Welcome to the Loveworks dreamers and doers Podcast # 105. At Loveworks we believe you are NEVER too young to be a dreamer and NEVER too old to do your dream.

If this is your first time, thank you for joining us and giving us the thing that means the most to you – your time. If you’re returning, welcome back! We know you have lots of options out there in the Podcast universe.

Our hope with Dreamers & Doers podcast is that each week’s special guests will connect with you wherever you find yourself today and inspire you to become the best version of yourself for tomorrow.

Personal Growth with Michael and Carolyn

At Loveworks, we believe that one of the ways that you can become one of the best versions of yourself is to focus on personal growth. We love curating things like books, music, organizations, blogs, or resources that have encouraged your personal growth. 

Today we are going to talk about one of our favorite ways to grow as a leader – books!

Passion to Purpose – A seven-step journey to shed self-doubt, find inspiration, and change your life (and the world) for the better.

1% Better: The Chris Nikic Story – What would life look like if you measured your success by improvements instead of victories? Nik Nikic shares the incredible story of his son Chris’s journey to become the first person with Down syndrome to ever complete an IRONMAN® triathlon, inspiring others to achieve their goals by getting 1 percent better every day.

Amanda Kenny: IRONMAN Triathlete

Amanda Kenny was born and raised in a suburb outside of St. Louis and grew up as a competitive gymnast for 16 years. She also ran track and cross-country in high school and graduated with a full scholarship to Missouri State University. After graduating with a hospitality management degree and a cumulative 4.0 GPA from college she knew she was destined to live in a much warmer place than Missouri. Thankfully she got a job with Disney which allowed her to move to Orlando, Florida. It’s there that she got involved with the Disney Triathlon team and eventually was peer pressured into getting a bike and signing up for a triathlon. She taught herself to swim and did her first triathlon in 2011. The rest is history with more than 100 races under her belt including numerous triathlons, half marathons, marathons (including the 2021 Boston Marathon), 15 Ironman 70.3 races, two full Ironmans, and a bucket list of more races to do. When Amanda is not training for marathons or triathlons she enjoys spending time outdoors, on the water paddleboarding, doing handstands, taking photos, and keeping up with her Instagram @AmandaKenny87. She also works a full-time job in tech sales, has an amazing family back in Missouri, is involved with the Special Olympics triathlon team of Florida, travels quite a bit, and lives for doing active adventurous things whenever she can!

Amanda’s ADVICE –

Do your best; work hard to get through middle school, get good grades and surround yourself with good people. But just know that you can do anything with your life. Don’t set limits on yourself; you don’t know what opportunities are coming your way. Work hard and enjoy it and know that it’s gonna get better.

Key Takeaways:

• Surround yourself with the people who will pressure you to move toward your goals
• Celebrate the small goals you achieve
• Hard work and a plan are necessary to be prepared to reach your goals
• If you want to do something, go for it

Connect with Amanda:

Instagram: @amandakenny87

Special Olympics offers many ways to take part. The first step to getting involved—whether you want to be an athlete, Unified partner, coach, or volunteer—is to connect with your local program for more details.