Building Champions for Life
Building Champions for Life
Podcast Description
Join host Kirk Spahn as he speaks with world champions about ways to elevate and equip tomorrow's champions and leaders.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast centers on themes of leadership, personal development, and high-performance culture, with episodes discussing topics such as mental resilience in sports, strategies for effective teamwork, and the importance of mentorship in building future leaders.
Join host Kirk Spahn as he speaks with world champions about ways to elevate and equip tomorrow’s champions and leaders. Drawing on his extensive background as a fourth-generation educator, founder of the Institute for Civic Leadership, and former competitive tennis player, Kirk explores the intersection of elite performance, character development, and lifelong success.
In each episode, Kirk sits down with remarkable achievers across sports, business, arts, and education to uncover the hidden foundations of true championship mindsets. Through substantive dialogues, guests share the pivotal moments, mentors, failures, and principles that shaped their journeys—revealing insights that parents, coaches, educators, and aspiring leaders can apply immediately.
Building Champions for Life goes beyond trophies and accolades to examine how exceptional performance in any field connects to deeper purpose and lasting impact. With Kirk’s unique perspective spanning both traditional education and innovative learning approaches, listeners gain practical wisdom on nurturing not just skills and talents, but the character traits that create champions who thrive in all aspects of life.
Whether you’re a parent supporting a child’s dreams, a coach developing the next generation of talent, an educator shaping young minds, or someone striving for personal excellence, this podcast delivers actionable insights from those who’ve reached the pinnacle of achievement while maintaining their core values and purpose.
Subscribe to join the conversation about what truly makes a champion for life—in the arena and beyond.
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Angela Lewis's accidental discovery as a basketball player at age twelve evolved into a deliberate mission to transform young lives globally through sport. Rather than relying on natural talent, she built excellence through relentless work ethic, competitive environments, and a lifelong commitment to helping others. A friend's death while she worked as a college basketball coach became her turning point, redirecting her from recruiting toward broader impact: writing books, speaking, and mentoring young people—particularly young women—to recognize their inherent power to influence others.
Her philosophy centers on three critical elements: belief systems, intentional community building, and reframing failure as predictable growth rather than aberration. Angela demonstrates that confidence builds incrementally through small wins, that adversity accelerates maturity, and that curating positive input shapes your internal environment. Her international experiences proved sport transcends cultural boundaries, reinforcing that young people's opportunities are genuinely global.
Angela's core conviction is that young people already possess transformative voice and influence; they simply need permission and models to use it intentionally. Her upcoming children's book, A Ball and a Chance, distills this into one powerful message: It's new, it's hard. It's possible with courage and heart, you'll be unstoppable. To access her mentorship resources and pre-order this transformative book, visit her website and begin claiming the power you already hold.
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