Wrestling Changed My Life (Wrestling Podcast)

Jon Reader is the associate head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling program. This is Jon’s 2nd time on the podcast. He brought the heat as always! We talk about… -Jon’s COVID workout routine (it’s savage) -The Davison Michigan days -Visualization before Jon’s senior year FOLLOW THE PODCAST WrestlingChangedMyLife.com SPONSOR This episode is brought to you by the Beat the Streets Chicago Virtu...

John Fisher is a 4x All American for Michigan, compiling an incredible 183 wins for the Wolverines. John was also the 1992 Olympic Trials runner-up, where he took John Smith to three matches. Enjoy folks! FOLLOW THE PODCAST WrestlingChangedMyLife.com SPONSOR This episode is brought to you by the Beat the Streets Chicago Virtual Gala, which takes place on Saturday June 6 from 8-9pm. It would mean t...

Daniel Cormier, Eric Guerrero and Jamill Kelly join the show to tell stories about the Gator Wrestling Club (formerly an elite senior-level freestyle team that landed 3 wrestlers in the ‘04 Olympics and 2 in ‘08). We cover a shoddy trip to Russia, the first time the Oklahoma State and Iowa wrestlers trained together at the Gator compound in Louisiana and DC taking a swing at Guerrero in a sauna. T...

Mike Barwis is a world renowned strength and conditioning coach. After getting his start at WVU, Mike was the director of strength and conditioning at Michigan before founding his own company - Barwis Performance Centers. He’s trained olympic athletes in 40+ sports and works with the Mets and Redwings. As you can guess, Mike got his start in wrestling and has trained wrestlers for 3 decades. As yo...

West Cathcart is an Olympic hopeful in the Men’s Greco 130kg weight class. I’ve known West for years as we went to the same high school and kids club. In high school, he was a 2x Illinois runner-up before developing a penchant for greco. He attended the USOEC and after being out of the sport for a few years, he’s back and making a run at Tokyo. Enjoy this one folks! FOLLOW THE PODCAST WrestlingCha...

Kenny Monday is one of the great wrestlers of all time. He’s a 3x Olympian, winning gold in 1988 and silver in 1992. By winning gold in ‘88, he became the first African American to win a wrestling gold medal. Kenny wrestled for Oklahoma State and won an NCAA title as a senior, after finishing 2nd as a junior and sophomore. Throughout his career, Kenny had two epic rivalries, one of which was with...

Scott Goodale is the head coach of the Rutgers wrestling program. He’s a Jersey guy through and through, and grew up idolizing Rocky. After wrestling for Lock Haven, Coach Goodale coached at his high school alma mater, Jackson, where he helped build a wrestling powerhouse. In 2007 he was approached to write a 5-point plan to make Rutgers wrestling relevant. It wasn’t long after this that Coach Goo...

Do you ever sit and wonder if the elite among us experience self-doubt? I know I do and on this episode, we talk with 2008 Olympian Andy Hrovat about a trying 14-month period of his life leading up to the 2008 Olympic trials. During that time Andy lost and regained his place on Team USA. The big takeaway for me is that we all experience self-doubt and by battling through those fears and insecuriti...

Ben Askren is a man who needs no introduction. He’s a world champion fighter, all-time great college wrestling, business owner, podcast extraordinaire and semi-pro frisbee golfer. In this conversation, we talk about sports psychology, Ben’s Olympic run in 2007/2008, and what Ben would change if he were a D1 coach. Thank you so much for tuning in folks. Enjoy! FOLLOW THE PODCAST WrestlingChangedMyL...

Brian Ferentz is the Iowa Football offensive coordinator. He’s also a former Patriots coach and NFL player. Back in high school Brian wrestled - surprise, surprise. In this episode we talk about why Iowa Football recruits wrestlers, Brian’s journey to OC at Iowa, and his philosophy on preparation. We also talk about the #1 trait amongst successful leaders. FOLLOW THE PODCAST WrestlingChangedMyLife...

Yianni Diakomihalis is a 2x NCAA champ and multiple time age group World Champion. He’s one of the best the US has to offer and is one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. What I think you’ll get from this podcast is Yianni’s mindset. He’s input driven and has a motto of never wasting a day. He also has an incredible level of self-belief, due in part to the work he puts in. We talk about: -His high...

J Jaggers is the associate head coach for Ohio State. As a wrestler, J was a 2x NCAA champ and 4x Ohio State champ. This was a super fun conversation and I hope you enjoy it. SPONSOR This episode is brought to you by Gable the GOAT Part 2, which covers the life of Dan Gable from 1987-1993. Unlike our weekly show, this is a fully produced documentary podcast. You can find Gable the GOAT Part 2 in t...

T.J. Williams is one of the best collegiate wrestlers of all time. He was 98-1 during his time at Iowa, winning two titles and finishing third his junior year. In high school, T.J. was a 4x Illinois state champion and was a member of the 1993 Mt. Carmel (Chicago) team that had 6 future NCAA championships on it. As a kid, T.J. was an idol of mine and I still have the headgear he signed. This was a...

Aaron Simpson is a former 2x All American for Arizona State. After coaching for his alma mater, Aaron started training MMA and was soon fighting in the UFC. Today, Aaron coaches high school wrestling and lives with his family in the Phoenix area. SPONSOR This episode is brought to you by Gable the GOAT Part 2, which covers the life of Dan Gable from 1987-1993. Unlike our weekly show, this is a ful...

Dustin DeNunzio is the CEO of TDG, a 2x Harvard All American and an MIT grad. Dustin quite literally led the Harvard resurgence and helped recruit Jesse Jantzen. In this episode we talk about: --Dustin’s experience at the J Rob Camps --Being a lost kid to a straight A student --The academic rigor of Harvard --How his parents instilled a love for winning, goal setting and working hard -- Wrestling...

Mike Denney is a 7x national champion coach. Having coached for over 51 years, Coach Denney spent his first 32 years at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). On the night of his 7th national team title, the UNO AD called Coach Denney and told him that wrestling was being cut. It was a shock to the wrestling world. Today, Coach Denney is the head coach at Maryville. SPONSOR This episode is brough...

Dr Eric Tannenbaum is an Illinois legend. He was a 4x IHSA finalist and 3x champ, with Eric’s only loss coming in the finals his sophomore year. After high school, Eric went to Michigan where he was a 4x All American. Today, Eric is an orthopedic surgeon. In this episode we talk about: **The early days: training with Jose, Nathan and Izzy Martinez **The loss that stunned assembly hall **How he met...

Damion Hahn is the head coach of the South Dakota State Wrestling Program. Back in high school, Damion was touted as the best high school wrestler of his time, winning 3 NJ state titles and 3 Fargo titles. He was a 2x NCAA champ at Minnesota. The Gophers also won two team titles during that time. After college, Damion coached at Cornell for 12 years. This guys has seen it all and worked with the l...

James, the Iron Cowboy, Lawrence is a Guinness World Record holder and triathlete. James lives with his wife, Sunny, and their five children in Utah. After breaking several Guinness World Records, James wondered if he had truly found his mental and physical limits. He knew there was more. Experience firsthand the remarkable journey of James Lawrence during this podcast. We talk about: --The 50/50/...

Gable the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Part 2 details the championship history of the Dan Gable led Iowa Hawkeyes from 1987-1993. During that time, Coach Gable would have to rebuild the Iowa Wrestling Dynasty. The dynasty he created. This is how he did it. Here is the link for Part 1 of Gable the GOAT: https://bit.ly/2Wkv8yW ONLINE STORE This episode is sponsored by the Wrestling Changed My Life on...

Gable the GOAT is an original podcast documentary presented by the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast. The documentary explores how Dan Gable – the most popular American wrestler – created a wrestling dynasty at the University of Iowa, winning 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years; he also won an incredible 21 consecutive Big 10 crowns during that same time. As an athlete, he was undefeated in high schoo...

Brian Picklo is a 2x All American for Michigan State. His story is one of the most motivating and inspirational tales I’ve ever heard. This is a must listen. Enjoy folks! Want a sneak peak of Gable the GOAT Part 2? Text DanGable to 555-888.

Matt McDonough is an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. Prior to coaching, McDonough was a 3x NCAA finalist, 2x NCAA champ for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He carried on that great Iowa tradition of dominating at the 125lbs weight class. In this interview we talk about: **Matt’s obsession with winning an NCAA title **The invisible man that he used during training **The cut to 125 **Wrestling an...

Mark Churella is one of the great college wrestlers of all time, winning 3 NCAA titles in the late 70’s for Michigan. After the 1980 Olympic boycott, Mark went into coaching before becoming the CEO of the FDI Group. In this episode we talk about: **Advice for parenting wrestlers **His high school workout routine **The impact of Mark’s father, Bill Weick and Dan Gable **Optimism, perseverance, and...

Brian Glynn is a 2x All American for the Fighting Illini. He's currently the head coach at an elite public-school here in Illinois, Lincoln Way West. During the podcast Brian talks about *His first big moment at Carver Hawkeye *Going back stage with Motley Crew before the high school state finals *Advice on parenting/coach a youth wrestler