The Athletic Mind

Join Taylor as she delves deep into the vital realm of athlete brain health and safety. In this episode, Taylor is joined by special guest, Heidi Kivimaa, CEO, CoFounder Northern Sports Insight and Intelligence.

They explore the significant importance brain health in sports, the potential long-term consequences of brain trauma resulting from physical impacts, and introduce the ACT Head Impact Tracker, a measuring device for forces and impacts acting on a head while doing sports. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that will empower athletes and coaches to prioritize brain safety in the world of sports.

There are a few changes coming to the podcast and one of them is a sad farewell to the wonderful Lauren Williams as she embarks on a new journey as Assistant Coach at Mount Royal University. Wishing her the best of luck this season and in her career!

Given this major change, it was only apt to discuss the importance of adaptability in sport and life. Consider this episode to be your athlete's guide for naviagting and embracing change.

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Want to level up your mental game? Contact Taylor!

email: taylorbcook94@gmail.com

Confidence, an admirable quality in any athlete - also a skill that is usually left to chance and believed to be something you either have or don't have. In this episode, Taylor and Lauren talk all about confidence; what it is and how athletes can strategically work on building confidence around specific skill sets and overall performance. 

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When it comes to athlete mental health, majority of the resources provided are REACTIVE. In other words, athletes aren't able to access or don't seek support until they have already experienced serious impacts to their performance or mental health. In this episode, Taylor and Lauren talk about how mental performance training can serve as a PROACTIVE resource to benefit athletes mental health and performance and why leaders in all sports should be seeking out these types of services for their organizations, teams, and athletes.

If you find this episode of value, please share with a friend or on social and leave us a rating/review on Apple or Spotify.

May is Mental Health Awareness month and is an important conversation that needs to be had continually within the athletic community from youth all the way up to the professional level. In this episode, Taylor shares some statistics on mental health and athlete mental health, the stories of Olympic, professional, and student-athletes that are mental health advocates, and how mental performance coaching can provide athletes with tools to cope better with the challenges of sport and life.

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Stress has a major impact on an athletes ability to perform at peak levels. Taylor runs solo on the difference between good and bad forms of stress, provides steps on how athletes can strategically cope with these stresses, discusses what psychological stresses are and how they can impact players mental health and performance, and why mental performance coaching serves as not only a tool for increasing sports performance but also as a tool to proactively manage mental health.

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The past two weeks was full of amazing performances and spectator turnout during the IIHF Women's World Championships in Brampton, ON. Taylor and Lauren get into the surprising team performances in the tournament, discuss the time old skill versus systems debate, and explore how women's hockey can continue to grow in North America and internationally to fuel more competition between countries on the international stage.

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Life is full of uncertainty. You can either get crushed by it or you can learn how to thrive in it. The choice is yours. This week, Taylor and Lauren discuss how athletes can thrive in uncertain environments (prepare for tryouts, jump to the next level, or are joining a new team) by breaking down the brain's response to these type of stressors and providing mental perfomance strategies and insights from personal experience.

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This week, Taylor and Lauren discuss the rise of athlete centered coaching in the sports community. This approach to coaching is a shift away from the traditional command and control style, which is quickly becoming outdated. By taking a more collaborative approach with athletes, coaches can create an environment that is conducive to learning and growth. Change is constant and the only way to keep producing the results you want is by learning and evolving the way you lead your athletes and coaches.

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This week, Taylor runs solo with a short conversation around embracing your unique growth journey. Many people perceive growth to be a constant and linear experience upwards when in reality it is full of peaks and valleys of various heights and depths. It can be easy for athletes and coaches to get caught up in the success of their peers and opponents and get discouraged. She leaves listeners off with three questions they can ask themselves throughout their growht journey to help them stay on track or readjust when necessary.

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In this weeks episode, Taylor and Lauren break into discussion on a topic that many athletes ask about: performance pressure. This is especially highlighted as teams approach playoffs, when every game counts. Taylor and Lauren break down what performance pressure really is and how athletes can strategically combat and manage feelings of pressure in their own game. 

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This week, Lauren goes solo in a deep dive into why Mental Skills Training is the new "Cutting Edge" for athletic performance. For years, strength and conditioning was what athletes used to set themselves apart from one another at the top. While the physical side is, and always will be, important in athletics, the mental is what is starting to separate great athletes from the elite athletes. Covering everything from why and when such great expectations were created around athletics and how that has impacted athlete's mindsets to the some of the research showing the advantages of mental skills training, Lauren digs deep into the conversation about why people need to start considering this avenue of skill development in all sports. 

Article about Sports Becoming a Business:

https://coffeeordie.com/american-sports-billion-dollar/#:~:text=In%20the%201920s%20American%20sports,by%20professional%20agents%20and%20promoters.

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Taylor and Lauren are joined by Sun Sachs and Ed Gibbins, Co-Founders of Rewire Fitness. Rewire Fitness is a holistic performance platform designed to help athletes develop mental fitness, build resiliency, and get primed for performance. Sun and Ed share their personal stories that led them into the fields of neuroscience and sport psychology, the individualization of recovery for athletes through the app, and so much more. 

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**This episode contains potentially triggering topics. Listen at your own discretion. Seek help through the listed support links if you are struggling**

This week, Taylor and Lauren are joined by Jackie Hackett, Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and Personal Trainer. Nutrition is a topic that athletes know is highly important when it comes to performance but is often overlooked and highly misunderstood. 

Jackie addresses some of the myths surrounding nutrition and overall health for female athletes and how these myths can perpetuate eating disorders. She discusses the difference between disordered eating and eating disorders, both the common and severe symptoms that accompany these disorders, and the importance of proper nutrition so athletes can fuel their body for performance.

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The infamous, “look good, feel good, play good” is something that all athletes understand. If you take the time to look nice, you’ll show up feeling good about yourself, and when you feel good about yourself, you’ll play better. Taylor and Lauren take a deeper look at the impact that this can play on athletic performance and discuss how athletes can incorporate mental training into their routine to stop leaving their performance up to chance and help them show up at their best.

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In this episode, Taylor is joined by professional basketball player and the founder & CEO of Wevolv, Jori Davis. Jori shares her experiences as a professional athlete having played in multiple countries in Europe, the power athletes hold in the direction of their careers, and the story behind the creation of Wevolv - a members only, decentralized platform for elite athletes around the world that enables them to manage their own careers and lifestyle.

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Leadership. Commonly associated with being a coach or holding a 'C' or an 'A' on the jersey. But that doesn't necessarily make you a good leader. Leadership is not a role, it is a behaviour. Taylor and Lauren dig into some of the behaviours that characterize leaders and how you can strategically improve your own skills as a leader.

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It can be really easy to feel like your under performing in the midst of a losing streak or season. Taylor and Lauren chat about an extremely important skill that athletes of all ages and skill levels should have: internal validation. They discuss the difference between internal and external validation, how each impacts performance, and how athletes and teams can start to build the skill of validating their own performance - even in a losing season. Remember to answer the poll and submit any questions (for Spotify users only)

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WELCOME BACK TO SEASON 2! Taylor and Lauren are thrilled to be back in the locker room for another year of great conversations, amazing guests, and new and exciting opportunities for all our listeners (you'll get a sneak peek in this episode). Today, they recap the growth of the women's sports industry in 2022 in basketball, soccer, hockey, and for collegiate athletes and close out with the mind blowing performances and games from the players and teams at the U18 Women's World Championship hosted in Sweden. 

Help support the podcast by taking 2 minutes to leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify.

That's a wrap on Season 1 of The Athletic Mind. Thank you to all our listeners from across the globe that have supported the podcast by listening and sharing on social and with friends! We are deeply grateful for each and every one of you because without you all there would be no show. To thank you, Taylor and Lauren have put together a special Christmas gift for any athlete that wants to hone in on their mental training and experience exponential growth in 2023. 

If you would like to send us a Christmas present, all we ask is that you go ahead and leave us a 5 star review on the platform you tune in from, leave us a review written review on Apple Podcasts, or even send us a message on Instagram! We appreciate all of your support and helping us on our mission to provide valuable tools to athletes across the world.

Thank you again for supporting and following this season! Merry Christmas! We will be back with Season 2 in January 2023!!

Taylor and Lauren are joined by special guest and naturopathic doctor, Dr. Annaleeza Caputi. Annaleeza is a naturopathic doctor and women's health advocate dedicated to helping her clients achieve the life they deserve and in this episode she is sharing everything women's health - from PMS symptoms to hormones to  training/competing during menstruation. 

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This week Taylor and Lauren are talking all about rest and recovery going into the holiday season and how athletes can best optimize this down time whether they have a short or long break from sport.

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

Taylor and Lauren are back in the locker room together for this weeks episode all about tracking and measuring progress while pursuing your goals. They talk about why it is important to track progress, knowing your self-worth when falling short of a goal/intention, leave you with a tool to help you build self-accountability while you work towards your goals.

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

This week, Taylor runs solo with a short and sweet chat about the growth versus fixed mindset, why it is so important for athletes to operate from a growth mindset if they want to progressively work toward achieving their goals in sport, and leaves listeners with a few book recommendations that can be found below in the show notes.

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This week, Lauren is joined by returning guest and fellow assistant coach, Megan Myers, where they talk about everything from having 18 freshman to how their experience as freshman in college has helped them in their current roles as coaches in a NCAA program.

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

This week Taylor is running solo and talking all about how to successfully rehab injuries. She disucsses her experience and process recovering from MCL reconstructive surgery, the importance of goal setting during rehab, holding yourself accountable to your intentions, and the role that visualization can play in the rehab process.

If you are currently struggling to cope with injury, feel free to reach out to Taylor for support in this process (IG @taylorbcook_)

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

Today, Lauren is running solo with special guest, Tara Watchorn. Lauren and Tara discuss maintaining motivation over long periods of time through career ups and downs and the mindset that has helped Watchorn transition seamlessly from elite level player to coach on the college and international stages.

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

A bit of a change up this week and moving forward - welcome back to The Athletic Mind podcast! In today's episode, Taylor and Lauren open the floor to discuss how athletes can manage stress and expectations - both external and internal. They talk about the importance of taking care of yourself in the process of achieving your goals, knowing when to take time to rest and recover, and share some tips on how athletes can strategically manage their workloads in sport, school and life.

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave us a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

Taylor runs solo in this weeks quick hit episode on focusing on the controllable factors of your performance. We've all heard that what you focus on expands and that could not be more true - especially in sport. Taylor touches on what exactly is within (and not within) an athlete's control and shares a tool that can help athletes track and shift their focus towards those controllable factors.

A delayed episode due to some technical difficulties BUT better late than never! In today's episode, Taylor and Lauren are talking about the importance of team culture and dynamics by building supportive relationships within a team. They talk about emotional bank accounts, setting team goals to bring individuals into service of a common goal, and team bonding experiences. They also touch on leadership and how all teammates can show up as a leader within their team - regardless if they are wearing a C or an A.

If you are a coach that wants to learn more about creating a strong team culture, contact us below!

If you liked this episode, share us on social and/or leave us a rating and review on Apple or Spotify to help the podcast grow and reach new audiences!

Lauren is back in the lockerroom after some time away getting things up and running at Stonehill College. As teams prepare to kick off their seasons, Taylor and Lauren thought it prudent to TALK ABOUT PRACTICE! There are more than 2x the number of practices in any given season than games - that is a fact - so how you utilize that time is crucial if you want to be improving your performance is important. Grab a pen and paper because Taylor and Lauren are leaving you all with a tool that they use with all of their athletes.

In this episode Taylor is joined by PhD candidate at Paderborn University, Jessica Coenen. Today we are talking all about concussions in sport - and with checking being introduced into the women's game, concussion awareness will only become more pertinent as time goes on. Jessica shares her journey into her studies of concussions in sport, the importance of baseline testing, gender differnces in expression of head injury, and why coaches should care about their athletes brain health.

Today Taylor is joined by former UCONN husky, now President and founder fo Women's Hockey Life, Jaclyn Hawkins. Jaclyn shares her journey through women's hockey, from the backyard ODR to college athlete, a season overseas in Switzerland, to assistant coach, which all ultimately led to her creating Women's Hockey Life. They cover a wide range of topics from emotional awareness, the importance of mental training and mindset in performance, knowing and playing your role, listening to your intuition, to Jaclyn's mission to empower young girls to become strong and independent women and leaders.

If you like and enjoy this podcast then please take a moment to leave us a rating or review on Spotify or Apple. This helps grow the podcast to reach more listeners so they can provide valuable tools and strategies to athletes just like yourself.

Today, Taylor and Lauren are joined by former NCAA and professional women's hockey player, Reagan Rust. You've definitely seen her on TikTok and IG - this girl puts out A LOT of great (and fun) content around hockey and being an athlete. Reagan takes us through her journey of playing hockey, from the only rink in Mississippi to RIT, over to BU, and across the pond to AIK in Stockholm, Sweden. She shares some of her struggles in sport and with mental health, some tips for younger athletes looking to pursue their sport, and how she created her own path.

Today Lauren and Taylor are joined by the CEO & founder of GOALS Sports and the host of The Business Case for Women's Sports, Caroline Fitzgerald, and they are diving deep on why it is good business to invest in women's sports! Caroline is a passionate leader (and women's sports fa) and brings her marketing and branding expertise to the table here. Enjoy!

This week, Taylor and Lauren bring in special guest, Paula McQuaid, co-founder of HONE Athletics where they discuss how HONE is creating healthier, happier, better-performing athletes by surveying athletes on how they are feeling in different areas that impact their mental health. That information is shared annonymously with the coach and data providessuggestions and information about how the coach can best support their players, however they report feeling.

*Warning: This episode discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some listeners*

On today's episode of Inside the Athletic Mind, co-hosts Taylor Cook and Lauren Williams address the Hockey Canada sexual assault cover-up scandal, the deep rooted toxicity of hockey culture, the importance of speaking up, and how to change the culture of sexual assault in sport moving forward.

Show Notes:

For more detailed information on the Hockey Canada investigations, check out these podcast episodes:

In this weeks episode, Lauren and Taylor dive in deep on the importance of mental training in sport, share some stories of their best and worst games as athletes, and lay out the Brain Training for Athletes program that has helped them and other athletes elevate their performance.

After a couple weeks hiatus, Taylor and Lauren are back on the mic and revved up about all of the amazing headlines in the news for women in coaching and executive positions. They talk about some firsts for women in coaching and in the front office, the impact that visibility of women in leadership roles will have on the younger generaration, and more!

Today Lauren and Taylor are talking about the off season. You read that right. Whether you love or hate the off season, it is a vital part of the process to becoming an elite athlete. They talk about taking time to decompress after the season ends, training with a team or teammate versus training alone, knowing your body and when to push yourself or when to take an off day, practicing positive self-talk, and building internal motivation that will allow you to pursue your goals when you are feeling unmotivated, sluggish, or not seeing instant results. You can try to fool others but you can't fool yourself.

As MJ joins us for the last episode as a co-host, we decided to keep things light and fun with some of the crazy travelling stories that we have had in our careers as athletes and coaches. From planes and trains to automobiles, you will get a kick out of the stories that Taylor, Lauren, and MJ share during this episode.

**Trigger warning: this episode contains sensitive subject matter that may be triggering to some listeners.**

In light of Mental Health Awareness month and some of the tragic losses in the athletic community, we thought it was time to open the floor and talk about the importance of mental health. As athletes, it is easy for us to push aside this topic because we are afraid of being seen as weak, incompetent, or unable to perform. Today we want to remind you that you are people before athletes and sometimes that can be hard to see because our identity is so deeply wrapped up in our sport but how you are feeling is just as important as the next person. Lauren and Taylor share some of their struggles with mental health and some practical tools to help anyone that may be struggling right now.

If you are struggling, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental healthcare professional. If you have any questions or want to share your story with us, please send us a message on IG @theathleticmindpod

Additional resources:

Today Taylor and MJ are joined by FlowCode Coach, Michael Doyle and they dig deep into flow state. What is flow state, how does flow impact peak performance, how can athletes get into flow state, how can teams get into flow as a collective, and so much more.

As always, if you find this episode valuable, please share it on social and tag us @theathleticmindpod or with a friend to help the podcast grow. Or go ahead and leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcast to help our show reach more people like yourself!