I talk to former Team USA turned Team Israel figure skater Katarina Kulgeyko about her skating career. We chat about her experience growing up as a competitive skater in the Los Angeles area, high success and promise at a young age with National Podiums at the Intermediate, Novice, and Junior levels, how puberty affected her and her skating, switching from Team USA to Team Israel, her experience with Endometriosis which resulted her her decision to choose her health over skating dreams, retireme...
Jul 06, 2021•42 min•Ep. 48
I talk to Team USA ice dancer Joe Johnson about show skating: the transition from competitive skating to shows, skating in Cirque Du Soleil and everything you need to know about that show, and his experience being a pro in Dancing on Ice! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jun 29, 2021•49 min•Ep. 47
On this episode I talk to 2012 US Pairs Silver Medalist Mary Beth Marley. We discuss her quick transition into pair skating from singles, her fast success and the stressful expectations with that — leading to her ultimate decision to step way from the sport. We touch on her eating disorder, and talk about the lessons learned from skating in managing stress and trusting life’s direction. She shares her experiences dealing with retirement: how going to school helped her feel a sense of structure i...
Jun 22, 2021•52 min•Ep. 46
I talk to skater Timothy Zupanc about his skating story: How he got into skating at 9 years old, his process of passing tests, the difficulty of being a boy in skating and getting bullied in school, regaining his passion for skating in high school, collegiate skating, his advice to young boys in skating, and his favorite skaters to watch currently! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 15, 2021•40 min•Ep. 45
I talk to 2006 World Champion Kimmie Meissner about triple axels: we discuss her own experiences landing it at Nationals in 2005 at the age of 15, competing at the 2006 Olympics and winning the World Championships at age 16 a month later. We talk about skating in the 6.0 system vs. the IJS system, the surge of triple axels in today's ladies skating, her thoughts on the wave of young skaters on top, what she'd change in the judging system, social media and negative comments online, what she's doi...
Jun 08, 2021•45 min•Ep. 44
I talk to 2019 US Pairs Champion Ashley Cain-Gribble about balancing a competitive singles and pairs career at the same time: her experiences competing two events in one competition (for multiple seasons!). She shares her story on why she pursued singles after medaling in both, took back up pairs in 2016, and where she's at now. She gives advice to parents on what to look for if their child pursues pair skating, and we discuss parent-coaching relationships: the importance of positivity and balan...
Jun 01, 2021•52 min•Ep. 43
I talk to US Judge Carrie tremble about Judging. We talk judging politics, the criteria judges look for at competitions, discrepancy in the system, inconsistent calls, the need for transparency in the sport, and we also talk about mental health in skaters and judges. We talk about the difference between a Sports Psychologist and a regular Psychologist, and the importance to be informed of what licensing they have when you seek treatment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...
May 25, 2021•50 min•Ep. 42
*Trigger Warning* Depression and Suicide awareness I talk to 4-time Thai Champion Thita "Palmy" Lamsam about what it's like being a competitive international skater representing a small country. We also discuss mental health on this episode: Palmy shares her personal story of mental heath struggles with depression, anxiety, and eating disorder all while growing up in skating, going to college in the US at MSU after turning 18, and gaining help and perspective along the way. She shares her inspir...
May 18, 2021•56 min•Ep. 41
I talk to Michelle Hong (known as @coachmichellehong on various social media platforms) about her transition from competitive skating to retiring, collegiate skating, finding her career passion in coaching, how she used her business skills in the untapped social media market to launch her online coaching platform, her experiences with body image, and how she as a coach goes about that topic now with her students. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...
May 11, 2021•45 min•Ep. 40
I interview Aimie Epoch: Her informative instagram account is @nowbodywellness, and she’s a certified intuitive eating counselor and health & wellness coach! We chat positive coaching environments, injury support from your team, how to help skaters with negative trains of thought, techniques to overcome fears with learning new jumps, and perfectionism. We also talk Eating Disorders: What to look for in eating disorders, what other things impact skating, why you should listen to your hunger, ...
May 04, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 39
I talk to International Medalist Hannah Miller about her skating experiences: An athletic and artistic skater, she was Novice Champion with a lot of promise, and decided to relocate for skating after turning 18 -- she moved to LA to train with coach Rafael Arutyunyan in the hopes of improving her technique and progressing her skating. We discuss her experience in LA regarding training, environment, social life, support system, and her eventual decision to move back home. Now obtaining her master...
Apr 27, 2021•56 min•Ep. 38
I talk to Team USA figure skater and coach Sean Rabbitt on transitioning out of competitive skating, what retirement is like, his passion for coaching and the positive influence you have on your students, what skaters should takeaway from their practices, body image in skating for men & women, being proud and satisfied with your career, current skating, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 37
This episode I sit down with my mom and skating coach Nina Edmunds. We talk all the details on a parent-coach relationship with your own child: the most difficult parts, separating skating from home life, how we handled navigating out relationship in a positive way. We talk about her skating background coming from Russia, and the differences between coaching in the US and Russia. She also gives advice to parent coaches and skating parents. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...
Apr 13, 2021•40 min•Ep. 36
This episode I talk to 1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist and former Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Debi Thomas about her skating career, her mentality when she won the Bronze Medal at the ’88 Games in Calgary, obtaining a Pre-Med Engineering degree from Stanford University while at the peak of her athletic career, her experiences as a surgeon in the financially driven medical system, her professional opinions on today’s medicine and surgeries — emphasizing surgery as a final option after exhausting other met...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 35
I breakdown the Ladies event at the 2021 World Championships this past weekend. In order: Josefin Taljegard, Satoko Miyahara, Eva Lotta, Yelim Kim, Bradie Tennell, Olga Mikutina, Rika Kihira, Kaori Sakamoto, Loena Hendrickx, Karen Chen, Alexandra Trusova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Anna Scherbakova, and my thoughts on how we need to focus on optimizing a skating fanbase and skater's health through better judging practices. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notic...
Mar 30, 2021•26 min•Ep. 34
Talk to 2011 Junior Champion and International Medalist Courtney Hicks about her experiences in skating: coaching history, injuries in sport, finding herself as a skater through artistry, and what she can bring to the table now! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Mar 23, 2021•29 min•Ep. 33
I chat with US Silver Medalist Ross Miner about his 2018 Nationals performance: not being selected for the 3-person Olympic team after his amazing performances won him the silver medal. We talk about life after skating: the difficulty in transitioning into retirement and what it was like going back to school (college) after being homeschooled since 6th grade, mental training in skating and how it can be stigmatized, the importance of having a positive support system in sports, the current quad t...
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 32
I chat with 2020 Junior Champion Lindsay Thorngren about her skating career thus far: She was 2019 Intermediate Champion, skipped the novice level and won the Junior Ladies Championship the following year, and is currently ranked 6th in the US Senior Ladies field. We talk about her experience competing internationally, and her goals for the upcoming Olympic year: to make the 2022 team! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n...
Mar 09, 2021•25 min•Ep. 32
I chat with 2015 Junior National Champion Andrew Torgashev about his skating career thus far, consistency and mental training, training in Colorado Springs and now Los Angeles, and his future plans with skating! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Mar 02, 2021•33 min•Ep. 30
I talk to my Olympic teammate Jason Brown about his skating journey: growing up competing, being at the Olympics as our first time competing internationally as Seniors, Olympic sparkle moments, the artistic side of skating, the headspace that resulted in not making the 2018 Olympic team + the dark moments that came with that, to his current skating today and strategy for the 2022 Games! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 29
On this episode, I talk to skating coach and yoga instructor Sarah Neal about the ways yoga can help with skating! This is more mental than physical: it can help us focus as well as deal with anxiety or stress. Also great for retiring skaters, as it can help bring clarity to your next move. All this and more, take a listen! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 16, 2021•26 min•Ep. 28
I chat with 2019 Junior World Bronze Medalist Ting Cui about where she's been! Following two injuries, Ting talks about her recovery and comeback process. We talk about mental headspace during training post-injury, her coaching situation, and her plans for the future! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 09, 2021•30 min•Ep. 27
I chat with 2021 US Silver medalist Amber Glenn about her skating journey, getting the triple axel and trying it in competition, how she trained mentally for the 2021 US Championships without normal competitions all season, her mindset while at Nationals, and her goals for next season! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 02, 2021•25 min•Ep. 26
I chat with two-time World Bronze Medalist and Olympian Michael Weiss about his skating upbringing, landing the first quad, touring during skating's most popular time period, the current quad trend, and his thoughts on the new judging system in comparison with the 6.0 system: how it can be improved. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 26, 2021•48 min•Ep. 25
Breaking down the Ladies event at Nationals this past weekend: Gracie Gold, Starr Andrews, Audrey Shin, Lindsay Thorngren, Mariah Bell, Alysa Liu, Karen Chen, Amber Glenn, & Bradie Tennell. I answer fan questions about the event, including World Team selections, Olympic contenders, and future strategies for ladies skating. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 24
I chat with 1988 Olympic Champion Brian Boitano about his skating story: staying with one coach his whole career (Linda Leaver), coming up with the famous Boitano arm and what he thinks about it's popularity now, his mental training for the pressure of "Battle of the Brians" at the Olympics, why he toured with Champions on Ice, his cooking passion, and his thoughts on current skating trends today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/...
Jan 12, 2021•41 min•Ep. 23
I talk with World Bronze Medalist and Olympian Vincent Zhou about his Olympic experience, his coaching team, the intense challenge of balancing school with skating at Brown University, and quads in men's skating! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jan 05, 2021•37 min•Ep. 22
Former Team USA ice dancer Elliana and I talk off-ice training: She busts myths on weight training and shares information on what kinds of exercises skaters should focus on, who to look for for professional advice and expertise, and the importance of building strength off the ice to help us improve on ice. Lots of insight from a kinesiology graduate of University of San Francisco, tune in! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...
Dec 29, 2020•28 min•Ep. 21
This episode I chat with Karen Chen about her Olympic experience, balancing Cornell University with skating, her goals for the upcoming Olympic cycle, and current skating trends. Betonline -- www.betonline.ag Viome -- www.viome.com Code: POLINA See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Dec 22, 2020•31 min•Ep. 20
In this episode I speak with Rachael Flatt about eating disorders in our sport, with advice on what skaters, parents, and coaches can do for resources. We also talk about her Olympic experiences and balancing school with skating! Betonline -- www.betonline.ag Beachly -- www.beach.ly Code: SKATING Viome -- www.viome.com Code: POLINA See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Dec 15, 2020•40 min•Ep. 19
