Mindful Warrior Radio

On episode thirty-nine of Mindful Warrior Radio, I host Aleca Hughes McPherson, Head of Portfolio and Platform at Highland. Aleca brings deep experience in strategy, operations, and leadership—supporting founders and scaling early-stage companies. She began her career at Catalant Technologies, rising from sales to a key role in strategic operations. A former captain of Yale’s Women’s Ice Hockey team, Aleca also founded the Mandy Schwartz Foundation, honoring her late teammate, and serves on the board of the Hockey Humanitarian Award—an honor she once received. In this episode, we dive into how Aleca helps build strong leaders...

On episode thirty-eight of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Dr. Lisa Firestone — Clinical Psychologist, Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association, and Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org. Dr. Firestone is the coauthor of numerous articles and book chapters and has written several books with her father, Robert Firestone, including The Self Under Siege, Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion, and Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships.

Her clinical training and research in the areas of suicide and violence have led to the development of several assessments, including th...

On episode thirty-seven of Mindful Warrior Radio, I host Marina Mayer, Co-CEO & Founder of SWAY, a firm dedicated to building resilience in organizations with bodies in mind.

With 18 years of experience in multidisciplinary environments, Marina is an Organizational Development and Leadership Psychologist specializing in talent strategy, executive coaching, and scaling cohesive organizations. Her award-winning research, How Movement Moves Us, explores the untapped potential of the body in facilitating the cognitive, emotional, and social processes of leadership and high performance.

When asked why the body plays a critical role in leadership performance...

On episode thirty-six of Mindful Warrior Radio, I host Susan Leger Ferraro, a visionary social entrepreneur and the founder of five multimillion-dollar organizations. Her groundbreaking work is dedicated to transforming workforce education and driving meaningful social impact.

With over 45 years of experience and an unwavering commitment to youth activism, Susan offers invaluable insights into addressing today’s global challenges. Her pioneering ideas continue to inspire innovation, growth, and positive change across industries.

In her latest book, SuperLoop, Susan presents a transformative roadmap for revolutionizing work, leadership, and personal growth. By seamlessly in...

Maggie Steffens: Captaining Olympic Teams

On episode thirty-five of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Maggie Steffens. Maggie is a professional water polo player and four-time Olympian on Team USA. Named to the Women’s National Team at 16, Maggie has continued to represent her country at every major international championship since. At 19, she was a member of the 2012 gold-winning squad at the London Olympics, where she played alongside her older sister, making them a truly dynamic duo! Not only did the Steffens sisters bring home gold, but Maggie tied the Olympic record with 21 goals and earned the title of...

Maude Quinn: An Introduction to Family Constellations Therapy

On episode thirty-four of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Maude Quinn. Maude is a massage therapist, bodyworker, and constellations facilitator. With a background in spiritual care and chaplaincy, Maude integrates theological training from Harvard Divinity School with a range of alternative healing modalities. Her work helps clients integrate the wisdom of the body, mind, and soul to access the wellsprings of belonging in their heart, understand their wholeness, and fulfill their soulful purpose. I am honored and thrilled to tap into the insights of Maude Quinn on today’s ep...

Jay Glazer: Relentless Healing

On episode thirty-three of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Jay Glazer, NFL Insider for FOX Sports’ FOX NFL SUNDAY and part of FOX FOOTBALL THURSDAY. Jay is renowned for breaking major NFL stories year-round, prides himself on hard work, and strives to deliver accurate reporting. He also hosts Bellator MMA fights on the Paramount Network. Jay brings a unique perspective from his background in UFC hosting and analysis. A natural on Podcasts and in front of the camera, he is fun, authentic, and outgoing. Jay’s unique personality always shines through in intimate conv...

On episode thirty-two of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Georges Niang. Georges was selected by the Indiana Pacers as the No. 50 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Since then, he has worked his way into the league being a force both on and off the court. Georges played 23 games with the Pacers during his rookie season before signing a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz in January 2018. He appeared in 59 games for the Utah Jazz during the 2018-19 season, where he scored in double figures five times and capped off the regular season with a career-high 24 points against the...

On episode thirty–one of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Dr. Lisa Firestone. Dr. Firestone is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association and Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org. She is the coauthor of numerous articles and book chapters and a coauthor with her father Robert Firestone on several books including The Self Under Siege, Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion, and Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships.

Her involvement in clinical training and research in the areas of suicide and violence resulted in th...

On episode thirty of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Simon Timm. Simon is a mindfulness and meditation teacher and the author of the book An Introduction to the Self Salutation: How to Resolve Negative Emotions Through Mindfulness Meditation.

Simon spent most of his college years battling depression. Unwilling to spend the rest of his life on Prozac, he searched for another way of living with himself. What he found was meditation. After college, Simon moved into a Hindu ashram and spent sixteen years as monk.

When Simon left the monastic life in 2011, he recognized the...

On episode twenty-nine of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Alex Krongard. Alex served in the U.S. Navy for over 30 years, primarily in joint special operations commands and the Navy SEAL Teams. He was a member of SEAL Teams 1, 2, and 7, as well as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Alex was the first commanding officer of SEAL Team 7, which he commanded in Iraq from the late fall of 2003 to the spring of 2004. Later he commanded Naval Special Warfare Group 1 with responsibility for the training and readiness of the four West coast SEAL Teams and associated logistics and support units.<...

On episode twenty-eight of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Yuri Hauswald. Yuri is an icon of the gravel cycling world. As a professional endurance cyclist for Giant Bicycles and the Elite Athlete and Community Development Manager for GU Energy Labs, Yuri is also an innovator, storyteller, and mentor to many. He is probably best known for winning the world’s premier gravel bike racing event, Unbound, formerly Dirty Kanza, in 2015 at age 44. No stranger to adversity, Yuri talks about his mindset and motivation for facing challenges head on.

When asked what has sustained his healthy and extended at...

On episode twenty-eight of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Yuri Hauswald. Yuri is an icon of the gravel cycling world. As a professional endurance cyclist for Scott Bikes and the Community Development Manager for GU Energy Labs, Yuri is also a promoter, pro athlete, innovator, and storyteller. He is probably best known for winning the Dirty Kanza, the world’s premier gravel bike racing event, in 2015 at age 44. No stranger to adversity, Yuri talks about his mindset and motivation for facing challenges head on.

When asked what has sustained his healthy and extended athletic career Yu...

On episode twenty-seven of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Dr. Lou Cozolino. Dr. Cozolino practices psychotherapy and consulting psychology in Beverly Hills, California. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. Lou has been a professor at Pepperdine since 1986 and lectures around the world on psychotherapy, neuroscience, trauma, and attachment. With more than 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist and coach, Dr. Cozolino connects, attunes, and interacts with adults, adolescents, and families as they face a wide variety of life’s challenges. Working primarily from a psychodynamic model of tr...

On episode twenty-six of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Ann Betz, CPCC, PCC, MNTC, the co-founder of BEabove Leadership and an international speaker and trainer at the intersection of neuroscience, coaching, and human transformation. A certified professional coach with more than twenty years in the industry, a published author and poet, and a researcher, Ann integrates her passion for the brain and consciousness with her interest in spirituality. Clients and students alike laud her for making the complexities of the brain come to life with depth, humor, and clarity. In our recent interview Ann describes how to identify a work...

On episode twenty-five of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Caroline Burckle, an Olympic athlete, performance coach, and entrepreneur. After her Olympic career, Caroline went on to chase the next high. Even though she had moved on from sports to become an entrepreneur, the desire for validation and feeling she was “not enough” moved with her into her new profession. It was then that Caroline began to explore the interconnection between her bouts of depression, her physical injuries, and her mental health. She figured there must be a better way “to do this.” By this, she meant a deeper understanding of the soma...

On episode twenty-three of Mindful Warrior Radio, Cornelia Holden, the Founder and CEO of Mindful Warrior, interviews her colleague and teammate, Kami Craig. As a performance and culture coach at Mindful Warrior, Kami brings an instinct for winning and an innate knowledge of building and leading high trust cultures and high-performance teams to her clients. She specializes in helping elite and professional athletes, coaches, and teams reach their performance goals. Clients also regularly retain her coaching services to help identify their next venture as they retire and anticipate the end of one career and the beginning of the next. Kami...

On episode twenty-three of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Suzi Landolphi, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with extensive experience working with veterans. Most recently, Suzi worked as a Senior PATHH Guide at Boulder Crest Retreat (BCR) in Bluemont, Virginia, a privately funded retreat for combat veterans, their families, and first responders. Suzi is one of the co-creators of BCR’s signature program: Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes (PATHH). PATHH is the nation’s first curriculum-based retreat with eighteen months of follow-up support based on the science of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). Suzi’s understanding of and ex...

On Episode Twenty-Two of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Hank Wise, an elite waterman, surfer, and coach who is the reigning King of the Catalina Channel—a 32km open water crossing from Santa Catalina Island to the Southern California mainland—that took him just under eight hours to complete. A Stanford graduate, Hank is the founder and director of Swim Focus and SWIM Long Beach and the Head Coach of Rocket Fish Swim School and SWIM Long Beach Masters. Happiest when he’s sailing, diving, paddling, kayaking, rowing, body surfing, and teaching both in and about the ocean...

On Episode Twenty-One of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Lauren Monroe, an accomplished musician, healer, noted author, and speaker who is also a globally recognized advocate for mental health awareness, PTSD therapies, suicide prevention and crisis healing. These powerful themes are echoed in the music she and husband Rick Allen—drummer for Def Leppard—share to awaken hearts, ease suffering, and activate the souls of those who are ready to create powerful change. Through the Raven Drum Foundation, Lauren and Rick have inspired thousands of people in need with a specific focus on veterans. Lauren embodies warmth and...

On Episode Twenty of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Amani Legagneur. Amani brings her experience from a decade-long career as System Manager of Spiritual Health and Education in one of the nation’s largest community hospital conglomerates. Amani is a specialized spiritual leader who has completed the gold standard program of Clinical Pastoral Education and is a performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior. She brings her expertise in areas such as crisis response, conflict resolution, education theory, interpersonal neuroscience, intercultural relations, spiritual care, and multi-faith theological studies to her work. Amani brings a beautiful grounding an...

On Episode Nineteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Danell Leyva a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist for the men’s USA gymnastics team. Today, Danell wears many hats. He’s an actor, writer, performer, advocate, coach, and mentor. No stranger to pressure or performance, Danell describes the roller coaster ride of being named an alternate to the 2016 US Olympic Team and then being called to compete after a member of Team USA was injured. Danell went on to medal in two events at the 2016 Games in Brazil. A charismatic athlete turned actor, Danell has an auth...

On Episode Eighteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I’m joined by Adam Krikorian, a three-time Olympic champion, the head coach of the U.S. women’s national water polo team, and former head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams at UCLA. In this episode, Adam focuses on bringing out the best in others—in athletes and coaches, alike—and describes the process of achieving and sustaining performance excellence at the highest level of sport.

In short, winning is what Adam knows how to do. In his 17 years as a player and coach at UCLA, Ada...

On Episode Seventeen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I was joined by elite athlete and Olympic marathon qualifier, Seana Zelazo, LICSW—a graduate of Smith College School for Social work—who is in private practice as a psychotherapist, spiritual coach, and intuitive channel. Seana is committed to helping others live unapologetically. Seana helps her clients move through internalized limitations to release patterns that no longer serve them so they can access higher levels of consciousness.

Seana embodies warmth and grounded energy. We talked about her mother normalizing and championing her intuitive gifts as a child, how to recognize and...

On Episode Sixteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I was joined by Alex Gray, professional surfer turned coach, motivational speaker, and wellness and mental health enthusiast. Alex travels the world pursuing his passion for surfing. He’s one of the most authentic and spirited people I know. His humility and ability to connect with just about anyone allow him to be an incredible force for good in our world. Today, Alex teaches and mentors elite athletes, weekend warriors, and youth to help them identify their limiting beliefs and discover what is beneath their fears. He also organizes surf therapy groups in...

On Episode Fifteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I was joined by Brandon Bostick, a retired NFL tight end, mental health advocate, and founder and partner of Sage Elite Wellness Clinic. Brandon spent a lifetime in elite athletics. A year after experiencing a traumatizing mistake on football’s largest stage (that cost his team a chance to play in the Super Bowl), Brandon’s professional athletic career came to an end. Brandon learned to embrace his vulnerability and we reflected on those experiences and challenges. Today, Brandon is committed to evolving his own and others mental health and well-being through Sage...

On Episode Fourteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, our guest is CEO and Founder of Mindful Warrior, Cornelia Holden. In this episode, we define culture by default and culture by design and describe the differences between them. We talk about the importance of intentionally designing a culture rather than implicitly and unconsciously assuming that a high trust, high-performance culture can build itself. We highlight the importance of cultivating diversity and difference within a broader values-driven culture so that people can belong uniquely on a team.

If you are entering a new workplace, building a team, or navigating some...

On Episode Thirteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I’m joined by award-winning director, producer, writer, and filmmaker Michele Ohayon. Invoking the power of documentaries, Michele’s mission is to give voice to women, children, and people who do not yet have a platform of their own. She believes documentaries are a critical loudspeaker for real people with real voices and authentic expression.

Join Michele and me as we discuss the delicate process of producing an award-winning documentary, the skills she learned to cultivate, her new documentary release Strip Down, Rise Up, and the importance of giving voice to o...

On Episode Twelve of Mindful Warrior Radio, we define the J-Curve as it applies to culture and culture design. We clarify and provide examples of the four stages of team development: 1) forming, 2) storming, 3) norming, and 4) performing. We normalize and celebrate periods of challenge and speak to the reality of growing through adversity. We discuss the power of building a feedback culture by recognizing that feedback is about helping someone get better while criticism is about making someone wrong. When you lean into the team during times of friction and find ways to strengthen the culture through the hard times...

On Episode Eleven of Mindful Warrior Radio, I joined entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist, and athlete Matt Coulter. A leader in the nonprofit sector, Matt has been impacting change in a number of communities for over a decade. Where intelligence, creativity, and heart meet, I believe Matt is at the center. We discussed the power of listening over impulsive action, where his values and authenticity come from and how they feed into his work, the projects with which he is currently involved (Immigrant's Son Caffe, Educate & Elevate, Beyoutiful Foundation, and 143 Collective), and where to initiate change if you want to build...

On Episode Ten of Mindful Warrior Radio, we define the purpose of a True North and the critical role it plays in designing and sustaining a high trust, high performance culture. Without establishing a True North, your behavioral norms will default to the lowest common denominator, your cultural norms will slide down the slippery slope toward dysfunction, and your team will struggle to perform. We talk about the importance of accurately defining your True North, so the foundation of your culture is solidly tethered to a clear mission, vision, values, and purpose. We outline the four components that make...

On Episode Nine of Mindful Warrior Radio, join our in-house visual content creator Eva Boynton and me as we explore the intersection of creativity and athleticism, (spoiler alert she’s a pretty talented surfer), how she fires up her creativity, the way she manages creative ruts and perfectionism, the importance of protecting energy and space to invite creative flow, breaking through her need for approval, and the courage to be vulnerable in the workplace.

Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.

...

On Episode Eight of Mindful Warrior Radio, join me as I invite Cornelia Holden, CEO of Mindful Warrior, to define culture design and explain its positive impact on people. If you are interested in the approach behind developing a high trust, high performing culture in the corporate or not-for-profit sector, this episode is for you.

Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, former elite athlete, Olympic champion, turn performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.

Our guests are CEO and Founder of Mindful Warrior, Cornelia Holden .

To learn more about Mindful Warrior...

On Episode Seven of Mindful Warrior Radio, join recording artist, writer, and lecturing professor, Mike Errico and me for an upbeat, inspiring, and real conversation. We discuss how Mike backed into songwriting, how journaling helps to capture raw ideas within the stillness, the importance of the “why,” the case for superficiality in the creative process, the power of play and laughter, the relationship between authenticity and connection, the patience required to experience flow, and the impact he hopes his new book, Music, Lyrics, and Life: A Field Guide for the Advancing Songwriter, will have on the world.

Mind...

On Episode Six of Mindful Warrior Radio, we define what it means to be a coach and take a deeper dive into the value and purpose of performance coaching services.

We explore how coaches support their client’s and their goals by championing and challenging them to grow beyond their limits; we discuss different types of listening; the purpose of self- coaching; the power of visualizing an internal landscape to increase self-awareness; and how to co-create and collaborate with clients to help them forge a path to success.

If you are curious about becoming a pe...

On Episode Five of Mindful Warrior Radio, join me as I speak with Kaleigh Gilchrist, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and professional surfer, for a vulnerable and insightful episode. We talk about surviving a tragic balcony collapse in South Korea following the USA Women’s Water Polo team's gold medal win at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. She shares her memories about the following day, the life-changing impact of the tragedy, and her commitment to healing. Kaleigh also talks with me about her struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, how she works diligently to build mental-emotional skills to...

On Episode Four of Mindful Warrior Radio, we introduce you to the performance coaching and culture design branch of our company by identifying the type of clients and organizations with whom we work, describing the services we provide, and explaining how to engage with us. If you are interested in elevating your personal performance or building a high trust, high performance team culture, this is an episode for you!

Mindful Warrior Radio is hosted by Kami Craig, former elite athlete and Olympic champion turned performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.

Our guest is...

On Episode Three of Mindful Warrior Radio, please join Ashleigh Johnson and me as we discuss how Ashleigh built safety and a sense of home on her Olympic journey, her dedication to equity and representation in women’s sports, and the key elements of her own and her team's Olympic success. You will find this episode of Mindful Warrior Radio inspiring and uplifting.

Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.

Our guest on Episode Three of Mindful Warrior Radio is tw...

On Episode Two of Mindful Warrior Radio, join Cornelia Cannon Holden and me as we discuss how her experiences shaped her career as a Performance and Culture Design Coach and the CEO of Mindful Warrior. Cornelia shares what she has learned on the journey to build a company and is open and honest about the intimate process of writing her first book (to be published in the coming year by Penguin). If you are an entrepreneur, aspiring author, or curious about what it means to be a performance coach, this is a must listen.

Mindful Warrior is...

On Episode One of Mindful Warrior Radio, we ask the question of what does it mean to be mindful and what it means to be a warrior?

We define mindfulness and warriorship and explore the process and practice of mindfulness meditation. If you are just beginning your mindfulness practice you will want to listen to Episode one to gain experienced insight and perspective regarding mindfulness. If you are asking yourself, how am I showing up in the world? This is a must listen.

Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete and...