Game Changers: Incredible Stories of Resilience in Sports

I genuinely cannot imagine a more powerful, jaw-dropping, perspective-shifting way to have a Finale of Season 3.  Today’s guest doesn’t just inspire you—he completely resets what you believe is possible. Hari Budha Magar’s story begins in a remote village in Nepal, where he walked 45 minutes to school barefoot, He eventually joins the British after beating out hundreds of candidates and flies to t...

This week, I’m joined by Laura Behnke —who spent 16 years as a TV sports anchor and reporter with ABC7 New York, ESPN, NBC Sports in the Bay Area and others, telling the biggest stories in sports.   But today, she’s telling a different kind of story—her own—and it’s making people stop and think.  If you’ve seen her Instagram, you know Laura doesn’t just share—she challenges perspectives. Her lates...

Excited to welcome Efraín Morales to the Game Changers podcast. Efraín is one of the rising young defenders in Major League Soccer, currently playing center back for CF Montréal and building a reputation as a fearless competitor with global roots. Born in Georgia to a Puerto Rican mother and Bolivian father, he came up through the Atlanta United FC, signing a Homegrown contract at just 16 years ol...

Today’s guest is someone who truly understands what it means to go all in—both in sport and in life. Alberto Crane is a former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, mixed martial arts fighter and a sixth-degree black belt who competed at the highest levels of combat sports, including the UFC. But his story is about far more than what happened on the mat and inside the cage. At just 18 years old, Alb...

I’m excited to welcome Hania Taduran to the podcast — not only is she an exceptional athlete, but a powerful advocate creating real change beyond the game. Hania began her beach volleyball career at Palos Verdes High School before competing at the Division I level at the University of the Pacific and later Florida International University. Her journey hasn’t been easy. After losing both her father...

I’m excited to talk to Bill Murphy this week, a man whose definition of endurance goes far beyond most peoples’ finish line. Bill has taken on some of the toughest challenges imaginable, including his incredible “Run the World for Wishes” mission—running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation!!  Read that sentence again, in case you missed it. Bill...

How do you go from a college walk-on who had never rowed before to standing on the podium hearing the national anthem at the World Rowing Championships? This week on the Game Changers podcast, I talk with Cara Stawicki, and her story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to chase something big. Cara started rowing later than most elite athletes — but that didn’t stop her from reaching th...

We are going for a ride today because my guest has so many stories and is a powerful example of how the lessons learned through sport can shape a life far beyond the game. John Damon is a former Boston College football player from Abington, Massachusetts, who planned to play both baseball and football—but instead competed during one of the toughest football eras in BC history. As a defensive linem...

This week’s episode matters. I’ve always believed my role is to be a bridge — fiercely advocating for athletes and coaches — and that means doing the work to understand every side before forming an opinion. Before inviting my next guest on Game Changers , I spent real time researching, listening, and challenging my own assumptions — because some stories deserve more than headlines. Kathy Taylor is...

Sherry Levin is a true game changer in basketball, coaching, and leadership. Her journey began as a great player at Newton North high school with lots of college options and then as one of the most decorated players in Holy Cross women’s basketball history — the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,253 points, a four-time First Team Jewish All-American, and a player whose influence runs so dee...

Do not rush through this episode. My guest this week will absolutely blow you away with her courage, tenacity, and unreal perseverance. Madison (Madi) Hoffman is a total badass.  She started skiing as a little girl in Australia to do something fun with her family. Fast forward through thousands of brutal hours on icy mountains around the world and… She was selected for Team Australia for the 2022...

If you’re like me, you don’t fully understand the ins and outs of Name, Image and Likeness in college and high school sports.  That’s why I’m excited to talk to my guest this week.  You see, my guest is redefining the NIL landscape by focusing on what most people overlook: education, empowerment, and long-term personal branding. Stephanie Grady — founder of The Influential Athlete and The NIL Scho...

This week’s guest, Jenny (Joan) Casson, is a two-time Olympian who competed in the lightweight double sculls at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games — and she’s a two-time world-record holder on the ergometer. Her event, the two-person lightweight sculling race, has been described as “one of the most physically demanding and technically precise disciplines in all of rowing.” But what makes Jen...

My guest this week is Claudia Longo.  She isn't just an exceptional athlete, she’s an advocate and philanthropist who is making a difference outside of sports.  Claudia was a top high-school soccer player in Washington and helped lead her HS team win the state championships in 2015 and 2017 when she she was named the King Co-Offensive Player of the Year, first-team all-state and competed in t...

Jack Curtis  was a quarterback at Carleton College who after being diagnosed with cancer in his senior year, refused to step down — but instead chose to lead his team, break records, and fight through adversity with courage and determination. In June 2025, Jack was diagnosed with late-stage II “unfavorable” Hodgkin's lymphoma. The cancer had spread through his chest and near his heart — a dau...

Keith Mitchell's journey is one of the most powerful reminders that greatness doesn’t end when the game does. A standout linebacker at Texas A&M University and in the National Football League (NFL) with the New Orleans Saints , Houston Texans , and Jacksonville Jaguars , Keith recorded 400+ tackles and earned a 2000 Pro Bowl selection. Then, at just 31 years old, a career-ending spinal in...

Anthony Tucker, like most basketball players, had a basketball journey with a lot of ups and downs.  Anthony was standout shooting guard at Minnetonka High School (finalist for Minnesota Mr. Basketball). After extensive recruiting and offers out of high school, he chose the University of Iowa in the Big Ten.  After some ups and downs including some legal troubles, Anthony left Iowa and red-shirted...

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 revi...

This week’s guest is the definition of a basketball lifer: Brittany Brown. With 25 years on the court (yep, she picked up a ball at age five), Britt’s story is powered by pure passion—and maybe a little destiny. When both of your parents are your high school coaches (sounds familiar) and you’ve had that “dog mentality” since day one… greatness feels inevitable. And greatness is exactly what she de...

I’m thrilled to welcome Brad Ring to the show — a guest whose story embodies discipline, belief, and relentless pursuit. Brad knew at five years old that he wanted to be a professional soccer player. How do we know? Because he wrote it down and put it into the universe — a strategy he continued to lean on throughout his career. At Indiana University, he was a four-year starter, a two-time MAC Herm...

I’m really looking forward to talking to my guest this week because she has the unique combination of experience in college sports; as a player, as an advocate on multiple collegiate sports committees, as a graduate with multiple degrees, as a wife of a football coach and as the daughter of a former college athlete who raised her to be independent, driven and thoughtful. Jailyn Mason-Richardson is...

I love talking to athletes who are real—who don’t sugarcoat their story or try to fit someone else’s version of success. My guest this week is one of those athletes. Fiona Carter has been running track since she was five years old and dreaming of college competition for just as long. A standout multi-event athlete from New Jersey, she excelled in the high jump, hurdles, 200m, shot put and others,...

Today on the Game Changers podcast, I’m joined by two extraordinary sisters whose names are synonymous with leadership, legacy, and sports— Kayla and Veronica Burton   The Burton sisters grew up surrounded by athletic greatness. As daughters of Steve Burton, a college football player and longtime CBS Boston sports anchor, and Ginny Burton, a collegiate All-American swimmer and granddaughters of Ro...

I am really excited about the podcast this week because it is a little out of the norm – my guest is not a collegiate or professional athlete or coach but she is shaping the future of American sports in powerful and lasting ways. I’m so thrilled to welcome Dionne Koller , one of the nation’s top voices in sports law to the podcast. Dionne is a professor at the University of Baltimore, where she di...

This week’s guest, Molly Bidwell , knows exactly what it takes to chase a dream when the road is anything but smooth. Now a collegiate rower for the University of Virginia’s nationally ranked rowing team, Molly has built her success on an unshakable mix of hard work, grit, and determination. In her freshman year, she helped the Third Varsity Eight bring home the ACC Championship — a testament to t...