If you are looking for inspiration in your daily life, A Winning Mindset is exactly what you have been seeking. Host and British broadcaster Andy Stevenson, who is disabled himself, interviews Paralympians from around the world and engages in honest and enlightening conversations. From basketball to boccia to swimming, Paralympians of all sports use this platform to talk about their journey inside and outside of their game. Their stories are some of the most inspiring you will ever hear, pushing listeners to become better people. While some experiences are very specific, the lessons shared are applicable in everyday personal and professional life.

Episodes truly dive into how society views those with a physical disability and discuss body image, activism, representation in media, and discrimination. Even while interviews are done virtually, the audio is clear and Stevenson does not interrupt the athletes. Episodes are released every Friday and leave listeners feeling empowered and educated. Get a head start on your self-improvement and listen to this podcast today!

We were fortunate to talk with both host, Andy Stevenson, and Executive Producer, Natalia Dannenberg-Spreier, about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.

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DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

STEVENSON: During the first coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, I interviewed 21 British Paraympians over Zoom from my kitchen table and put the chats up on Youtube, calling them #21for21. The International Paralympic Committee kindly shared some of my #21for21 interviews via their social media channels and by this point I was also contributing to an Olympic/Paralympic podcast hosted by former BBC colleague Jonathan Overend called ‘Sport and the Feels’.

I then got a call from Pranav Soneji, the co-founder of Livewire Sport, who said they had won the contract to produce a new podcast for the IPC & Allianz and that my name was down as ‘Presenter’ on a document he was looking at. A few conversations later and it was confirmed that the IPC had picked me to be the host for this new project. I was delighted! It’s a brilliant, tightly knit team that are putting the podcasts together and I’m really enjoying the process and end results.

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: I used to be a radio journalist before I began working for the International Paralympic Committee. It took me 10 years, but now I have found a way back to audio story-telling.

DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to A Winning Mindset: Lessons From The Paralympics?

STEVENSON: I think you’ll struggle to find a better range of speakers, who have all had to deal with adversity in their lives and who have all got something interesting to say. There is so much that we can all learn from the Paralympians I’m interviewing. We can all pick up on something we hear from them on, for example, resilience, dealing with change or bouncing back from failure, that we can then apply to our own personal and professional lives. It’s a great privilege to ‘meet’ and speak in depth with some athletes who I’ve met before, and several whom I’d never spoken to.

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: The stories of Paralympic athletes are incredibly powerful and humbling. How they have grappled with challenges and turned tragedy into success is truly inspirational. You don’t have to have a disability to be able to apply these life lessons to your own life.

DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?

STEVENSON: Well, my Dad is enjoying the series and this is the first podcast he’s ever listened to! But more significantly, we’ve had great feedback from Paralympic personalities like Clare Balding and Adam Hills, and most importantly for me, the athletes themselves seem to have enjoyed doing the interviews and speaking about subjects that you just can’t get into after a race or a match.

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: A refreshing tonic for the times & inspiring stories that will last forever.

Love the energy these athletes bring and their positivity is infectious. The host has great warmth and gives the perfect chance for the guests to share their amazing stories. You can’t listen to this and not feel awe and inspiration!

Fresh, exciting and inspirational. Loved it!

So far only the Jonnie Peacock episode is available and I absolutely loved it! The content is very positive, fresh and eye opening. Andy Stevenson does a fabulous job interviewing him. This podcast is definitely a great way to get to know the stories of disabled athletes from a complete different perspective. They show us valuable lessons of courage, determination and equality. Change can definitely start with sport!

Fascinating stuff!!

Very interesting and inspiring! Looking forward to the next episode.

Amazing podcast

Wow! Such inspirational guests and so much to learn from them. Loved listening and can’t wait for the next episodes!

DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: We are using zencastr and this RODE microphone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084P1CXFD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: Getting noticed in a very crowded market. We think we have a really high quality, engaging podcast, but it’s tough to get noticed.

DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?

STEVENSON: I’d love to keep going through until next Summer and perhaps beyond? There are so many brilliant athletes still on my target list. I find myself thinking ‘well, we’re not going to beat that backstory’ or ‘nobody is going to come along and tell a better anecdote or deliver a better message than that’ and then the next guest does!

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: We would love to make it to new and noteworthy in Apple podcasts, and gain a consistent group of listeners.

DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

STEVENSON: I’ve worked in radio quite a lot and have always enjoyed listening to radio, but podcasts have only come into my life relatively recently. You’d quickly be able to see from the podcast app on my phone that sport and current affairs are my two big interests. I listen to the McKellar golf podcast and one about disability golf called Tough Love and Second Chances. And lined up when I get the time is David Dimbleby’s pod called The Fault Line about the Iraq War.

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: Supersoul conversations, In Her Corner

DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?

STEVENSON: Just a thank you to everyone who’s already listened to ‘A Winning Mindset’. And to anyone who hasn’t yet, then do give it a go. If you enjoy what you hear, then please subscribe and leave us a rating & review. Thanks a million.

DANNENBERG-SPREIER: Together with our longstanding partners Allianz, the International Paralympic Committee has launched this podcast series. Our aim is for these podcasts to help people move forward in all aspects of your personal and professional lives. By hearing from Paralympic stars, you’ll be introduced to stories that inspire and change the way you think. Stories of facing life’s challenges with confidence, determination and excellence, and the true power of having the right team behind you.

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