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DRIVEN BY THE MISSION

DRIVEN BY THE MISSION

Written by: DBTM
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Driven by the Mission highlights the hidden champions of the student-athlete experience. Hosts Raymond Harrison and Jean Boyd with nearly 60 years of experience in college athletics lead conversations with academic and student-athlete development professionals and other personnel central to the holistic development of student-athletes that provide insight rarely discussed related to empowering student-athletes. In a time of reinvention in college athletics, where the lead story publicly is revenue sharing, NIL, the transfer portal and the business of the college athletic industrial complex, we seem to be losing the truth. The truth that college athletics is the most ingenious system of comprehensive development for the young adults who participate therein. Driven by the Mission focuses on the core of what the student-athlete experience is about: creating leaders and champions in life, and the professionals who are blessed to be the custodians of this commitment to holistic development.


© 2025 DRIVEN BY THE MISSION
Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Mission: Intentional
    Jan 6 2026

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    Episode 9- Mission: Intentional

    In this episode of Driven By The Mission, Jean Boyd and Raymond Harrison are joined by Tori Niemann-Lukens, Assistant AD and Director of Student-Athlete Development at Clemson University, for a powerful conversation on intentional leadership, identity, and human development in college athletics.

    Tori reflects on her journey from Division I student-athlete to senior administrator, sharing why sport is a vehicle—not the destination. She discusses the impact of the “final buzzer,” the danger of over-identifying with sport, and how intentional programming, relationship-building, and real-world reps prepare student-athletes for life beyond competition.

    A must-listen for leaders, coaches, and practitioners committed to developing the whole student-athlete.









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    55 mins
  • Mission: Annoying Uncle
    Dec 12 2025

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    Episode 8 - Mission: Annoying Uncle

    Courtney “Skip” Skipper has spent 19 years at Arizona State quietly changing lives—first as a GA who “just wanted to do development,” now as Assistant AD for Academic Services. In this episode, Skip, Jean, and Raymond unpack the power of language (“we’re products of expectations, not environments”), why authenticity beats authority with today’s athletes, and how a coach’s-kid childhood across three states became the perfect training ground to connect with anyone in the room. Skip breaks down the NIL/portal era’s new reality—transactional relationships, early money, and shrinking hunger—and shares how he stays effective by playing the “annoying uncle”: present, honest, relentlessly consistent.

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    52 mins
  • Mission: Forever Fueling
    Nov 26 2025

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    Episode 7- Mission : Forever Fueling

    Former Washington State tennis standout and UCF Director of Sports Nutrition Aneta Miksovska joins Driven By The Mission to pull back the curtain on what sports nutrition really is — and why it’s about far more than food.
    Aneta traces her journey from the Czech Republic to the Palouse, becoming an NCAA Tournament athlete and three-time Pac-12 All-Academic pick, then shifting from tennis coach to trailblazing sports dietitian — including serving as the first full-time dietitian in her conference at Lamar. Now at UCF, she oversees nutrition for the entire department while working directly with football.
    Aneta explains why she refuses to be seen as a “snack babe,” and breaks down the true scope of her role: collaborating with strength coaches, sports medicine, mental health, and performance staff; building individualized plans around in-season vs. off-season demands; and teaching life skills through grocery store tours, cooking demos, and simple, sustainable habits.

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    45 mins
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