Learn 2 Listen

Mariah Parsons and Justin Kopp share their experiences at small and all-male schools, highlighting the unique aspects of these institutions and the close-knit communities they foster. They discuss the advantages of attending an all-male college, including the opportunity for male students to form deep relationships and develop leadership skills. Justin also tells Mariah about how he explored the i...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Cat Salladin, a former national team swimmer and current D1 swimmer at Rutgers as well as Whole Being Ambassador for Athletes for Hope. On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we talk about dealing with pressure, being overtrained and becoming injured from it, the validation that comes with a full diagnoses of injury, struggling with multiple diagnoses...

This is a special recording from an in-person event with the Orr Fellowship. Our guest speaker is Allison Ehrhart Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. If you recognize her voice, that’s because she’s been a repeat guest on Learn 2 Listen, so be sure to check out those previous episodes should they interest you. The...

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Jenny Sichel, Paralympic silver medalist and three time silver medalist at the World Championships as well as the Operations Director at the National Council on Independent Living and Paralympic coach for USRowing. In addition to talking about Jenny’s career in the rowing world, we discuss her networking with the mindset of ‘what do i have t...

On this live audience recording of Learn 2 Listen, we team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as Mike Leonard and Bud Boughton of ERPro Plus to talk about mentorship, listening to your mentee, and impacting the next generation by sharing life experiences. In this episode, we specifically talk about the importance of mentorship, the potential mentorship can have on an individual or a group, l...

Colton Haymon, Solutions Architect Manager at Range21 and Co-Founder of ColMonet, a feel-good lifestyle brand, joins us this week on Learn 2 Listen to chat about life. Specifically, we chat through not fitting in growing up and how that influenced our lives now, quickly being able to identify your own people, how we think we stand out, having friends that bring you out of your shell, investing in...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen we’re joined by Allison Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. We chat through Justin Suia’s podcast Losing Control with Dr. Colleen Hacker, what is the relationship between leadership, vulnerability, and confidence looks like, the connotation of vulnerability and weakness, identity a...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, Olivia West is a Brand Marketer & Global Launch Readiness Associate at Eli Lilly as well as founder and owner of The Speaking Company. She is an avid cyclist as well as a DEI advocate. On this episode we chat about Olivia’s past of showing horses and her journey in starting cycling, how cycling has become a point of pride for her, knocking down barriers that...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Mario Leavell, Sales Representative at Stryker Surgical Technologies and VP of Evansville Bicycle Club. On this episode we discuss when Mario started cycling, why cycling and maintaining your physical and mental health is important to him, lesson learns from cycling, balancing work and working out, the inclusive nature of cycling (it welcomes all...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Armando Sanchez, Notre Dame Alumni (2020), Orr Fellow Alumni (2020), and Product Manager at Multiply. We chat through; Being each other’s accountability partner Personal and professional development What we wish we knew about transitioning into the workforce What expectations vs reality look like in the workforce Navigating being a first-generatio...

This week we are joined by Sam Manfreda, former D1 Rower at the University of Notre Dame (‘21) and current Software Engineer at Google. Sam is one of Mariah’s very best friends (if you couldn’t tell from the many laughs) and trusted confidant. In this episode, you’ll hear them discuss what it’s like to transition away from higher education and the service industry to a full time position at one of...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen we’re joined by Allison Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. Allison tells us all about what therapy is actually like, the difference between sport psychology and clinical therapy, the negative connotation between vulnerability and weakness, the difference between process and progre...

This episode of Learn 2 Listen is a tad bit different in that my lovely friend and Orr Fellow, Devon Ngo, is interviewing our host, Mariah Parsons, on why she started Learn 2 Listen. Devon attended the University of Notre Dame (Class of 2021), is currently in the Orr Fellowship, and is also an Operations Analyst and Photographer. He is currently building out his photography portfolio and asked Mar...

On this Episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Monroe Olsen, former D1 Volleyball player at Notre Dame. Monroe shares about her opinions on spirituality and religion and how they influence her perspective. Mariah and Monroe discuss their different narratives as it pertains to being injured and stepping away from sport, wading through the waters of being sent home during the COVID pandemic, and...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Beverly Yanez. She is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is currently the assistant coach of Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She’s also a loving wife and mother of a little 1 and a half year old. She shares about what it was like to step away from being a player into a coach and how that reshaped he...

Today we are joined by Sophie Wang and Lexi Andrie, two Orr Fellows and founders and CEO and COO of the non-profit LUMA Galleries. We talk about their personal journeys and what they’ve learned through founding a non-profit that illuminates different narratives. In this episode you’ll hear about how and when we started to become aware of our own individual needs, shame around injury, painful exper...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Cory Camp, a phenomenal human being and expert in helping athletes find their flow state. He’s a swimmer, coach, author, podcaster, and founder of Forever Athlete. He takes personal development and trains others on how to be successful in it. In this episode we talk about the struggle to label yourself with an intro and on social media, content cr...

We’re joined by LaVonne Idlette, Olympic track star, lawyer and investment coach, and contestant on The Amazing Race. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 100 meters hurdles as well as attending Hampton University to compete in the heptathlon. She also competed on The Amazing Race in 2020 for season 32. LaVonne now spends her time helping high achievers, such as professional at...

On this episode we’re joined by YouTuber and content creator Brooke Sabey. In this episode you’ll hear how Brooke and Mariah relate over their college experience being disrupted and being sucked back into hometown life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Have you ever felt like you regressed into the person you used to be? Brooke tells the story of how she convinced her parents to let her have social me...

This week, we are joined by Alea Rashid, current Orr Fellow and graduate of Butler University. one of my closest friends here in Indy and there’s so much we go into. Have you ever thought through how your past experiences impact the person you've become? In this episode you'll learn about how Alea’s life was impacted by having all brothers growing up and how joining a sorority taught her a differe...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we are joined by Alex Oleson, a fellow Orr Fellow, friend, father, and podcaster. Alex speaks to how he shifted what he sees as successful as he approaches fatherhood. We talk a lot about having some areas of our identity that lend themselves to privilege and some areas of our identity that don’t lend themselves to privilege. Hearing Alex walk through growing up...

Today we are joined by Sarah Kolczak, current Orr Fellow and Co-Founder of Soul & Flow, a wellness experience and community to connect deeper to our higher selves through mind, body, soul, & flow. We chat about Sarah’s experience growing up as a performer. We also talk about Sarah’s background as a ballerina and the sometimes toxic culture that surrounds the world of dance. Have you ever h...

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we are joined by Priscilla Wiggins, a current Masters student earning her degree in Counseling Psychology at Temple University. She and Mariah talk all about her journey playing soccer while simultaneously exploring the process of loss and identity after the passing of her father when she was 21. We kick off the conversation around the transition out of sport (an...

Danielle Berman, Founder and CEO of TackleWhatsNext, the premier community and support team for athletes transitions from sport to well, what’s next. In this episode, we fangirl over the power of telling stories and sharing experiences, especially around career transition. We chat about the worries that come with change or choosing where to go after sport when sport has been your ‘job’ for the bet...

Leeann Passaro is Chief Operating Officer at The Hidden Opponent, an advocacy group that raises awareness for Student-Athlete Mental Health to address the stigma in sports. Not only is Leeann passionate about her non-profit work but she is also a high school English teacher and soccer and lacrosse coach. Leeann vulnerably shares her story about her relationship with soccer, her coach and team, and...