Recent graduate from the UC Berkeley Men’s Gymnastics team Asad Jooma tells his story of growing up playing a not-so-traditional sport and competing for his country. He began his NCAA career at the University of Illinois at Chicago, but transferred to Cal after receiving the devastating news that his program was to be cut after his junior season. At Cal, his time competing was cut short due to covid-19, and he describes losing his senior season as very similar to that of having his program be cut. In this episode, hear his journey and how he remains positive despite the bad luck.

D1on1

4.10 Program Cuts, Season Cancellations, and Olympic Dreams w/ Asad Jooma - Cal Gymnastics

Elijah Mason, a thrower at the University of Washington, finished 7th at nationals as a freshman. In D1on1’s first virtual conversation, Elijah discusses his experience growing up without a father figure, the role coaches play in athletes’ lives, the recruiting process, his faith, and his experience as a black athlete on a predominantly white campus.

4.9 Faith, Family, Race, & Sports w/ Elijah Mason – University of Washington Track & Field

Colorado State distance runner and businessman, Jacob Brueckman sits down with D1on1 Founder Andrew Cooper to discuss how latching onto running while his family faced a divorce was his key to consistency. While divorce is unfortunately a common obstacle athletes in our community face, Jacob walks us through how leaning into passions and finding consistency in midst of chaos can lead you to brighter days.

4.8 Balancing Ambition, Athletics, and Academics w/ Jacob Brueckman - Colorado State XC/Track

Former Minnesota 2x Track and Field All American runner, Mitch Hechsel, sits down with D1on1 Founder, Andrew Cooper to discuss the beauty in the struggle of not knowing what’s next. He gives our community an insight on how the challenges he faced finding his identity in the process of hanging up the jersey, allowed him to seek what truly fueled his happiness. Mitch’s story is about the transformation from being known as the athletic kid in high school into a Big 10 Champion and receiving offers for a professional running career. This ultimately pushed him to trust his real passion within videography.

4.7 Life after Track: Seeking Identity through Newfound Passions w/ Mitch Hechsel

Mike Neal, a recently graduate football player from the University of Washington, started his career as an athlete playing into the jock stereotype. After battling injuries and being told he would never play a snap, he rewrote the narrative by excelling academically and professionally. He represented his athlete peers as a leader in the student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC), graduated from the honors college at UW, and earned an internship with Amazon AWS. He hopes his story will inspire others to know that they can succeed no matter the circumstances because we’re all capable of achieving and doing more than we thought possible.

4.6 - Athletics, Academics, and Changing the Narrative w/ Mike Neal - UW Football

Adam Saleh (Cal track) sits down with D1on1 Founder Andrew Cooper to discuss the various identities that ambitious athletes grapple between and the misconceptions and strategies athletes should use when networking. Adam is a captain and a short sprinter focusing on the 200m and 400m at Cal where he studies cognitive science with a focus on mechanical design.

4.5 Exploring Identity and the Misconceptions of Networking - Cal Track Captain Adam Saleh

Cal Football Captain Cam Bynum sits down with D1on1 Founder Andrew Cooper to discuss his framework for success, which is rooted in hard work and clarity of vision – how he hopes to use his platform with sport to inspire others – his perspective on leadership as a team captain – and the deep and lasting impact Kobe Bryant had on his life. Learn more about Cam's story at D1on1.com/Bynum. D1on1 Podcast available on Apple & Spotify Follow D1on1 on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @D1on1Stories

4.4 Honoring Kobe with his NFL Dream - Cal Football Captain Cam Bynum

Jake Curhan, a bay area native, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. At the time, only one other athlete from his area became a division I football player. Jake had nearly no guidance on how to compete and attach sport at the highest level, so when he earned a scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, he graduated high school a semester early to get a head start on his career as a college athlete. Jake enrolled early at Berkeley—but he came in anxious and afraid of what the future held. He lacked the confidence necessary to stay afloat in a Division I college football organization. By sacrificing his last semester of high school, he gave himself a shot. After a year and a half of training with 0 playing time, he successfully executed the transition between high school and college. Jake went on to start 38 games, becoming a captain and leader of the team. As a captain, Jake effortlessly seems to uphold a heavy standard of excellence for a historic and prestigious university — but also in all aspects of his life. He prides himself in being more than a football player, pursuing opportunities in student organizations, networking events, and real-estate. Furthermore, Curhan leverages his platform as a college athlete to inspire and help others pursue their dreams while he pursues his. He has a podcast called Sooo Stignacious! where he interviews experts in various fields to learn more from them. Although Curhan has deep and extensive knowledge around leadership, his framework for success is grounded in maintaining a humble and empty cup that he is constantly trying to fill with knowledge from others. Jake inspires me in this regard. He acknowledges and embraces the beginner mindset, even though he is an elite football player, leader, and person.

4.3 How Leaders Build Winning Cultures of Accountability with Jake Curhan - Cal Football Captain

Joel Brown, the 2019 Canadian National Player of the Year and a member of the Cal Men’s Basketball team, sits down with Andrew Cooper in Berkeley, CA to discuss his story, the impact of Kobe Bryant & LeBron James, and the death of his brother. Though a freshman in college, Brown holds wisdom beyond his years as he learned how to embrace the adversity of death to preserve and grow. Brown, a Toronto native, spent his entire high school basketball career away from home to chase his dreams. He started his freshman year of high school in Phoenix until the program moved to Kansas, at which point he transferred to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.Entering his Junior year at Brewster, his team was ranked #1 in the country. Midway through the season, as the team prepared to play their rival, Brown’s brother passes away suddenly. Brown and his team go on to win the national championship. Following the victory, Brown was awarded the 2019 Canadian National Player of the Year award, which was presented by RJ Barrett (the previous recipient of the award). Joel’s motivation is rooted in serving others. When he thinks about his brother or other loved one’s he’s lost, he hopes that his resilience through the adversity will inspire others to keep believing in themselves and their dreams while encouraging them to reach out and ask for help.

4.2 - Embracing Tragedy as Opportunity w/ Joel Brown - Canadian Player of the Year & Cal Basketball

Christina Chenault & Andrew Cooper sit down on campus at UCLA to share her story, destigmatize mental health, and address the misconceptions of being a college athlete. Christina is a visionary entrepreneur unafraid to stand up for what is right, especially for those who need it most. While competing as a Division I college athlete, studying both psychology and African-American studies, Christina founded Top Five Media to reclaim the narrative of college sports. She also founded the UCLA undergraduate Sports Business Association to foster a community of students interested in pursuing a career in the sports industry. Christina hopes to leverage her passion for storytelling to create unity, social change, and equity through the world of sport.

4.1 - Destigmatizing Mental Health w/ Christina Chenault - UCLA Athlete & Top Five Media Co-Founder

Jen Moser is on the basketball team at the University of Washington where her career began as a practice player. After climbing through the ranks, she would eventually earn a full-ride. This growth as an athlete is unbelievable and inspiring. Jen's optimism and enthusiasm is infectious and likely played a key role in her success, not only as an athlete, but as a leader.

3.2 How Optimism Propelled Jen Moser from the Practice Squad to a Full-Ride - UW Basketball

Trevor Danielson is one of the best javelin throwers in the country. He finished 6th at NCAA's and 10th at the USATF National Championships last year (2018). His journey is crazy though. As a native of Oregon, he was highly recruited out of high school and committed to Stanford University. He struggled and then quit the team, made it back on, scored at NCAA's, graduated, and is now finishing his eligibility as a graduate student-athlete at the University of Texas.

3.1 Using Fun to Rediscover Love for Sport w/ Trevor Danielson - Javelin at Stanford & Texas

Jenna is a volleyball player at Pepperdine University where she plays both indoor and beach volleyball. Jenna's story is one of adversity, perseverance, and grit. In her time at Pepperdine, Jenna has suffered three major injuries, each requiring surgery. Despite these circumstances, Jenna maintains the most positive and enthusiastic attitude imaginable. She's inspired me to look at adversity as an opportunity. Her brother plays for the Arizona Diamond Backs in the minor league and we talk about the role that he's played in shaping her character. We also talk about her faith and how that has guided her journey. I hope you love this conversation as much as I did!

2.4 Conquering Three Surgeries through Positivity and Faith w/ Jenna Tunnell - Pepperdine Volleyball

Maggie Ewen is a 4xNCAA Champion, 11x Pac-12 Champion, and 15x NCAA All-American. Ewen also holds 2 NCAA records. She is arguably the greatest NCAA thrower of all time. In this conversation Maggie talks about how she trained in Minnesota during the winter, how the perception of throwers having a certain body-type deters young girls trying to enter the sport, and she breaks down her mentality, which has enabled her to become one of the best throwers, not only in the NCAA, but in the world. This conversation was an absolute blast and I hope you love it as much as I did!

2.3 Pushing your Limits w/ Maggie Ewen - 2x NCAA Record Holder, 4x NCAA Champion, ASU Thrower

Mason is a high jumper and recently turned long jumper at Arizona State University. I first met Mason at the PAC12 SAAC Conference and we talk about what that is and why it's important not only in our lives, but for student-athletes across the country. In this conversation, Mason shares his journey to becoming a D1 and Pac 12 student-athlete and it's absolutely incredible. He started out as a basketball player on the developmental team of a D2 school and then trys out and walks on to the track team at ASU and is now on scholarship. He tells us all about that journey and we also really dig deep into whether student-athletes should be paid or not. This conversation is absolutely awesome and I hope you love it as much as Mason and I did.

2.2 Transferring from D2 Basketball to D1 Track w/ Mason Ford - Arizona State High Jump

Managing a college education while training as a student-athlete is hard. I should know; I am one. On this show, I have conversations with elite student-athletes to give them a platform to tell their stories and share their journeys. Listen and learn why student-athletes are such incredible people.

hubhopper

D1on1

hubhopper