Life in a Leo

Latest Episodes:

Episode 31: Interview with Erica Rubin Peressin Aug 17, 2018

Show notes

Happy Friday! In this episode of Life in a Leo, I interview a good friend and old teammate of mine, Erica Rubin Peressin. We discuss Erica's journey through the sport, getting a scholarship to the University of Michigan, and her most recent adventure, coaching gymnastics in Austin, TX. I love how one of Erica's proudest moments in the sport was when she first made JO National championships her first year as a level 10 when she was 13 years old. I also love how Erica has kept perspective on the role gymnastics has had in her life and that it's very much part of her life, but doesn't define her. Check out the episode to learn even more. And of course, this weekend is the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Boston, MA. We are so excited to watch these ladies compete. I think a few of them are competing in Rebecca's Mom leotards this year. Let us know if you spot our leos out there and what you think? Hope everyone has a great weekend and don't forget to point your toes.

Episode 30: Interview with Ana Villela Aug 10, 2018

Show notes

Happy Friday! This week I had a great interview with level 5 gymnast, Ana Villela. Ana was so fun to talk to. Her passion and excitement for the sport of gymnastics are contagious. She has only been in the sport for four years but has continued to grow and progress. Ana is so focused and such a hard-working young athlete. We discuss Ana's favorite college gymnastics team, UCLA, and how attending the camp and meeting the team have continued to inspire her through her day-to-day training. We also discuss some of Ana's goals, greatest achievements so far, and things Ana likes to do outside of gymnastics. Tune in to learn even more, and don't forget to let us know what you think. You can always reach me at rebecca@leotard.com with any feedback you want to share. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Keep working hard, stay focused and don't forget to point your toes.

Episode 29: Quick reflection on peaking at the right time Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

I've been having issues getting my interviews to record well and so this week I had to come up with a quick alternative. I'm working on getting it fixed so hopefully next week I can share the interview that was planned for today. Today, I talk a little bit about what it means to peak at the right time. This is not something I thought much about as an athlete. I'm wondering if it's something coaches discuss and work harder towards now and have a better understanding of how to train for it. As an adult, I clearly can see when it happens or doesn't. Some examples I share in this episode are Morgan Hurd's timing for making the World's Team and the UCLA gymnastics team winning NCAA National Championships this year. Do your coaches focus on timing things right for you as an athlete? How do they do that and what do you think about to make sure you are healthy and at your best throughout season. Let us know - rebecca@leotard.com. Have a great weekend and don't forget to point your toes!

Episode 28: The GK US Classic in Columbus, OH Jul 27, 2018

Show notes

In this solocast, I provide the 10 (actually 11) things I'm going to be watching for at the US Classic this weekend. It's also the Hopes Championships. We are so excited to see all these amazing athletes get out there and compete. They've been working so hard and it is exciting to see it all coming together. Remember, the Juniors need to get a 51 to qualify to National Championships and Senior Elites need a 52. Some of the athletes have already qualified but most have not. Some of the gymnasts discussed in the episode include Konnor McClain, MG Elite (Zoe Gravier and Olivia Greaves), GAGE (Aleah Finnegan, Alexis Jeffrey, Leanne Wong and JaFree Scott), Sunisa Lee, Katelyn Rosen, Sophia Butler, Simone Biles, The Gymcastic Podcast, Olivia Dunne, Jordan Chiles, Ragan Smith, Morgan Hurd, Jade Carey, Ashton Locklear, Riley McCusker, Shilese Jones, Levi Jung-Ruivivar and Hezly Rivera (via a shout out from @gymnast_nateianna). Have a great weekend and don't forget to point your toes!

Episode 27: Interview with National Judge, Kathi Ortiz Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

Happy Friday! This week on Life in a Leo, I interviewed one of my friends and fellow judges, Kathi Ortiz. Kathi is currently living in the Chicago area and got into the sport of gymnastics in 1968. In addition to being a successful gymnast, Kathi was also a coach, club owner, and a very well respected judge. Kathi has had the honor of judging NCAA National Championships four times and was one of two judges on the bars panel at the 2018 Nastia Liukin Cup, in addition to judging plenty of states, regionals, and national JO competitions. One of the other really cool experiences Kathi had was performing with The Flying Wallenda's. The Flying Wallendas is the name of a circus group, most known for performing highwire acts without a safety net. Hope everyone is having a great summer! If you want to reach us with comments or feedback, you can email me at rebecca@leotard.com. Please make sure to rate and review us! Keep up all the hard work, stay hydrated and don't forget to point your toes

Episode 26: Interview with Melisa Torres Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

This week I got the chance to interview Melisa Torres, the author of the Perfect Balance Gymnastics, a fiction book series. Melisa started gymnastics a little bit later in life and progressed through the sport. As a junior in high school, her coach asked her if she wanted to continue in college and helped her find a school that matched her goals. Melisa continued to flourish in the sport as a collegiate athlete at Utah State University. Melisa builds off her experience in the sport to help develop the characters she uses in her books. To learn more about Melisa and her books, check out her website www.melisatorres.com. Let us know who else you want us to interview and what you think of the show? You can email me at rebecca@leotard.com or message us on Instagram @Rebeccasmomleo. Hope you all have a great weekend, keep working those upgrades, and don't forget to point your toes :)

Episode 25: The American Classics at University of Utah Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

This week I discuss the top 5 things I'm most excited about at The American Classic. The American Classic is one of two elite meets that athletes can compete in to qualify for US National Championships. There are a lot of new Hopes gymnasts that will be competing. Some of the kids that competed in Hopes last year have now qualified as Jr. Elites so we will be watching how they do. We are also excited to see some Sr. Elites compete that we haven't seen compete in a while. You can check out The Balance Beam Situation for a great preview (https://balancebeamsituation.com/2018/07/05/american-classic-preview/) and more detail on some of the key athletes to watch for. Here's my top 5. 1. So many new elites - mostly talking about Hopes kids here 2. Tom Forster 3. The podium 4. All the athletes - w/bias towards MG Elite, Paramount Elite and GO 5. The Leotards (of course) Good luck ladies! Have fun, stay focused and don't forget to point your toes :)

Episode 24: How I'm interpreting the new composition rules Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

In this solocast (what I've decided to call it when I don't do an interview), I provide what my key takeaways are and some examples of how to interpret the new composition deductions in the new code of points. I don't go into too much detail but provide examples of the extremes on each event. Basically what is expected to receive no deduction and what scenarios would apply the full deductions. I hope this is informative and everyone enjoys learning some of the technical details required and expected for level 10. We also gave a shout out to @gymnast_nateianna1 for her awesome work in the gym and her friend @alyssacolerolls for being a great friend and having a great work ethic! I love it when I hear from you guys and I love all the support you give to your friends too. You guys are a great community!! Hope everyone has a great weekend, if your headed to camp, have fun and let us know how it goes and of course, don't forget to point your toes :)

Episode 23: Part 2 interview with JaNay, Peng and Deanna Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

Here is part two of my interview with JaNay Honest, Christine Peng Peng Lee and Deanna Hong, the incredible trio that hosted Bruin Banter this season (can you tell, I'm obsessed). This week we go into more detail about their time as Bruins, their most memorable gymnastics moments and what Life in a leo means to them. I loved this interview and can't wait to hear what you think!! Also, if you are visiting San Diego and want to catch Peng in her new gig, visit Sea World and make sure to check out the IllumiNight Show. https://seaworld.com/san-diego/shows/illuminight/ Good luck to all the judges out there who are testing this summer. I hope you are getting in lots of study time and learning all those new composition formulas. Finally, in the words of Peng, JaNay and Deanna, be true to who you are, stay positive and have fun and of course, don’t forget to point your toes.

Episode 22: Part 1 Interview with a mystery trio Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

This week I got to speak with the trio that put together Bruin Banter this past NCAA gymnastics season, JaNay Honest, Christine Peng Peng Lee, and Deanna Hong. https://youtu.be/wp0_PdKzYVg Just one of the few things these women are known for. We discuss their career in gymnastics prior to UCLA, how they made their way to UCLA and of course their favorite and most memorable leotards. There was so much to discuss, so we only just start to scratch the surface of our conversation. Stay tuned for part 2 next week when we learn more about Bruin Banter, what it's like to have a coach like Miss Val and what Life in a leo means to each of these amazing women. Please let us know what you think? We want to hear from you and learn more about our audience. You can always reach out over email. I'm rebecca@leotard.com or you can find us on Instagram and message us there @Rebeccasmomleo. Keep having fun out there, working hard, and don't forget to point your toes! xo

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected