The Abstract Athlete

Join the art professor, Ron Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University) along with New York Times Best Selling Author, Andrew Maraniss to discuss his life as a writer and his latest best selling book, Games of Deception, about the debut of basketball at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. This episode will discuss Andrew's life growing up in a family of writers as well as his life's journey in the w...

Join the art professor, Ron Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University) along with recurring guest, Dr. Ron Gharbo to discuss the mind and body connection and how it can help us in our daily lives. This episode will discuss Dr. Ron's wrestling career and his pioneering work researching the mind body connection and specifically the role of heart rate variability. We are working with Dr. Gharbo over...

Join the art professor, Ron Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University) along with special guest, Joe Olney (US Army Combat Sargeant) to discuss his life in the military and his current trajectory in the world of art. This episode will discuss Joe's path to being a professional artist including his time as a combat engineer serving in Iraq. We have been working with Joe Olney over the last few year...

Join the art professor, Ron Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University) along with special guest, Percy King from The Ohio State University & the Kansas City Chiefs to discuss his life in football and his current trajectory in the world of art. This episode will discuss art, sports, music, and life after football. Percy's artwork can be seen in our traveling exhibitions and on display in the Co...

Join the art professor, Ron Johnson (Virginia Commonwealth University) for our debut podcast with recurring guest, Dr. David Cifu to discuss how the brain powers our bodies along with creative ways to help you exercise the mind. This episode will discuss brain health, physical health, creativity, and even in a story about Jaromir Jagr.  We have been working with Dr. Cifu over the last fe...