Listen in to our conversations. We like to talk sports and mental health. A lot.

We know the likelihood is that athletes are focused on mind over matter - or mental toughness. We get it - that’s the training of being an athlete. And, it keep us from tuning in to what we need as athletes to increase our performance. Join us for this conversation and think about how you can turn toward Self to ensure you are taking care of your whole being. (Your performance will thank you!)

All we want is for every coach and athlete, near and far, to know that mental health needs are not a weakness. Tune in to this video to hear us talk more about why this message is so important.

A closer look at how injury impacts athletes (high rates of depression!) and how coaching staffs can work to include athletes in new ways as they work through injury and rehab.

Another in house discussion. A closer look at the starting point for coaches when determining roles.

• Boundaries with athletes.

• “Name it to tame it” creating space for the athletes to share their feelings.

• Trusting athletes to know what they need.

• The power of repair.

Adam was an elite track athlete and now coaches youth sports. He offers tangible ideas about:

• Importance of passion, connection, and patience with yourself and your coaches as you develop.

• The ebbs and flows of athletics and the critical need for mental health integration. Ensuring the foundation of your involvement is based on your love of the sport and how you feel when you are surrounded by coaches and teammates.

• Adam used tools such as visualization, and what he thinks could have changed had there been access to a sports psych or mental healthcare when he competed.

• The complexity of societal expectations and pressure and transitioning out of sport.

* How to resist the current in youth sports and ensure you are supporting your kid to the core - not just the outcome they are capable of producing.

Angelina has devoted her work to creating not just diverse and inclusive teams, but teams that value and prioritize equity. She provides tools and conversation starters for athletes and parents that can start during the recruiting process. Tune in to learn what a healthy team dynamic looks and feels like!

• Ask coaches and athletic directors what level of ownership you have or undertake to influence diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Equity is not a check box that is a yes or a no- there are quantitative and qualitative aspects of equity that you have to feel.

• How are decisions made? How are titles given? How is leadership earned? How do people travel on a roster? How are people spoken to? Who is earning certain gear? Who has a voice? Who is allowed to showcase in different roles? How are they treated based on if they are performing?

• The value she places on getting to know her athletes on an individual basis and how she works to meet them where they want to be met.

• The importance of having a system of accountability and people feel heard and valued.

From a cozy cabin in the woods, Dr. Tiffany talks with Nate about the role of anxiety in competition, especially performance anxiety, and how it can be shifted when we make space for mistakes. Nate shares his experience as both a coach and a licensed therapist. Thanks to Nate for helping us learn:

• How confusing it can be to effectively support our anxiety. He offers a few small tricks that make a huge difference.

• How honoring our mistakes as part of sport can ease the pressure that is experienced in competition.

• How yelling and screaming is not going to help reduce anxiety (here’s looking at you, coaches!).

Alex is a physical therapist and offers so much wisdom about the mind body connection. We are lucky she joined us to share her incredible insight and tips.

• A solid foundation in connecting your mind and body.

• How Alex addresses body changes with patients and guardians. She shares how puberty can be a tricky thing to navigate.

• How the body is the best communicator of a persons needs whether that is growing pains, injury, or other signals.

• MIND BLOWING tips about how to support a team in transitioning to practice or a game. Clear, tangible tips that take no more than five minutes, but change the whole landscape for the team.

• What presence and mind body alignment feels like and looks likes and how eliminating distraction increases performance.

Kai is recently medically retired from sports and is full steam ahead with her mental health advocacy in sports. And, Katie and Tiffany are her biggest fans!

• Breaks down how getting help is not a sign of weakness and the importance of listening to your individual needs.

• The changes needed within the system to support athlete mental health. What systems of accountability and training can look like in athletic systems.

• Kai’s creation of the Hidden Opponents Ad campaign “Win at All Costs.”

• How Kai navigated injury in sport and the complicated relationship she had with running.

• What Kai views as a healthy team dynamic and the tangible changes that can be added: roster management, communication, coaches roles and bandwidth, and transparency.

Ben is a powerhouse advocate for keeping sports fun, while developing young athletes to the best of their potential.

• Protecting the fun!

• Help each youth athlete and parent see the specific strengths of each kid.

• The importance of fun and inclusivity in youth sports. There has a be motivation and value on the experience, not just the outcome from the decision makers.

• The power of choice and maneuverability for kids in sport. Kids should be able to decide what they want to do.

• Coaches and parents - initiate regular check ins with athletes.

Carter Stedman (cross country/track) and Isaac Veale (lacrosse) are in their freshman year as Division II student-athletes at Northwest Nazarene University. They are also co-hosts of the podcast, The Birds of a Feather Pod, a podcast that details their experiences as roommates and student-athletes. They grew up in the same hometown and they joined us to share their perspectives of what it means to have supportive coaches. Recently, they have both dealt with injuries and have a lot to share about what it means for a coach to be supportive!

• Both Carter and Isaac dreamed of being a collegiate athlete – they talk about what it means to finally be in this position. (and what it took to get here!)

• They offer insight of what it means to have a supportive coach – they each detail the small things that make a major difference.

• Injury brings a possible disconnection – Isaac discusses what his coach has done to help him feel connected to the team despite his limitations.

• They each highlight the key components of what being a supportive coach really means in the day to day.

We stay in house for this conversation. Dr. Tiffany is an expert in substance use. She shares the variations of use and the importance of having systems in place to support athlete’s well being.

• The imperativeness of evaluating your own stigma and biases around substance use. One must know the expectations they hold for themselves and what does that mean they expect of others.

• Tiffany shares the indicators to look for when working with athletes and the high level brain science of substance use disorder.

• How to become a person that is safe and trustworthy for athletes to talk about their relationship with substances.

• In a dream world, what Tiffany would like to see shift within athletic systems to support athletes as they learn about their specific needs with substances.

• How it is not rocket science to treat people with compassion and care and how that will enhance athletes performance and outcome.

Maggie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in supporting those navigating disordered eating and eating disorders. She is a wealth of knowledge with tangible tools and insights to share!

• Identify the early indicators of eating disorders

• Empowering coaches and parents for how to respond

• Treating eating disorders like a physical injury. Maintaining a place of belonging, while tending to the medical need.

• Levels of care, intervention, and treatment