Interview with Martina Veiglova-Mamuti, a graduate of the Journey to Self program and the founder of SportStudyUSA

I worked in a family confectionery business – providing a kind of management. And I also advised a few people about volleyball in America, I helped them with their choice of schools and some also with getting a scholarship. At the same time, I took care of the children. I guess I was paying attention to everything but myself. And then came that period, caused by the age of around forty or something else, when your work and everyday life begin to get you down and eat away at you. I felt that I needed to change something. I searched and tried different things, but nothing felt right. It was during this period that several people came into my life to whom I owe for where I am today. One of these people is Evka and LeadIN, as well as my family. So, when the idea of SportStudyUSA came up, I knew that I was at home, I was being myself, and I was doing what really fulfilled me. I think the idea came at the right time. When I look back and think that I could have done this a long time ago, I know that I couldn't have because I was supposed to do it right now. And because I am doing it now, it became exactly what it was meant to be.

You mentioned that LeadIN also came into your life during that period of time. What was happening at that time and what role did the Journey To Self program play in it?

At that time, I was going through my “lost” period. Although I had felt that I had everything in my hands, I was searching for myself internally, I was searching for a path to myself. Well, and the program was exactly about that – about better understanding yourself, your inner self, your needs. And since I succeeded at it, or am still succeeding at it (because it is an ongoing process), I can better perceive the world around me, my loved ones, my work and even my private life.

Can you recall any specific moment from the program that has significantly influenced your life?

I guess all of the moments did. Because the whole program was a journey, where in one moment you realize something about yourself, and in the next moment you observe the people who are there and learn to understand why they made the decision that they made, and which you would have made differently. I often typify the people in my life according to the talent profiles we learned about in the program. By that, I don’t mean that I put these people in a box based on their talent profile, but that I am able to perceive them better due to it. Each stage of the program had its own meaning and left some impression, although, one may not be aware of it immediately after completing the program. Some things you will realize in a month, some in a year, and some will hit you like "ah, this was in the program two years ago". So it is a journey of continual learning and drawing from it even after a long time.

To what extent do you use the concept of talent profiles at work?

I first perceive my students from the sports angle, since I used to coach - I view them with my coaching eye. And then I view them as individuals and see how each one is completely different. For example, I have an athlete who is of a different talent profile than me, and that's why the work with her is, I would say, more challenging than with other athletes. Precisely because of her talent profile - of what she needs and how she communicates back. So at my work, once I get to know my students better also due to the concept of talent profiles, I can better estimate what to expect and how our cooperation will develop - where it will be easy and where we need to point something out or make it a priority in order to make it to finish line.

TThe trend of personal development is getting stronger every year and there are different programs available on the market with different content and different scope of detail. Why do you think women should choose the Journey To Self program?

Because it's a journey to self, literally. The program truly lives up to its name, at least for me it did. And once a person realizes that the path to oneself is the most important path, then all other paths become easier and simpler - suddenly they are no longer impossible or impassable, but there is a detour or a tunnel underneath them that you can take. I could also witness this in our group. There were women who were trying to improve their professional lives, others their personal ones. Each woman in the program dealt with something different, but I believe that once a person understands themselves, they will also understand what is happening at work, the corporation or, for example, the family in which they may see chaos and confusion. Once a person understands themselves and finds themselves, learns to love themselves, then all the pieces start falling into place.

Since you have experienced studying and doing sports in America from both sides - first you experienced it yourself and now you are bringing this experience to other young athletes - what has this experience given you, and what do you wish it to give to your students as well?

At the time, I didn't realize what it was giving me. That was one of the things I realized with Evka in LeadIN. Everything takes its time to mature and this maturity came to me only at the age when I was able to realize what it truly gave me. And besides the fact that it gave me the opportunity to play sports, get an education, have a scholarship, see a part of the world and meet new people with whom I am still in contact today, it actually enabled me to do the work I do now. Because it is thanks to those people and contacts I made that many doors are open for me today and that I can now open them for my students as well. That's exactly what I'm trying to give to other young people - the opportunity to experience what I experienced and the opportunity to continue playing sports. At the same time, many young athletes don’t want to be anything else but professional athletes, and I understand that. But I also tell them that there will come a time when their body no longer has the energy, or God forbid they will get injured, and if they don't even have a diploma, then suddenly they are left with nothing. I want to give my students the sports experience and an education at the same time. I want to enable them to continue playing professionally and pay for their studies thanks to the sport they love. This brings me joy and satisfaction - to see that another young person is going to America and has this opportunity thanks to me. Because combining sports and studies is really possible in America only. Nowhere in the world does it work so symbiotically that a student doesn't have to miss training because of school and doesn't have to be late for school because of training. It is an experience that lasts a lifetime.

Working in two time zones involving communication with a large number of people, surely requires a lot of effort and energy. What drives you forward or inspires you?

When I see it work out. That I can get those kids to America, enable them to continue playing sports, arrange their scholarships, and make the impossible possible, because for many people such a thing is unrealistic since they don't know how the system works. In Slovakia, athletes receive maybe 100-150 euros per month and play in all leagues. In America, we have a scholarship that covers their accommodation, food, tuition fees, health insurance, and for some even travel expenses, and suddenly they get a scholarship of 40,000 to 50,000 euros per year. This year, the average scholarship for our athletes is 39,000 euros which is an incredible achievement both for them and for us, and a motivation to keep going.

If you had to evaluate what you consider to be your greatest achievement, what would it be?

I don't know if I can name just one. For example, I am a member of the Sports Hall of Fame in America, my volleyball records there have not been broken to this day. I played and coached in the highest American division - D1. I represented Slovakia at the European Championships and the World Championships. Those are the achievements “on the wall”, but I don't know if I would list them as my biggest achievement. Rather, I would say that the achievement is being here and now, learning something new every day, being able to understand that even the bad is part of the journey. The idea to start SportStudy USA, to come up with a name and a logo for it, was also an achievement. It involves a million things, whether it's advertising or communication with schools, coaches and parents, and the achievement is that I can manage all of it and, at the same time, be a part of my children's time, support them, find time for myself. Achievement is enjoying what is here and now.

– 7 September 2023 –