Damjan Rudež

Former NBA & International Basketball Player

ACHIEVEMENTS
• Played in the NBA — Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves & Orlando Magic
• Olympian — represented Croatia at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
• Gold medallist, 2009 Mediterranean Games
• 16-year pro career across 14 clubs in 7 countries
• National league champion in Croatia, Slovenia & Belgium

📖 ABOUT
From Zagreb to the NBA, Damjan built a career at the highest level of world basketball across seven countries. He shares the real journey of a professional athlete — the grind, the setbacks, and what it takes to stay at the top.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ The real path to going pro
→ Adapting across leagues & cultures
→ Sustaining a long career at the top

Jurja Bačeković

Former Pro Volleyball Player · Mental Performance Consultant

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Professional volleyball player across Croatia, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece & Portugal
• Played 4 years of NCAA Division 1 volleyball (University of San Francisco)
• Master of Science in Sport Psychology
• Founder of Mind to Play — mental coaching for athletes

📖 ABOUT
A professional volleyball player turned mental performance consultant, Jurja knows elite sport from the inside — the pressure, the doubt, and the confidence it takes to perform. Through her practice, Mind to Play, she helps athletes build a resilient, self-assured mindset on and off the court.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Building unshakeable confidence
→ Staying composed under pressure
→ Turning nerves into focus

Pete Burridge

First-Team Physical Performance Coach, Chelsea FC

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• First-Team Physical Performance Coach at Chelsea FC
• Elite experience across football & rugby (Leicester City, Leicester Tigers, Bristol Bears)
• Prepared athletes across athletics, golf, rowing & more

📖 ABOUT
Pete prepares players at the very top of world football, having worked across elite football and rugby. He brings the methods of a Premier League performance department into practical lessons any athlete can apply.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Developing real speed & power
→ Training like a professional
→ Physical prep for match day

Marcel Daane

Mind-Body Leadership & Executive Coach

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Author of three books: Headstrong Performance, Leadership Thai-Chi, Five Energies of Horrible Bosses
• 2016. Global Coaching eadership Award
• 2020. Executive Coach of the Year

📖 ABOUT
Marcel is one of the world's leading authorities on human-centered AI leadership. Since 2010, Marcel has been partnering with organizations, teams, and senior leaders across Asia, North America, and globally - providing leadership assessments, executive coaching, and AI leadership development programs that align uman performance with organizational strategy.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Leading yourself and others
→ The neuroscience of high performance
→ Managing energy & resilience

Josipa Juričević

Maste of Science in Nutrition, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Food Nutritionist at Centar za crijevni mikrobiom (Centre for Gut Microbiome)
• Applies nutrition science to gut health and everyday performance

📖 ABOUT
Josipa helps athletes understand how everyday food choices — and gut health — shape energy, performance, and recovery. She turns nutrition science into simple, practical habits athletes can actually stick to.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Building better eating habits
→ Fuelling around training & competition
→ Everyday nutrition that supports performance

Karlo Knežević

Head of AI, Sofascore

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Head of AI at Sofascore — one of the world's biggest sports-data platforms
• Built Sofascore's AI team & tools from the ground up
• CEO of Octobit · Published researcher (~200 citations)
• PhD in Computer Science

📖 ABOUT
Karlo leads the AI behind Sofascore's live ratings, stats, and insights used by millions of fans. He demystifies how artificial intelligence reads the game — and how it's reshaping the way sport is measured and understood.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ How AI actually reads the game
→ Turning raw data into insight
→ Where AI is taking sport next

Sebastijan Orlić

Sports Nutritionist · Longevity Scientist

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Sports nutritionist for the Croatian Olympic Committee
• Team Specialist at GlycanAge
• PhD in Chemical Engineering
• Founder of the "Kvaliteta života" (Quality of Life) longevity project

📖 ABOUT
Sebastijan brings a scientist's rigour to sports nutrition, working with Olympic athletes and everyday performers alike. He cuts through the noise to show how the right fuel drives performance, recovery, and a longer, healthier athletic life.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Fuelling for peak performance
→ Evidence-based supplementation
→ Eating for athletic longevity

Ana Čerenšek

Performance Psychologist · Mental Trainer

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Part of the Croatian Olympic team at Rio 2016 as a psychologist
• Mindset coach for adidas Runners Zagreb since 2017
• Columnist & media contributor (Elle, HRT, RTL)

📖 ABOUT
Ana was among the first psychologists embedded with Croatia's Olympic team, and has spent her career sharpening the minds of athletes and leaders. She makes mental training practical — tools you can use the moment pressure hits. Ana is instructor in Psychological Preparation and also leads the implementation of a comprehensive mental preparation system across the Croatian Football Federation.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Mental preparation that works
→ Performing when it matters most
→ Building a growth mindset

Bojan Mirković

ChampsLab founder · FIVB Instructor · IVC owner and director 

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• FIVB Instructor delivering international coaching courses worldwide
• Master's degree from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb
• FIVB Level 3 certified coach
• Former professional and national team volleyball player

📖 ABOUT
A Croatian who has dedicated his entire career to sports and education. Bojan played volleyball professionally and was part of the Croatian national team for many years. After his playing career, he obtained the highest FIVB coaches certification - Level 3. Several years later, he became an FIVB Instructor and started conducting coaches' courses globally. As the founder and director of the International Volleyball Club (IVC) in Singapore, Bojan spent over a decade developing youth athletes at the highest levels. He helps athletes understand the rules and responsibilities of clean sport and why proecting the integryty of the game starts with them.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ The essentials of anti-doping
→ Staying compliant & competing clean
→ Protecting the integrity of sport

Almir Maljević

Strength & Conditioning Specialist

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Founder of Pro-Fit Health S&C — a leading training & rehab centre in SE Europe
• Former decathlete (track & field)
• University lecturer & educator of trainers and coaches
• PhD in Criminal Law

📖 ABOUT
A former decathlete turned S&C authority, Almir built one of the region's most respected training and rehabilitation centres. His individualised, movement-first approach helps athletes get stronger, move better, and stay injury-resilient.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Building a strong physical foundation
→ Training quality movement, not just load
→ Conditioning that prevents injury

Petra Jurić

Dr. sc. · Exercise & Sports Scientist · Longevity Science Conulant

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• Double PhD in sports & exercise science
• Academic experience spanning Europe and Australia - conducted research across institutions including Macquarie University, Deakin University, and the University of Zagreb
• Scientific interests extend into glycan, inflammation, human physiology, recovery, and longevity science

📖 ABOUT
Dedicated to understanding what really happen inside the body when athletes train, adapt, and recover. Petra's work focuses on translating cutting-edge science into practical strategies that can help athletes recover more effectively, manage fatigue, and train better.
Rather than viewing recovery as simply "resting", Petra explores the complex physiological processes that take place after exercise, including inflammation, fatigue, adaptation, and the body's ability to repair and rebuild.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ How recovery really works and what happens inside your body after training
→ How to understand inflammatio and fatigue and their role in performance and adaptation
→ How to recover smarter, not simply rest more

Matija Mato Škerbić

President, European Association for the Philosophy of Sport

🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS
• President of the European Association for the Philosophy of Sport (EAPS)
• Pioneer of the philosophy & bioethics of sport in Croatia
• Author of two seminal books on the philosophy & bioethics of sport
• PhD in Philosophy of Sport

📖 ABOUT
Matija is a leading voice on the ethics and integrity of sport, from fair play to the hard questions around doping and enhancement. He helps athletes understand not just the rules, but why competing clean and with character matters.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
→ Why fair play really matters
→ The ethics of doping & enhancement
→ Competing with integrity & resilience