Countdown to Cortina
Episodes
Bjørn Dæhlie on Sports, Business, and the Power of Coincidence.
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this engaging conversation, I interview Bjørn Dæhlie, a legendary cross-country skier, discussing his journey from professional athlete to busine...
How 6x Paralympic medalist Kjartan Haugen came back from retirement, to medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with Kjartan Haugen a Norwegian Para athlete who lost his leg to cancer at 18yrs old. He went onto gain 6 Olympic medals, ...
How to go viral as an athlete with Aussie Olympian & Social Media Guru; Seve De Campo
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryIn this engaging conversation, Seve De Campo shares his journey as a cross-country skier, from his early days in Melbourne to his experiences a...
A crash course in curling with 3 x Olympian Markus Høiberg. And why it just might be the coolest sport to watch at the Olympics.
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryIn this episode, Matt C Smith interviews Markus Hoiberg, a three-time Olympian in curling, exploring the intricacies of the sport, its evolutio...
How to build a YouTube following as an athlete: the Zak Ketterson playbook on Storytelling, and Self-Branding.
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zak Ketterson shares his journey as a cross-country skier, discussing his upbringing in Minnesota, the impact of the NCAA system on his career, and th...
From War Zone to World Championships. How Paralympian Scott Meenagh is still fighting for his country, on the ski tracks.
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Meenagh is a former solder turned Paralympian. In this episode we get a master class in resilience from his journey into parasports, to his figh...
How athletes can post & perform, building personal brands and their sport in the process, with Biathlete Boris Stanish
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this engaging conversation, Matt and Boris Stanish explore Boris's journey as an aspiring biathlete aiming for the Olympics through his Project...
The Muffin Man of Paris Olympics 2024: How going Viral on TikTok helped Henrik Christiansen build a personal brand, and so can you!
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Henrik Christiansen, a Norwegian swimmer and Olympic athlete, shares his journey from a young soccer player to becoming a world-class...
Saudi Arabias first Olympic Cross Country Skier; Rakan Alireza.
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Rakan Alireza shares his journey from Jeddah to the TED stage, discussing the challenges of public speaking, transitioning from rowin...
5 lessons from the last 5 episodes.
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this recap, I pick my 5 favourite lessons from the last 5 episodes.
Father of 3, Self-teachers his way to the Olympics.
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Daniel Corona shares his inspiring journey as a self-taught cross-country skier representing Mexico at the Olympics. He discusses the importance ...
How patience & persistence took Michal Novak to the World Cup Podium & the Olympics.
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Michal & I discuss the journey to the Olympics, sharing personal experiences, cultural clashes, and the importance of mental prepa...
The Journey of Holmenkollen Training Lab: Building a Legacy with Ragnar Andresen
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode explores the journey of Holmenkollen Training Lab, the cultural factors contributing to Norway's success in winter sports, and the import...
The IceBok; South Africa’s 1st female Skeleton athlete. Nicole Burger.
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: In this episode Nicole Burger, a skeleton athlete representing South Africa, shares her journey into the sport, the challenges she faces, and...
Winning while smiling! The Federico Pellegrino way.
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Countdown to Cortina, Matt has a heartfelt conversation with Italian cross-country skiing champion Federico Pellegrino. They discus...
5 lessons from the first 5 episodes.
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode I wanted to recap the first 5 episodes with picking my favourite take away from each episode. 1. Andrew Musgrave: Athletes needi...
The only Olympic sport without women. How Annika Malacinski is changing that!
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Annika Malacinski shares her journey as a Nordic combined athlete, discussing the unique duality of ski jumping and cross-countr...
Why choose between summer and winter Paralympics....When you can go to both! Dani Aravich
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dani shares her unique journey as a Paralympian from from discovering that there is actually a category for her disability, to then c...
4 Gold Medals, 3 World Records. 2 Olympics. 1 Mindset. The story of a Norwegian legend, Johann Olav Koss.
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is one of Norway's greatest Olympians, and coming from the land of winter olympians that's saying something. Johan Olav Kos...
Paralympic Champion Carina Edlinger on changing nations, winning Gold and overcoming disability .
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode of Countdown to Cortina, matt sits down with Carina Edlinger, Paralympic gold medalist from Beijing 2022. Carina shares how she ...
4 x Olympian and Great Britain's all-time best cross country skier, Andrew Musgrave shares his journey in cross-country skiing.
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Muzzy shares his journey from Scotland to becoming a beloved figure in Norway's cross-country skiing scene. He reflects on his Olympic experiences, th...
Podcast Introduction
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is countdown to cortina, a weekly podcast leading up to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Created & hosted by me, Matt C Smith. This...