
#154 - Mackenzie Brooks - CBS Sports
12/13/24 • 47 min
🎙️ From College Football Runner to CBS Sports Betting Analyst: How Mackenzie Brooks is Changing the Game.
"I speak for the nerds. I'm like the Lorax of the coders - bridging the gap between casual fans and complex analytics." - Mackenzie BrooksIn this episode, we sit down with Mackenzie Brooks, a 23-year-old sports betting analyst for CBS Sports who's revolutionizing how we understand sports analytics and making football accessible to everyone, especially Taylor Swift fans (aka - Swifties)!
⏰ Time Stamps:
00:00 - Introduction and McKenzie's background
05:30 - Journey from University of Georgia to CBS Sports
10:15 - The birth of Quick Locks and early social media presence
15:45 - Breaking into sports betting analysis
20:30 - Being a woman in a male-dominated industry
25:15 - The Taylor Swift effect and educating new football fans
30:45 - The future of sports betting and broadcasting
35:20 - Work-life balance and recharging strategies
40:10 - Advice for aspiring sports analysts
45:30 - Networking and career development tips
🔑 Key Interview Highlights:
- From running coffee for ESPN College GameDay to becoming a leading sports betting analyst
- How coding and analytics created a unique career path
- Breaking down complex sports concepts for new audiences
- The impact of Taylor Swift on women's interest in football
- The future of sports betting in mainstream broadcasting
💡 Career Tips from Mackenzie Brooks:
- Find your niche and be a "one of one"
- Put in the reps, even with a small audience
- Build relationships with producers, not just on-camera talent
- Use social media to develop your personal brand
- Don't be afraid to start small and grow
🎯 Game-Changing Moments:
- Her innovative approach to teaching football to new fans (25:15)
- How she bridges the gap between data analytics and casual viewers (20:30)
- The future of sports betting integration in live broadcasts (30:45)
Connect with CBS Sports Mackenzie Brooks:
"Life is Built, Not Born."
Joe Ciccarone
#Episode154
© 2024 Joe Ciccarone / Built Not Born Podcast . All rights reserved.
🎙️ From College Football Runner to CBS Sports Betting Analyst: How Mackenzie Brooks is Changing the Game.
"I speak for the nerds. I'm like the Lorax of the coders - bridging the gap between casual fans and complex analytics." - Mackenzie BrooksIn this episode, we sit down with Mackenzie Brooks, a 23-year-old sports betting analyst for CBS Sports who's revolutionizing how we understand sports analytics and making football accessible to everyone, especially Taylor Swift fans (aka - Swifties)!
⏰ Time Stamps:
00:00 - Introduction and McKenzie's background
05:30 - Journey from University of Georgia to CBS Sports
10:15 - The birth of Quick Locks and early social media presence
15:45 - Breaking into sports betting analysis
20:30 - Being a woman in a male-dominated industry
25:15 - The Taylor Swift effect and educating new football fans
30:45 - The future of sports betting and broadcasting
35:20 - Work-life balance and recharging strategies
40:10 - Advice for aspiring sports analysts
45:30 - Networking and career development tips
🔑 Key Interview Highlights:
- From running coffee for ESPN College GameDay to becoming a leading sports betting analyst
- How coding and analytics created a unique career path
- Breaking down complex sports concepts for new audiences
- The impact of Taylor Swift on women's interest in football
- The future of sports betting in mainstream broadcasting
💡 Career Tips from Mackenzie Brooks:
- Find your niche and be a "one of one"
- Put in the reps, even with a small audience
- Build relationships with producers, not just on-camera talent
- Use social media to develop your personal brand
- Don't be afraid to start small and grow
🎯 Game-Changing Moments:
- Her innovative approach to teaching football to new fans (25:15)
- How she bridges the gap between data analytics and casual viewers (20:30)
- The future of sports betting integration in live broadcasts (30:45)
Connect with CBS Sports Mackenzie Brooks:
"Life is Built, Not Born."
Joe Ciccarone
#Episode154
© 2024 Joe Ciccarone / Built Not Born Podcast . All rights reserved.
Previous Episode

#153 - Josh Vogel - Mastering BJJ Through Project-Based Learning
🥋 Built Not Born Podcast #153- Episode Notes: Mastering BJJ Through Project-Based Learning with Josh Vogel
🎯 Episode Highlights:
Josh Vogel, BJJ black belt and co-owner of The Jiu-Jitsu Company in Philadelphia, shares deep insights on developing an effective BJJ game plan and training methodology.
📝 Key Topics Covered:
- Project-based learning approach to BJJ
- Creating an organized game plan
- Choosing the right training partners
- Balancing positional sparring vs. free rolling
- Using instructionals effectively
- The "Bank Robber" analogy for skill development
💡 Major Takeaways:
- Focus on mastering your own style of jiu-jitsu rather than trying to learn everything
- Start with one reliable technique from each major position
- Maintain a 70/30 split between maintenance training and new project work
- Choose training partners based on your injury prevention needs and learning goals
- Use instructionals strategically by testing small portions during live training
🏆 Training Tips:
- Begin with the end in mind and work backwards
- Balance between natural reactions and trained responses
- Use positional sparring to develop specific skills
- Study competition footage to understand real-world application
- Focus on solving one problem at a time
🎓 About Josh Vogel:
- 20+ years of BJJ experience
- Co-owner of The Jiu-Jitsu Company in Old City, Philadelphia
- Creator of "90 Day Project Based Jiu-Jitsu" instructional on BJJ Fanatics
- Known for systematic, organized approach to teaching BJJ
📱 Connect with Josh Vogel:
- Website: JiuJitsuPhilly.com
- Instagram: @TheJiuJitsuCompany
- BJJ Fanatics: Josh Vogel's Instructional
- Built Not Born Podcast #44: Josh Vogel
#BJJ #MartialArts #JiuJitsu #Training #Podcast #BuiltNotBorn #ProjectBasedLearning #BJJTraining #Grappling #MartialArtsTraining #JoshVogel #JoeCiccarone #BuiltNotBorn #podcast #philly #philadelphia #PhillyBJJ
Next Episode

#155 - Looking Back, Moving Forward - 2025 New Year's Edition
Built Not Born Podcast - Episode 155: New Year's Special 🎉
Show Description
Join host Joe Ciccarone for a special New Year's Eve episode as he reflects on the podcast's journey and shares exciting updates for 2025! 🎊
Episode Timestamps
🎤 00:00 - Introduction and New Year's Greeting
🙏 01:15 - Thank You to Loyal Listeners
📅 02:30 - Podcast Journey Since April 2021
⭐ 03:45 - Highlight Reel of 2024 Guests
- Guy Kawasaki
- Seth Godin (3rd appearance)
- Jay Papasan
- James Devlin (3x Super Bowl Champion)
- US Special Forces Operators
- Donald Robertson
- Lord Andrew Roberts
📺 05:30 - Platform Updates
- Full episodes now available on YouTube
- Short-form content on TikTok (@joe_ciccarone)
- New Opus Clip integration for highlight reels
📧 07:15 - Newsletter Announcement
- Built Not Born "Episode X-Ray" on Substack
- 2-minute episode summaries
- Links to guest resources
- Free subscription
📢 09:00 - Schedule Update
- Moving to bi-weekly episodes
- 10 pre-recorded interviews ready
🎙️ 10:30 - Upcoming Guest Preview
- Derek Sivers (NYT Bestselling Author)
- Max Boot (Washington Post, Reagan Biography)
- Stephen Marche (Writing and Failure)
- Jodie Pritchard (Combat Medic)
- Tim Conniff (Comedian)
- Javier Vasquez (UFC Fighter/Jiu-Jitsu Instructor)
Key Links
- Newsletter: Built Not Born on Substack
- YouTube: Built Not Born Channel
- TikTok: @joe_ciccarone
- Full Episodes: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Keywords
#BuiltNotBorn #Podcast #JoeCiccarone #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #PersonalDevelopment #2025Goals #PodcastCommunity #SuccessStories #Motivation #BJJ #podcasts #mindset #philly #fyp
Connect with Joe
"Life is Built, Not Born." 💪
Joe Ciccarone
#Episode155
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