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Episode 57

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Published on:

12th Jun 2019

57. Kirk MacDonald - Having Momentum and Self-Belief

In this episode, Lance and Kirk MacDonald discuss the power of goal-setting, self-belief, and building momentum to achieve your goals. 

Kirk MacDonald grew up excelling at hockey where he eventually landed a scholarship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which is known as one of the top engineering schools in the world. After continuing to excel and chase his dream of playing in the NHL, Kirk was faced with testicular cancer.

After having to miss the season due to treatments, he came back to finish off his senior year and received several accolades such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s most inspirational player, a community service award, and was nominated and selected as a finalist for the hockey humanitarian award. He went on to play pro hockey for 6 years. Today, he is the head coach of the Reading Royals and he continues to excel as a true leader and ambassador of the game.


Kirk tells listeners: “It’s self-belief. Somebody’s going to tell you, you can’t do it but at the end of the day if you really believe… You’re going to give yourself a chance.”




In this episode, you will learn:

  • How to find strength by leveraging your dreams and aspirations
  • The importance of keeping a healthy mindset amidst health challenges
  • To build momentum through self-belief to attain your goals

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About University of Adversity Podcast

Learn how to overcome failure and tragedy, while becoming your best self with the University of Adversity podcast. Join your host Lance Essihos as he interviews successful individuals that have fought the hard battles to overcome life’s obstacles. Lance started the University of Adversity podcast after overcoming his own adversities shared in episode 01.


Join him and thousands of other entrepreneurs in learning how to use Adversity as a fuel to ignite your inner flame and live the life you have always desired. Tune in weekly for a dose of positivity, strength, and real-life practical advice to achieve your life goals.

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About the Podcast

University of Adversity
Real stories and tools to help you grow through adversity, burnout, and reinvention.
University of Adversity is a show about the moments that change us — especially the ones we didn’t ask for.

I’m Lance Essihos, and I sit down with athletes, bestselling authors, doctors, entrepreneurs, spiritual teachers, and everyday warriors to have real conversations about adversity — the kind that strips away the surface and forces us to face who we really are.

We go deep into the mindset shifts, emotional breakthroughs, and practical tools that helped them rebuild. Not just to survive, but to come back stronger, clearer, and more aligned.

This isn’t motivation.
It’s what happens after the breakdown, when you’re trying to put the pieces back together and make it mean something.

If you’re in a season of uncertainty, burnout, or reinvention — this show is here to walk with you.

We don’t just talk about getting through the hard times.
We talk about who you become because of them.

About your host

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Lance Essihos

As an experienced veteran with adversity, Lance has faced some of life's most difficult challenges. Grinding his way through the hockey ranks to traveling the world as a bartender. Through his personal battle with drugs and alcohol for well over a decade, the tragic loss of his brother to suicide followed by the great loss of his father to cancer only a year later, Lance realized he had hit rock bottom. In the darkest of days, he made a promise to himself that he would create a new life, one that would make an impact and inspire the masses, leaving the world in a better place than he found it. Lance has made it his mission to facilitate the message of positive change through adversity and encourage people to see the light through the darkness of life's worst moments.