May 16, 2025 • 36 mins
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Leah Amico reveals the surprising turning point that transformed her softball career and life trajectory. What looked like a demotion—being moved from pitcher to outfield during her sophomore year at the University of Arizona—became the very opportunity that unlocked her Olympic dreams.
With remarkable candor, Leah shares how she approached this pivotal moment with a growth mindset: "I just remember saying I'm going to be the best outfielder I can be." This determination to excel at something completely new eventually opened doors that would have remained closed had she stayed in her original position. Her story powerfully illustrates how our greatest setbacks often become our pathway to unexpected success.
The conversation takes a dramatic turn when Leah discusses the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. After entering as overwhelming favorites with a 110-game winning streak, Team USA unexpectedly lost three consecutive games. Leah offers a rare glimpse into how world-class athletes respond to crisis, revealing how blame, silence, and ultimately unity shaped their journey back to the gold medal podium. Her insights about finding identity beyond athletic performance provide wisdom for anyone facing professional disappointment.
Perhaps most inspiring is Leah's pioneering decision to have a child between Olympic Games—something virtually unheard of at the time. She transparently discusses the enormous physical challenges of returning to elite competition after childbirth, and how she won her third gold medal with a three-year-old cheering from the stands.
Throughout the conversation, Leah shares frameworks that have guided her success, including her GOLD philosophy (Goal-Setting, Overcoming Obstacles, Leadership, Dedication) and MAP approach (Mindset, Action, People). Her most powerful insight? "Your ability to succeed at higher levels will come down to how well you deal with failure." Don't miss this masterclass in resilience from someone who's truly reached the pinnacle of athletic achievement while maintaining perspective on what matters most.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
you.
Hi everybody, I'm Adrian Branchand you're listening to another
episode of the Climb, a showthat celebrates the resilience
of men and women and how they'veovercome.
A show that celebrates theresilience of men and women and
how they've overcome.
This show actually focuses innot so much on the successes
Everyone wants to be successful,of course but we really focus
in on the challenge what it tookfor the guts to leave the ruts,
(00:57):
for the heartbreak and theheartache and what it took for
you to overcome.
Because in my years oftraveling and my years of being
a professional athlete too, Irealized there's three things
people want traditionally Havingsomeone to love, something to
do and something to hope for.
So, in other words, everyonecan use an attaboy, attagirl.
(01:20):
Well, today's friend andcolleague is a person who is
just an amazing.
She has an amazing story.
I think you guys are going toreally identify with it and a
lot of the verticals, what wecan learn from it.
Her name is Leah Amico, mycolleague, my friend, and she's
a three-time gold medalist insoftball, three-time national
(01:41):
champion at the University ofArizona and a three-time
academic All-American, two-timeworld champion, and she is a
successful motivational speaker,married to Tommy for 26 years
and three adult kids.
So come on on Leah.
She is somebody special and I'mlooking forward to talking to
her.
(02:04):
Hi Leah, thanks, I'm excited tobe with you.
Hi Leah, thanks, I'm excited tobe with you.
Hi, adrian, wow, we finally gotyou on here.
There was a few restarts andI'm excited for you to talk to
our audience about your story,so I want to jump right into it.
There's a story about you whenyou were seven years old.
You and I are lefties, so youwere a left, and you tell the
(02:24):
part where your mom and dad hadto do something with you because
you were just scaling the walls.
Tell us about when you wereseven and started in sports.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, I was very rambunctious, I loved action and
so my dad loved baseball.
So he said, okay, let's trysoftball.
And I started playing and I wasa lefty, like you said go
lefties, right, ab.
And so I actually had a prettygood first season.
Really kind of naturally I wastaken to it and I love the idea
(02:55):
of a team sport.
To this day I am a team playerthrough and through.
And then when I was eight,actually a lot of outside
parents were saying, hey, likeyour daughter, she's so good,
like maybe she could do pitching.
And so we actually found apitching coach about 45 minutes
away.
Now in today's day and age,that's nothing People travel
five hours but back in the daythat was such a big deal and
(03:17):
that really started this likepath of a love and a passion for
me how to do something reallyhard at a young age but to say
like I'm going to find a way toperfect it and just, I never
would have dreamt where it wouldhave taken me, and that was in
California.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So you grew up in California, outside of LA, yes,
southern California, about anhour from LA, and the weather's
always good.
Then, at 14, at 14, you guyswere national champions on your
AAU softball team.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yes, for sure.
So we called ASA I know,basketball is AAU.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Oh, okay, okay, sorry , I apologize.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
No, you're fine, it was travel, it was club, you
know, and so, yes, I wasactually recruited.
I was picked up by a team whenI was 13.
When I was 14, we went toChattanooga Tennessee, and the
best part about that journey wasthat when I was picked up by a
team when I was 13.
When I was 14, we went toChattanooga, tennessee, and the
best part about that journey wasthat when I was first recruited
, I was a pitcher, first baseman.
The coach said hey, we cannotpromise she'll pitch.
His daughter was also a pitcher, but I had to prove myself and
(04:16):
that's just fine.
I think everything should beearned.
And we got to the finals.
When we went to Chattanooga,tennessee, 52 teams from all
over the United States and wetook first place and I had the
ball in my hand.
And for me that was a realdefining moment because I was
just starting high school.
I love sports, it was fun, butI think I just really saw like
this could be a lot bigger thanI ever imagined.
(04:37):
And that was when really thedream to earn a college
scholarship began in my heart.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Now I'm going to go back real quick and say
affectionately I hate you andI'm going to tell you why.
I played AAU all my life andnever won anything or met anyone
who won a national tournament.
So you guys were pretty good towin a tournament with over 50
to 70 teams.
I know what you went through.
Congratulations on that.
You're taking me back to mychildhood, jumping forward,
jumping forward.
So you were celebrated withthat moment, that defining
moment, when you came throughwith the successful, with AAU
(05:11):
and a lot of your peers.
You're heading to Arizona Now.
Arizona is a big deal.
You guys went on.
You went to a renowned programas a pitcher and tell us that
story from your freshman yearand sophomore year.
That were two dramatic momentsin your life.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, I was recruited to Arizona.
They were really anup-and-coming program.
They actually shocked everyonewhen they won the national
championships two years prior tome getting there, so I was so
excited.
I did not have many offers, butI had the right one.
I said yes to Arizona.
To this day, I still think mycoach didn't even know what he
was getting, because it was anassistant coach who saw me and
(05:49):
said, hey, I think she'd be good.
So I really earned a spot,pitched a little bit.
My freshman year Also, when Iwasn't pitching, I was the
designated player.
What that means is I would hitin the lineup and just be an
offensive player Played a bigpart in our national
championship my freshman year.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
We won, I got the only hit in the championship
game.
Yeah, tell that story.
That was a story.
It was almost a shutout, butyou were able to get that key
hit before.
There was no hits before and nohits after.
Tell us that one real quick.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, actually it happened really quickly in the
first inning, but it was asuperstar pitcher and really
legendary program UCLA.
They were expected to win.
They definitely the odds werein their favor, for sure.
And yeah, I came up in thefirst inning but one of our
leadoff our leadoff hitter, goton air by the shortstop.
She overthrew the ball.
She got to.
Second.
(06:38):
I came up.
Lisa Fernandez, this superstarpitcher had me 0-2.
I fell off a bunch of pitches Imean, she is a phenomenal
pitcher but I got one at myknees and I got a hit up the
middle.
We ended up scoring and thatwas it.
Lisa gave up no more hits theentire game.
But we had a superstar pitcheralso and she only gave up two
hits and we kept them fromscoring.
(06:58):
Gosh, I was 18 years old.
The game was televised.
I thought this is the bestthing ever, national champions.
I got to play a part of it.
I was half cheerleader, halfsoftball player at that moment.
And then it was my sophomoreyear.
I came back and my coachactually said hey, we have two
young pitchers that just came in, we have our superstar pitcher
(07:22):
back and I actually need you togo to the outfield.
I want you to be a full-timecenter fielder.
I had not played outfield prior.
They had been teaching me alittle bit my freshman year, but
then it was like okay, I got togo all in if I want to be great
, and something that really, fora little while, made me step
back.
It's kind of a setback in termsof physically learning a brand
new skill at 19,.
You know, after feeling likeI've reached my peak in many
ways, or you know, being at thetop and I just got to work, I
(07:46):
just remember saying I'm goingto be the best outfitter I can
be, best outfitter there is, andby the end of that year I ended
up being an All-American.
I ended up catching a home runball over the fence and, you
know, bringing it back in,robbing the other athlete and
yeah, and that's actually Adrian, this whole thing that could
have been seen as a very bignegative.
(08:07):
Actually what your podcast isabout.
It actually opened the door tomore possibility and
opportunities than I could havedreamt.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Well, go back to that .
I want to park it there for asecond because leading up to it
you're like a prodigy.
So you're rocking and rolling.
You are, everybody is saying atseven years old man, she's
gifted 14 national champions forthe softball.
Then you get to this renownedprogram, your freshman year, 18,
19, and you're on fire.
(08:34):
Then there comes a time at adecision and think about it.
In college We've beenprivileged to go to college,
arizona University of Maryland.
There's a lot of identity goingon and trying to find, as they
say today, your tribe.
When you're known, I'm sure,pretty sure, that must have been
your identity at the time.
How did you problem solve?
(08:56):
What was your self-talk like?
What was your mindset like whennobody was around to overcome
and be successful after yoursophomore year?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I think that I just got straight focused on what do
I need to be?
The end result I need to begreat at something that I don't
know how to do, but also so theother half of the game is
hitting right, and that was apassion of mine.
I love to hit, and I'll neverforget another thought that
immediately popped in was okay.
Now I'll never forget anotherthought that immediately popped
in was okay.
Now I'll have more time to evenwork on my hitting, cause I
(09:29):
won't have to be doing, you know, my bullpens, and so I really
believe our self-talk is themost important piece of what we
do, like I.
For me, like was, like okay,like I can do extra hitting.
And then I got to learn thisbrand new skill, and so I
ultimately, and then I startedasking questions.
I think that's one of thebiggest things that I've learned
who can help me?
Where do I want to go?
And then my coach would stayafter practice with me.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Go early before practice and I got to work.
You one time said that this wasa blessing in disguise, where
you thought it may be a demotion, but actually in long term this
really led to the Olympics,where you were a three-time gold
medalist and you were sayingthat if you kept on a trajectory
you would not have made it as apitcher in a first baseman, or
(10:13):
what's your plan?
Tell us about that.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, I look back and at that time, the pitching
staff, I just wouldn't have beenat that level.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
the Olympic level that they were at, as well as
first base.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
There was, you know, a woman in her 30s, sheila Dowdy
, one of the best home runhitters in the world, and she
had been on the USA team forover a decade.
I was not going to be earningthat spot, no matter how great I
hit.
And so for me, I look back andit really was outfield, that
(10:49):
move which you know you thinkabout growing up and everyone's
like, oh, the kids that can'tplay, put them in the outfield.
That's the thought process.
Maybe the game has changed now,but then you know, there it
became really important to bekind of that last line of
defense, and I took pride in it,and also AB, I think.
Another thing that happened wasI had a coach who was so
passionate about the littlethings and I think that allowed
me to scale so fast.
If I had somebody that just putme through the motions, threw
me in the outfield, said catch afew balls, I also don't think I
(11:13):
would have been there.
So there were multiple thingsat play, but I also had to be a
willing student and I was beyondwilling.
I, like, wanted to grow, Iwanted to learn, I was hungry
and knew I had a long way to go,but I'm really big about like
you might fail, but you want tofeel forward.
And then, even more than that,how fast can you feel forward?
(11:34):
Very fast, and that became kindof a motto that I worked hard
to achieve.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Wow, I like that.
And I've heard you say thisbefore Cheat sheet, that I've
worked with her before and justseeing how she can work a crowd
and just a gifted communicator.
But I'm actually going at thisas if I've never heard of Leah
before.
You've used the wordopportunity.
There was an opportunity afterthat setback of going out there
(11:59):
to the outfield, and then therewas an opportunity trusting your
coach, so much so that I wrotedown the definition.
I've heard you use this in acelebratory sense and
opportunity is appropriate,favorable time, a good condition
to be promoted.
Tell us about your mindset onhow you looked at the
(12:22):
opportunities in college andthen, ultimately, with the
Olympics.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
I believe if you have an opportunity to step forward
that is placed before you.
All we can do is focus on whatyou can control.
Our coach was very big on thatand I bought in as soon as he
would share that control, thecontrol of the bulls, your
attitude and your effort, likethat's it.
And so it's like, okay, I wantto be great, I'm going to work
(12:49):
hard so that I build myconfidence to believe I'm great,
right, and I can come througheven on a bad day.
Like no, I'm going to put inthe preparation that's going to
make me ready and prepared thateven on it.
And I found that that,ultimately, is like why I think
I succeeded, because even on abad day for myself and my
expectations like I have reallyhigh expectations of myself but
(13:09):
I still feel like I'm going tobeat my opponent, I'm very
competitive.
There's that little, you know,that extra stubborn piece inside
of me.
My husband probably doesn'talways love it, but as a
competitor it works pretty welland so, yes, like that
opportunity, I believe.
And so the opportunity toattend an Olympic tryout with,
you know, 60, 70 women from allover the US, many who have been
(13:32):
on the US in the past, many whohave much more experience.
But I was like it's anopportunity still and until that
team is picked, I have a chanceand I really believe, people
that talk themselves intogreatness like have a much
higher chance, even over peoplewho are more talented but don't
believe and maybe put themselvesdown and are too hard on
themselves.
(13:52):
Now again, I'm hard on myself,but ultimately because I feel
like I need to keep rising andthere's always a higher level to
be achieved so so far?
Speaker 1 (14:00):
wow, we're cooking.
You come out the gate rockingand rolling.
The train is on the tracksgoing to Arizona.
You had what could have been ademotion, but you use that as
the right opportunity because ofthe mindset.
Then you make the Olympic teamand there's three.
I know you got those goldmedals somewhere around.
You got those gold medalsanywhere around.
(14:21):
There's a story there.
Look at that beautiful thing,96-2000-04.
But the interesting thing, allof them have a story, but the
most meaningful one to you isthe 2000.
Tell us why, in the middle ofbeing celebrated, that was so
important to you out of allthose gifted medals.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, in the 2000 Olympics actually, we won the
first Olympic gold medal.
I was a role player.
I, you know split time in theoutfield and right field and
then I did not play in the goldmedal game.
We go to Sydney, Australia.
We are the favorite team, we'refeatured on all the shows,
we're on the Today Show, that'sthe big talk.
We have 110-game win streak andthen all of a sudden we get to
(15:04):
the Olympics and we win thefirst two games, but we're just
not looking great.
And then we lose three games ina row.
Our bats went silent, Ourdefense late in the innings, I
mean our pitchers did amazing,but we ended up stumbling and we
lost three games in three days.
We went from like setting anunbelievable win streak to, at
the Olympics, when it mattersthe most, setting a new losing
(15:27):
streak for USA softball.
That was not timely.
So we ended up actually reallycoming together as a team and
communication is absolutelycrucial.
I talk about that experience.
I'd already had won Olympics.
I was now, you know, one of theveterans, but we still had a
lot of older leadership and atfirst everybody really went
quiet and silent on the firstone, Second one, then people
(15:49):
started kind of blaming andpointing fingers, because people
, you know it's really instruggles that we start to see
what comes out and people youknow want to push the blame
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Why is that?
I want to ask that.
I want to stop, in fact, thatpicture right behind you.
Is that the dream team?
They're right there, that goodlooking picture right behind you
.
That's 2004.
The 2004, close, though, but goback to this one when things
aren't working in the blame game.
Why is that?
Is that human nature?
And how do you pull yourselfout to write your compass to
(16:22):
point it north?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I feel like it is human nature to push off these
feelings of failure and losingyour identity and all of a
sudden, a crisis, identitycrisis, really.
I saw players that areworld-class.
I really saw them just questioneverything because when it
mattered the most, they wereused to coming through.
And now, all of a sudden, thisis happening at the biggest
(16:45):
moment.
I, for me personally, my faith,is everything.
I love Jesus and I just duginto God's Word.
I was sharing verses with myteammates, I was trying to
encourage them.
I was reminding that you know,when you go through struggles,
right and tribulation, that itproduces character and character
brings hope.
And I just, you know, reallywas praying.
(17:05):
I was listening to worship musicprior to the games and trying
to use this as an opportunity toshine in the midst of a hard
time.
For a lot of people.
I'm just as competitive, but Ialso knew where I found my
identity and the hope and Iwanted to make sure others knew
that this is not the end of theworld.
It's a blessing.
We're playing softball and wejust need to join together and
(17:27):
we did.
We came together and we had.
After the third game, we had ameeting and we just started
really having personalaccountability and voicing it.
We also had encouragement andlifting up others and voiced it
and I'll tell you I was like itwas like a brand new team.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
We didn't necessarily have you know much better
hitting, but we were way moremindset and refocused on the
purpose.
Now I want to ask you becauseyou had to practice what you
preach so, 2000,.
Now you're a veteran softballplayer, but you and Tommy, you
and your husband, you want tostart a family, and that is not
common.
You were a trailblazer as oneof the first softball players to
(18:07):
have a baby taking the time off.
So how were you able to managethat?
What was your mindset?
And now, in 2004, there weremore players able to do it, but
you were a trailblazer.
How were you able to dig deepand do both at a high level?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, actually, after we won the 2000 Olympics, I
really was like, okay, I've beenmarried a couple years, I want
to still play.
I still have a passion to play,but I also don't want to wait
four years.
You have to try out everysingle year for Team USA and I
was like I could get cut at somepoint.
So I said let's just try to doboth.
A women's basketball player haddone it, some women's soccer
players had done it, and so Iwas like I'm going to try.
(18:43):
And I remember praying in bedone night like God, this is my
desire, but let your will bedone.
And I got pregnant, had my sonJake, took a summer off.
Like you said, I actually wentfrom being in the worst shape of
my life per se because of yourbody.
You know, my body had to gothrough carrying a baby and
(19:06):
giving birth to then getting inthe best shape of my life.
I went to a trainer who, justlike he, challenged me.
So again, it was almost like abackward to then further Like I
think at first he was likeyou're an Olympian, and then he
saw my work ethic and howquickly I was advancing and the
commitment and dedication I hadto show up and do these three
hour workouts, and some days Icould not walk afterwards, but I
(19:27):
was gaining ground quickly.
And so when my son was oneyears old, we went to the world
championships and I got thewinning RBI against Japan for us
to win the gold at the worldchampionships and become world
champions.
And then, two years later, whenhe was three, I got to play for
team USA.
It was so much harder Adrian aswell, not not originally.
It was difficult.
(19:48):
I had to get my my timing backwith hitting.
I kind of went back to squareone.
I found a high school pitcherwho was recruited to Notre Dame.
We went out to a field and shewould pitch to me because I had
to get my time back.
And once I got it back I waslike, okay, thank you.
Now I went back to the higherlevels and men's pitchers, but I
was willing to go backwards tothen again go forward, and so
(20:11):
just I mean, my experience is Iwould not trade it.
It was definitely way harder.
I had to juggle a lot more.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I had to have a much bigger support system behind me,
but God is good, he filled inall the gaps and I was able to
win my third gold medal with athree-year-old.
Then you started your newcareer.
So you had success, and realquick.
I'm going to give you a shoutout because 75% batting average
nine out of 12 in World Seriesgames A lot of people think
that's the Joe DiMaggio ofsoftball.
That record won't be broken.
I want to hear it from you realquick.
(20:43):
You think anybody will breakthat record.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Oh, there's been a couple years that it's been
close and now it's hilarious.
I do radio at the Women'sCollege World Series and the
guys that work with me in thebooth.
They'll be like about threedays in.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Oh, you're fine this year.
Oh, okay, they got to get there.
This player's on the path.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
They know all the stats and so I do expect it at
some point.
But what's crazy to me is thatit's been 30 years and, like I
said, there was one year aplayer going into her last
at-bat.
She was tied, she was alsohitting 750.
She Her last at bat.
She was tied, she was alsohitting 750.
She came up to the plate and Iwas like it's done, I'm done,
(21:23):
and she grounded out to thesecond baseman and hers dropped
just a little bit.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
So I held it.
Oh, so you were happy.
You were happy.
It was the one time I wasrooting against her.
Oh, bless your heart.
Let me ask you this Then thisis where I think you're really
at your best.
As well as being a familyperson, you started writing
books, you started motivationalspeak.
(21:47):
But let's go back.
What sequence was first?
Either the gold standard, orwhen you were working with ESPN
or Westwood One, and you sayyour first one, you absolutely
bombed and wanted to quit as anannouncer yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
So actually it was not ESPN, it was with a
different, you know, newsstation and they had mere sports
channel, I should say, and theyhad me come out and call a game
.
But literally I flew in the daybefore I had to wait until a
game was over to find out whoeven advanced.
And I've never done it and Iknow nowadays that would be
challenging, even with, you know, 15 plus years under my belt.
(22:24):
And so I got thrown into anenvironment with no instruction
whatsoever, no advice, and I atthe end of that game, told my
husband like never again, I'mnot putting myself in that
situation.
That was miserable, you know,we're, we're high achievers and
I do not want to go in and beterrible.
And then, about you know, eightyears later, um, I got a call
(22:46):
from ESPN and I just at first Isaid nope, I'm busy that weekend
.
My husband was like what areyou crazy?
And so we need, we need somewisdom around us, and I just
thought no, it's not my strength.
And he's like you've done itonce, you need to try again.
And this is ESPN.
And they were very gracious andsaid we understand, you haven't
(23:09):
done a lot, we're going to putyou with someone who's a veteran
who's going to help you Worldof difference.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
The person that was sitting next to me and actually
had a willing the mindset Boythat was sitting next to me and
actually had a willing themindset Boy.
That was good.
That was good.
Now let me ask you about thisone.
The gold standard is phenomenal, and you break that down.
I want to go.
I know you wrote a book aboutthat one.
You have that book anywherearound you.
Talk about the gold standard.
Tell us what the there we go.
(23:35):
Tell us what the acrostics withG-O-L-D stands for what the.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
there we go.
Tell us what the acrostics withG-O-L-D stands for.
Yeah, I was thinking about justmy journey and how I was able
to really reach heights abovemany players that were more
talented than me, but I realizedthere were just some core
things, just the willingness tobe disciplined and to sacrifice
and the work.
So the acronym I kind of had itbroken down into g um stands
for goal setting and likeknowing where you're headed, and
(24:02):
I think that has to start,because if not, we just are just
heading in whatever direction,but we aren't.
We don't know where we'reheaded.
So goal goal setting is numberone.
O is overcoming obstacles andturning them into the
opportunities, and that, I think, really embodies the mindset
that we have and that we need tosay okay, like how am I willing
to you know, after having a badday, get back, or when I'm in
(24:26):
the middle of the struggle, orwhen I'm feeling really great,
how do I stay humble, you know,and and overcoming the obstacles
, and just where do we findconfidence?
And then you know, an identityis involved in that as well.
And then L stands forleadership and ultimately, I
believe we all have anopportunity to be the leader
inside of us and then also tolearn from leaders around us and
so where we get advice andcommunication being a big part
(24:48):
of that.
So that's in that section, andthen D is the dedication and
that piece I believe is morewhere the road meets the road.
Those are the ones that arewilling to get to work because
you can have a good mindset andyou can have goals.
But ultimately it's the actionpiece, it's the ones that do it,
that put you know, not justwords to it, but action to it,
(25:10):
and they take continuous actionin the right direction.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And then also I love this one, so that's a must read,
talking about the gold standardand from your experience and
what you've learned and whatyou've lived, the other one I
love tell us about the map howto get there.
You talk about breaking thatdown, the MAP.
Break that one down for us.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Yeah, it's a similar focus really, but I just thought
, ok, a map is like we know ourdestination right, and then,
okay, how am I going to getthere?
We're going to.
We might face, you know,roadblocks and detours and
ditches and all these things,but the best way to stay out of
all that and to get to where wewant to go and get there quickly
and efficiently, I believe it'smindset stands for mindset,
(25:54):
action of people.
Ultimately, it's what I justtalked about, a different way of
saying it, but I add thatpeople piece in, because I
really believe how well we dealwith others.
For me, again, my teammateslike they to me.
I wanted them to win, I wantedto win and I really believe who
you surround yourself mattersjust probably the most of
anything that we do the voiceswe listen to, the people we
(26:18):
allow to have a voice into us.
Many people hold voices fromtheir past that have just done
nothing but tear them down andthey hold onto that and that's
what they carry, and we need tofind the people that are going
to lift us up, support us,encourage us, also hold us
accountable.
That is important, but how wedeal with people, I think is
absolutely crucial and I believethat's that third piece that I
(26:38):
didn't necessarily talk about inthe gold part, that I believe
can help us get to where we wantto go quicker and really go
further even than maybe we canimagine.
And that's what's happened inmy life.
I keep doing things that I'mlike, wow, how.
But I know it's the people I'mconnected to that are opening
new doors.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's interesting.
I wrote down a few quotes thatyou had.
I like this one where you saiddon't be afraid to put yourself
in uncomfortable situations.
Say yes to opportunities.
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I have been continuing to do this.
I mean, when I wrote my book Ihad written a couple devotionals
and that was a challenging forsure.
But I think when I sat down towrite, you know, my chapter book
, like it really was my heartand my passion.
But to just go to a skill thatI don't really feel that
qualified in, it just was hardand that stretched me.
(27:32):
And then I've spoken, beenspeaking more to some businesses
and that is really making menervous and stretching me.
But I'm stepping forward becausethe opportunity has arisen and
I do believe in my message and Ido believe it's a skill that I
can keep getting better at.
And you know, a couple of yearsago I joined a mastermind and I
had not done that before year.
(27:54):
I went to, you know,professional I've spoken a lot
of years but you know, aprofessional speaking course and
even that I was like oh gosh.
Like you know, some of thesepeople have, you know,
backgrounds in Broadway and theyand they come at it from a
different angle.
But my heart was okay, leah,you know your strengths, you can
always grow, learn, listen andthen take what you can and use
(28:14):
it to move forward.
And so I just keep stepping outand trying new things and it's
challenging but it's also funand I kind of now, even more
than ever, like I kind of liketrying things that are going to
stress me out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Oh, ok, ok.
So you're a secret thrillseeker.
You know you talk about threebooks and I'm going to be very
personal here real quick.
And you're in this book.
It's the good book, it's calledthe Bible and it's so
interesting.
Here's Six Degrees ofSeparation.
My son, adrian, was graduatingfrom the eighth grade back in 03
(28:50):
, and it's from mom and dad.
It's from mom and dad.
We gave him this at 13 yearsold.
But the interesting thing isthat our colleague Leah is in
this book.
Do you remember this?
Having an opportunity to be onthe Bible?
So, right here, you really gotto practice what you preach.
(29:10):
I never knew we were going tobe friends and colleagues, along
with our buddy Scott Mendez,who's a colleague of us, but did
you know that you were going tobe on something like this?
Speaker 2 (29:23):
While I was going through it, you know I connected
with some sports I don't evensports spectrum different
ministries and different youknow that had publications and
then when that opportunity cameup, I think just my willingness
to be bold about it was reallywhy that opportunity came.
I'd had a platform now and Ijust wanted everybody to know
(29:44):
Jesus.
That was really my passion, myheart, and so when they asked me
to be a part of that project, Iwas so humbled to definitely
never felt worthy.
I still don't, but I, to meit's the biggest honor.
And I'll tell you, adrian, thisis the cool part is when I was
in my first Olympics I did notreally know much of the Bible.
I was a baby Christian, growing, learning and I remember
(30:06):
getting a sports devotional newTestament and open it up and I
remember reading the stories ofthe athletes in there and just
being like that's what I want tobe like and you know I just for
me, it was a teammate incollege that invited me to bible
study.
I thought I believed in god.
Well, I did believe, but I didnot have personal, deep, true,
trusting relationship,surrendered to jesus as lord and
(30:28):
then my friend actually passedaway my teammates a couple years
later, at the age of 21 whathappened?
Speaker 1 (30:33):
what happened is it?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
shook me to say don't keep it to yourself, no matter
how scared you are to share withothers, no matter how
unqualified you feel, just shareand let God do the rest.
And that led to thatopportunity as well, and it's
the biggest honor man.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That's so incredible.
Now, the interesting thing I toask you, uh, one more question
before we get to, uh, wrappingthis up, this is this is so rich
, this is so powerful.
I thought I knew you, butyou're telling me even more
dimensions about that.
Let me ask you real quick whathave, what lesson have you
learned the most from failure orrejection?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I think it's just important to say that it's a way
to learn I've gotten better atthat to try to not allow the
feelings of it to just go deep,instead to say what is the
lesson and almost keep it here,instead of letting it go deep
inside and then using it.
(31:33):
And so I think that's thebiggest thing, because I hate to
lose.
I'm sure you do as well, like Ido not like not being good at
something, and so I really havehad to learn and I'll never
forget.
It helped me when my coachwould put it into words.
I called him after a reallyrough game.
He's my college coacheventually became my Olympic
coach for my third Olympics.
(31:53):
But when I was on the secondOlympic team, I called him after
a really rough day and was justsuper upset and he said Leah,
your ability to succeed at thishighest level is all going to
come down to how well you candeal with failure.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
And.
I just would take his words andreally Say that one again, say
that one again.
Yeah, say that one again.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Your ability to succeed at higher levels will
come down to the ability to dealwith failure in the best way
possible.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And failure is what pushes most people backward,
it's what holds people stuck,but those that actually can use
it to move forward.
And so for me, I don't like tofail.
And they did this.
As an athlete, I would getfrustrated and be like I'm not
letting it happen again.
What do I need to do to changeit?
And he said with the Olympicteam, he just really felt like
all of us were constantlylooking for the solution.
(32:49):
I'm sure you and I would be verysimilar in that athletes that
have reached that you have tokeep looking forward, whereas a
lot of people are focusing andcomplaining about the problem
and they're upset and theiremotions, and instead it's like
no, no, no, that's all fine, butwhat are we going to do about
it, you know?
So I think it's really justtaught me to keep moving.
Sometimes it's a phone call.
(33:09):
Obviously, for me it's prayer,it's going to the Lord first and
foremost, but then it's also aphone call when I was writing my
book and I just want to give upand I'm calling my mentor.
It's my husband being giving mewords of encouragement when I
feel like I'm not doing greatwith you know something, and I
feel like maybe I can't keepdoing this, I should change
direction and he's like no, no,you're fine, it's normal Keep
going.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
It's taking that.
I'm liking that.
Then I want to ask you one morequestion.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Simply, how can you encourage our audience to keep
climbing?
You know, I heard this quotebefore and I absolutely loved it
.
I feel like it's been my lifestory.
It's that you know.
First of all, god has a bigplan for you.
I have to share that because,at the root of it, I believe God
has a plan for every singleperson, whether people realize
it or not.
Jesus loves you.
He died for you.
That's number one.
(34:00):
But also with that I had heard,you know, don't chase your
passions I'm a passionate personbut chase your opportunities,
because that might create morepassion your opportunities
because that might create morepassion.
My life has been so manyopportunities, seizing it,
(34:22):
giving my best, learning quicklyand then enjoying new
opportunities that keep comingbecause of just taking that
action.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Wow, well done, well done.
My goodness, I got to rememberthat Don't chase your passion,
chase your opportunities.
That's why I wrote down thatdefinition.
Wow, you fed us today a lot ofencouragement.
Leah, where can our listenersfollow you If they want to get
your devotion and your books?
Where can they follow you?
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Yeah, you can go to my website, leahamicocom
L-E-A-H-A-M-I-C-Ocom, and that'smy website, as well as
Instagram it's Leah20USA,because once you have a number,
you always have it, so they'rethere.
And then on Amazon, mydevotionals are on Amazon, as
well as my gold standard book.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Very well, my goodness.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Leah, you are always classy andjust getting better.
Lefty, lefty, lefty, from onelefty to another.
Well done, thanks for hangingtoday.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Thank you so much, AB .
It's always an honor.
I love that we've spokentogether and you inspire me.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
All right, everybody.
That's my friend Leah.
And also, if you want to knowmore about us, head on over to
adBranchSpeakscom and thenfollow us on social media at
Adrian Branch Speaks anddownload this show, the Climb,
wherever podcasts are available.
You guys are amazing.
Thanks for hanging today andremember, be encouraged and keep
(35:48):
climbing.
See you, everybody.
You.
you.
Hi everybody, I'm Adrian Branchand you're listening to another
episode of the Climb, a showthat celebrates the resilience
of men and women and how they'veovercome.
A show that celebrates theresilience of men and women and
how they've overcome.
This show actually focuses innot so much on the successes
Everyone wants to be successful,of course but we really focus
in on the challenge what it tookfor the guts to leave the ruts,
(00:57):
for the heartbreak and theheartache and what it took for
you to overcome.
Because in my years oftraveling and my years of being
a professional athlete too, Irealized there's three things
people want traditionally Havingsomeone to love, something to
do and something to hope for.
So, in other words, everyonecan use an attaboy, attagirl.
(01:20):
Well, today's friend andcolleague is a person who is
just an amazing.
She has an amazing story.
I think you guys are going toreally identify with it and a
lot of the verticals, what wecan learn from it.
Her name is Leah Amico, mycolleague, my friend, and she's
a three-time gold medalist insoftball, three-time national
(01:41):
champion at the University ofArizona and a three-time
academic All-American, two-timeworld champion, and she is a
successful motivational speaker,married to Tommy for 26 years
and three adult kids.
So come on on Leah.
She is somebody special and I'mlooking forward to talking to
her.
(02:04):
Hi Leah, thanks, I'm excited tobe with you.
Hi Leah, thanks, I'm excited tobe with you.
Hi, adrian, wow, we finally gotyou on here.
There was a few restarts andI'm excited for you to talk to
our audience about your story,so I want to jump right into it.
There's a story about you whenyou were seven years old.
You and I are lefties, so youwere a left, and you tell the
(02:24):
part where your mom and dad hadto do something with you because
you were just scaling the walls.
Tell us about when you wereseven and started in sports.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, I was very rambunctious, I loved action and
so my dad loved baseball.
So he said, okay, let's trysoftball.
And I started playing and I wasa lefty, like you said go
lefties, right, ab.
And so I actually had a prettygood first season.
Really kind of naturally I wastaken to it and I love the idea
(02:55):
of a team sport.
To this day I am a team playerthrough and through.
And then when I was eight,actually a lot of outside
parents were saying, hey, likeyour daughter, she's so good,
like maybe she could do pitching.
And so we actually found apitching coach about 45 minutes
away.
Now in today's day and age,that's nothing People travel
five hours but back in the daythat was such a big deal and
(03:17):
that really started this likepath of a love and a passion for
me how to do something reallyhard at a young age but to say
like I'm going to find a way toperfect it and just, I never
would have dreamt where it wouldhave taken me, and that was in
California.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So you grew up in California, outside of LA, yes,
southern California, about anhour from LA, and the weather's
always good.
Then, at 14, at 14, you guyswere national champions on your
AAU softball team.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Yes, for sure.
So we called ASA I know,basketball is AAU.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Oh, okay, okay, sorry , I apologize.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
No, you're fine, it was travel, it was club, you
know, and so, yes, I wasactually recruited.
I was picked up by a team whenI was 13.
When I was 14, we went toChattanooga Tennessee, and the
best part about that journey wasthat when I was picked up by a
team when I was 13.
When I was 14, we went toChattanooga, tennessee, and the
best part about that journey wasthat when I was first recruited
, I was a pitcher, first baseman.
The coach said hey, we cannotpromise she'll pitch.
His daughter was also a pitcher, but I had to prove myself and
(04:16):
that's just fine.
I think everything should beearned.
And we got to the finals.
When we went to Chattanooga,tennessee, 52 teams from all
over the United States and wetook first place and I had the
ball in my hand.
And for me that was a realdefining moment because I was
just starting high school.
I love sports, it was fun, butI think I just really saw like
this could be a lot bigger thanI ever imagined.
(04:37):
And that was when really thedream to earn a college
scholarship began in my heart.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Now I'm going to go back real quick and say
affectionately I hate you andI'm going to tell you why.
I played AAU all my life andnever won anything or met anyone
who won a national tournament.
So you guys were pretty good towin a tournament with over 50
to 70 teams.
I know what you went through.
Congratulations on that.
You're taking me back to mychildhood, jumping forward,
jumping forward.
So you were celebrated withthat moment, that defining
moment, when you came throughwith the successful, with AAU
(05:11):
and a lot of your peers.
You're heading to Arizona Now.
Arizona is a big deal.
You guys went on.
You went to a renowned programas a pitcher and tell us that
story from your freshman yearand sophomore year.
That were two dramatic momentsin your life.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, I was recruited to Arizona.
They were really anup-and-coming program.
They actually shocked everyonewhen they won the national
championships two years prior tome getting there, so I was so
excited.
I did not have many offers, butI had the right one.
I said yes to Arizona.
To this day, I still think mycoach didn't even know what he
was getting, because it was anassistant coach who saw me and
(05:49):
said, hey, I think she'd be good.
So I really earned a spot,pitched a little bit.
My freshman year Also, when Iwasn't pitching, I was the
designated player.
What that means is I would hitin the lineup and just be an
offensive player Played a bigpart in our national
championship my freshman year.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
We won, I got the only hit in the championship
game.
Yeah, tell that story.
That was a story.
It was almost a shutout, butyou were able to get that key
hit before.
There was no hits before and nohits after.
Tell us that one real quick.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, actually it happened really quickly in the
first inning, but it was asuperstar pitcher and really
legendary program UCLA.
They were expected to win.
They definitely the odds werein their favor, for sure.
And yeah, I came up in thefirst inning but one of our
leadoff our leadoff hitter, goton air by the shortstop.
She overthrew the ball.
She got to.
Second.
(06:38):
I came up.
Lisa Fernandez, this superstarpitcher had me 0-2.
I fell off a bunch of pitches Imean, she is a phenomenal
pitcher but I got one at myknees and I got a hit up the
middle.
We ended up scoring and thatwas it.
Lisa gave up no more hits theentire game.
But we had a superstar pitcheralso and she only gave up two
hits and we kept them fromscoring.
(06:58):
Gosh, I was 18 years old.
The game was televised.
I thought this is the bestthing ever, national champions.
I got to play a part of it.
I was half cheerleader, halfsoftball player at that moment.
And then it was my sophomoreyear.
I came back and my coachactually said hey, we have two
young pitchers that just came in, we have our superstar pitcher
(07:22):
back and I actually need you togo to the outfield.
I want you to be a full-timecenter fielder.
I had not played outfield prior.
They had been teaching me alittle bit my freshman year, but
then it was like okay, I got togo all in if I want to be great
, and something that really, fora little while, made me step
back.
It's kind of a setback in termsof physically learning a brand
new skill at 19,.
You know, after feeling likeI've reached my peak in many
ways, or you know, being at thetop and I just got to work, I
(07:46):
just remember saying I'm goingto be the best outfitter I can
be, best outfitter there is, andby the end of that year I ended
up being an All-American.
I ended up catching a home runball over the fence and, you
know, bringing it back in,robbing the other athlete and
yeah, and that's actually Adrian, this whole thing that could
have been seen as a very bignegative.
(08:07):
Actually what your podcast isabout.
It actually opened the door tomore possibility and
opportunities than I could havedreamt.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Well, go back to that .
I want to park it there for asecond because leading up to it
you're like a prodigy.
So you're rocking and rolling.
You are, everybody is saying atseven years old man, she's
gifted 14 national champions forthe softball.
Then you get to this renownedprogram, your freshman year, 18,
19, and you're on fire.
(08:34):
Then there comes a time at adecision and think about it.
In college We've beenprivileged to go to college,
arizona University of Maryland.
There's a lot of identity goingon and trying to find, as they
say today, your tribe.
When you're known, I'm sure,pretty sure, that must have been
your identity at the time.
How did you problem solve?
(08:56):
What was your self-talk like?
What was your mindset like whennobody was around to overcome
and be successful after yoursophomore year?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
I think that I just got straight focused on what do
I need to be?
The end result I need to begreat at something that I don't
know how to do, but also so theother half of the game is
hitting right, and that was apassion of mine.
I love to hit, and I'll neverforget another thought that
immediately popped in was okay.
Now I'll never forget anotherthought that immediately popped
in was okay.
Now I'll have more time to evenwork on my hitting, cause I
(09:29):
won't have to be doing, you know, my bullpens, and so I really
believe our self-talk is themost important piece of what we
do, like I.
For me, like was, like okay,like I can do extra hitting.
And then I got to learn thisbrand new skill, and so I
ultimately, and then I startedasking questions.
I think that's one of thebiggest things that I've learned
who can help me?
Where do I want to go?
And then my coach would stayafter practice with me.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Go early before practice and I got to work.
You one time said that this wasa blessing in disguise, where
you thought it may be a demotion, but actually in long term this
really led to the Olympics,where you were a three-time gold
medalist and you were sayingthat if you kept on a trajectory
you would not have made it as apitcher in a first baseman, or
(10:13):
what's your plan?
Tell us about that.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, I look back and at that time, the pitching
staff, I just wouldn't have beenat that level.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
the Olympic level that they were at, as well as
first base.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
There was, you know, a woman in her 30s, sheila Dowdy
, one of the best home runhitters in the world, and she
had been on the USA team forover a decade.
I was not going to be earningthat spot, no matter how great I
hit.
And so for me, I look back andit really was outfield, that
(10:49):
move which you know you thinkabout growing up and everyone's
like, oh, the kids that can'tplay, put them in the outfield.
That's the thought process.
Maybe the game has changed now,but then you know, there it
became really important to bekind of that last line of
defense, and I took pride in it,and also AB, I think.
Another thing that happened wasI had a coach who was so
passionate about the littlethings and I think that allowed
me to scale so fast.
If I had somebody that just putme through the motions, threw
me in the outfield, said catch afew balls, I also don't think I
(11:13):
would have been there.
So there were multiple thingsat play, but I also had to be a
willing student and I was beyondwilling.
I, like, wanted to grow, Iwanted to learn, I was hungry
and knew I had a long way to go,but I'm really big about like
you might fail, but you want tofeel forward.
And then, even more than that,how fast can you feel forward?
(11:34):
Very fast, and that became kindof a motto that I worked hard
to achieve.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Wow, I like that.
And I've heard you say thisbefore Cheat sheet, that I've
worked with her before and justseeing how she can work a crowd
and just a gifted communicator.
But I'm actually going at thisas if I've never heard of Leah
before.
You've used the wordopportunity.
There was an opportunity afterthat setback of going out there
(11:59):
to the outfield, and then therewas an opportunity trusting your
coach, so much so that I wrotedown the definition.
I've heard you use this in acelebratory sense and
opportunity is appropriate,favorable time, a good condition
to be promoted.
Tell us about your mindset onhow you looked at the
(12:22):
opportunities in college andthen, ultimately, with the
Olympics.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
I believe if you have an opportunity to step forward
that is placed before you.
All we can do is focus on whatyou can control.
Our coach was very big on thatand I bought in as soon as he
would share that control, thecontrol of the bulls, your
attitude and your effort, likethat's it.
And so it's like, okay, I wantto be great, I'm going to work
(12:49):
hard so that I build myconfidence to believe I'm great,
right, and I can come througheven on a bad day.
Like no, I'm going to put inthe preparation that's going to
make me ready and prepared thateven on it.
And I found that that,ultimately, is like why I think
I succeeded, because even on abad day for myself and my
expectations like I have reallyhigh expectations of myself but
(13:09):
I still feel like I'm going tobeat my opponent, I'm very
competitive.
There's that little, you know,that extra stubborn piece inside
of me.
My husband probably doesn'talways love it, but as a
competitor it works pretty welland so, yes, like that
opportunity, I believe.
And so the opportunity toattend an Olympic tryout with,
you know, 60, 70 women from allover the US, many who have been
(13:32):
on the US in the past, many whohave much more experience.
But I was like it's anopportunity still and until that
team is picked, I have a chanceand I really believe, people
that talk themselves intogreatness like have a much
higher chance, even over peoplewho are more talented but don't
believe and maybe put themselvesdown and are too hard on
themselves.
(13:52):
Now again, I'm hard on myself,but ultimately because I feel
like I need to keep rising andthere's always a higher level to
be achieved so so far?
Speaker 1 (14:00):
wow, we're cooking.
You come out the gate rockingand rolling.
The train is on the tracksgoing to Arizona.
You had what could have been ademotion, but you use that as
the right opportunity because ofthe mindset.
Then you make the Olympic teamand there's three.
I know you got those goldmedals somewhere around.
You got those gold medalsanywhere around.
(14:21):
There's a story there.
Look at that beautiful thing,96-2000-04.
But the interesting thing, allof them have a story, but the
most meaningful one to you isthe 2000.
Tell us why, in the middle ofbeing celebrated, that was so
important to you out of allthose gifted medals.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, in the 2000 Olympics actually, we won the
first Olympic gold medal.
I was a role player.
I, you know split time in theoutfield and right field and
then I did not play in the goldmedal game.
We go to Sydney, Australia.
We are the favorite team, we'refeatured on all the shows,
we're on the Today Show, that'sthe big talk.
We have 110-game win streak andthen all of a sudden we get to
(15:04):
the Olympics and we win thefirst two games, but we're just
not looking great.
And then we lose three games ina row.
Our bats went silent, Ourdefense late in the innings, I
mean our pitchers did amazing,but we ended up stumbling and we
lost three games in three days.
We went from like setting anunbelievable win streak to, at
the Olympics, when it mattersthe most, setting a new losing
(15:27):
streak for USA softball.
That was not timely.
So we ended up actually reallycoming together as a team and
communication is absolutelycrucial.
I talk about that experience.
I'd already had won Olympics.
I was now, you know, one of theveterans, but we still had a
lot of older leadership and atfirst everybody really went
quiet and silent on the firstone, Second one, then people
(15:49):
started kind of blaming andpointing fingers, because people
, you know it's really instruggles that we start to see
what comes out and people youknow want to push the blame
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Why is that?
I want to ask that.
I want to stop, in fact, thatpicture right behind you.
Is that the dream team?
They're right there, that goodlooking picture right behind you
.
That's 2004.
The 2004, close, though, but goback to this one when things
aren't working in the blame game.
Why is that?
Is that human nature?
And how do you pull yourselfout to write your compass to
(16:22):
point it north?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I feel like it is human nature to push off these
feelings of failure and losingyour identity and all of a
sudden, a crisis, identitycrisis, really.
I saw players that areworld-class.
I really saw them just questioneverything because when it
mattered the most, they wereused to coming through.
And now, all of a sudden, thisis happening at the biggest
(16:45):
moment.
I, for me personally, my faith,is everything.
I love Jesus and I just duginto God's Word.
I was sharing verses with myteammates, I was trying to
encourage them.
I was reminding that you know,when you go through struggles,
right and tribulation, that itproduces character and character
brings hope.
And I just, you know, reallywas praying.
(17:05):
I was listening to worship musicprior to the games and trying
to use this as an opportunity toshine in the midst of a hard
time.
For a lot of people.
I'm just as competitive, but Ialso knew where I found my
identity and the hope and Iwanted to make sure others knew
that this is not the end of theworld.
It's a blessing.
We're playing softball and wejust need to join together and
(17:27):
we did.
We came together and we had.
After the third game, we had ameeting and we just started
really having personalaccountability and voicing it.
We also had encouragement andlifting up others and voiced it
and I'll tell you I was like itwas like a brand new team.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
We didn't necessarily have you know much better
hitting, but we were way moremindset and refocused on the
purpose.
Now I want to ask you becauseyou had to practice what you
preach so, 2000,.
Now you're a veteran softballplayer, but you and Tommy, you
and your husband, you want tostart a family, and that is not
common.
You were a trailblazer as oneof the first softball players to
(18:07):
have a baby taking the time off.
So how were you able to managethat?
What was your mindset?
And now, in 2004, there weremore players able to do it, but
you were a trailblazer.
How were you able to dig deepand do both at a high level?
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, actually, after we won the 2000 Olympics, I
really was like, okay, I've beenmarried a couple years, I want
to still play.
I still have a passion to play,but I also don't want to wait
four years.
You have to try out everysingle year for Team USA and I
was like I could get cut at somepoint.
So I said let's just try to doboth.
A women's basketball player haddone it, some women's soccer
players had done it, and so Iwas like I'm going to try.
(18:43):
And I remember praying in bedone night like God, this is my
desire, but let your will bedone.
And I got pregnant, had my sonJake, took a summer off.
Like you said, I actually wentfrom being in the worst shape of
my life per se because of yourbody.
You know, my body had to gothrough carrying a baby and
(19:06):
giving birth to then getting inthe best shape of my life.
I went to a trainer who, justlike he, challenged me.
So again, it was almost like abackward to then further Like I
think at first he was likeyou're an Olympian, and then he
saw my work ethic and howquickly I was advancing and the
commitment and dedication I hadto show up and do these three
hour workouts, and some days Icould not walk afterwards, but I
(19:27):
was gaining ground quickly.
And so when my son was oneyears old, we went to the world
championships and I got thewinning RBI against Japan for us
to win the gold at the worldchampionships and become world
champions.
And then, two years later, whenhe was three, I got to play for
team USA.
It was so much harder Adrian aswell, not not originally.
It was difficult.
(19:48):
I had to get my my timing backwith hitting.
I kind of went back to squareone.
I found a high school pitcherwho was recruited to Notre Dame.
We went out to a field and shewould pitch to me because I had
to get my time back.
And once I got it back I waslike, okay, thank you.
Now I went back to the higherlevels and men's pitchers, but I
was willing to go backwards tothen again go forward, and so
(20:11):
just I mean, my experience is Iwould not trade it.
It was definitely way harder.
I had to juggle a lot more.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
I had to have a much bigger support system behind me,
but God is good, he filled inall the gaps and I was able to
win my third gold medal with athree-year-old.
Then you started your newcareer.
So you had success, and realquick.
I'm going to give you a shoutout because 75% batting average
nine out of 12 in World Seriesgames A lot of people think
that's the Joe DiMaggio ofsoftball.
That record won't be broken.
I want to hear it from you realquick.
(20:43):
You think anybody will breakthat record.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Oh, there's been a couple years that it's been
close and now it's hilarious.
I do radio at the Women'sCollege World Series and the
guys that work with me in thebooth.
They'll be like about threedays in.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Oh, you're fine this year.
Oh, okay, they got to get there.
This player's on the path.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
They know all the stats and so I do expect it at
some point.
But what's crazy to me is thatit's been 30 years and, like I
said, there was one year aplayer going into her last
at-bat.
She was tied, she was alsohitting 750.
She Her last at bat.
She was tied, she was alsohitting 750.
She came up to the plate and Iwas like it's done, I'm done,
(21:23):
and she grounded out to thesecond baseman and hers dropped
just a little bit.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
So I held it.
Oh, so you were happy.
You were happy.
It was the one time I wasrooting against her.
Oh, bless your heart.
Let me ask you this Then thisis where I think you're really
at your best.
As well as being a familyperson, you started writing
books, you started motivationalspeak.
(21:47):
But let's go back.
What sequence was first?
Either the gold standard, orwhen you were working with ESPN
or Westwood One, and you sayyour first one, you absolutely
bombed and wanted to quit as anannouncer yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
So actually it was not ESPN, it was with a
different, you know, newsstation and they had mere sports
channel, I should say, and theyhad me come out and call a game
.
But literally I flew in the daybefore I had to wait until a
game was over to find out whoeven advanced.
And I've never done it and Iknow nowadays that would be
challenging, even with, you know, 15 plus years under my belt.
(22:24):
And so I got thrown into anenvironment with no instruction
whatsoever, no advice, and I atthe end of that game, told my
husband like never again, I'mnot putting myself in that
situation.
That was miserable, you know,we're, we're high achievers and
I do not want to go in and beterrible.
And then, about you know, eightyears later, um, I got a call
(22:46):
from ESPN and I just at first Isaid nope, I'm busy that weekend
.
My husband was like what areyou crazy?
And so we need, we need somewisdom around us, and I just
thought no, it's not my strength.
And he's like you've done itonce, you need to try again.
And this is ESPN.
And they were very gracious andsaid we understand, you haven't
(23:09):
done a lot, we're going to putyou with someone who's a veteran
who's going to help you Worldof difference.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
The person that was sitting next to me and actually
had a willing the mindset Boythat was sitting next to me and
actually had a willing themindset Boy.
That was good.
That was good.
Now let me ask you about thisone.
The gold standard is phenomenal, and you break that down.
I want to go.
I know you wrote a book aboutthat one.
You have that book anywherearound you.
Talk about the gold standard.
Tell us what the there we go.
(23:35):
Tell us what the acrostics withG-O-L-D stands for what the.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
there we go.
Tell us what the acrostics withG-O-L-D stands for.
Yeah, I was thinking about justmy journey and how I was able
to really reach heights abovemany players that were more
talented than me, but I realizedthere were just some core
things, just the willingness tobe disciplined and to sacrifice
and the work.
So the acronym I kind of had itbroken down into g um stands
for goal setting and likeknowing where you're headed, and
(24:02):
I think that has to start,because if not, we just are just
heading in whatever direction,but we aren't.
We don't know where we'reheaded.
So goal goal setting is numberone.
O is overcoming obstacles andturning them into the
opportunities, and that, I think, really embodies the mindset
that we have and that we need tosay okay, like how am I willing
to you know, after having a badday, get back, or when I'm in
(24:26):
the middle of the struggle, orwhen I'm feeling really great,
how do I stay humble, you know,and and overcoming the obstacles
, and just where do we findconfidence?
And then you know, an identityis involved in that as well.
And then L stands forleadership and ultimately, I
believe we all have anopportunity to be the leader
inside of us and then also tolearn from leaders around us and
so where we get advice andcommunication being a big part
(24:48):
of that.
So that's in that section, andthen D is the dedication and
that piece I believe is morewhere the road meets the road.
Those are the ones that arewilling to get to work because
you can have a good mindset andyou can have goals.
But ultimately it's the actionpiece, it's the ones that do it,
that put you know, not justwords to it, but action to it,
(25:10):
and they take continuous actionin the right direction.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And then also I love this one, so that's a must read,
talking about the gold standardand from your experience and
what you've learned and whatyou've lived, the other one I
love tell us about the map howto get there.
You talk about breaking thatdown, the MAP.
Break that one down for us.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Yeah, it's a similar focus really, but I just thought
, ok, a map is like we know ourdestination right, and then,
okay, how am I going to getthere?
We're going to.
We might face, you know,roadblocks and detours and
ditches and all these things,but the best way to stay out of
all that and to get to where wewant to go and get there quickly
and efficiently, I believe it'smindset stands for mindset,
(25:54):
action of people.
Ultimately, it's what I justtalked about, a different way of
saying it, but I add thatpeople piece in, because I
really believe how well we dealwith others.
For me, again, my teammateslike they to me.
I wanted them to win, I wantedto win and I really believe who
you surround yourself mattersjust probably the most of
anything that we do the voiceswe listen to, the people we
(26:18):
allow to have a voice into us.
Many people hold voices fromtheir past that have just done
nothing but tear them down andthey hold onto that and that's
what they carry, and we need tofind the people that are going
to lift us up, support us,encourage us, also hold us
accountable.
That is important, but how wedeal with people, I think is
absolutely crucial and I believethat's that third piece that I
(26:38):
didn't necessarily talk about inthe gold part, that I believe
can help us get to where we wantto go quicker and really go
further even than maybe we canimagine.
And that's what's happened inmy life.
I keep doing things that I'mlike, wow, how.
But I know it's the people I'mconnected to that are opening
new doors.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's interesting.
I wrote down a few quotes thatyou had.
I like this one where you saiddon't be afraid to put yourself
in uncomfortable situations.
Say yes to opportunities.
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 2 (27:11):
I have been continuing to do this.
I mean, when I wrote my book Ihad written a couple devotionals
and that was a challenging forsure.
But I think when I sat down towrite, you know, my chapter book
, like it really was my heartand my passion.
But to just go to a skill thatI don't really feel that
qualified in, it just was hardand that stretched me.
(27:32):
And then I've spoken, beenspeaking more to some businesses
and that is really making menervous and stretching me.
But I'm stepping forward becausethe opportunity has arisen and
I do believe in my message and Ido believe it's a skill that I
can keep getting better at.
And you know, a couple of yearsago I joined a mastermind and I
had not done that before year.
(27:54):
I went to, you know,professional I've spoken a lot
of years but you know, aprofessional speaking course and
even that I was like oh gosh.
Like you know, some of thesepeople have, you know,
backgrounds in Broadway and theyand they come at it from a
different angle.
But my heart was okay, leah,you know your strengths, you can
always grow, learn, listen andthen take what you can and use
(28:14):
it to move forward.
And so I just keep stepping outand trying new things and it's
challenging but it's also funand I kind of now, even more
than ever, like I kind of liketrying things that are going to
stress me out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Oh, ok, ok.
So you're a secret thrillseeker.
You know you talk about threebooks and I'm going to be very
personal here real quick.
And you're in this book.
It's the good book, it's calledthe Bible and it's so
interesting.
Here's Six Degrees ofSeparation.
My son, adrian, was graduatingfrom the eighth grade back in 03
(28:50):
, and it's from mom and dad.
It's from mom and dad.
We gave him this at 13 yearsold.
But the interesting thing isthat our colleague Leah is in
this book.
Do you remember this?
Having an opportunity to be onthe Bible?
So, right here, you really gotto practice what you preach.
(29:10):
I never knew we were going tobe friends and colleagues, along
with our buddy Scott Mendez,who's a colleague of us, but did
you know that you were going tobe on something like this?
Speaker 2 (29:23):
While I was going through it, you know I connected
with some sports I don't evensports spectrum different
ministries and different youknow that had publications and
then when that opportunity cameup, I think just my willingness
to be bold about it was reallywhy that opportunity came.
I'd had a platform now and Ijust wanted everybody to know
(29:44):
Jesus.
That was really my passion, myheart, and so when they asked me
to be a part of that project, Iwas so humbled to definitely
never felt worthy.
I still don't, but I, to meit's the biggest honor.
And I'll tell you, adrian, thisis the cool part is when I was
in my first Olympics I did notreally know much of the Bible.
I was a baby Christian, growing, learning and I remember
(30:06):
getting a sports devotional newTestament and open it up and I
remember reading the stories ofthe athletes in there and just
being like that's what I want tobe like and you know I just for
me, it was a teammate incollege that invited me to bible
study.
I thought I believed in god.
Well, I did believe, but I didnot have personal, deep, true,
trusting relationship,surrendered to jesus as lord and
(30:28):
then my friend actually passedaway my teammates a couple years
later, at the age of 21 whathappened?
Speaker 1 (30:33):
what happened is it?
Speaker 2 (30:34):
shook me to say don't keep it to yourself, no matter
how scared you are to share withothers, no matter how
unqualified you feel, just shareand let God do the rest.
And that led to thatopportunity as well, and it's
the biggest honor man.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
That's so incredible.
Now, the interesting thing I toask you, uh, one more question
before we get to, uh, wrappingthis up, this is this is so rich
, this is so powerful.
I thought I knew you, butyou're telling me even more
dimensions about that.
Let me ask you real quick whathave, what lesson have you
learned the most from failure orrejection?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
I think it's just important to say that it's a way
to learn I've gotten better atthat to try to not allow the
feelings of it to just go deep,instead to say what is the
lesson and almost keep it here,instead of letting it go deep
inside and then using it.
(31:33):
And so I think that's thebiggest thing, because I hate to
lose.
I'm sure you do as well, like Ido not like not being good at
something, and so I really havehad to learn and I'll never
forget.
It helped me when my coachwould put it into words.
I called him after a reallyrough game.
He's my college coacheventually became my Olympic
coach for my third Olympics.
(31:53):
But when I was on the secondOlympic team, I called him after
a really rough day and was justsuper upset and he said Leah,
your ability to succeed at thishighest level is all going to
come down to how well you candeal with failure.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
And.
I just would take his words andreally Say that one again, say
that one again.
Yeah, say that one again.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Your ability to succeed at higher levels will
come down to the ability to dealwith failure in the best way
possible.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And failure is what pushes most people backward,
it's what holds people stuck,but those that actually can use
it to move forward.
And so for me, I don't like tofail.
And they did this.
As an athlete, I would getfrustrated and be like I'm not
letting it happen again.
What do I need to do to changeit?
And he said with the Olympicteam, he just really felt like
all of us were constantlylooking for the solution.
(32:49):
I'm sure you and I would be verysimilar in that athletes that
have reached that you have tokeep looking forward, whereas a
lot of people are focusing andcomplaining about the problem
and they're upset and theiremotions, and instead it's like
no, no, no, that's all fine, butwhat are we going to do about
it, you know?
So I think it's really justtaught me to keep moving.
Sometimes it's a phone call.
(33:09):
Obviously, for me it's prayer,it's going to the Lord first and
foremost, but then it's also aphone call when I was writing my
book and I just want to give upand I'm calling my mentor.
It's my husband being giving mewords of encouragement when I
feel like I'm not doing greatwith you know something, and I
feel like maybe I can't keepdoing this, I should change
direction and he's like no, no,you're fine, it's normal Keep
going.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
It's taking that.
I'm liking that.
Then I want to ask you one morequestion.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Simply, how can you encourage our audience to keep
climbing?
You know, I heard this quotebefore and I absolutely loved it
.
I feel like it's been my lifestory.
It's that you know.
First of all, god has a bigplan for you.
I have to share that because,at the root of it, I believe God
has a plan for every singleperson, whether people realize
it or not.
Jesus loves you.
He died for you.
That's number one.
(34:00):
But also with that I had heard,you know, don't chase your
passions I'm a passionate personbut chase your opportunities,
because that might create morepassion your opportunities
because that might create morepassion.
My life has been so manyopportunities, seizing it,
(34:22):
giving my best, learning quicklyand then enjoying new
opportunities that keep comingbecause of just taking that
action.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Wow, well done, well done.
My goodness, I got to rememberthat Don't chase your passion,
chase your opportunities.
That's why I wrote down thatdefinition.
Wow, you fed us today a lot ofencouragement.
Leah, where can our listenersfollow you If they want to get
your devotion and your books?
Where can they follow you?
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Yeah, you can go to my website, leahamicocom
L-E-A-H-A-M-I-C-Ocom, and that'smy website, as well as
Instagram it's Leah20USA,because once you have a number,
you always have it, so they'rethere.
And then on Amazon, mydevotionals are on Amazon, as
well as my gold standard book.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Very well, my goodness.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Leah, you are always classy andjust getting better.
Lefty, lefty, lefty, from onelefty to another.
Well done, thanks for hangingtoday.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Thank you so much, AB .
It's always an honor.
I love that we've spokentogether and you inspire me.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
All right, everybody.
That's my friend Leah.
And also, if you want to knowmore about us, head on over to
adBranchSpeakscom and thenfollow us on social media at
Adrian Branch Speaks anddownload this show, the Climb,
wherever podcasts are available.
You guys are amazing.
Thanks for hanging today andremember, be encouraged and keep
(35:48):
climbing.
See you, everybody.
You.
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