Perfect. The dictionary defines Perfect as being without fault or defect. Flawless. 

We live in a world where perfect is the expectation.

I spend most of my time working with collegiate and professional athletes. I also spend a lot of time having conversations with coaches about their teams and athletes. I spend a lot of time watching practice, lift, training, and games. I observe, I listen and I analyze. 

 The language we use in and around our sport is crucial. So is the language we do not use. Language is not just important for how we communicate with other people but it is incredibly important for how we speak to ourselves.  It is a constant dance of both internal and external messaging.

Is the word PERFECT always used or blatantly stated in and around our sport setting?  No. To be honest I don’t hear many players or coaches express needing things to be perfect. Most of the time its the opposite. “We can’t be perfect, I know I can’t be perfect, I don’t expect perfection every ti...

Last week my post was about Mental Health in the elite athlete community. There was a lot to digest.

I'm sure many of you are asking “So where do we go from here?” 

Although that is an incredibly complex issue and one that I don't have a full answer for. However, I have my thoughts.  When I first ask myself this question these 3 things come to mind fairly quickly. 

1) Education and Awareness 

The more we know the better. When we have the information we have the ability to take action.  This is all about EMPOWERING athletes. 

 Athletes should be learning about things like the breath and how this affects one’s nervous system. Athletes should be learning about the brain and what happens when we get emotionally hijacked.  Athletes should be learning about proper sleep hygiene and how this affects the entire mind-body system! 

Athletes should be learning tools and skills to be able to navigate their own minds. 

We as a community also need to be talking about the stigma that affects...

This isn’t a new subject by any means. We’re seeing more and more professional athletes speak up and go public with their various struggles.  College Athletic Departments are putting more structure and programming in place to address mental health for their student athletes.  I believe were making progress, but we as an elite athlete community have a long way to go.  

In the field of Clinical Social Work, one of our jobs is to research and address social problems. A social problem is an alleged situation or widespread issue that affects a significant number of people.  Over the last few months my work has been dedicated to researching and addressing the social problem of mental health within the elite athlete community. 

Remove competitive sport from the scenario and mental health in general continues to be a widespread issue within the United States.  We’re living in a time where stress and anxiety are at an all time high. A pandemic, the presidential election, and systemic racism d...

We’re coming up on 7 months of this new normal. Since the cancellation of collegiate spring sports and various "Bubble" scenarios for pro leagues the Athletic Community is very much still navigating this new normal. 

We have already seen collegiate sports cut, budgets deflated and resources going towards a LOT of testing. Athletic staff's have restructured weight rooms and worked tirelessly to make sure that facilities are set up to maintain standards and protocols that put student athlete safety first. As if there were not already a plethora of demands placed on college athletes, having to maneuver through a season and the normal day to day among the COVID crisis is definitely an added task. 

There’s a lot to navigate here. 

Take COVID away and regular student athlete life is challenging enough. Time to simply get everything done academically, athletically, and socially is strained. There’s the added piece of performance, which, arguably, student athletes sign up for. B...

What have I been doing at Duke?

What is Integrative Health Coaching?

I am a firm believer that one’s own health and making this a priority is the most important job we as humans have. Through my own personal journey I have seen firsthand how critical it is to dig deep and put personal health above all else. But health does not mean simply addressing the physical body. Health means mental, social, environmental, spiritual, behavioral, and emotional. It is every facet of your life.

Through the knowledge and training I have now obtained from Duke’s Integrative Health Coaching program, I wholeheartedly believe that addressing personal health in a holistic and integrative way is crucial. What does that mean? It means taking a look at the entire picture. It means addressing your physical health and what you are feeding your body. It means exploring relationships and your communication with others. It means taking the time to assess your environment both at home and in the workplace. It ...

How anxiety and panic attacks steal our lives. The release of shame, fear, and unworthiness.