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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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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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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.