The Athletic Mind

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 leader...

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 impo...

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 e...

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 me...

This week, we are joined by Swedish professional women's hockey player, Anna Kjellbin, who will be playng for Lulea in the SDHL and is curently gearing up for the women's world championships with the Swedish national team. Anna shares her journey with us through the Swedish hockey system, differences between European and North American hockey, and some tips for young athletes that are looking to p...

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...

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! If you'd like to support to podcast, p...

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 coac...

*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: Fo...

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. Get into flow with FlowCode and receive a 10% discount on any subscription! Book a free 30 minute call ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's conn...

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! If you enjoyed this episode or found any valu...

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 sel...

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. Book a free 30 minute call ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin/taylorbcook⁠...

This week Lauren runs solo as Taylor travels back home to Germany and MJ celebrates her little guys birthday. But don't worry, she still brings the heat with special guest, Megan Myers. Affectionately referred to as the best D1 women's hockey player to play D3 hockey, played professionally for 5 seasons, and has transitioned into Assistant Coach for D1 women's hockey at Stonehill College. They dis...

This past weekend we had our team corporate retreat where we got to be together in person and even though we have only worked remotely together, we all vibed together well and everything felt natural. This isn't the case with majority of teams - whether we're talking sport or business. Creating and cultivating strong team cohesion starts with team building and creating a sense of trust and unity....

Obviously, with the unfortunate (but somewhat anticipated) loss of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round of playoffs, we thought that self-doubt was the perfect topic to discuss. Taylor, Lauren, and MJ go deep on self-doubt; where it comes from, how to address it, and the three step process you can apply to help you overcome doubt and instill confidence in your performance.  Book a...

**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, i...

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. Want to practice getting into flow? Join FlowCode, the world's leading biohacking flow portal today and get ⁠10% discount on any subscription...

In today's episode we kick things off with a bit of women's hockey news update before diving into the topic of burnout; what it is, why this happens, and best practices for preventing it in the first place. We segwey into a conversation about dry season and binge drinking and our opinions on how coaches should handle the topic of substance use - particularly at the university level. Book a free 30...

This week are joined by special guest, Cory Camp, and we are talking about transitioning out of sport. Cory is a former NCAA swimmer and the founder of Forever Athlete. He works with athletes to help them transition out of sport by delivering talks at universities and hosting "Away Games" through his business to bring former athletes together in retreats. We touch on the neuroscience of flow state...

Athletic therapists play a major role in the lives of athletes, helping them to prevent and recover from injuries as well as maintain their physical conditioning throughout the season. But what a lot of people don't realize is the role that they play in supporting athletes mental health. Often times ATs play the role of physical therapist as well as an actual therapist and are the first to hear ab...

In today's episode MJ and Taylor are rolling solo again and talking all about mistakes. This is an important topic for all athletes and coaches if they want to optimize their own performance and the performance of their team. We talk about how athletes can learn to handle and recover from mistakes and about how coaches should approach their players or team when a mistake has been made. You’ll also...

In this week's episode, MJ and Taylor run solo as Lauren focuses on her playoff run in Sweden. They are talking all about the importance of mindset and brain training, the difference between the two, and how these skills impact the performance of athletes. The sports visualiztion study referenced in this episode was conducted by Dr. Biasiotto, professor at the University of Chicago. Learn more HER...

In this week's episode we are joined by PWHPA Marketing and Events Consultant, Alexis Miller where we discuss the reality of professional women's hockey in North America, how we can further the development of women's hockey on an international level, and ultimately make the case for a professional women's league in North America. If you like this episode or if it brings you value, please share it...

In this week's episode we are joined by Team Canada Women's Hockey Assistant Coach, Kori Cheverie, where we discuss the success of the women's team in the Beijing 2022 Olympic games, her role in the process of becoming Olympic champions, and how we can further the development of women's hockey on an international level. If you like this episode or if it brings you value, please share it on your so...