Former USWNT goalkeeper and founder of The Keeper Institute, Jill Loyden, has been an underdog her entire life. Growing up, Jill was one of three kids raised by a single mom, in Vineland, New Jersey. She was cut from several teams, laughed at when she told her grandma her dreams, and recruited by only two colleges.

But deep down, Jill,  has always known that only she controls her destiny, and has used this stubbornness to find a way through adversity.

Jill fought her way onto the US Women’s National team, but just months before the Olympics, she received the worst call she could have ever imagined. She lost her sister due to domestic violence.

Instead of allowing this tragedy to break her, Jill discovered an even greater purpose in her life. She continued playing in the Olympics, and started in a game on the day of her sister’s birthday, an accomplishment that meant far more than just a soccer game.

She’s since retired, coaches for Sky Blue FC and is the founder at the The Keeper Institute, which hosts the only facility in the country specifically catered towards goalkeepers.

In our conversation we talk about why Jill thrives being an underdog, why she views herself as a bouncy ball, how the loss of her sister changed her perspective on soccer and life, what to do if you our someone you know is involved in a domestic violence dispute, the one trait all the Greats possess, and she gives us  a simple yet highly effective exercise to get you through the most difficult times.

Jill’s a very inspiring human, and once you’re done listening to our interview, if you’re like me, you’ll want to head out into the world and take names!

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I’m going to be honest with you. Losing games freaking sucks. When I was younger, I would give everyone the silent treatment (except my dog),  shut my room and tell my parents to leave me alone, unless dinner was ready, of course. But as I’ve gotten older, I have lost more and more games, and I want to tell you something. Losing, actually, believe it or not….doesn’t get any better. It still SUCKS. In the heat of the moment, it feels like you’ve gotten your soul ripped out. When you fully invest your time and heart into something, and circumstances don’t turn out how you’d like, naturally it’s feels crappy.

But, a couple years ago, my team and I boarded a plane filled with World War II veterans and my my perspective of losing has changed.

Whenever I’m feeling down, from a sports loss or anything in life, I like to think back to that moment. All it takes to snap myself out of my funk to think of all of the people who have sacrificed their life for my teammates and myself to be able to live out our dreams.

There is always someone who has it worse than you. And there’s people in this world who no doubt would kill to be in your exact place now.  Even when we lose, we always have something to be grateful for.  Full written article with video footage HERE.

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As athletes, our competitive drive often trickles into other avenues of our lives. Like literally driving down avenues For me, whenever I used to drive anywhere, I needed to get there pronto without any delays. I had zero patience for traffic and red lights were poison in my blood.

When I drive places. I always leave with just enough time to account for typical traffic, with a little buffer for unforeseen circumstances.

It’s mostly well worked for me time-wise, but sometimes it’s a recipe for emotional disaster.

If I hit a red light, I get antsy.  As if there are literal fire ants crawling around and pinching the inside my gut.

But, I’ve found a trick that have bug-sprayed the discomfort inside of me. And it’s not leaving earlier, because that would be way too easy. Plus,I’m a rebel and like to live on the edge.

Find out what this method entails in today’s episode!

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I was recently asked in an interview why I love soccer so much. I’ve thought about this a lot lately. I love the sport itself. The team camaraderie. The winning. The creativity and freedom of expression it allows. But one of the things that’s undoubtedly at the top of the list is the continuous, never-ending improvement that comes from dedicating myself to the sport.  No matter what level I am at, I always feel compelled to give more. I love testing myself to see just how far I can go, especially when times are tough.  I tried to pinpoint when I developed this passion for improving. It brought me back to one distinct moment during my elementary school days, with one of my most prized possessions: my pogo stick.  Growing up, every kid has their thing. Whether its playing with dolls, collecting rocks, or picking boogers, everyone has that one thing that makes them smile just at the thought of it. Mine was pogo sticking.  In today's episode, find out why pogo sticking is the reason I’m a professional athlete.Find out why Pogo sticking is the reason I’m a Professional Athlete in link in bio. Full written article HERE. 

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I’d be willing to bet you 20 chunky monkey Ben and Jerry’s ice cream pints that if I walk into a girl’s high school soccer team post-game dinner, 80% of the girls will be wearing sweat pants, a hoodie-likely grey-and some form of slip on sandals. And their hair would be pulled up in a messy bun. Or a pony tail. 

I’ll double down and bet another 20 pints, that if I walked into a vinyasa yoga class, 90% of women would be wearing leggings and a tank top.  

Neither of these are bad things. I am still a wearer of both wardrobes, but why is this so true? 

I read this quote a few years ago that helps explain why we are so alike to our peers and friends:

"You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with most”-Jim Rohn 

In this episode I discuss how this seemingly oversimplified quote is crucial to being your best athlete and self. 

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Professional soccer player Emily Menges, attended Georgetown University. While there, she earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was a Mac Herman Trophy semi-finalist (equivalent to the Heisman) in 2012 and 2013. After college, Emily was drafted to the Portland Thorns FC. In 2016, she earned the Team MVP, was voted Player of the Year by the fans, and recently received a call-up to camp with the full US national team. 

Emily has a wild imagination. This made for an entertaining conversation. We covered a wide array of topics, some of which people may think we are a bit crazy, rest assured, this is an accurate statement. 

In the first portion of the interview, Emily talks about what it’s like juggling another  job while playing professionally, her obsession with books, the novel she has been writing since high school, and the characters in the book, of which have been living in her head since she was a child. 

In the second portion of the interview, we dive into soccer: how Emily’s hate towards track motivates her during fitness, what it was like getting voted Player of the Year by  Thorns fans, why Christine Sinclair and her slurp mustard before games, and how she logs more miles in a game than anyone else on the team, even though she’s a center back. 

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Show notes and link to Emily's favorite books

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When I was playing overseas in Sydney, Australia, I was hospitalized with appendicitis. While at the hospital, I had a very serious dilemma. My friends and I had purchased tickets to see Chelsea Handler perform at the Sydney Opera House and my doctor's told me I couldn't attend for liability reasons. Ultimately, I ended up heeding the advise of my 90 year-old hospital bed roommate, The Legendary Lilypad. 

FULL written article with images:   The Day I Snuck out of the Hospital to see Chelsea Handler at the Sydney Opera House

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Professional goalkeeper Michelle Betos (@MichelleBetos) knows a thing or two about being the underdog. She has played behind two of the arguably best goalkeepers in the world, in Hope Solo and Nadine Angerer.  In 2015, Michelle earned the NWSL 2015 goalkeeper of the year. She has played overseas in Australia, Denmark, Cyprus, and is now playing in Norway.

It is her attention to detail, obsession with improvement, and falling in love with process that causes her  to consistently reach new levels in her game.  In our conversation we talk about how soccer was not Michelle’s favorite sport as a kid, why she spent an entire day flushing her ankle in the toilet, her in-depth visualization techniques, her mom’s game day routine, and of course her diving header goal  that earned her a spot on ESPN Sports Center top 10 plays.

For more on Michelle: 

Goalkeeper Michelle Betos’ Diving Header Goal was No Fluke

Michelle Betos’ Super-sized Childhood Leads to Super-sized Success

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Am I the only one who feels like the airport causes you to be 8 times more emotional than in any other setting?  For instance, when something goes wrong at the grocery store, we are able to compose ourselves, but if that same thing happens at the airport, one of two things occur: we either burst into tears or rip somebodies head off in frustration. 

Ya traveling can be stressful, but I feel like there’s gotta be something in the air that causes these emotional allergies. 

On that note, I had a wildly eventful travel day when I was heading over to Australia to play my first professional season overseas. My first leg to LA went smooth as butter, but when I was about to board my second flight, I realized I was in the wrong terminal with 15 minutes until departure.

I surprisingly didn’t cry. Instead, I turned straight beast mode, with unparalleled determination to make my flight. It was by far the most thrilling and sweaty airport experience of my life. 

As with all my challenges, I learned a lot, met an angel whom I am still indebted to, and it made for a great story.

Full written article: The Day I Single Handedly Delayed My Flight to Australia 

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Today’s Arrow Tip: Bathe Your Insides

Have you ever stood next to someone at the gym who sprayed copious amounts of cologne or perfume on their body in an attempt to mask their odor? It’s not a pleasant sensory experience. To avoid being THAT person, most of us have developed a habit of showering. We understand that properly washing our bodies is a necessary component to our hygiene. Yet, we give so much attention to our extremities when in actuality our insides are the real MVP’s. CLICK to view full article. 

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She is an absolute baller and feels most at home on the pitch. 

Have you ever experienced a quarter-life crisis? When nothing seems to be going as anticipated? You question what am I doing on this earth? Should I give up and flee to Costa Rica and live on the beach and listen to John Mayer and drink piña coladas the rest of my life?

Ya, me too.

The bigger our dreams, the more they get called into question, and cause us to experience self-doubt. Society is always going to be influencing us to stray from our vision.

I wrote this piece as a reminder to stay true to who I am and keep doing me. For full article with images: To Everyone 25 and Older, Grow up, Give up on your Dreams 

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