S2 011 McKenna Kelley - Redemption, Perfection, and the Possibility For More

Welcome to I Have Cool Friends: Samantha Peszek is on a mission to connect athletes, coaches, and parents with the best resources the gymnastics world has to offer. Utilizing Samantha’s gymnastics network, (she really does have cool friends) guests will be experts in their field... by I Have Cool Friends

5 min listen

Bonus Episode 4 - Bridget Sloan - No Regrets: Sam welcomes to the podcast close friend and former 2008 Olympic teammate, Bridget Sloan. Saving the best for last, Bridget is the final guest on Sam’s exclusive bonus series where she has interviewed all members of her 2008 Olympic team.... by I Have Cool Friends

107 min listen

002 Valorie Kondos-Field - Miss Val: An Unconventional Coach: Sam has had some amazing people help her in her journey to becoming a top gymnast, but one of the most important has to be Valorie Kondos-Field, otherwise known as Miss Val. As coach at UCLA, she led them to win 7 national championships. Her book,... by I Have Cool Friends

60 min listen

001 Mary Lee Tracy - How To Reach Your Athletic Peak: If you aspire to be fantastic gymnast like Samantha Peszek, you need an equally great coach. In this episode, Sam welcomes Mary Lee Tracy, a coach who has taught gymnastic legends such as Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amelia Hundley. Mary... by I Have Cool Friends

48 min listen

012 Shawn Johnson - The Journey to the Olympics, Our Friendship, and Our Lives Now: Sam welcomes to the podcast former Olympic teammate and close friend, Shawn Johnson. Shawn is a former American gymnast who won a gold medal for the balance beam and silver in team, all-around, and floor exercise at the 2008 Summer Olympics in... by I Have Cool Friends

65 min listen

011 Amanda Borden - Confidence, the Olympics, and Being a Gym Mom: Amanda Borden is a retired American gymnast, Olympian, coach, gym owner, and gym mom to three kids. After being coached by Mary Lee Tracy, Amanda was the captain of the gold medal winning team, the Magnificent Seven, in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games,... by I Have Cool Friends

54 min listen

006 Nicole Jontony - How Gymnasts Can Build a Healthy Relationship with Food: Nicole Jontony was a former elite collegiate gymnast at Ohio State, has helped her team make it to the NCAA championships during her senior year, and is currently a sports dietitian at The Ohio State University. Recently, Nicole was selected as the... by I Have Cool Friends

69 min listen

004 Madison Kocian - Gold Medal Winning Olympian, Madison Kocian, Sets the Bar High for Gymnastics: Madison Kocian’s reputation precedes her—her numerous accolades are just a representation of her hard-working, determined, and accomplished self. Some of her awards include winning the team gold medal with the “Final Five” and the uneven bars... by I Have Cool Friends

58 min listen

Bonus Episode 1 - Alicia Sacramone Quinn - Gymnasts Aren’t Like a Fine Wine: Sam welcomes to the podcast former Olympic teammate and close friend, Alicia Sacramone Quinn. Alicia is a former American gymnast who is also the second-most decorated American gymnast in World Championship history, netting ten medals during her... by I Have Cool Friends

69 min listen

010 Betty Okino - Redefining Success and the Future of Gymnastics: Betty Okino is a former American artistic gymnast and Olympic medalist who was born in Uganda to a Ugandan father and a Romanian mother. As a result, she is fluent in Romanian. Growing up, she trained with Márta and Béla Károlyi in Houston. She was... by I Have Cool Friends

62 min listen

009 Jordyn Wieber - Achieving a Utopian Gymnastics World: Jordyn Wieber is a former American artistic gymnast and was a member of the US Women’s Gymnastics Team, the Fierce Five. Some of her achievements include being a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, 2011 World Champion, three-time American Cup champion, and... by I Have Cool Friends

62 min listen

003 Jill Hicks - The Ins and Outs of College Recruiting: Jill Hicks, known as the “College Recruiting Expert” tells us in this episode about her journey with college gymnastics as well as some advice for parents, coaches, and aspiring young gymnasts. Over time, the college recruiting process for... by I Have Cool Friends

50 min listen

008 Brandon Wynn - Fitness Begins with a Bulletproof Mindset: Brandon Wynn is an artistic gymnast from New Jersey. He is a member of the US World and National Team and competed in gymnastics for The Ohio State University. At the 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Brandon won a Bronze medal on Still... by I Have Cool Friends

53 min listen

005 Dr. Alison Arnold - Fighting Fear: Alison Arnold, also known as “Doc Ali” in the gymnastics world, has a more than interesting resume. She has a PhD in Psychology, is a former gymnast, and has been on trips to a monastery in Nepal, Peru, and Thailand, as well as in the jungle of... by I Have Cool Friends

39 min listen

S2 007 Trinity Thomas - More Than Meets the Eye: Sam welcomes four-time U.S. National Team member and collegiate gymnast, Trinity Thomas. Although just seventeen, Trinity is already a supremely accomplished gymnast, having been a member of the gold-medal winning team at the 2018 Pan-American... by I Have Cool Friends

58 min listen

S2 010 Dana Duckworth - You Can’t Eat an Elephant in One Bite: Sam welcomes head coach of the women’s gymnastics team at the University of Alabama, Dana Duckworth. Dana’s relationship with Alabama has spanned over two decades. She was a former student athlete and worked under Sarah Patterson as an assistant... by I Have Cool Friends

81 min listen

S2 004 Amelia Hundley & Lexie Priessman - The Inside scoop of Florida & LSU: Sam welcomes to the podcast not one but two cool friends, Amelia Hundley and Lexie Priessman. Amelia has won a gold, silver and bronze at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto, she also took home team gold medals competing for the United States at... by I Have Cool Friends

89 min listen

007 Laurie Hernandez - Human vs Perfect: Laurie Hernandez is a 2016 Olympic gold medalist who has also won an Olympic silver medal on beam, won season 23 of Dancing with the Stars, was featured on an episode of Stuck in the Middle, and is only 18 years old. At 16, Laurie became the youngest... by I Have Cool Friends

65 min listen

013 - Recapping Season 1: In the Season 1 recap episode, Sam reflects on all of her “cool friends” and the lessons she learned while having them on as guests. Sam divulges the goal of her podcast, which is to educate and inspire while covering topics related to gymnastics.... by I Have Cool Friends

23 min listen

Bonus Episode 3 - Nastia Liukin - The Year of New Beginnings: Sam welcomes to the podcast close friend and former 2008 Olympic and 2007 World Championship teammate, Nastia Liukin. Nastia’s gymnastics accomplishments include the 2008 Olympic all-around champion, five-time Olympic medalist, the 2005 and 2007... by I Have Cool Friends

80 min listen

S2 009 Kyla Ross - It's Juuuuust Gymnastics & a Little UCLA Magic: Sam welcomes Kyla Ross, the first female gymnast ever to win Olympic, World, and NCAA Championship gold medals. Kyla is a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, 2014 World Championship gold medalist, and 2018 NCAA team champion. In addition, she is an... by I Have Cool Friends

80 min listen

S2 002 - Maggie Nichols Shares Her NCAA Secrets: Welcome back to Season 2 of the I Have Cool Friends podcast! Sam welcomes to the podcast collegiate gymnast, Maggie Nichols. Maggie is a junior at the University of Oklahoma and has already accomplished so much in her gymnastics career. Maggie won a... by I Have Cool Friends

52 min listen

Bonus Episode 2 - Chellsie Memmel - Transparency and the Future of USA Gymnastics: Sam welcomes to the podcast close friend and former 2008 Olympic teammate, Chellsie Memmel. Chellsie’s gymnastics accomplishments include being the 2003 world champion on the uneven bars and the 2005 world all-around champion; just the third... by I Have Cool Friends

61 min listen

S2 006 Jessica Lopez - Be Present, Be Thankful, & Communicate: Sam welcomes decorated gymnast, Jessica López. Jessica is an international gymnast who has represented her home country of Venezuela in three separate Olympic Games from 2008 through 2016. In 2016, she qualified for the uneven bars final, becoming... by I Have Cool Friends

57 min listen

How Did Lauren Cheney Holiday Become Unstoppable at the Olympic Games, World Cups, & Fighting a Brain Tumor?: Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Champion, Lauren Cheney. Among her stellar career accomplishments, Lauren was the first player in National Women’s Soccer League history to have her jersey retired by the... by I Have Cool Friends

76 min listen

S2 003 Katelyn Ohashi - Using Gymnastics Experience and a VIRAL Platform to Change the World: Sam welcomes to the podcast collegiate gymnast, Katelyn Ohashi. Katelyn’s gymnastics resume is as impressive as it is extensive. She was a four-time member of USA Gymnastics’ Junior National Team, the 2011 junior national champion and 2013... by I Have Cool Friends

67 min listen

S2 011 McKenna Kelley - Redemption, Perfection, and the Possibility For More: Sam welcomes McKenna Kelley to the podcast. McKenna is currently a senior at Louisiana State University (LSU) where she recently scored a perfect ten competing in her latest meet. In this episode, Sam and McKenna talk about McKenna’s collegiate... by I Have Cool Friends

67 min listen

S2 001 Bridget Sloan - Previewing the 2019 NCAA Gymnastics Season: Welcome to Season 2 of the I Have Cool Friends Podcast! 2018 was such a special year, as Sam details in the opening of this episode. The podcast has already surpassed 100,000 downloads spanning 100 different countries and is the number one podcast in... by I Have Cool Friends

91 min listen

S2 005 Mykayla Skinner - Will She or Won't She...Go for 2020: Sam welcomes her close friend, Mykayla Skinner. Mykayla competed for Team USA at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, winning a team gold both years and a bronze medal on vault in 2014. She also won nine total medals at the USA Gymnastics National... by I Have Cool Friends

69 min listen

How Did Danusia Francis Overcome Obstacles to Make the Olympics? + Dealing with the Impact of Coronavirus: Sam welcomes to the podcast 2016 NCAA Balance Beam Co-Champion, 6x All-American and 2012 Olympic alternate, Danusia Francis. In this episode, Danusia discusses the unique experience of representing two separate countries in Olympic qualifiers. ... by I Have Cool Friends

66 min listen

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S2 011 McKenna Kelley - Redemption, Perfection, and the Possibility For More

S2 011 McKenna Kelley - Redemption, Perfection, and the Possibility For More

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