Episode 07: Believing In Yourself & Mental Resiliency with Jim Jackson

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.

Jim Jackson is the voice of the Philadelphia Flyers. If you watched the Flyers at all over the past 30 years, you know his tone. Iconic to the city of Philly, Jim fills in the narrative of some of the greatest moments in Philadelphia sports history and he is responsible for calling some of the greatest hockey moments of Philly’s history as well. Outside of his current status with the organization, Jim, worked hard to get where he is, but might of not had the typical road that is assumed from a man in his status. From a small town outside of Utica that only had graduating class of 72 students, Jim didn’t see himself as making such a large impact outside of his local area, but he was always determined to chase his dream and level up in the process.

Throughout the early portions of his career he had to deal with doubt, as he didn’t always have the support around him to push him to the next level. Outside of his father’s confidence in him, Jim had to consistently run a retrospective on his own career and ask himself important questions on what he was capable of and where he wanted to go. At the time he was going down a road less traveled and it would have been easy for him to look for a more practical path that was available to most young men with a good college degree. However, he choose to look where there is no predefined path and leave his own trail.

Now Jim is running his own broadcasting coaching camps on the side where he teaches and mentors other prospective broadcasters, radio hosts, podcasters, and public speakers to pass down the lessons he has learned himself. An intelligent man with a lot of determination and information to pass down Jim Jackson, does not only provide a voice for the team, but provides a voice in our heads for some of life’s biggest moments. Check out Jim Jackson’s Broadcast Coaching Camps for more info on how to get guidance from him. And remember to always level up. Like and subscribe for more content like this.

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Episode 06: Attention To Detail, Getting Your Dream Job, & The Journey Beyond with Derek Settlemyre

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.

Derek Settlemyre, admirably referred to as Nasty, has lived his life around the NHL and the Flyers organization as long as anyone alive. Today he still finds himself around the team and the sport as one of the local leaders of growing the game in the Philadelphia / New Jersey area. From growing up the son of a former head equipment manager for the Flyers, to living the dream himself, Derek has had an incredible journey that most Flyers fans could only imagine. With a positive attitude and a relentless work ethic, he was able to position himself as a trusted name amongst NHL General Managers that saw him consistently picked as the man for the job. Whether it be the Flyers, the Olympics, or the All Star Game, Derek has never had an issue sticking out of the crowd. The foundation and eduction that his father instilled within him absolutely paid off.

However, as the end of the road comes for everyone in pro athletics, Derek Settlemyre was eventually removed from his position as so many of the names before him were as well. Sports are always a game of inches and his mileage seem to run short with the Flyers organization as new leadership came into the fold. Having said that, Derek has taken the change in life admirable and started his own company Settlemyre Skate Sharpening and also runs one of the hottest YouTube shows in Flyers history known as Nasty Knuckles with co-star and former Flyer Riley Cote. Through this show it is clear to see that he has build an endless supply of relationships among current and former Flyer players as he and Riley consistently bring on the best guests available.

Derek’s positive attitude still lives on and as you hear in the episode he has much empathy for all of the players on the current and former roster. He goes on to defend players like Nolan Patrick, Shayne Gostisbehere, Andrew MacDonald and others because he truly cares about the players he’s worked with. Showing off a side of the locker room that is only available to a select group of people. There is a lot to learn in Derek’s story and even though he was forced to move on from his previous role, his attitude has not missed a beat. In life, when you have something important to do, sometimes life moves on you. And in this forced movement, Derek will continue to make a large impact on the sport of hockey, whether he realizes it or not.

Check Out Settlemyre Skate Sharpening and his show Nasty Knuckles.

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From a clip of Episode 6 of Always Level Up With Derek Settlemyre out Friday, May 21, 2016:

After a season full of chaos and a Flyers team that collectively underperformed all around there seems to be a target on one of the youngest players on the team. After missing an entire year Nolan Patrick has been consistently ridiculed and maligned as a problem within the organization. For the most part this seems to be a baseless narrative that only weighs heavier on a young man who has simply struggled with injuries in the early part of his career. Without having any sort of offseason and consistently told to stay off the ice, Patrick found himself a step behind the game all season long.

Without his red-hot start early in the season, Nolan’s statistical output would be at an all-time low for him and uncharacteristic of player who was selected 2nd overall int he 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Fellow teammate Oskar Lindblom also struggled this past season after missing almost a year with Cancer, but was given much more leniency in the public eye. Even though the coaching staff clearly was sheltering the two of them on the fourth line, it only seemed to be Patrick that felt the weight of the crowd. As the season moved on, his confidence seemed to fall lower and a fresh offseason seemed even more necessary.

This short clip of Derek Settlemyre’s conversation with myself from episode 6 of Always Level Up goes behind the scene to give a taste of how the players actually view Patrick. Derek was an equipment manager for the Flyers organization for 26 years and has an endless stream of personal connections within the organization and remains close with them today. Even today Derek is still well engrossed in the Flyers community and regularly hangs out with current and former Philadelphia Flyer greats as can be seen on his show YouTube Nasty Knuckles. As you will hear from the clip above, there seems to be a large disconnect about Nolan, who is loved by the people who actually know him and maligned by those who watch from afar. Derek clearly defends Nolan’s character and level of talent and even references teammate Shayne Gostisbehere as someone who recently raved about his high level of skill. It seems like the media targets Nolan more than most, which is confusing because typically nice Canadian boys like Nolan are quiet and polite. To myself and Flyers Nitty Gritty, it seems to be confusing how that seems to push into an unjustly label of being considered a problem.

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Episode 05: Making Your Own Path, True Grit, & Esports w/ John Fazio

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.

John Fazio grew up a hometown athlete in the greater Philadelphia area. A former D1 Soccer player at Drexel University, John grew up playing every sport under the sun. He perfectly embodies a competitors mindset. Driven by a growth attitude and an immunity to failure, John has always shown the courage to push himself to be extremely uncomfortable. With a fear of complacency, rather than failure, John continued to push himself through the comforts of being a privileged kid from the upper middle class suburbs of Lower Moreland. As founder and CEO of Nerd Street Gamers, the pinnacle of Esports competitive gaming in the Philadelphia area, he has has taken steps to turn those who cannot physically compete into athletes. With a slew of successful companies in his past, he has paved the way for those looking to succeed their own way.

Ultimately, the path of the road less traveled. Grit, true grit, comes from strength and courage inside. It comes from perseverance. It comes from taking risk and breaking the mold. How many of us live in fear of failure or stepping outside the lines. Throughout our whole lives we are systematically trained to wait. To be patient, obedient, and wait in line. The question is, what are we waiting for? Our mental narrative consists of roadblocks and traumas, of preconceived notions and self proclaimed dispositions.

Growing up a relentless Philadelphia sports fan, John grew up wanting to be an athlete, yet pivoting his skills into Technology and entrepreneurship. Like many others who have been on Always Level Up, it’s sports and competition that taught him all about making his dreams come true. Through failure, came success, from losing, came victory. An athlete’s mindset is key to what makes any man or women a success story when looking back retrospectively.

Check out John Fazio’s Nerd Street Gamers and get involved in Esports today.

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Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.

Kurtis Gabriel is all heart. As a young man he’s already experienced so much throughout his life and he seems poised to go willing to go through so much more. Kurtis, like most tough players in the league, is undervalued. As the game of hockey continues to evolve, there are always constant tropes that get thrown around when talking about tough guys in hockey. Mostly complaining that they are thing of the past. However, it’s a lack of understanding that has so many people devaluing what they perceive as minor role. At the highest level of any sport, competitiveness and intimidation is at an all time high. Aggressiveness and determination among most of your peers, dwarfs anything seen in common society. Being a professional athlete is a battle and an intimidating one at that. That’s where guys like Kurtis come in. They fight for space. They fight for every inch on the ice, not just for themselves, but for those who wear the same team jersey. For it’s not he punches that they throw that provide the space, but the unrelenting physicality and mental energy it takes to pave a path for those around them. Most would not consider it this way, but being a tough guy in hockey, is being a leader. It’s why so often we see heart and soul type players converting to coaching later in their career. It’s their attitude, their brain, and their heart that most GM’s want to spread to their locker room.

As Kurtis Gabriel enters the second half of his career in at the pro level, it’s easy to consider him “a late bloomer”. However, you will very rarely find any young man playing an intimidation role for his NHL squad. There is a reason for that. It takes time, it takes confidence, and a man’s body to back it up. After years of grinding his way through the development process, Kurtis is finally on his way to NHL readiness. With several games played with San Jose Sharks this year, it’s clear to see that he’s coming into his own. Kurtis’ timeline is not set by the fans or the media, but by his determination to living up to his role will get him to his dream.

Kurtis Gabriel’s battle into the NHL is not an uncommon one for hockey players as majority of athletes drafted to the NHL have a long road ahead of them to make it to the pro’s. However, with Kurtis, there is no quit. There are no excuses, only a goal and positive attitude. That’s the funny thing about majority of tough guys in the NHL. I find that they have best sense of humor and the largest hearts. Because they’re not fighting for themselves. They’re fighting for, their team, for the energy, for the space to make an impact. Being a tough guy in the NHL always seems to point to using your fists, when it’s really the heart of the man that makes his impact. Kurtis is all heart and shows in everything he does. You might not have noticed, but he is always leveling up.

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Episode 03: Recovery, Wellness, & Being Present w/ Riley Cote

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.

Riley Cote is a perfect example of a person with a growth mindset. Ever since his younger days, Riley has always felt a strong need to compete and challenge himself in various ways mentally and physically. As a young athlete he tailored his skillset to make sure he would play pro hockey by any means necessary. Whether he was aware of it or not he has found that pattern of behavior driving a lot of the motivations in his life. From playing in the AHL, to making the NHL, to being a Coach, to starting the Hemp Heals Foundation, and most recently starting his CBD supplement brand Bodychek Wellness. No matter the time in his life, Riley has always found his own way of finding success.

While his ways can be seen as unconventional, it has always impressed the successful people around him. He consistently says that former Flyers President and General Manager Paul Holmgren as, well as his former Flyers coach John Stevens are “his biggest fans”. I would say true leadership recognizes leadership. Riley is a great example of the attitude “if you build it, they will come” and in using that attitude, he has found a way to make his personal goals come true. He reminds me of a quote by the late philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead, but go where there is no path and leave a trail.” Cote has already left a permanent mark on the world and I have a feeling he’s only just getting started.

Check out Rile Cote’s Bodychek Wellness site.

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Episode 02: The Heart of a Fighter with Dennis Bermudez

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous, are simply human.

Overcoming failure is no easy task, but all successful people have to go through it to get to the top. Typically when a person hits a level of success, people very rarely discuss the road of failures or struggles that took them to get there. On this episode of Always Level Level up, Yariv Wolok welcomes former UFC professional fighter Dennis Bermudez.

The heart of a fighter should never be measured by how many fights he’s won, but how many fight’s he’s been able to continue to fight. After an official 17-9 record in the UFC, Dennis Bermudez decided to hang up his gear in 2019 after winning his final fight. Over Dennis’ career he had man ups and downs that lead to him making the highest level of competition. Without ever having any of the recognition as the other division 1 athletes, Dennis made sure to work for every inch he’s been given. To fight for every opportunity. In my opinion this relates a lot the heart of a hockey player. The ability to ratchet up the intensity, to fight for every inch, and to mentally prepare for battle. Hockey’s roots have always leveraged violence and intensity. It has its bullies, its brawlers, and fighters. At heart of any fighter is the will to fight.

Check out Dennis Bermudez’s YouTube channel

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Episode 02: The Heart of a Fighter with Dennis Bermudez

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous, are simply human.

Overcoming failure is no easy task, but all successful people have to go through it to get to the top. Typically when a person hits a level of success, people very rarely discuss the road of failures or struggles that took them to get there. On this episode of Always Level Level up, Yariv Wolok welcomes former UFC professional fighter Dennis Bermudez.

The heart of a fighter should never be measured by how many fights he’s won, but how many fight’s he’s been able to continue to fight. After an official 17-9 record in the UFC, Dennis Bermudez decided to hang up his gear in 2019 after winning his final fight. Over Dennis’ career he had man ups and downs that lead to him making the highest level of competition. Without ever having any of the recognition as the other division 1 athletes, Dennis made sure to work for every inch he’s been given. To fight for every opportunity. In my opinion this relates a lot the heart of a hockey player. The ability to ratchet up the intensity, to fight for every inch, and to mentally prepare for battle. Hockey’s roots have always leveraged violence and intensity. It has its bullies, its brawlers, and fighters. At heart of any fighter is the will to fight.

Check out Dennis Bermudez’s YouTube channel

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Episode 01: Thwarting Thirsty Athletes, while leveling up w/ Lisa Ann

Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous, are simply human.

Overcoming failure is no easy task, but all successful people have to go through it to get to the top. Typically when a person hits a level of success, people very rarely discuss the road of failures or struggles that took them to get there. On this episode of Always Level Level up, Yariv Wolok welcomes former Adult Film Star and current XM Radio Sports commentator Lisa Ann to talk about overcoming the struggles in her career and converting her image.

In her time as a celebrity and sports commentator Lisa Ann has found herself interacting with many professional athletes. For Flyers fans, former defenseman Michael Del Zotto, in particular, has his own history with Lisa Ann and public drama. Most fans might remember some the incident, but what was the story behind the public drama? Lisa Ann speaks her mind in a deep discussion about everything under the sports sun.

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