Mick Unplugged
Heather Mitts Feeley: Embracing the Gold Medal Mindset for Success in Life and Leadership
19 May 2025
Heather Mitts Feeley is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team defender, celebrated for her relentless grit, tenacity, and leadership both on and off the field. A University of Florida alum, Heather helped build their soccer program from the ground up and became a national champion. After retiring from soccer, she transformed her athlete’s mindset into motivational speaking and advocacy, inspiring business leaders and championing equity in sports. Today, Heather balances her passion for empowering others with her most cherished role: being a present and loving mom to her three children. Takeaways: Mindset Matters Everywhere: The ‘gold medal mindset’ isn’t just for athletes; Heather shares how the principles of resilience, goal setting, and controlling what you can translate seamlessly into business and life. Surround Yourself with the Right People: Heather emphasizes the importance of curating your inner circle, noting that the company you keep can fuel—or hinder—your growth and dreams. Adversity Builds Strength: From career-altering injuries to personal loss, Heather’s journey reveals that hardship can sharpen your toughness, shape your character, and lead to your greatest moments of triumph. Sound Bites: “You retire from the sport; you don’t retire from being an athlete. The dog mentality is still there.” “We are the sum of the five people that we spend the most time with. That blows my mind, because at one point in my life, my five weren’t great, but now they are amazing.” “Giving yourself permission to imagine a positive outcome—dreaming—doesn’t stop when you grow up, it’s something we need all our lives.” Mick’s Quote: “A great leader knows their team better than their team knows themselves. Meaning you know how they think, you know the right positions to put them in, and you set them up for success by knowing them better than they know themselves.” Connect & Discover Heather: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-mitts-1b50a18/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmitts2/?hl=en Website: Players for Good FOLLOW MICK ON:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickunplugged/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mickunplugged/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mickunplugged LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickhunt/Website: https://www.mickhuntofficial.com Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mick-unplugged/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
The biggest thing is being able to share my story with others. And so I came up with what's called the gold medal mindset. And I do go to a lot of business leaders and I share what helped me on the field to succeed. What is that gold medal mindset? What is that athlete mindset that then translate into the business world? Because it's really not, it's not any different.
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of McUnplugged. And today we are in for a banger. One of my favorite athletes of all times. We're talking about a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a trailblazer in women's soccer, and a fierce voice for equity in sport.
From dominating the pitch to shaping the next generation of leaders, she embodies resilience, fierce leadership, and unapologetic authenticity. Please join me in welcoming my friend, The dominating Heather Mitz-Feely. Heather, how you doing today, dear?
I love it. Thanks, Mick. I'm great. Thanks for having me on. I'm so excited to be here.
I'm the excited one. You know, we were talking offline. Most people don't know. Well, everybody knows I'm a Tar Heel. Everyone knows I'm a UNC Tar Heel. Most people don't realize how dominating UNC is in women's soccer. And literally my first week on campus, I went to a UNC women's soccer match and I have been hooked since 1996.
Like literally one of my favorite sports of all time is women's soccer. And one of my favorite players of all time is Heather Mitzfeely. Heather, this is an honor. Truly mean that.
Oh, that's so sweet of you. Um, You know, I think UNC is like where it all began. Right. Anson Dorrance, Cindy Parlow. So many greats that went there. It's a great place to to fall in love with soccer. That's for sure.
Absolutely. So let's talk about that, though, because you did not attend UNC. You went to this little school in the state of Florida that likes blue and orange that may or may not have just won the national championship in basketball. How did you arrive at the University of Florida?
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