Ep 40 – Healthy, Wealthy & Wise with Amy Park

Amy is a stay at home mom with two young boys.  She is very passionate about helping other women discover how to be healthier and better versions of themselves.  In our episode today, Amy shares about their journey to solving her son’s health issues.  It was never anything big, but instead there were a lot of little red flags that put together finally made her go searching for what was wrong.  
Her search took her through traditional medicine to a naturopath doctor who helped them to understand that her son had a gluten sensitivity.  His body was not absorbing all of the vitamins and minerals becuase his body would not process the gluten, which was causing internal swelling which manifested itself in lots of little symptoms.  
Amy said that eliminating gluten from his diet has had amazing results already!  It has been 2 months so far and the majority of his symptoms have completely dissapeared.  
Amy also talks about some of the foods they have been able to find to replace the gluten items that her son previously enjoyed.  
She stresses the importance of giving yourself grace as a mom and finding people who will support you in your journey to helping your children be truly healthy.  

In Amy’s highlight reel, she tells us about her new Blendtec blender that “pulverizes” fruits and vegetables for smoothies.  

In her blooper reel, she tells a story about having to retrieve a ball from the roof of her house. 

Amy passes the ball to her mom for all of the sacrifices she has made and for all of her encouragement! 

Ep. 39 – Healthy, Wealthy & Wise

All this month we will be talking about health as well as how God has blessed us and the wisdom we have learned.  Today Becky & Patricia introduce the topic and talk about different aspects of health. 

We cover the importance of making time to stay physically healthy both in the form of exercise as well as nutrition.  Meal planning and school lunches have become part of our routine again now that we are back to in-person activities. 

Our mental health is so important and we need to be aware of that.  Becky & Patricia both share tips for how they have navigated the pandemic and the return with their mental health.

Our emotional health is often tied to our mental health.  Being aware of the emotions we are feeling, naming them, and identifying where they are coming from will help us process them.

Our spiritual health comes from our relationship with Jesus.  When we maintain that relationship, it grows stronger, and with that comes perspective about life circumstances.   When we hold on to our faith and trust that God will walk with us, it changes our ability to see him at work. 

Looking at the blessings that we have, helps us to realize how “wealthy” we really are. 

Becky shares that wisdom has come in knowing what to share and when to share it.  Patricia shares the importance of being where your feet are and don’t borrow trouble. 

In her highlight reel, Becky talks about the new shopping service she is using for work clothes called Stitch Fix.   

In her highlight reel, Patricia tells a story from high school basketball where she accidentally beaned a parent in the head with the ball during practice.  

Becky passes the ball to her sister Kylee who is currently serving in the Army and raising her 4 little children.  Patricia passes the ball to her friend Marla who is serving in the Air Force as a reservist as well as serving part-time with FCA.  Thank you ladies for your example and your service! 

Once An Athlete with Sarah Adewunmi

Sarah Adewunmi grew up playing lots of different sports and specifically loved to play basketball.  She is currently one of the chaplains for the Washington Mystics as well as the Washington Spirit.  Along with being a chaplain, Sarah is also a physical therapist for the Department of Defense and does some life coaching on the side with her sister’s business.

Sarah discusses the mindset of being ready and the need to speak truth to yourself.  She says that leadership is optimized when we start to learn to see ourselves the way God sees us.

Sarah talks about the importance of servant leadership, which involves doing things well when no one is looking and taking a position of humility and humility requires truly knowing who you are.

We also talk about the importance of teamwork and the importance of understanding that everyone has something to offer and we need to value what they have to say.  Sarah talks about how she wants to be known for humility, truth, compassion, and consistency.

Patricia tells a story from the book Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. 

In her highlight reel, Sarah tells us about her sister’s new book, Magic Crown, which can be downloaded on the Kindle for free right now.

In her highlight reel, she tells us about a wardrobe malfunction in elementary school.

Sarah passes the ball to her best friend and her sister. 

Ep. 37 – Once An Athlete with Pam Hitchner

A recent study released by Earnst & Young found that 90% of female executive-level leaders had played sports at some point in their background.  We decided to put that statistic to the test and find out about the sports background of several local female leaders and learn what lessons they learned playing sports have helped them to become the leaders they are today.  As the saying goes, ‘once an athlete, always an athlete.’

Pam Hitchner was a 5 sport athlete in college in the early 80’s!  She played field hockey, basketball, softball, cross country and track. 
She has continued to use her athletic prowess and strong leadership skills as the Athletic Director of Atlantic Christian School in New Jersey.  She also coached basketball there quite successfully for many years.

Pam talks about how her strong work ethic has propelled her to be successful in her field and how she learned that as a student-athlete.  She shares the importance of doing what you are supposed to do even when you don’t feel like doing it.  

“People first follow the person and then they follow the plan.”  
Pam’s advice to women who are trying to live well is to remember relationships are key as a leader.  
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

In her highlight reel, Pam shares about “Pampy camp,” which is the backyard camp that she did with her grandkids this past summer.

In her blooper reel, she tells us about the time she at funnel cake off a strangers plate on the boardwalk.  

Pam passes the ball to Dena, one of her former athletes.  She describes Dena as an extremely giving and caring person.  

Once An Athlete with Jolee Paden

A recent study released by Earnst & Young found that 90% of female executive-level leaders had played sports at some point in their background.  We decided to put that statistic to the test and find out about the sports background of several local female leaders and learn what lessons they learned playing sports have helped them to become the leaders they are today.  As the saying goes, ‘once an athlete, always an athlete.’

Jolee Paden grew up in the midwest playing basketball and running track.  At an early age she discovered that she had a real talent in and love for running.  She ran cross country and track in high school and then went on to run at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia in college.

Jolee is the Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes for Washington DC.  She oversees all of the FCA clubs and ministry in the District.  

As an athlete, Jolee learned the attribute of responsiveness, which is the ability to look at a situation and respond accordingly.  

She had a revelation during Body Pump that reminded her that the goal of life is not for it to be easy, but that as we grow we get stronger and can carry more weight.  We can do hard things!
It is really important to discern wether something is hard or toxic.

As a female leader, Jolee talks about the importance of making room at the table for other women and not to just try and hold your seat.  We as women see a lot of perspective and we need to leverage that!

In Jolee’s highlight reel, she talks about how much she loves her new Dyson vacuum.  She says she’s not afraid to make a mess when she has a Dyson! 

In her blooper reel, she tells about a time when she lost her cookies in the hallway in high school before an indoor track meet right in front of a bunch of girls from other schools.  

She passes the ball to her mom who brought her along to everything and taught her to love people well.  

Ep. 35 – Once An Athlete with Tiffany Nesfield

A recent study released by Earnst & Young found that 90% of female executive-level leaders had played sports at some point in their background.  We decided to put that statistic to the test and find out about the sports background of several local female leaders and learn what lessons they learned playing sports have helped them to become the leaders they are today.  As the saying goes, ‘once an athlete, always an athlete.’

Tiffany Nesfield grew up running track and chose hurdles because she was told she couldn’t do it.  That persistence and determination took her all the way to the University of Illinois where she ran hurdles on the track team in college. 
In her highlight reel, Tiffany talks about how she is learning tennis and swimming now and how the experience of doing something new helps her to continue to have the perspective of a learner now. 

Tiffany is now a small business owner, running Nesfield Performance, where they offer coaching in holistic, healthy lifestyles.  Their motto is ‘we help people perform better in life.’
Tiffany and her staff specialize in Physical Therapy, Nutrition and Massage Therapy.
You can find her website here: https://nesfieldperformance.com/

Tiffany credits hard work, persistence, and being goal-driven with her success today, which are all things she learned from sports.  She also talks about the ability to compartmentalize so that she can be present and focused with her clients regardless of what things are going on in other parts of life. 

As a leader, Tiffany stresses the importance of admitting that you aren’t perfect and instead leading by example and embracing growth.  She also talks about the importance of being ready for change.  Tomorrow isn’t promised, so the mindset of adaptability is vital in an ever-changing world.  How do we show up when change happens?  And lastly, she shares the importance of listening.

In her blooper reel, Tiffany shares about the time when she fainted while teaching a group session over Zoom.

She passes the ball to her mom, who has always supported her and inspired her through all of the tough times.

You can follow Tiffany and Nesfield Performance on Instagram @tiffany_nesfield and @nesfieldperform

For more great content including video clips from today’s episode, you can follow us on Instagram as well @life_is_a_team_sport

Ep. 34 – Once An Athlete Series Intro

In 2017 CNBC released a study done by Earnst & Young showing that 90% of female executive-level leaders had done sports somewhere in their background.  We found this to be an astounding statistic and set out to interview some female leaders that we know and find out what they learned from sport that allowed them to become the leaders they are today.

In today’s episode, we share a little about our own sports background, what we do now for a living and the lessons we learned that help us to lead well now.

Becky talks about the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork and the necessity of being willing to apologize.
Patricia talks about grit and the importance of getting up and trying again when we fail.

In her highlight reel, Becky talks about her new bar stools that she got from Amazon: Click the picture for more info on where to get them yourself.

In her blooper reel, Patricia tells a story about knocking over the conditioner in the bathroom so that it perfectly spray painted everything around it.

Our Pass the Ball recipients this week are Laura Stokes and Hope Lewandoski. Thank you ladies for being an inspiration and encouragement!

If you would like to be on the show or know someone who would be a great guest, email us at lifeisateamsportpodcast@gmail.com

To follow us on Instagram and get more great content, click here

Make a Memorial

What are some significant monuments or memorials that you can think of? Why are they important?

In Joshua 4 God tells Joshua and the Israelites to make a memorial. Let’s overview why this was significant at the moment.

Back in Exodus, God sent Moses to tell the Pharoah of Egypt to let the Israelites go. In Exodus 3:17, God promises to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt and to a land flowing with milk and honey. God does bring them out of Egypt in very dramatic fashion. Then they end up in the desert for 40 years. Now they have the opportunity to actually see the promised land, but there is a river at flood stage in their way. In Joshua 3:13 God explains his plan to allow everyone to cross. Once they crossed, he instructed them to collect 12 stones from the middle of the river to construct a memorial so that they and future generations would fear God and trust him.  

What has God brought you through? Is there some way you need to memorialize that?

In today’s episode, Becky & Patricia discuss some of their own personal hard things from the past few years and how God has been faithful to them as well as how they plan to memorialize their experiences.

In the highlight reel, Patricia talks about the new podcast her kids found called Sports Wars.  In the blooper reel, Becky talks about the danger of being unplugged from the power source.  

For updates on Season 3, follow us on Instagram. 

Calling All Extroverts

As an extrovert, Heidi Conley is high energy and extremely relational.  She talks about how she connects with people easily and often gets invited into their story.  As part of her job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Heidi has the opportunity to use these gifts every day.  

She cautions extroverts and people who care for others to remember that you can’t fix people.  Often people just need to be heard and seen, but you can’t own their story for them.  

In her highlight reel, Heidi shares about how she took up golf during 2020 and is still loving it.  In her blooper reel, she shares about needing to pare down the bunny kingdom in her backyard.  

Gifted Behind the Scenes

Lisa Davis loves being in the supporting role.  Experience has taught her that she doesn’t love being in the spotlight, but she does love empowering and supporting others.  Having worked as a school psychologist and now working in a supporting role for her husband who directs a surf ministry, Lisa sees her gifts of administration and service as a way to contribute to overall team success.  Lisa talks about living in Panama for a season and the challenges that presented as well as how she leaned on God to get her through.

In her highlight reel, Lisa talks about Elizabeth Elliott’s book, Keep a Quiet Heart.  She describes how the book gave her encouragement to always have peace and confidence in God’s love even in difficult situations.