I've been on a pool deck for most of my life. And the question I get asked more than any other is some version of "What does it take?" People usually expect me to say talent. Honestly, almost none of it is talent. Most of it comes down to having a plan and sticking to it on the days you don't feel like it. It's what you do on an ordinary Tuesday morning, when nobody is watching and the Olympics feel a hundred years away. I've been lucky to coach some remarkable people. Michael Phelps, Léon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, and a lot of athletes whose names you may never know, who worked every bit as hard. One of those groups was a men's team at Arizona State that couldn't score a point at nationals. Nine seasons later, they won the program's first national title. Very different athletes, and the system underneath was the same. I've been coaching Olympians for nearly 40 years, and I've learned a few things about what makes a champion and how you become one. Now I want to share them with you. And I'll tell you some of the stories I've picked up along the way. A few funny ones, a few I've never really told. Like the infamous pair of goggles I stepped on. Or the number Michael kept seeing in his dreams, and where it ended up. But none of this is only for swimmers. So here's my promise to you. I'm going to give you the same systems, the same way of setting goals, and the same daily standards I've used with Olympic champions. Proven at the highest level in the world, and built so you can apply them to whatever you're chasing. Whether you're a student, a parent, building a company, or just trying to get better at something hard, the process is the same. You decide what you want. You make a plan. And then you do the plan, every day. That's how you become a champion in your own life. I'm glad you're here. — Coach Bowman