Game Changers: Incredible Stories of Resilience in Sports

Coach Alex Popp is a high school basketball coach at The Winchendon School in Massachusetts. Popp brings an impressive track record of talent development and a wealth of experience in coaching at various collegiate and prep levels. He holds a Master’s degree from Springfield College and a Bachelor’s degree from Assumption University.

Popp most recently served as the Head Coach of the Academic Post-Graduate team at IMG Academy. From 2014 to 2020, Popp was the Head Coach at Vermont Academy, a perennial NEPSAC power, where he developed seven top 100 nationally ranked players, three NBA Champions, and one McDo...

In the Fall of 2023 the Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball team was riding high.  They were on a 50 game winning streak and were going after the NCAA Division 3 National Title.  They had a lot of talented players including 6 Israelis.  Then the attack on Isarael on October 7th changed everything.  The team had to make a choice about cancelling their season or to keep playing. 

They chose to play.

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Pat Dimon decided to direct the documentary about this team and their incredible spirit in the new documentary called, Rebound: A Year of Triumph a...

Robert Steinfeld is a renowned sports television producer and author with a career spanning over four decades. He has earned 10 Sports Emmy Awards and produced major sporting events including MLB, NBA, WNBA, NCAA championships, and 3 Summer Olympics. He’s produced and or directed for ESPN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox Sports networks, Bally Sports, the NBA and more. 

He is the Executive Producer of the WNBA Dallas Wings and has worked on iconic sports moments such as Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout and directing two perfect MLB games. Recently, he authored 3...2...1...We’re On the Air, a book that de...

Caelan "CJ" Jones was a standout basketball player at Vermont Academy before spending three years at Boston University, where he earned a degree in film and television. He later transferred to Claremont McKenna College, where he's now pursuing his Master’s in Business while continuing his basketball career. 

His journey is one I hear often—chasing the Division I dream at all costs, only to find true happiness in an unexpected place. At Claremont McKenna, he discovered an incredible coach, had two unforgettable seasons, and rekindled his love for the game. 

Coming from an athletic family...

You all know how much I love a great comeback story, and today’s guest brings us an incredible one. I’m thrilled to welcome Sarah Meister to the show to share how her college volleyball team at University of Missouri transformed their culture by committing to a true team-first mentality and going from 19 and 12 in 2012 to a perfect undefeated season of 34 and 0! 

Sarah was a standout libero and helped the program win their first-ever SEC Championship Title. How did they make such a incredible turnaround?  Listen in to hear about the team's "Play Like They Have S...

I'm thrilled to have Jamal Allen, also known as "Sauce" on the show this week. Sauce made a name for himself as a standout college basketball player at New England College. In high school, he was a two-time Dual County League All-Star and a Metrowest Daily News All-Star during his senior year. He ranked among the top 10 scorers in Massachusetts and once scored an impressive 42 points in a single game. In college, Sauce continued to excel, earning NECC Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 16 points in just 17 minutes per game. In his senior year, he averaged 18 points per...

Record-breaking swimmer Becca Mann was a young swimming prodigy. A two-time USA National champion, she was the youngest person ever to place in the Top 10 in four events at a single Olympic Trials and represented Team USA at four World Championships. But after years of sacrifice, relentless drive, and coming heartbreakingly close to Olympic glory—three times—Becca’s dreams came crashing down.
But her story does not end there.  Becca made history as the first—and only—person to conquer the grueling, 21-hour, 40-mile Maui Nui Tri-Channel Crossing in 2019.  She has written a book called, Outside the Lanes, which...

This week I'm talking to Maurice (Moe) Taylor, Jr.  Moe’s basketball journey is nothing short of inspiring as there were many ups and downs as he chased his dream of playing professionally —first he played at Cambridge, Rindge and Latin and then he transferred to Beaver Country Day where his team won a NEPSAC Class B Championship.  After graduation he went to North Carolina A&T, Western Texas College, and then Niagara University. 

Like most stories, he pushed hard to find his place and play his best basketball. After college, he went after his pro dreams oversea...

This week I have Sunny Choi on the show.  Sunny, known in the breaking world as "B-Girl Sunny," is a prominent member of Team USA’s Olympic breaking team. She competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the historic debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. Originally from Tennessee, Sunny discovered breaking during her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Sunny won the first gold medal in breakdancing at the Pan American Games in 2023. She won a silver medal in the B-Girls event at the 2022 World Games.  She won a silver medal at the 2019 World Urban Games and p...

This week is an exciting episode with an incredible storyteller and a passionate advocate for athletes worldwide! Today on the Game Changers podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Kevin Owens. Kevin’s basketball journey is nothing short of extraordinary – he’s got some of the wildest and most entertaining stories from his career. He played college basketball at Monmouth University before taking his talents around the globe, competing professionally in New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and Kosovo – not to mention three seasons in the NBA G League! 

But Kevin’s skills go beyond the court. He’s a talented writ...

This week's guest embodies everything that the Game Changers podcast is all about: resilience. Kelsey O'Connor was a Division 1 softball player at North Carolina State when a traumatic brain injury during practice abruptly ended her athletic career. Faced with an unpredictable and challenging recovery, Kelsey refused to give up. She fought her way through and her story of grit and determination - even when she was facing a very difficult situation on her team and with her coaches is amazing. After it all, Kelsey graduated with a degree in social work and she was chosen to be the commencement...

Today we are continuing our amazing story of Noelle Lambert and her coach Carly O’Connell.  This week we will focus on Carly’s side of their incredible story.

Coach Carly O'Connell was a standout Div. 1 Lacrosse player at University of Oregon, starting all four years and earning First Team Conference honors twice. She holds multiple records at Oregon including: career draw controls per game (3.05), single season points (71), single season draw controls (77) and single game draw controls (10). She also ranks second all-time in career points (199), assists (86), draw controls (203), points per game (2.91), and assists per game (1.25).  O’Conn...

Today is a very special and unique episode of the Game Changer’s podcast because we are bringing together two separate guests who share one incredible story.
Noelle Lambert was an exceptional Division 1 lacrosse player at University of Massachusetts Lowell and Carly O’Connell who was also an exceptional college lacrosse player in her day at University of Oregon was hired to the UMass Lowell lacrosse staff in 2016.  In the summer between her freshman and sophomore year in 2016, Noelle was in a moped accident and lost her leg above the knee.
This story is about the incredible bond...

Welcome to Season Two of the Game Changers Podcast.  This week I am the Host and the Guest and I'm breaking down some of the things that I have learned in my first season with this Podcast.  I'm talking about the Top 10 Mental Fitness Hacks—the game-changing tools that help athletes and coaches sharpen their edge, strengthen their mindset, and elevate their performance.

I will briefly cover things like how to communicate better, build trust between coaches and athletes, and overcome the fear of failure—because confidence isn’t built on perfection; it’s built on resilience. I’ll also...

Réka Gyorgy is not just an incredible swimmer; she’s a trailblazer. As a Hungarian Olympian who competed in Rio 2016 and a standout collegiate athlete at Virginia Tech, she’s a 2-time ACC Champion, 2-time All-American, and 7-time Honorable Mention All-American. Now, as Virginia Tech’s Director of Operations, she’s channeling her passion for the sport into leadership.

But what truly sets Réka apart is her courage. She was the first collegiate athlete to publicly challenge the NCAA’s policy on transgender athletes, calling for transparency and fairness in college sports. Her leadership sparked a movement...

This week, I have a really special guest on the Game Changers podcast, someone with a deep connection to basketball history and a very unique perspective on the game. KC Jones III or Kip was an exceptional high school basketball player at Andover High School here in MA where he was the Merrimack Valley Most Valuable Player in 1981 and ended his career with a 24-1 season losing only to CRL and Patrick Ewing.  He then went on to play at Bentley College where he was a captain in 1984-85, the Most Improved Player in 1983 and an all-conference second team s...

This week is such a fun show for me because I’m talking to basketball great Bobby Martin whose story is filled with highs and lows that showcase his unwavering spirit and great perspective on the game of basketball. Out of high school, Martin was a McDonalds All-American, Street & Smith All-American and was a member of the Nation’s best recruiting class of 1987.

Bobby went on to play at Pitt where he was a 3 year starter and finished 17th on the Pitt scoring list with 1,282 career points, 775 rebounds and 109 blocked shots. 
In 1993, he was a member Team...

This week's guest is one of the very few female coaches coaching in the National Basketball Association (NBA).  Jenny Boucek is the Indiana Pacers Assistant Coach.  For those of you who don’t know her – Jenny is highly respected basketball coach with a rich history in both the WNBA and NBA. Known for her strategic mind and deep understanding of the game, Jenny has made a significant impact in the world of basketball. 
She played college basketball at the University of Virginia, where she helped lead her team to three NCAA Tournaments and a Final Four appearance.  She also pla...

Continuing The Legends Coaching Series - University of North Carolina’s Women’s Lacrosse coach since the program’s inception in 1994, Jenny Levy.  Coach Levy has won 3 National Titles at UNC and a National Title at University of Virginia as a player - making her only the 4th person to both play on and coach a national championship women's lacrosse team. She has twice been named the National Coach of the Year and was also named as the head coach of the US women's national lacrosse team in 2017.  
She was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2021...

Brenda Frese is a legendary basketball coach at the University of Maryland where she has been coaching since 2002.  Frese led her to team to win the National Championship in 2006 beating Duke in over-time at the Boston Garden.  She was voted AP National Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2021, ACC Coach of the Year in 2013, Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2002, 2015, 2019, and 2021, and MAC Coach of the Year in 2000. At Maryland, she's coached four ACC Players of the Year and four ACC Freshmen of the Year. 
As a player, she was an Honorable Mention All-American and Iowa state cha...

JR was an exceptional 3 sport athlete (hockey, football, baseball) in high school at Cushing Academy and then played Division 1 hockey at the College of the Holy Cross.  JR grew up in a hockey family.  His father was a high school hockey coach for 25+ years, his brother played college hockey and his other brother played in college, the NHL and the 2018 Olympics.  Upon college graduation, JR began a very successful tech sales career in Boston. JR is now the Founder and CEO of a company called the Shift Group that trains and connects former athletes and military veterans with meaningful emp...

Pete Bidstrup was an incredible college lacrosse player at Franklin Marshall College in Pennsylvania and then went on to become a legendary high school lacrosse coach at Governors Academy in Massachusetts for 22 years.  He is the father of two college lacrosse players – his daughter at Williams and son at Harvard.  He was an All American at Franklin Marshall, inducted into their Hall of Fame and a Centennial Conference’s All Century Team member.  At Governors Academy he coached his team to  8 ISL league titles and thousands of hours of development and JOY on the lacrosse field.  His stories are both ente...

Owen Reid comes to us all the way from Singapore. He is an international baseball coach that has coached players from more than 20 countries on 5 continents.  He was a former college pitcher at Baylor and Winthrop Universities and prior to that was a stand-out player in Moberly, Missouri when he set numerous high school records.  In addition to many high school accolades, he was chosen to the Columbia Daily Tribune’s All-Decade Team for 2001 - 2010.  
After college, Reid played in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  He was then the Player Development Manager for Baseball Western Australia and the Austra...

Kenny Servera is a lifelong New York sports fan and the host of the Podcast, Kenny the Sports Guy where he has interviewed hundred of athletes and coaches about their lives in sports and the impact that sports have on our society as a whole.  Listen in as Kenny tells his story about how sports saved his life and also reminds us about why sports can be uplifting and powerful when we need something to believe in.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the s...

Byron Jackson is a former NFL football player and now a fillmarter.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories.

This week’s episode of Game Changers is a little different — we have not one, but three incredible guests joining the show. As you know, Game Changers is all about resilience and amazing comeback stories in sports and life, and my guests this week truly embody that spirit. Ryan Scoble, Steve Scoble, and Bob Betcher are the founders and board members of Lax for Life, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation and creating life-changing opportunities.

All three of my guests have hearts that they were not born with – they all received heart transp...

Stu Singer is an exceptional

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Game Changers. We hope you found inspiration and motivation in the stories of resilience and adversity shared by our incredible guests. Remember, no matter what challenges you face, your ability to overcome them lies within. Stay resilient and keep pushing forward towards your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with others who may benefit from these powerful stories.

Matt Sargeant grew up with Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success in the forefront of his mind - his youth coach introduced it to him at a very young age.  There was nothing that Matt loved more than basketball and after a very successful high school career at Ocean View High School in California, he played at Princeton University.  Like many athletes, Matt's journey was full of injuries, setbacks, comebacks and a strong desire to succeed no matter what the cost.  

Not surprisingly, Matt Sargeant is now a successful high school basketball coach at Notre Dame High Sch...

Bryant Mitchell has learned a lot of Life Lessons on the football field. Mitchell was a walk-on wide receiver on the football team at University of New Hampshire.  By his Junior year, he earned a partial scholarship and by his senior year, he earned a a full scholarship and a starting position.  But his story, like most, is windy and up and down. He faced significant injuries, battled self-doubt and worked incredibly hard to earn spot on the roster.  
After college Bryant continued to use the skills he learned on the football field to work in the Leadership Dev...

Mike Procopio is a Player Development basketball coach and a master of breaking down game film and providing players with the tools to maximize their performance. He was the Director of Player Development for the Dallas Mavericks for 6 Seasons from 2013-2019. He was also Kobe Bryant’s Strategic Game Coach for 4 Years from 2009-2012 where he gave Kobe detailed scouting reports and video breakdowns before and after games. 
Coach Procopio also spent 10 Years as the Director of Basketball Operations for ATTACK Athletics in Chicago where he worked for Tim Grover who was Michael Jordan’s Trainer.  In addition, he spe...

 Matt Koman's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. His deep love for sports and relentless perseverance led him to play both college football and basketball, overcoming numerous challenges along the way. His story is marked by severe injuries, remarkable recoveries, and invaluable lessons learned both on and off the field. After graduating, Matt dedicated himself to enhancing the mental and physical well-being of others. He is a certified Holistic Lifestyle Practitioner, Peacemaker, Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Sports Performance Coach. As the co-founder of Opti Well Being Solutions and The Togethership, his impact continues to grow. Beyond all of t...

Cricket Basa was a standout out soccer player at Montpelier High School where she was an All-State selection 3 times, the Times Argus Newspaper Soccer Player of the Year twice, the Capital League Player of the Year twice and played in the VT State Championship game in 2016.  After she tore her ACL in high school, she went to Holy Cross on a soccer scholarship.  During the first couple weeks ofher college soccer season, she tore her other ACL and was forced back into a grueling rehab.
Cricket left Holy Cross and walked on to the University of Ve...

Kyle Casey is arguably one of the best basketball players ever to play at Harvard University.  He won the Ivy League Championship every one of his four years playing.  He was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2010. He was also a two-time All-Ivy League selection.  He ranked 13th in program history for career points (1,242).  But his story is all about how he handled the hard things that came his way.  When he was suspended from Harvard for a year, he spent his year making a difference on young people's lives through the 3 Point Foundation.

After gradu...

The list of basketball accomplishments by Lauren Manis is too long to list here.  Put simply, Lauren is a basketball STUD! She played at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and was the first player in school history (men or women) to score 2,000+ points and have 1,000+ rebounds.  She is the Patriot League All-time leader in Rebounds with 1,188 rebounds.  She also had 58 career double-doubles.  She was the 2020 Crusader of the Year.  She was first team All-Patriot League and All Defensive Team.  She was League Player of the Week too many times to count.

Manis was then d...

Eli Bremer's sport requires so many skills that it's hard to wrap your mind around it.  Most Americans don't know what the Modern Pentathlete is and Eli is the perfect athlete to explain it. Bremer is not only an Olympian who represented the United States in the modern pentathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he is also a dedicated military officer, having served as a major in the United States Air Force. 

But Eli’s story doesn’t stop at his impressive athletic and military accomplishments. He’s also a respected commentator (who worked as a commentator for the...

Susan's journey from a basketball-loving kid in Minnesota to a standout point guard at Stanford University is nothing short of inspiring. Following her collegiate career, she took her basketball skills to the WNBA, playing for the Minnesota Lynx. Susan’s husband Curtis played for the Utah Jazz making them the first married couple to ever play in the NBA and WNBA. Today, Susan and Curtis founded the Athlete Blueprint, where they specialize in enhancing sports performance across all fronts, including strength, agility, energy system development, and recovery strategies for elite athletes. Susan also lends her expertise as a performance co...

Jeff Nelligan is the father of three boys and a well-known commentator in the world of American parenting. His book, Four Lessons From My Three Sons: How You Can Raise Resilient Kids, details how he helped guide his sons through childhood and adolescence learning a lot of lessons through sports. His perspective on the importance of good coaching resonates with all parents who spend a lot of time on the field, at the rink, on the court and at the pool. His sons played competitive sports (including a National Championship) and went to the U.S. Naval Academy, Williams...

Cheer and Dance are often perceived as purely performative arts, but behind the amazing routines and team spirit is a world of intense competition, rigorous training, and unwavering commitment.  Nina Fernandez is a guest that offers a unique perspective into the world of College and NFL Cheer.

Nina shares her journey from childhood dance to feeling burn-out to heartbreak after failing to make the squad then to excelling in college and the NFL.  She talks about the mental demands of cheer including the early morning practices, late-night rehearsals and every step of the discipline and perseverance that it...

My guest this week personifies what Resilience and a Comeback Story really means.  Ryan Scoble is one of the USA Lacrosse Comeback Stories of 2023.  He was a college lacrosse player at Mercyhurst University and played in the Div. 2 National Championship game in 2023.  That, in itself, is incredible but the fact that he had a heart transplant in May of 2021 makes him truly remarkable.  

Ryan’s story of hitting rock bottom in the hospital waiting for a new heart and then bouncing back into his own greatness on the lacrosse field will leave you speechless and inspired to face a...

This week's podcast is about the incredible transformation of an athlete that found that Mental Fitness coaching was exactly what she needed to maximize her performance and soar to exceptional heights in her sport, volleyball. When Mandy found herself on the bench at Holy Cross, she hired a Mental Fitness coach and turned things around. Through her grit, tenacity and determination, she went on to become the first hitter in Holy Cross history to have more than 400 kills in a season.

Sifferlen's incredible story into professional volleyball overseas will remind you that nothing is impossible when you...