The Bounce Forward Podcast

About The Bounce Forward Podcast

Freewheeling conversations exploring the courageous act of the bounce forward—forget the comeback. Author, speaker, and mindset/mental endurance coach, Michael Leach, sits down with athletes, adventurers and performers—pushing physical and mental limits, inspiring listeners to bounce forward with resilience and fortitude. Raw, real and vulnerable these intimate conversations are as diverse as the guests, diving deep into what it takes to bounce forward from injury, illness or setback, embracing the remake in pursuit of becoming one’s truest and strongest self.

Publisher

Be Audacious LLC.

Category

sports

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

24 Jan 2023

Latest episode

15 May 2025

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 May 2025

   Emma Thompson on Hanging up the Goggles and Living in Alignment

   Emma Thompson is a former collegiate and standout swimmer from the Pacific Northwest. For the latest episode of the podcast, I sit down with Emma on the eve of her 22nd birthday to learn about her life after swim—the transition from being a full-time athlete to a full-time working professional. This episode is for parents, young athletes and coaches working with teenage and twenty-something athletes. Emma’s story and candor serves as inspiration and a cautionary tale. ET is the epitome of the remake—the embodiment of what it looks like to let go of one part of our identity, to pursue a new path, intentionally and thoughtfully making sure that our actions are in alignment with our priorities. Spirited, feisty, wise beyond her years and full of heart, Emma Thompson has been a source of inspiration for my young swimmer and I’m confident that in this conversation she will provide much needed perspective (perhaps a desperately needed perspective shift) of how we can best support young athletes as they chase their watery (performance) dreams, while fostering a strong sense of identity and self outside of the pool, track, playing field, or court. WNbL, Emma’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emthompsonn/# Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Michael’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@michaelleachba⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/michaelleachba/) Show’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebounceforward⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/thebounceforward/) Michael's Mindset and Mental Endurance Coaching: ⁠https://beaudacious.com/coaching/⁠ (https://beaudacious.com/coaching/)

2. 

   22 Apr 2025

   Mike McCormack on Everything Breck Epic

   We’ve brought back Mike McCormack, founder of one of the most celebrated (and kickass) mountain bike stage races in North America. The Breck Epic remains true to its roots, filled big, long backcountry rides at high elevation in Breckenridge, Colorado. In our last episode with Mike, we riffed on his diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to welcome all riders, regardless of age, race, creed, ethnicity or gender. In this conversation, we dive into what makes the Breck Epic the iconic race that it’s become. Tipping off on Sunday, August 10th, 2025, the Breck will be celebrating its 17th year and it just keeps getting bigger and better—while keeping the rider numbers and thus the rider experience, stable. In this fireside chat, we explore Mike’s concerted effort to promote women’s cycling through the Breck Epic Women’s Tour (they hosted 60 women in the pro field in 2024), along with his ecosystem approach to event organizing including 3-nights of sustainable fireworks (yep, fireworks at the Breck in ’25), the Women’s Cycling Summit and year two of Breck Bike Week. Quintessential Mike McCormack, his style is very much his own and he shows up raw, real, and willing to bare all. Affable, eccentric and honest, listening to Mike Mac flow on all things event organizing and bike racing is a trip worth taking. WNbL, Breck Epic Website : https://breckepic.com/ ( https://breckepic.com/) Breck Epic Instagram: @breckepic (https://www.instagram.com/breckepic/) Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠) Michael’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@michaelleachba⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/michaelleachba/) Show’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebounceforward⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/thebounceforward/) Michael's Mindset and Mental Endurance Coaching: ⁠https://beaudacious.com/coaching/⁠ (https://beaudacious.com/coaching/)

3. 

   1 Apr 2025

   Easier to Suffer in a Pair: Haley Smith on the Cape Epic, Resilience and Teamwork

   For the second episode of Season 3, we’re bringing back a Bounce Forward fan favorite, Haley Smith. If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 of Season 3, with Haley, we’d highly encourage you to do so as it sets the table for this most recent conversation. In the days following her return from South Africa, Haley and I sat down to unpack her eight stages of racing on the Western Cape, for the legendary Absa Cape Epic. In this conversation we explore Haley’s take on resilience, how she navigated the struggle bus early on, lessons she learned about herself and her racing parter and why the teammate component of the Cape Epic makes for a truly special and eye opening experience. Filled with Haley insights and wisdom, we dive beyond the watts, exploring how she overcomes self-doubt, mantras, mental cues, the power of believing in potential, and why it’s easier to suffer in a pair. WNbL, Cover art photo by Trek Bikes Haley’s Website: https://www.haleyhuntersmith.com/ (https://www.haleyhuntersmith.com/) Haley’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/haleyhuntersmith (https://www.instagram.com/haleyhuntersmith) Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠beaudacious.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@michaelleachba⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/michaelleachba/) Show’s Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebounceforward⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/thebounceforward/) Michael's Mindset and Mental Endurance Coaching: ⁠https://beaudacious.com/coaching/⁠ (https://beaudacious.com/coaching/)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

23,342,332

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

30 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

29 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 67 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

49

Social presence

91

YouTube

93

Engagement

77

Contact The Bounce Forward Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.