Show notes
This week on the podcast we delve into an incredibly important topic, the mental health and well-being of our athletes. With the recent withdrawal of one of the world's top tennis players, Naomi Osaka, from the French Open due to depression and social anxiety, this topic has been in the news a lot recently. There have been two distinct camps; one that says you make millions of dollars so suck it up and play, and the other that recognizes that just becasue these athletes are so exceptional in one area of their life does not mean they are not struggling in others. One of the people leading that discussion recently on CNN and the BBC is our friend Dr Jarrod Spencer. Dr. Jarrod Spencer (@jarrod_spencer) is president and founder of Mind of the Athlete, LLC, a sports psychology company committed to improving the emotional health of athletes (www.MindOfTheAthlete.com). He is the author of Mind of the Athlete: Clearer Mind, Better Performance and the co-author of the book the The Sky Is NOT The Limit: Discovering the True North for Your Life's Path. Dr. Spencer serves as the sports psychologist for several professional teams and individual professionals athletes. He also works closely with NCAA teams, including teams at Princeton University, Lehigh University and University of Maryland. He maintains a private practice wherein he provides one-on-one coaching for athletes and business leaders. He has been featured in CNN, BBC, USA Today, New York Daily News and ESPN Radio. Dr. Spencer is a frequent guest on WFMZ Morning News in the NY/NJ/PA region. He also starred in the TV Show "What the Heck Were They Thinking?!" with former Heavyweight Boxing Champion Larry Holmes. Additionally, Dr. Spencer created and starred on the TV show Mind of the Athlete. He has recorded 13 CDs, as well as over 500 podcasts and videos. Dr. Spencer has extensive training and experience in the field of health and sports psychology. Before earning a Doctor of Psychology Degree from Argosy University, formerly known as The Illinois School of Professional Psychology, he earned his Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University and his Bachelor's Degree in Psychobiology from Lafayette College. Dr. Spencer professionally trained at The Jersey Shore Medical Center, Northwestern Neuropsychological Association, and The Diamond Headache Clinic. He is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia. Dr. Spencer is also a member of The American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, and Lehigh Valley Psychological and Counseling Association. Influenced by views in neuroscience, psychoanalysis, Christianity, and peak performance literature, Dr. Spencer has a heart to assist athletes in attaining peak performance through sound emotional health. 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Way of Champions Conference 2021 This weeks podcast is brought to you by the 2021 Way of Champions Leadership Conference, August 21-22, being held virtually this year. We have put together a lineup that is out of this world for our event, and just added Tara VanDerveer, the legendary Stanford Women's Basketball coach who just broke Pat Summits all time wins record on NCAA hoops. Other guest speakers include Steve Kerr of the Warriors, Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz, multiple time NCAA Champion coaches Anson Dorrance, Cindy Timchal, and Jenny Levy, and mindfulness expert George Mumford. Click here to learn more or register before we sell out! Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions