One of our very favorite episodes on how to train, taper, and thrive in Masters Swimming. In this encore show we sat down with world record masters swimmer and veteran swim journalist Jeff Cummings to map out a smarter path to speed: focused training, practical tapering, honest recovery, and habits you can sustain with a full-time job and a full life. Jeff opens up about training alone and still finding intensity, the “exercise sets” that harden race finish, and why four quality days plus one true recovery swim beat mindless yardage every time. Everyone wants to know how to taper for a Masters Swim Meet!

We dig into how to build speed as an aging athlete, especially for triathletes and distance swimmers crossing into 50s and 100s. Jeff’s method is clear: make sprinting a skill you practice year-round, target stroke rate and pull mechanics, and give your body six to twelve months to adapt. His taper philosophy flips convention—most masters don’t need two weeks off. He keeps sessions at or above 2,500 yards, trims intensity to preserve pop, and stops heavy weights about ten days out so he shows up springy, not stale.

Strength, recovery, and nutrition round out the engine. Twice-weekly lifting maintains muscle mass without bulking. Stretching isn’t optional; Jeff builds mobility into pool decks, showers, and daily routines so soreness doesn’t harden into tightness. His “daytime vegan” approach—plant-forward days with animal protein at night—dropped his cholesterol, stabilized energy, and restored race power. We also explore stress and blood pressure, the realities of running a business, and the mindset tools that turn lactic burn into competitive fuel.

Beyond performance, Jeff champions inclusion through Swimmers For Change. He shares simple ways to diversify the pool deck: invite a friend, buy the first lesson, follow up until it sticks. If you’re looking for masters swimming tips, sprint training for adults, taper strategy, dryland strength, recovery stretching, and inclusive community building, this conversation brings it all together in a plan you can actually live. If it helps you, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review so others can find the show.

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Check out Kelly's Books at www.KellyPalace.com

What if your 60s is your prime? We sit down with Janet Carbin—a CBS Survivor Season 39 favorite, veteran swim coach, and one of the few female chief lifeguards in the country—to unpack the mindset, training habits, and nutrition choices that keep her strong in open water and in life. Janet brings a rare mix of humility and edge: she earns respect by doing the work, leads by example, and shows how authenticity can be a competitive advantage when the clock doesn’t lie.

Janet breaks down the mental models that carry her through discomfort, from framing tough days as “five 500s” to practicing hard skills until they feel simple. She takes us behind the scenes of her Survivor prep—learning to start fire without flint, drilling balance challenges, and building resilience for cold, rain, and social stress. We talk candidly about injuries, shoulder surgeries, and how to reinvent your relationship with sport at 60 by moving daily, adding variety, and redefining success beyond old personal bests.

We also dig into performance nutrition and why Janet calls sugar “poison” for long-term health and recovery. Expect practical guidance on when electrolytes actually matter, how to spot junk disguised as protein, and why real food supports consistent training. Leadership is the throughline: earn it, own it, and stay open enough to learn from the 17-year-olds on your team. If you’re navigating age, comeback goals, or a new chapter, this conversation offers a clear framework—be direct with yourself, move every day, fuel well, and practice the hard thing until it’s yours.

If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. It truly helps. And don’t miss my new book, False Cure, now available at Amazon and Barnes Noble. www.False-cure.com

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

In one of our favorite episodes as an encore we find out: What does it really take to move from 300 pounds to a 9:15 Ironman without losing your love of great food and a full life? We sit down with chef-turned-triathlete Will Liebig to unpack the habits, community, and mindset that reshaped his health over a decade. Will is open about the grind: he swapped isolation for master swimming, built cycling and running tribes, and embraced the 80/20 training rule—keep 20 percent truly hard, keep 80 percent easy. The gains came not from punishment, but from patience.

Food is a highlight. As a classically trained chef, Will rejects fear-based nutrition and shows how fats like olive oil, butter, and cream can fuel endurance when paired with smart timing, portion control, and macro awareness. He eats smaller meals throughout the day, anchors a larger mid-day plate, often skips starch at night for better sleep, and isn’t afraid of fasted zone-2 when the plan calls for it. He also defends cheat days as motivation, not failure—a double spicy Bloody Mary after a race or a well-plated steak dinner cooked sous vide because satisfaction matters.

We also explore resilience. Will shares the setbacks that tested him—career shifts, grief after his father’s passing, and a brush with body dysmorphia—and how he course-corrected by eating enough, tracking with intention, and leaning on his wife, Lisa, for logistics and encouragement. That partnership turns races into shared adventures and keeps training sustainable. Expect practical coaching cues, real-world nutrition, and the reminder that big change demands a wider timeline. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review—then tell us what habit you’ll commit to for the next five years.

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

What happens when a perfect Florida swim turns into a fight for your life from a 9-foot alligator grabbing onto your arm? In this riveting encore episode, Masters Swimmer Rachael Lilienthal takes us stroke by stroke through her 2015 alligator attack, the breath that steadied her in a death roll, and the unlikely chain of strangers who became heroes with a kayak paddle, a firm grip, and a medical-grade tourniquet. From river chaos to a trauma bay within an hour, the details are visceral, human, and unforgettable.

We talk about the kind of resilience that isn’t a poster—slow exhales, clear commands, and small choices that compound into survival. Rachel opens up about the ambulance regret, the angry nights, and why saying this is too hard can be the bravest move in the room. Then the story pivots to rebuilding: occupational therapy hacks, ditching zippers for simplicity, adaptive tools that return dignity, and the decision to keep swimming. Watching Paralympians changed her technique; masters coaching refined her form; breath set the rhythm. The result: a gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly and a body that moves with purpose instead of force.

We also explore the quiet scaffolding, or was it Angels?, that made “luck” possible: lifeguard instincts, community readiness, and a deputy who fought to put tourniquets in patrol cars years before this day. Rachel’s mindset is a masterclass—silver linings as daily practice, spirituality as fuel, and service as a responsibility. She even launched a simple YouTube channel to share easy raw-food recipes, betting that one healthier meal a week can shift someone’s trajectory. And she leaves us with a clear warning: don’t feed wildlife. When animals lose their fear of humans, everyone loses.

If this story moved you, share it with a friend, leave a quick review, and follow the show so you don’t miss what’s next. Your support helps more listeners find real tools for mindset, health, and performance.

Check out Kelly's latest book an investigative journalistic book on a denied global health epidemic at https://www.False-Cure.com

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

What does it take to win national swimming titles while working chaotic ER shifts and raising a competitive family? In this encore episode, we sit down with masters legend and ER physician Kurt Dixon to unpack the habits, mindset, and simple systems that keep him fast at 54—and grounded through real-life storms. Kurt’s résumé is staggering: 100+ U.S. masters national wins, world records, the Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming, and Ironman finishes. Yet his playbook is refreshingly unfancy: repeatable sets, six days a week in the water, no strength training, and a taper built on broken 200s to spark race speed. He talks candidly about racing anxiety, why practice times don’t predict his meets, and how to stay calm when the late-race pain hits in the 1000 and 1650.

We also explore the mental framework that turns adversity into fuel. After job upheaval, family crises, and the pandemic, Kurt rebuilt with a three-part response: forgive to clear mental space, choose better environments and patience, then harness primal energy into training. That shift led to one of his best competitive years. You’ll hear how he uses long swims to focus, how ER trauma changes the way he defines pressure, and why consistent naps and weekly yoga matter more with age. He shares injury lessons, simple shoulder prehab, and technique tweaks that protect joints without sacrificing speed.

On the personal side, Kurt’s humor shines. He loves milk chocolate and M&Ms, trains mostly alone, and jokes about buoyancy over body composition. His wife—a decorated cyclist—pushes him with epic rides, and their family has racked up miles and memories traveling to events. For masters swimmers, triathletes, and endurance fans, this conversation is packed with practical training tips, taper tactics, recovery strategies, and performance mindset tools you can use right away.

If this story resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs a spark, and leave a quick review to help others find us. And if you’re craving more investigative health storytelling, check out Kelly’s new book, False Cure, by visiting https://www.False-Cure.com

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

In an encore presentation, we sit down with Dr. Colleen Hacker, Olympic mental performance consultant and author of Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life, to unpack the real tools champions use when it counts. No fluff here—just clear methods backed by science and forged in the fire of world-class competition.

We start by redefining confidence as a moving target and show how to build it by fixing your focus. If you’re replaying missed sessions, old results, or an opponent’s best times, your attention is fueling doubt. Dr. Hacker shares a practical reset: direct focus to controllables—race plans, turns, breath patterns, fueling windows—and let confidence follow. From there, we dig into the split most athletes miss: the brain that builds skill is not the brain that unleashes it. Training is analysis; performance is trust. Her race-day cue, “easy speed,” helps you shed tightness, stop micromanaging, and let your timing run.

We also get honest about pain. Instead of treating it like a threat, Dr. Hacker frames discomfort as the separator—the price of entry to personal records. You can make pain go away by backing off, but you’ll also forfeit your best. For masters athletes, we explore how wisdom, intrinsic motivation, and an appetite for science become competitive edges. We break down the four pillars of peak performance and show why you must train all four systematically to avoid leaving potential on the table. Expect actionable tools: breathing and mindfulness to balance arousal, imagery and self-talk to prime performance, and precise recovery strategies around sleep, hydration, and glycogen timing.

We wrap with a clear challenge: mental skills work when you do the work. If you’re ready to move from knowing to doing, this encore will give you the language, the structure, and the daily habits to get there. Follow the show, share this episode with a training partner, and leave a quick review to help more athletes find us. Want more? Grab Kelly’s new book False Cure and stay tuned for our 2026 reboot with fresh weekly conversations to keep your mojo strong.

Kelly's new book www.False-Cure.com

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Hello friends, it’s Kelly. You may have noticed I’ve been away from the show for over a month—the longest break I’ve taken in more than seven years of podcasting. The reason is deeply personal: my father passed away in August at the age of 95. I’ve spent these weeks with him, with family, remembering him, celebrating his life, and navigating the bittersweet gift of grief.

In this episode, I want to honor my dad, who first taught me how to swim. Through his simple “swim to Daddy” lessons on Lake Barcroft, he gave me some of the most profound truths I’ve carried into every stage of my life as a swimmer, coach and person.

I’ll share five swim and life lessons my late father passed on to me—about courage, trust, health, joy, and resilience. My hope is that these lessons touch your life the way they’ve touched mine, whether you’re a swimmer or not.

I'm happy to be back at the mic and look forward to connecting again with you soon!

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Jennifer Comfort is a USAT-certified triathlon coach, Ironman triathlete, and open water swim observer whose approach to performance blends endurance, mindfulness, and a deep respect for inner stillness.

Jennifer didn’t start her journey as a seasoned pro. In fact, during her first triathlon 20 years ago, she basically dog paddled through the swim, terrified to put her face in the water. Today, she’s a multiple-time Ironman and 70.3 finisher, a Boston Marathon qualifier, and a respected coach guiding adult athletes at all levels. She leads open water swim workouts on the Columbia River and supports world-class endurance swims as an official observer.

What sets Jennifer apart, though, is how she’s embraced silence as part of her champion’s mindset. In a surprising turn, Jennifer shares how a 7-day silent meditation retreat completely changed her life—sharpening her focus, helping her manage anxiety and depression, and giving her a deeper edge as both a coach and an athlete.

Looking for a new challenge? Try silence. Whether you’re a Masters swimmer, a returning triathlete, or simply someone looking to reconnect with purpose and grit, this conversation offers insight, inspiration, and practical advice.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Jennifer went from dog paddling her first triathlon to completing full Ironman races and coaching elite athletes
• What it means to be an open water swim observer, and why that role is vital in endurance swimming
• Why her weekly “Open Water Wednesday” swims are creating a strong local swim community
• What it’s really like to go completely silent for seven days—and the breakthroughs that can come from it
• Her advice for first-time triathletes, including mindset, gear, and how to start without feeling overwhelmed
• Practical tips for using breathwork, mindfulness, and internal awareness to enhance training and racing
• How to balance parenting, training, and business with grace and mental strength

Notable Quote:
"We're with ourselves 24/7… so we might as well learn to like ourselves a little bit." – Jennifer Comfort

This episode is for you if you:

• Are a swimmer curious about trying your first triathlon—or returning to the sport
• Want to bring more mindfulness and presence into your athletic routine
• Are intrigued by the idea of a silent retreat and what it might unlock in your life
• Appreciate hearing from women who lead, coach, compete, and rise through challenge

Jennifer’s story reminds us that becoming a champion doesn’t always start with winning. It starts with showing up, staying curious, and sometimes—even staying quiet long enough to hear what really matters.

Tune in to learn how silence, grit, and intention shape the journey of a true endurance athlete.

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.