Meet Heidi Mueller! 🤸‍♀️

In this episode of The Championship Corner Podcast, Ryan Romano sits down with Heidi Mueller to talk about her journey through gymnastics, the goals she’s chasing, what she values in a future college program, and the person she is outside the gym.

After three years as a Level 10 gymnast and multiple trips to Nationals and Westerns, Heidi is preparing to take on a brand-new challenge: pursuing elite gymnastics. She talks about stepping into the unknown, adding new skills and upgrades, and why her focus is less about comparing herself to everyone else and more about becoming 1% better every day.

Heidi also shares what she believes is one of her biggest strengths as a teammate: ENERGY. She loves being the “hype girl,” celebrating her teammates, encouraging others, and creating the kind of energy that can spread throughout an entire team.

Outside the gym, Heidi has big ambitions as well. She discusses her academic background, graduating with a bilingual diploma in Spanish, and her interests in everything from mechanical engineering and automotive design to potentially becoming a lawyer.

We also dive into Heidi’s experience navigating the college gymnastics recruiting process as a Canadian gymnast and what she's ultimately searching for in a college: strong academics, coaches and teammates she can trust, and a program that truly feels like a second family.

And toward the end of the conversation, Heidi shares an important reminder for anyone constantly chasing the next goal:

The life you're living right now might be the life your younger self once dreamed about.

You can have huge goals for your future while still appreciating how far you've already come.

In this episode of The Championship Corner Podcast, Ryan Romano sits down with Syla Toney to learn more about who she is beyond gymnastics.

Syla shares the creative side of her personality, from sewing and nail art to playing guitar, and explains how many of those interests started simply by being curious and trying something new. That same curiosity carries over into the way she approaches learning, competition, and life.

Throughout the conversation, Syla talks about the importance of being educated, driven, and willing to figure things out for yourself. One of the qualities that stands out most is her resourcefulness: if she wants to accomplish something, she is willing to find a way to make it happen.

Syla also opens up about her personality as both a person and a competitor. Outside the gym, she describes herself as outgoing, talkative, funny, and “giggly.” When competition begins, however, her competitive side takes over. She enjoys being locked in, focused, and fully engaged in what she is doing.

The episode also explores what Syla is looking for as she continues through the college recruiting process. Academically, she is interested in schools with strong business programs because she hopes to become an entrepreneur one day. From a gymnastics standpoint, she values a team that is genuinely close and connected, much like the relationships she has developed with her current teammates.

Looking further into the future, Syla shares some big goals for college gymnastics: becoming an all-around competitor and ultimately working toward scoring a perfect 10 on every event.

The conversation closes with Syla answering one important question: if she could stand in front of 100,000 people and leave them with one message, what would it be?

Her answer was simple and powerful: Be yourself. Don’t change who you are for other people. You only get one life, so live it as yourself.

In this episode of The Championship Corner Podcast, Ryan Romano sits down with Braelynn Carnes, one of the original members of Gymnastics Plus, to talk about the person behind the gymnast.

Braelynn shares the values that shape how she approaches gymnastics, relationships, and life—particularly family, gratitude, and faith. Having trained at the same gym since she was about three years old, she describes her teammates as sisters, her coaches as second moms, and the gym as a second home. That close-knit environment has also helped shape what she is looking for in a future college gymnastics program: a place that genuinely feels like family.

The conversation also dives into Braelynn’s experience competing beam in the All-Star session at Nationals, where she leaned heavily on faith and gratitude to manage her nerves. Instead of focusing only on the pressure of the moment, she reminded herself that simply having the opportunity to compete on that stage was something to be grateful for.

Looking toward the upcoming season, Braelynn discusses new routines, skills, and one word that has defined her summer: intention. Rather than expecting every turn to be perfect, she is learning to focus on getting one step better every day.

That mindset shift has been especially important as she works through confidence and perfectionism. Braelynn explains that last season she sometimes knew physically that she was capable of a skill, but mentally struggled to trust herself. Now, she is working to replace perfectionism with high standards and a healthier perspective: “I get to do gymnastics. I don’t have to.”

Braelynn also talks about the resilience gymnastics has built in her. Falling, failing, trying again, and eventually succeeding has taught her lessons she believes will extend far beyond the sport.

The episode closes with Braelynn answering one powerful question: if she could stand in front of 100,000 people and leave them with only one message, what would it be?

Her answer reflects one of the biggest themes of the conversation: trust that Jesus has a plan for you, even when you can’t yet see exactly what that plan is.

Meet Charlotte Smith! In this episode of The Championship Corner Podcast, Ryan Romano sits down with Charlotte to talk about the person behind the gymnast her personality, mindset, goals, values, and what she’s looking for in her future college gymnastics experience.

Charlotte shares how faith, family, positivity, and a growth mindset have shaped who she is, both inside and outside the gym. She talks about learning to move on from mistakes, staying present, creating consistency through routines, and continuing to grow through the ups and downs of gymnastics.

We also dive into Charlotte’s goals for the upcoming season, including upgrades, improving her all-around score, returning to Nationals, and competing for medals. Plus, Charlotte shares what matters most to her when thinking about college gymnastics and finding a program where she can continue to grow while contributing to the team.

Gymnastics Mindset Academy owners Stacie and Ali join the shoow.

Marie Denick is the assistant gymnastics coach at University of North Carolina.

Gibran is the assistant gymnastics coach at University of Washington

Cory Tomlinson is the official Hype Man for Arkansas Gymnastics.