Champion's Mojo for Masters Swimmers
The award-winning podcast for Masters swimmers, adult athletes, and fitness enthusiasts who strive for peak performance and personal excellence. Hosted by world-record-setting Masters swimmer and Health and Performance Coach Kelly Palace, each episode offers inspiring stories, expert insights, and proven strategies to help you unlock your champion mindset—in the pool and in life. With nearly 300 episodes and a track record as one of the top-ranked swimming podcasts, Champion’s Mojo is your go-to resource for motivation, success, and well-being. Ready to dive in? We’re here to champion you!
Champion's Mojo for Masters Swimmers
Olympic Champion Katharine Berkoff Reflects on Her Journey and the NC State Legacy, EP 270
Today, we’re diving into a truly memorable interview with Olympic champion Katharine Berkoff. Recorded during NC State’s 50th-anniversary celebration of women’s swimming, this episode is a heartfelt exploration of Katharine’s journey, her reflections on being part of the Wolfpack, and her post-Olympic life. Berkoff won gold in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games as the preliminary backstroke lead off swimmer for Team USA and was also an individual bronze Medalist in the 100 meter backstroke.
Katharine shares what it’s like to reconnect with alumni who paved the way for her success, her thoughts on NC State’s tradition of producing world-class backstrokers, and the emotional resilience required to secure her Olympic medal. From her thrilling journey to becoming NC State’s first female Olympic champion to her candid reflections on transitioning to professional swimming, this episode is packed with wisdom, inspiration, and a touch of humor.
You’ll also get a glimpse into Katharine’s personal life as she shares the story of her beloved rescue kitten, Peach, and how she’s embracing her new chapter with renewed focus on self-care and recovery. Whether you’re an athlete, a fan of swimming, or someone seeking motivation to tackle life’s challenges, this episode is a must-listen. Dive in and join us for an unforgettable conversation with one of the sport’s brightest stars!
Check out this week's blog post about the NC State Women's Swimming 50th Anniversary Celebration https://www.championsmojo.com/blog/50-years-of-wolfpack-womens-swimming-a-celebration-of-legacy-connection-and-pride/
Champion's Mojo is the #1 Masters Swimming Podcast and a top rated swimming podcast on Apple. Subscribe today and don't miss a single episode!
Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.
Hello friends, this is episode 270. We have been producing Champions Mojo podcasts for six years. We're one of the original swimming podcasts and we're so grateful that you've been with us for all these years. And today we have a very special interview. I wanted to give it a little special introduction. A little special introduction. This is an interview with Olympic champion Catherine Berkoff, who swam at North Carolina State for her college career, and we just came from the celebration of 50 years of NC State women's swimming. If you want more details on that event, then please check out the Champions Mojo blog about it, and this interview I did at the meet with the celebration. So here we go. Welcome to Champions Mojo. Join us for conversations that inspire and empower you as an adult athlete, fitness enthusiast or master swimmer. Our goal is to make each episode insightful and inspirational and to discover what it takes to build or keep a life of personal excellence. I'm your host, Kelly Pallas, and we're here to champion you. Okay, I am at the NC State Wolfpack 50th and you are coming off the post-Olympic year.
Speaker 2:How has this celebration of seeing all your alumni been for you? It's been really cool. I've really enjoyed getting to meet alumni I've never met before and it's been really good to see old friends and old teammates. And it's so strange how different every year is from the last with the new group of freshmen that comes in. But it's fun to reminisce on what was once there and I definitely miss it a lot. And it's actually really hard being an alumni, like I'm watching them racing. I'm just so jealous I want to be in there too. So after practice.
Speaker 1:I'm just so jealous I want to be in there too. So after practice, well, we did a little alumni swim for the celebration. This morning we're having a breakfast for all the alum, and some of the ex-swimmers stood up and did 100 IM for time, and you weren't in it, but you were cheering for them. What did you think of that?
Speaker 2:I was actually pretty impressed. It was fun to watch. They definitely looked like they were hurting a bit but yeah, I would have been nervous to race them. They're still like really fast girls out of college and they're not that far gone, so I knew they'd be pretty good, but I was actually pretty impressed watching them. They did pretty well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And so we have this tradition here at NC State of a lot of really obviously really fast swimming but some really fast backstrokers. So what is it like to meet some of these fellow backstrokers that swam 10, 20, 30, even 40 years ago, that you know kind of set a foundation for somebody like you coming along?
Speaker 2:It's really cool because I definitely, when I was looking at schools, took into consideration like what their backstroke program history looked like. And NC State really stood out as a school that had a great backstroke history. So that was a huge reason for me coming here. So it's really cool to be able to meet previous backstro history. So that was a huge reason for me coming here. So it's really cool to be able to meet previous backstrokers. And now our backstroke group is absolutely insane. I think we have at least half the national team in the 100 back. So it's been really special and it just keeps growing. So it's really exciting and it's cool to meet the past backstrokers that kind of laid the foundation for the rest of us.
Speaker 1:Yes, so you are, like I said, the first Olympic champion for NC State women and the fact that you had that pressure on you you know, not just your dad, david Berkoff, you know already being an Olympic medalist in backstroke and then being an NCAA champion and all that you had kind of being ranked third. You know second and third going into trials. You know you had to perform top two. Then if you, when you went to the Olympics, you had to perform top three, what was your mindset? Because, you know, I kind of helicoptered up and thought this is really somebody that has this expectation, you know that has to perform at trials and has to perform at the Olympics.
Speaker 2:And you did both flawlessly, like you executed what would you say kind of, some of the keys to doing that were would you say, kind of some of the keys to doing that were, I think, for me something I still need to work on. A lot is really improving my details in my race and I feel like three years ago Olympic trials I thought that since I had a good NCAA season, a short course season, I wouldn't need to worry so much about long course. So going into that year I didn't do a lot of long course, I just felt like, since I was swimming fast, I would do about long course. So going into that year I didn't do a lot of long course, I just felt like, since I was swimming fast, I would do a long course and I had a pretty good trials. But I missed the team by a couple of tenths and I was one of like several contenders for that second place spot in the 100 backstroke and that moment was really tough but it was a big like eye-opening experience and it made me realize I never wanted to be in a situation again where I felt like I was a contender. I would rather be a lock for a spot on the team.
Speaker 2:Just the way I had been training the past three years. I had no doubt in my mind I was going to make the team at trials. It was still super scary. I think I had a little PTSD. From missing the team three, three years ago is like such a terrible feeling being someone who puts a lot of pressure on myself. So I was don't get me wrong like the most nervous I've ever been in my life before that 100 back final because I knew that could be the moment that I accomplished one of my lifelong dreams. Accomplish one of my lifelong dreams.
Speaker 2:But I just had so much confidence going into that meet that I had no doubt in my mind that I would make it. If I just didn't slip on my start and stuff like that. And just the momentum of the past three years gave me a lot of confidence going into the Olympics because I knew my rank. I was going in third and although I went too fast in prelims on accident, I think I'm still learning how to control myself in prelims so I have more energy for finals and I don't know. I think the emotions of the Olympics got to me. But being the number three seed, I knew I was a. Really I was very confident I would get a medal if everything went correctly and so I was not as nervous at the Olympics as I was at trials. But yeah, I think just the training I've done over the past three years gave me no doubt that I could do what I wanted to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and training is. You know, that's the foundation. I love that. When you know you've done the training, it's so much easier to have a great mindset. So you know, last night, like I said, we had this big celebration, a bunch of alums and I'm with some of the older people that swam at NC State and almost everybody that I talked to like was like, oh, I want to get a picture with Katherine Verkoff, katherine Berkoff and that post-Olympic kind of glow and celebrity and you know, it's kind of hit you like you're this big deal now where you used to just kind of show up at things and not everybody wanted to interview you in the hall, like I am now, or they wanted a photo with you. How has that been juggling that?
Speaker 2:It's interesting because I'm like kind of socially awkward. It's interesting because I'm like kind of socially awkward but and just I'm a little weird, so it can be tough. But I do think like if I want to live the lifestyle I want to live and be a professional swimmer and make money from my name, I need to get better at stuff like this. So I think just kind of throwing me into it has been a good thing no-transcript.
Speaker 1:So now that you are going more forward as a professional so you've had your NCAA career what would you say is something you're really looking forward to as a pro?
Speaker 2:Honestly, college swimming is so fun and I miss it so much. It's very exhausting, though, especially being a full-time student and an athlete and trying to put good energy into both things and living a life. Now I actually have time to sleep, so I just realized like how sleep deprived I always was in college, like I never felt rested. I was always exhausted. I'd get to the weekend and be like just destroyed. So now I feel like I'm able to nap a lot and actually take care of myself. So I think that's been something that's been really fun about being a pro is I feel like I'm getting proper recovery, but like I've been enjoying these few months of not doing much, but I know eventually I'm going to lose my appreciation for it. I'm going to need something else to do so trying to figure out hobbies and such to keep me occupied in the meantime.
Speaker 1:I love it. So one of your little hobbies is your kitty cat. Tell us, tell all the cat lovers out here, what about your little kitten or your little cat?
Speaker 2:So me and my boyfriend Noah Henderson he's an alumni too and we both graduated the same year and well, we both took our fifth year done something now for him. But we were driving down Avent Ferry some of you know this road and there's this little five-week-old kitten just running down the sidewalk. So he pulled over. I jumped out of the car and chased this kitten under a parked car in someone's driveway and we ended up taking him and I knew from the moment I saw him that we were keeping him Because I decided, like, once I'm done with college, I'm getting a kitten because I literally need one. I can't live without a pet any longer. And so, yeah, we kept him and we gave him a little flea bath and the rest is history. Now he's just my little angel, but he literally is like the center of my world. I love him so much. He's my child. What's his name? His name is Peach. I don't really know why we named him that, but I think he's just cute and we think he's so cute. He's a peach.
Speaker 1:Yes, he's perfect. Love it. Yeah, I love it. Thank you so much, really appreciate this time and we're all cheering for you, obviously from the long line of Red, legend, pride and all the Wolfpack women and everybody else out there, because I know there's a big Catherine Berkoff fan club. Thank you, I appreciate that. Takeaways we've heard from you that takeaways are one of your favorite parts of the show. We have a special guest to do takeaways with me today and that is my husband, mark palace. He listened to the katherine burkoff interview and here are our takeaways enjoy all right. So I have my husband, mark palace, here to do the takeaways of the Catherine Burkoff interview. And honey, you were at the 50th celebration of NC State Women's Swimming and you said you were very moved by it and you know, catherine is kind of the culmination of all the success of NC State Women's Swimming, all the success of NC State Women's Swimming. What was your first takeaway of just listening to this interview and hearing what Catherine is doing? What was your first takeaway?
Speaker 3:That she has realized now, after having completed her college swimming career, just how sleep deprived she was during her entire swimming career at NC State and that now she can take naps, she can sleep, and I immediately thought, kind of reading into that, that she may be able to go faster now because she's going to have better sleep, better healing and better rest and recovery, which is extremely important. So, yeah, I think she could still achieve lifetime best times.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think she could still achieve lifetime best times. Yes, I know you tremendously follow sleep protocols and you're a big sleep expert, so this one must have really just hit you.
Speaker 3:Yep, it did indeed. I love my sleep hygiene and in fact missed out on going to dinner with the entire crew last night. It was a late night, 9 pm dinner because I wanted to get my sleep.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's great. Well, my takeaway there's more than one, but it's a short interview so we'll each just give one. My takeaway, my main one, is that there was so much pressure on Catherine going into Olympic trials and going into the Olympics you know, third ranked in the world in a hundred meter backstroke and she had confidence, utter confidence, in her ability to perform at that level, both at Olympic trials which some say is the most high pressure swim meet in the world, even more so than the Olympics and then to perform again at the Olympics, and that she did it because her training gave her that confidence. She said I knew that I had done the training, I knew how I was performing, I had swum fast, I knew I could do it again. So I think that gives you such a solid foundation and a mindset of I've performed in practice and therefore just happens in the meet. It's like you're confident. What do you think about honey?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I agree, Definitely. I mean, if we have protocols and routines just in general in life like I get up every single morning to do sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, dips, life Like I get up every single morning to do sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, dips and myrtle hip girdle exercises. So if I'm on the road I still do them. If I'm tired, I still do them. The only time I won't do that is if I'm sick. So by having this, it's almost like a default, it's almost like breathing. That is pretty much exactly what she experienced there. She just was like automated. I mean, it was like an automatic process. What she experienced there, she just was like automated.
Speaker 1:I mean it was like an automatic process, right, that the champions do those things. You just keep. You keep doing things that you know are going to make you successful. And, in the same vein, while we heard her say several times, you know she was confident she could do this, she was confident that she could do that, that even someone who wins an Olympic bronze individually, an Olympic gold for USA Relay in the Olympics, can feel that she is socially awkward. It's just she doesn't seem socially awkward, she seems like incredibly confident. But I love the fact that she has that little vulnerable side, that authentic side, to share that in an interview, that we all have these things where we may be A plus in one area and then another area where we don't feel as confident. But we can work on it. She said she's working on getting less socially awkward and I loved that real raw, vulnerable, authentic part of her.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I totally agree. It's great that she can acknowledge that self-awareness is hugely important in general in life and perhaps the first step in becoming more socially intelligent or more socially articulate is to accept the fact that one is sort of weak in that area and then one can grow. I think that's great, I think it's beautiful and, by the way, I agree with you, I think she did a wonderful job and I don't think she appeared to be socially awkward at all.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes. Well, there's one in the books for the NC State legacy celebrating 50 years of NC State women's swimming and, of course, like I said, the whole Catherine Burkoff fan club, which there are many far and wide across the world. What a great chance to get to talk with Catherine. Thanks for joining me, honey, love you.
Speaker 4:Thank you for listening to the Champions Mojo podcast. Did you enjoy the show? We'd be grateful if you would leave us a five-star review on iTunes to help others find us, and we'd also love to hear from you. We're on all social media platforms or you can reach us at championsmojocom.
