Closer Mentality

Episode 109 brought on Team USA Paralympian, Ryan Neiswender. Neiswender, a wheelchair basketball player, spoke to adaptive sport opportunities, collegiate recruiting, representing Team USA all over the world, the program's golden legacy, and how para sport can rise in popularity. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Vis...

Episode 108 brought on Olympic water polo goalkeeper turned yoga instructor, Jaime Komer. Komer spoke to the worldliness that water polo afforded her, a prolific college career, winning a silver medal in Beijing with Team USA, and combating the overwhelming feelings of burnout for a sport that had given her everything. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all...

Episode 107 brought on Team USA para-cyclist Sam Bosco! Bosco spoke about limb-lengthening surgeries, rowing as physical therapy, finding adaptive cycling, TBIs, and finally standing atop a Paralympic podium. It's a jam-packed episode! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a...

Episode 106 brought on Tom Maloney to speak about his experience with Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Maloney introduced NLP and explained its use cases in collegiate and professional sports. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you h...

Episode 105 brought on Team Barbados track athlete and advocate, Ryan Brathwaite. He spoke about his introduction to track, sport on the island, moving to the United States to run collegiately, and how he's hoping to offer opportunities to Barbadian youth. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closerm...

Episode 104 brought on Riley Tejcek, an officer in the United States Marine Corps and a bobsled pilot for Team USA. She spoke about getting involved with The Marines and Team USA, playing a Division I sport, nurturing motivation, and writing a children's book. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/clo...

Episode 103 welcomed on former professional soccer player and talent scout Mark Dillon. He spoke to the changes in the American soccer landscape since the 1970s, how to scout talent overseas, American early specialization, and how to use sport to craft a vast and immersive worldview. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home....

Episode 102 brought on Team USA Wheelchair Rugby sport psychologist, Dr. Margaret Smith. She spoke about social neuroscience, the nervous system, how her work provides psych services to para-athletes, and her passion for adaptive sport. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a...

Episode 101 welcomed on Team USA Wheelchair Basketball men's head coach Robb Taylor. He spoke about his introduction to adapted sport, working up the coaching ladder, NWBA classification, and what it means to coach a legacy team! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a specia...

Episode 100 is a conglomeration of my favorite episodes from the past three years! I'm so grateful that I get to create these stories every week and help advocate for athlete mental health and wellness. Thank you to everyone who has been tuning in, and especially to those who have supported since the beginning. It's already been a wild ride, and I've loved every second of it! Here's to 100 more! L...

Episode 99 welcomes on former Team USA fencer Iris Zimmermann! She worked through her adolescent rise to international fencing dominance, fencing in college, following her older sister through the sport, and how abusive coaching behaviors shaped her motivation style and the kind of coach she now is. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of...

Episode 98 welcomed on Team USA javelin athlete Kara Winger! She spoke to her reign of US dominance, becoming a 4x Olympian, being chosen as an Olympic flag bearer for the United States, and her complicated relationship with injury rehab. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy...

Episode 97 features former Allegheny College field hockey player Becca Winton. In this episode, Winton speaks to her experience helping found the team, training through COVID-19, and the ensuing mental health struggles she experienced in college athletics in the post-COVID era. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit...

Welcome in Episode 96's guest, Jonny Curran. Curran played college golf at St. Mary's College and detailed his recruitment, the golfer mentality, individuality on the course, his podcast, and what resources he wants all college athletic departments to have. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closer...

Episode 95 welcomed on Kelly Oberle, founder of Access Human Potential. She spoke to her experience as a walk-on, translating her athletic prowess into applicable lessons post-sport, and the services she offers now with her consulting company. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and...

Episode 94 is live now with Team USA rifle athlete Lucas Kozeniesky. He spoke about finding a rifle club in Northern Virginia, the now-defunct rifle program at NC State, the mental tax of competitive shooting, and his experiences as a 2x Olympian. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality...

Episode 93 brought on University of San Diego softball pitcher McKenna Braegelmann. She spoke to the ramifications of a scary youth sport injury, learning about her own mental wellness, navigating PTSD, eating disorders, and anxiety, and the opportunities that have presented themselves in the wake of the worst time in her life. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support...

Dr. Hillary Cauthen, TEDx speaker and sport psychologist, joined Closer Mentality to work through misconceptions about athlete mental health, how to combat mental fatigue, teaching children about mental wellness principles, and toxic coaching behaviors. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closerment...

Team USA BMX 3x Olympian Connor Fields joined Closer Mentality this week to detail his racing career, how he defines his goals, representing his country on the world stage, and the dangerous collision during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that nearly cost him his life. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/c...

On Episode 90, Team USA Wheelchair Handball head coach, and former Team USA handball athlete, Dr. Ford Dyke joined the podcast. Dr. Dyke spoke to his role in the adaptive sport landscape, what it means to advocate for increased opportunities for athletes with disabilities, how he scouted for a new sport, and the impact he sees Team USA Wheelchair Handball having on the world stage. Let our sponsor...

Episode 89 brought on former collegiate synchronized skater Kenzie Brouk. She broke down the road to collegiate skating, transferring schools, toxic coaching culture, and getting diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special di...

Episode 88 brought on Team USA Wheelchair Rugby head coach, and 2x Paralympic medalist, Joe Delagrave. He spoke about the culture of wheelchair rugby, adaptive sports, adversity as motivation, athlete identity, and representing Team USA Paralympics as an athlete and a head coach. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Libro.fm...

Episode 87 welcomed University of Michigan Concussion Center director, Dr. Stephen Broglio. He spoke to the increase in research funding for concussion and CTE studies, partnering with the NCAA and United States Department of Defense, and the technological advancements that aid in data collection. 988: National Suicide and Crisis Hotline CARE Consortium: https://careconsortium.net/ This episode is...

Episode 86 welcomed US Alpine Ski Team member Sam DuPratt. He worked through his time skiing for the University of Utah, his introduction to Team USA, international skiing, severe injury, and learning to trust his body again. The injury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1FMcCHoHxY This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality Libro.f...

Episode 85 welcomed former Duke University and NWSL defender Schuyler DeBree. Her relationship with soccer spans the entire United States, and includes a quick trip across the pond to the Czech Republic. She spoke to playing overseas, the tumult that is playing soccer professionally, and the cycle of self-doubt that tying identity to success inherently provides. 988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Cr...