness. Pursuing a well-balanced life combining physical, mental, and emotional health and fitness, is critical to happiness. As an amateur athlete and Ironman, He enjoys utilizing his medical skills and knowledge to further his own health and fitness. He thoroughly enjoys and welcomes the opportunity to motivate, coach, mentor and consult with both individuals and groups assisting them with improving their own health and fitness. Each of us, from amateurs to professional athletes, can find way

Tyler started his 13-year professional cycling career during his senior year at Princeton University. He carries the distinction of being the domestic professional rider with the longest tenure on his team, with 12 years at Jamis-Hagens Berman. Cycling taught Tyler that there is no limit to the work that can be done to become a better athlete and he has applied this lesson to starting his own athletic event production business, Wrenegade Sports, LLC, and several years later founding Wrenegade Foundation. Tyler was a 3-time Collegiate National Champion, US National Team member, 2-time USPRO King of the Mountains winner, stage winner at the UCI Vuelta Chile, and 2-time winner of the Crusher in the Tushar. Tyler specialized in stage races and climbing, and also enjoyed gravel racing, gran fondo events, mountain biking, and cyclocross. https://www.farmtoforkfitness.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

Jon cut his World Pro Skiing teeth as a 12 year old carrying Jean Claude Killy’s jacket down Boyne Mt. Fifteen years later, he served as Killy’s USA agent. While at IMG, he helped bring Chrysler and Coors in as US Pro Ski Tour sponsors, with clients Phil and Steve Mahre racing under the Coors banner.  Ultimately Jon sold and managed Cafe de Colombia’s Ski World Cup title sponsorship in a multi year multi million dollar mega deal. Later, Jon worked with Barilla Pasta and World Champion Bode Miller and brought three headgear sponsors to Olympic Gold Medalist Julia Mancuso. Following stints as Olympic Boxing Chief and CEO of a global combat league, Jon is back home in ski racing to manage the resurgence of the World Pro Ski Tour https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonjfranklin/ https://worldproskitour.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

Ian started racing as a young age group cyclist in 1973 and in sports governance at the Univeristy of Sydney in 1984. From 1996 to 2006 he accumulated 10 world championship wins, 25 world championship podium finishes and Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the ESPN X-Games. He is a three time Guinness world record holder for endurance kayaking (262 miles in 24 hours) and current Ninja OCR age group world record holder. He was a founding member of Team Nike, the world's most successful adventure racing team, featured on the Eco-Challenge and other television shows from 1995 through 2007. From a corporate perspective Ian spent ten years in the implantable medical device industry, where he started Reflex Medical Products, and continued as COO for five years. In 1996 he started his own project management consulting business adding event and television production in 1999. In 2001 Ian partnered with television producers who had supervised Mark Burnett’s Eco-Challenge and Survivor and continues to work in the televisi

As a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Pence has spent the last fifteen years working with individuals as they peel back the layers of their outer shell, cast aside the unhealthy patterns, and begin to build a new, more resilient and adventurous sense of self. A native of the East Coast, she completed her post-doctoral fellow in Dallas, TX, and then transitioned into private practice where she saw individuals, couples, and families alike for therapeutic services. She quickly became one of the most sought-after therapists in Dallas and supervised various other professionals in the community. In 2018, Dr. Pence moved to Colorado, and came on board as the Chief Mind Doc for SPARTAN, the world’s leading endurance company, where she hosted the Spartan Mind podcast and consulted with the organization on various mindset focused initiatives. She also works as a coach for The Unbeatable Mind, alongside Mark Divine, founder of SEAL FIT. She has been featured in various publications and media outlets such as Good Morn

He is a partner and founding member of Silver Spike Capital, LLC a private credit and growth capital investment manager focused on plant-based and alternative health and wellness industries. Prior to Silver Spike, Mr. Healy was President of Pantera Capital Management in Menlo Park, California— a leading blockchain venture capital manager dedicated exclusively to digital currencies, applications, and related companies. But more importantly he is a passionate Triathlete and world changer! https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhealy1/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

Blair Clark, and he is on the ride of a lifetime following his cycling and outdoor passions. He has Managed “high end,” global specialty sports performance businesses, including Giro/Bell helmets, Smith optics, Canyon and Specialized bicycles, GU nutrition and related sports products. He has worked with owner/founder entrepreneurs and private equity boards, managing P&L’s from $10M to $120M and staffs of up to 125 employees with operations including manufacturing in North America and Europe plus sourcing initiatives from China. He has managed several successful turnarounds from daily cash flow crisis and the threat of liquidity to successful financial results. He has established comprehensive marketing plans for multi-tiered distribution channels. In my journey sponsoring major athletes/teams and events in snow, bike, surf, MX and NASCAR including Travis Pastrana, Regan Smith, Lance Armstrong and Picabo Street has made his ride a dream of a lifetime. The Japanese would say in his present role as President

Dr. Steven MacGregor is the Founder of The Leadership Academy of Barcelona with clients including Salesforce, Uber and McKinsey. He has taught several hundred classes at leading business schools, and has been a visiting researcher at Stanford and Carnegie-Mellon. Overall, he has helped improve the health and wellbeing of more than 20,000 people worldwide through face-to-face delivery of the Sustaining Executive Performance program, and a further 250,000 online. Dr. MacGregor holds a PhD in design thinking and virtual teams and is the author of 6 books. Notably Sustaining Executive Performance and Chief Wellbeing Officer, now a popular podcast. A former international level duathlete and national champion, he has trained with Olympic athletes, Tour de France cyclists, and Ironman champions, and can be found on a frequent basis running up and down the mountain overlooking the city of Barcelona. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

Meredith Atwood (@SwimBikeMom) is a former attorney, podcaster and motivational speaker, and 4x IRONMAN triathlete. She is the author of the best-selling triathlonbook, Triathlon for the Every Woman, and the new book, The Year of NoNonsense. She’s the host of the iTunes Top 50 fitness podcast, “The Same 24 Hours. ”She has been featured in The Boston Globe, The New York Post, the Seattle Times and dozens of online publications. Meredith is a contributing writer to Psychology Today online, Triathlete Magazine and Women’s Running. She is a sobriety advocate, and the founder of Grateful Sobriety. She is a USA Weightlifting Level II, USA Triathlon Level I, and Precision Nutrition Level I Coach. She is originally from Georgia and lives in the burbs of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband and two tweens. https://swimbikemom.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/executiveathletes/support

Chris is the founder and CEO of CTS, a pioneering company in the endurance coaching industry. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2020, CTS has worked with more than 20,000 amateur and professional athletes and grown to a coaching staff of more than 50 coaches in three locations nationwide. Chris was a member of the 1984 Olympic Team and the iconic 7-Eleven Pro Cycling Team, and is a bestselling author of more than 10 books on training and nutrition, including “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “The Time-Crunched Triathlete”. Coach to the US Olympic Cycling Team in 1992 and 1996, he was named the US Olympic Committee Coach of the Year in 1999. Chris is a columnist for Road Bike Action Magazine and writes a weekly training blog with more than 70,000 subscribers. He was a longtime columnist for Bicycling Magazine, Outside Magazine, Velonews, and Triathlete Magazines. Chris and CTS have been the trusted coaching resource for amateur athletes as well as National, World, and Olympic Champions. https://trainright.com/

The name Mike Kloser and adventure go hand in hand. Mike has been seeking adventure his entire life. In 1988, Mike was crowned Mountain Bike Cross Country World Champion and throughout his cycling career stacked up an impressive resume of world cup wins and podiums as well as many other titles, including a silver medal in the Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships. Upon retiring from professional cycling, Mike went on to adventure racing. He won the Eco-Challenge 3 times, Primal Quest 5 times and won the World Championships 4 times. and he is still going, this past summer he added the Go Pro Games Ultimate challenge win to him palmeres. Just to add another fun fact to his resume, he is also a world champion in long distance orienteering. Mike is a man of many talents and his love for all things considered adventurous is contagious. Throughout Mike’s athletic career, he gained plenty of experience in coaching and guiding others. In addition to being a world champion athlete, dad and family man. Mike own’s

MK is a global entrepreneur having created and/or led 8 technology companies in 5 different countries. She has held leadership roles in public and private companies with operating positions in: London, Paris, Tokyo, Ottawa, Austin, San Jose and New York . MK uses a data-driven framework to help companies achieve their growth objectives, unleash leadership and create cultural change. Marsden has raised over $100MM of venture capital for technology companies with a preference Women led businesses. A frequent speaker on women’s leadership, women in technology she also has 4 years of on-air television experience. She is fluent in English and French. MK is an Angle Investor and passionate philanthropist committed to ending gender bias in the world. Athletic Highlights include · Played Men's National Lacrosse in Ottawa for the Gloucester Griffins · Nationally ranked Tri-Athlete from 1986 to 2001 · Completed 27 Marathons · Started Women's Hockey at University of Ottawa · Currently writing a book on the Female Studen

Xavier is a dynamic professional with a strong strategic marketing background in the food, consumer and hospitality sectors. Xavier began his career with Kraft Foods in marketing, commercial and product development. After 7 years with Kraft Foods, he joined Club Med as Marketing and Digital Director. Only 3 ½ years thereafter, he was promoted in 2008 to CEO of Club Med North America at age 31 overseeing 3,000 employees from 15 nationalities. He is currently the CEO of Club Med Europe Middle East Africa markets, a region delivering $1.3B revenue per year, 70% of Club Med Worldwide. Xavier has succeeded in positioning Club Med into a family upscale vacation and turnaround the American region in 2010, unprofitable since 2001 with historic records every year from 2011 to 2019 thanks to a team engagement at the level of top10% companies Always engaged in many different sports:, triathlon, tennis, yoga, ski today and, soccer, rugby, fencing, judo, … in the past Triathlon: Age grouper top 15% Olympic distance and

Michael Bryant is the president of CTS Consulting - a Baltimore -based multi-disciplined consulting firm. He is also an endurance athlete and a six-time Ironman triathlon finisher. In 1981, after acknowledging that he was terminally unemployable, Michael founded CTS Consulting. His focus with both individuals and corporations has been on assisting others in creating effective working lives.  The outside world knows him as a career/management consultant but for nearly four decades Michael has functioned as a professional "unstucker.” He has a passion for showing people practical ways to problem solve, communicate and connect more effectively. With nearly 40 years’ experience consulting with organizations and their leadership, insatiable curiosity, and the courage to challenge what’s possible in an effort to continually grow and improve, Michael’s perspective on work and life is one-of-a-kind and inspiring. His approach to work and life was deemed unique enough that he was the subject of a four-page profil

Rocky Snyder grew up outside of Boston and moved to Santa Cruz in 1991. He met his wife in 1997, and is a proud father to a daughter and son. He is an accomplished and avid surfer and snowboarder, and well known as a regular on KSCO 1080am since 2002, with his Surf and Ski Report every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6:25 am, and every weekday on KPIG 107.5fm at 8:25 am. Rocky is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, Certified in Applied Functional Science, NASM-Corrective Exercise Specialist, a licensed US Soccer Coach and a USA Weightlifting Coach. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Rocky has written three books on sports conditioning, has been featured in many publications and his fourth book, Return to Center is now available with all major booksellers Rocky has written three books on sports conditioning and has been featured in many publications, and his fourth book, Return to Center is now availab

Benita is an established high profile international leader in the sports and nonprofit industries. A visionary, results-oriented leader and change agent, she has an impressive track record of transforming and growing organizations through innovation, increased revenues and operational excellence. An Olympic gold medalist and accomplished business executive, Benita inspires and motivates high performing teams to achieve world class results. She is a passionate advocate for helping both youth and adults achieve their personal best life. Benita most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA,where she was charged with advancing the Laureus mission to improve the lives of youth and unite communities through the power of sport. Named a 2019 Notable Women in Sports by Crain’s New York Business and a 2015 Game Changer by the Sports Business Journal, Benita also serves on the International Olympic Committee Women in Sport Commission. A world-class athlete, Benita won a

Alyse is the General Manager of Sky Blue FC, the National Women’s Soccer League NY/NJ franchise. She previously was the GM of the Chicago Red Stars, Worked with the Seattle Storm, co-founded a major international Girls Soccer & Leadership academy across Chicago, Mexico, Houston, and Columbia.  She is one of only two women currently holding the title of General Manager in the NWSL and is the first woman in league history to serve as General Manager in both Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and the NWSL. She also has an extensive and impressive track record of community development and volunteering. Alyse is a leading voice on diversity in all areas as well as an important voice on increasing gender diversity in leadership positions across sports. She is also Curator/Founder of the only online women's sports business weekly newsletter: WOMENxSPORT. What we discussed:  1. Women in leadership in sport? 2. Diversity in sport? 3. Where do you see soccer going? 4. What are you doing differently during