Movie House Sport Psychology

Bonjour! Today, Anna Pirkl, LMFT, ATR and I discuss the 2001 French romantic comedy Amelie. What does Amelie have to do with sport psychology? A lot! We talk about how the movie reinforces 3 key virtues crucial to athletic success: awareness, benevolence, and playfulness. We even tied discussed how the movie relates to Brazilian jiu jitsu. Check it out! Find out more about Anna Pirkl, LMFT, ATR! h...

Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy, sir! In today's episode, I talk to Lidia Garcia, ACSW about season one of the hit Netflix show Cobra Kai. Lidia is an associate clinical social worker supervised by Monica D. Valdivia Aguilar, LMFT. We talked about the bullying, trauma, and family issues experienced by our favorite characters Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Machio), a...

Now that is what I call high quality H2O! Today I talk to friend of the show, David Dirk Smith, MSC, about the Adam Sandler classic The Waterboy (1998). We tell you more than you ever wanted to about the psychology of this movie. We share our character analyses of Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler), Momma (Kathy Bates), Coach Klein (Henrey Winkler), and Vicki Vallencourt (Fairuza Balk). Take a listen! F...

Toe pick! Dr. Lina Chmiel and I sit down and talk about the 1992 movie The Cutting Edge, a story about a former hockey player and a figure skater teaming up to go for gold. We talk about how the characters deal with injuries, transitioning out of sport, pre-performance routines, and more! Check it out! Get in touch with Dr. Lina Chmiel: https://www.instagram.com/drlina.la drlina.la@gmail.com Follo...

Is this a prank? In today's episode, I talk to clinical psychologist Dr. Taylor Neff. We watched the 2019 movie The Lodge and discuss the mental health issues faced by the movie's characters in the wake of a tragic suicide. Was the lodge haunted or was it a prank gone way too far? Follow me on social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBTSportPsych Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbt...

Ready or not, here comes Mama! Today's episode is the grand finale of our 3-part series on the 1995 movie, To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar. Dirk Smith, MSc and I discuss how Vida Bohem (Patrick Swayze), Noxeema (Wesley Snipes), and Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) find acceptance and healing. Then, we end by giving our mental health and sport psychology recommendations for t...

Hold on to your hot sauce! Today's episode is part 2 of our 3-part series discussing the 1995 movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar. Friend of the show, Dirk Smith, MSc, and I continue our discussion of the adventures of our three favorite drag queens, Vida (Patrick Swayze), Noxeema (Wesley Snipes), and Chi-Chi (John Leguizamo), through the lens of sport and performance psycho...

Little Latin boy in drag, why are you crying? On today's episode, I talk to David "Dirk" Smith, MSc about the 1995 movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. This cult classic features Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and Johnny Leguizamo as drag queens traveling cross country until their car breaks down in a small town. During their journey they survive harassment, assaul...

What happens when you give kids without fully developed brains a weapon of mass destruction? You get House of the Dragons! In today's episode, I talk to friend of the show, Alie Kussin-Shoptaw. We discuss the impulsivity and lack of judgment demonstrated by Aemond Targaryan when he "chases" Lucerys Velaryon on Dragonback. Take a listen! Check out Dr. Alie's website: https://docto...

How much have you ever lost on a coin toss? In today's episode, we talk about the 2007 movie No Country for Old Men. Lleweleyn Moss, played by Josh Brolin is on the run from the coin tossing "ultimate badass" Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem. Meanwhile, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, played by Tommy Lee Jones, is left trying to make sense of it all.  I sat down with my friend and colleague  ...

Tune in to hear a very special holiday episode of Movie House Sport Psychology! In this episode, I talk about the movie Violent Night starring David Harbour as the most dangerous Santa Claus ever seen on the silver screen. When we first meet Santa at the beginning of Violent Night, he has lost his Christmas cheer and is likely dealing with occupational burnout, or possibly overtraining syndro...

I'm with Coco! In today's episode, I talk about the 2011 documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. I talk a bit about the history of late night comedy and the similarities between athletes and comedians. I talk about the 5 stages of grief experienced by someone facing a traumatic setback, whether it's Conan quitting the Tonight Show or an athlete facing a career ending injury. I talk ab...

Take a walk down memory lane with us as we reminisce about watching movies on television and visiting a place called Blockbuster in order to pay money to bring home a video home system (VHS) cassette. In today's episode, I am joined by friend of the show, Dr. Mariel Ruiz Stasiuk, as she ventures into the Predator franchise for the first time. I share a little bit of my history growing up as a fan....

Do you remember playing a game called Red Light, Green Light as a child? In today's episode of Movie House Sport Psychology, we discuss the Squid Games characters' experience playing childhood games with an interesting and dangerous twist! My colleague, Dr. Mariel Ruiz Stasiuk, and I discuss the desperation that made them vulnerable to exploitation and how they can manage their fight or flight res...

Are you watching the final season of Walking Dead! It's good again! Today, I review Lockdown (season 11 episode 17). I discuss how the survivors we know and love work together as a team, demonstrating social and task cohesion. I also talk about how the survivors utilize their individual strengths in the fight against The Commonwealth. Check it out!  Follow me on social media!  Twitt...

Tune in to hear my colleague, Dr. Alie Kussin-Shoptaw, and I discuss episode 1 of House of the Dragon through the lens of mental health and sport psychology. We discuss whether Daemon Targaryen is nefarious or a man of the people (or both). We talk about Daemon's rise to power as Lord Commander of the City Watch by speaking to the needs of the smallfolk and building team cohesion among the City Wa...

Check out the very first episode of Movie House Sport Psychology! My colleague, Dr. Alie Kussin-Shoptaw, and I discuss the show Outlander from the perspective of mental health and sport psychology. We discuss trauma, sexual assault, time travel, and the overall brutality of the 1700's. We also talk about Jaime Fraser as an elite athlete/performer, and overall great guy. Enjoy! Check out Dr. Alie's...

Why does Kylo Ren have a chip on his shoulder? What made Jon Snow such an effective soldier? Did he really know nothing? Are Johnny Knoxville and SteveO good at what they do or are they incredibly lucky? This is Movie House Sport Psychology and I’m your host, Dr. Jason von Stietz. Each episode you’ll hear your favorite characters from TV and film discussed through the lens of mental health and spo...