USA Women's Water Polo Coach Adam Krikorian on Competition, Relationships, Sustaining Success

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Adam Krikorian (1:12)

I was always surrounded by just competitive people that were very driven, had this burning desire to be better in everything they did. And that along with my brothers, I think has allowed me to kind of be, to really define kind of who, part of who, who I am.

Michael Gervais (1:38)

All right, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast by Michael Gervais. And the idea behind these conversations is to learn from people who are on the path of mastery, who are the best in the world sometimes or close to it. And we're wanting to understand how they make sense of the world. What is their unique psychological framework? How do they explain events in their lives? How do they understand how to get better? How do they fundamentally organize their life to grow? And we also want to dig underneath the surface to understand what are the mental skills that they've used to build and refine their craft. Finding Mastery is brought to you by Mack Weldon. The holidays are around the corner and there is so much to look forward to. There is time with family and friends, hopefully some great food, a little chill in the air, and of course giving gifts. I love when I find a great gift for somebody. And something I'm really excited to share with you during the season of giving is Mack Weldon. I'm a huge fan. I'm a huge fan of what they're doing. And for those of you who have been listening for a while to the podcast, you know that we don't partner with clothing companies often. That's because I'm really picky. And Mack Weldon, they have this clean, classic approach that's great for men who value comfort and quality over, you know, the flash bang that comes with fast fashion. Mack Weldon makes it easy to find timeless pieces that look and feel great, which also makes their products ideal for holiday gifting. And a couple of my favorites, their Tech Linen Half Zip. It's comfortable, it's breathable, it's refined, it layers really well. And then they've got this warm knit air shirt jacket that I love. It's lightweight, it's also warm. I'm wearing one of their cashmere sweaters right now. I just, I gotta tell you, I love what they're doing. They've got the essentials dialed in. And for any man who would like, you know, a thoughtful gift, I think that this is one you want to consider. And what I really appreciate though about Mack Weldon is that they stand for something deeper. They believe that knowing is more important than showing. And that aligns so well with what we talk about here at Finding Mastery, substance over image, working from the inside out. So if you're looking for some quality gifts for the men on your list, I really, really wanna encourage you to go check them out. Right now, new customers get 20% off orders over $100 with the code findingmastery at Mack Weldon. So you spell that Mack Weldon, mackweldon.com, and then use the code findingmastery. Finding Mastery is brought to you by Our Place. I am sure you've heard of Forever Chemicals. Things like PFAS and PTFE, also known as Teflon. They're everywhere and things you wouldn't expect, but you use every day like pots and pans and air fryers, blenders, water bottles, and the list goes on and on. In previous conversations with my friend Darren Oline about this topic, I've made personally a ton of valuable swaps in my everyday life that have elevated my personal health, my family's health, and in return, the health of the planet. A big one is the cookware that we use in our kitchen, which is why I'm super excited to partner with OurPlace. OurPlace makes beautifully designed non-stick kitchenware and is 100% non-toxic, meaning they're free from those forever chemicals and all the other hard to pronounce compounds you don't want anywhere near your food. My wife Lisa and I have been absolutely loving their Always Pan. Cooks great, it's quick and easy to clean because it has that slick ceramic surface that prevents food from getting stuck. The whole thing works. On top of cookware, they also have a variety of other great products like utensils, knife sets, cutting boards, air fryers, blenders and more. All of which are fully non-toxic and designed for efficiency and ease of use. If you want to upgrade your kitchen and say goodbye to forever chemicals for good, I'd love for you to go check them out. Just head to fromourplace.com and enter the code findingmastery at checkout to receive 10% off site wide. That's fromourplace.com and use the code Finding Mastery. Our Place offers a 100-day trial with free shipping and returns. Now, this week's conversation is with the head coach of the Women's Senior National Water Polo Team, Adam Krikorian. Since taking over the team, Adam has had incredible results, all pointing to a very thoughtful process of improvement. And we get into the weeds about how he has cultivated a culture, how he has amplified the talent that is in the team and the athletes that are there, and how he thinks about helping other people grow. But just as a background, from his arrival on the US team in 2009, he's competed in 18 major championships and come away with gold in 15 of them. I mean, think about that. This includes the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.