Angela Ruggiero has done it all. She's won Olympic gold, silver, and bronze. This February, she's going to try to add to her collection in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Angela was the total college athlete. She graduated from Harvard with honors.

In 2005, Angela became the first woman to play professional men's ice hockey.

She tells that story and more on this episode of Role Models, our web radio show with the best, most inspirational athletes on the planet.

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Who Do You Want to Hear Next?

Angela's nominees for future episodes of Role Models are: US soccer legend Julie Foudy (you can listen to our interview with Julie here), tennis great Andre Agassi, and former USA hockey star Cammi Granato.

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Their last name is synonymous with lacrosse domination.

3 Powell brothers, Casey, Ryan, and Mikey have graced the Syracuse lacrosse field, broken records, and won national championships.

On this episode of Role Models, we sit down with Ryan Powell, captain of Syracuse's 2000 national championship team.

Ryan talks about the lessons he learned from his hard-working father and the importance of developing fundamentals.

He also talks about playing X-Box with Donovan McNabb at Syracuse, his ridiculous stick handling skills, and what it's been like to start a successful lacrosse company, Rhino Lacrosse.

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Who Do You Want to Hear Next?

Ryan's nominees for future episodes of Role Models are: Casey Powell - Ryan's older brother and Syracuse lacrosse legend; Kristen Kjellman - US women's national lacrosse player and Northwestern grad; and Mikey Powell - Ryan's younger brother, musician, and Syracuse lacrosse legend.

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The most dominant athletes ever, people like Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, and Tiger Woods, aren't just outrageously skilled. They're also some of the most mentally tough people around.

If half of being a great athlete is mental, isn't it amazing that so little time is spent at practice developing players' mental games?

Jim Thompson, the founder of Positive Coaching Alliance, thinks that many coaches actually do things that weaken their players' mental toughness. Some of the biggest names in coaching -- Phil Jackson and Dean Smith, for example -- agree.

Positive Coaching Alliance takes the most cutting-edge sports psychology and turns it into simple techniques that athletes can use to maximize their potential. If you're serious about becoming a complete athlete, you have to listen to this fascinating interview.

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Who Do You Want to Hear Next?

Jim's nominees for future episodes of Role Models are: Ken Ravizza - Sports psychologist; David Shields - Author of True Competition; and Dan Gould - Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.

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It's hard to imagine anyone with a resume as diverse as that of Aimee Mullins.

Here's a sampling: Georgetown University track star, Pentagon employee, actress, model, motivational speaker. It's the resume of someone who's incredibly accomplished.

But the resume doesn't tell the whole story. You see, Aimee Mullins is also a trailblazer who has broken down major barriers for amputees.

On this episode of Role Models, Aimee talks about what it was like to be one of the first amputees to be an NCAA Division I athlete, how important it is to develop and explore a wide range of interests, blending in when she was in high school and on the track, and how she can adjust her height up to 6'1".

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Who Do You Want to Hear Next?

Aimee's nominees for future episodes of Role Models are: Laila Ali - Boxer, Daughter of the Greatest; Gretchen Bleiler - Snowboard champion, environmental activist; and Donna de Varona - Gold Medal Swimmer, women's sports activist.

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Imagine what college recruiting would be like if you were the Gatorade national player of the year. For starters, all the top programs in the country would make their way into your living room.

On this episode of Role Models, we hear from Kyle Martino about what it's like to have famous college coaches sitting on your couch, what kind of teammate David Beckham really is, and how Kyle made the difficult decision to leave college early to go pro.

Kyle also shares his insights about what it's really like to be a Division I athlete -- what the benefits are and also what sacrifices it entails. He talks us through his decision to go to UVa and shares his advice about picking the ideal college.

How would you like to be coached by a former Baltimore Police SWAT team member and captain of the US National Team?

That's the opportunity Princeton lacrosse players have every day, when they come to play for Michele DeJuliis. Before arriving at Princeton, Michele starred on the Penn State lacrosse team and then joined the Baltimore SWAT team.

On this episode of Role Models, Michele gives the inside scoop on what college coaches look for when they're recruiting, what it was like to be a beat cop in some of the toughest neighborhoods in America, and what it was like to win the lacrosse World Cup as captain of the USA.

There are few better role models than Julie Foudy.

Not only is she one of the most accomplished athletes ever -- she won both the World Cup and Olympics twice -- she has also taught leadership skills to thousands of young athletes, and is one of the most friendly people you'll ever meet.

On this episode of Role Models, Julie talks about the extremes she and the team went to to make the 1999 Women's World Cup a success, why she chose Stanford over North Carolina, the rags to riches story of the US national team, and whether she'll run for political office someday.

When we reached Julie, she was, naturally, out on the field at the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy. On the recording, the wind says hello a couple times.

How's this for a resume?

BA in American Studies from Stanford. Career batting average of .416. Olympic gold medalist. Olympic silver medalist. President of the Women's Sports Foundation.

That resume belongs to Jessica Mendoza, USA Softball star, activist, and all-around role model.

On this episode of Role Models, Jessica talks about winning gold, being the ultimate student-athlete at Stanford, visiting the troops in Afghanistan and fighting to get softball reinstated in the Olympics.

What's it like to play in three World Cups? This week on Role Models, we pose that question to Marcelo Balboa, an American soccer icon.

Marcelo played in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups. In spite of being an outstanding defender, Marcelo is best known for his legendary bicycle kicks.

In 2005, Marcelo was named one of the 11 best players of all-time in Major League Soccer. That same year, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Marcelo talks about practicing bicycle kicks on his bed when he was a kid, how he developed into a world-class athlete, and what tips he has for young athletes today who are trying to get to the top of the game. He also discusses life after soccer and his work to grow the game through Calle Street Soccer.

Lindsay Tarpley is widely considered to be one of the best women soccer players in the world.

Among a long list of accomplishments are two Olympic gold medals, including one at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2003, Lindsay was the National Collegiate Player of the Year, while leading North Carolina to the National Title. After four outstanding years, Carolina retired her jersey.

Lindsay now plays for the Chicago Red Stars, one of the seven founding teams in WPS, the new Women's Professional Soccer league.

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For more on Lindsay, go to ChicagoRedStars.com, LindsayTarpley.com, Twitter, and Facebook.

Who do you want to hear on a future episode?

Lindsay's two nominees for our next episode of Role Models are: (1) Jessica Mendoza - Star of the US Softball team. Find out what Jessica's up to on Twitter; and (2) Ivory Latta - Star basketball player for the Atlanta Dream and former standout at North Carolina.

Parting shot

Lindsay shows some gold and throws out the first pitch at the Dodgers game.