The Sideline Perspective Podcast

Amaya is an advocate in player and identity development, whose journey bridges elite athletic performance and transformative mentorship. As a captain, two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and AVCA All-American middle blocker, she led Louisville to the Final Four in 2022—where she received the Elite 90 Award for highest GPA at the NCAA National Championship Tournament. Despite pro volleyball...

When Deon Reid was growing up in the sport of Diving, his eyes were focused on one thing: the Olympics. Dead-set on making it there, Deon sought out the right program, coach, culture, and training environment to support him on his path. That journey took him from Duke to USC, away from diving, and back to it again. This episode recounts all that he learned about himself as both an athlete and a pe...

This episode features Mac and Erica as they dive into the sometimes confusing, and often overwhelming, world of therapy and mental health support. They cover why athletes can benefit from working with a therapist, the various approaches therapy can take, and tips to be sure the therapist you choose is the right fit. Erica Curry is a former D1 athlete and now licensed therapist. During her time as...

On the second "Panel Perspective" style episode, Mac is joined by two guests, and former teammates who share their thoughts on the question: "Why have so many athletes taken up running in life after sport?" Each panelist comes from a different running background - from ultramarathon champion to just getting started. They delve into their reasons behind picking up running post-s...

Tyler (or TC) is best known as the one-legged Captain America and valuing kindness above all else. He is a 3x Paralympian in the sport of alpine skiing and had the honor of being voted Opening Ceremony Flag bearer for Team USA during his last Winter Paralympic Games in 2022. TC is often the positive one and strives to help others discover their passion, while understanding that life is constant jo...

This episode is a Story Session - where athletes who have written for The Sideline Perspective website read their reflection in their own words and reflect back on what it meant to process that time of transition and change in their lives. This episode features Violet Carroll's story. Violet is a 6th grader at the Richmond Middle School in Hanover, NH.  She has been a hockey goalie for the pa...

"Are all of the things we take from sport positive?" --- That was the question that initiated this episode with Katie Alexander, Ph. D. student and founder of "The Dark Side of Sport." We chat about sporting environments, sport culture, and power dynamics while calling out the different types of abuse individuals in sport should be aware of and looking out for. Katherine "...

So much of success in sport comes from the people around us - whether teammates, coaches, family or friends, we rely on social support to get us to the top. So why would that change in life after sport? Truth is, it doesn't. This episode with Cory Camp dives into the ways athletes can build and benefit from a support system in life beyond competition. A former nationally ranked swimmer, Cory...

Facing rehab and recovery? Then you won't want to miss this episode with Registered Dietician Emily Barnhart. Emily specializes in helping athletes and active individuals "fuel their comeback" to sport.  As The Injury RD, Emily operates from a deep-seeded nutrition philosophy that food is more than fuel.  Food is joy, celebration, community, and culture.  She believes in a whole foo...

Ever heard of imposter syndrome? If you haven't heard the term, you've most likely felt it at some point if you've been a competitive athlete... Imposter syndrome is the sense that you don't belong at the level you're at or don't deserve the success you've found. It's a natural feeling to have when you're wired to be driven towards perfection but its al...

On the first "Panel Perspective" style episode, Mac is joined by not one, not two, but three awesome guests who share their thoughts on the question: "What exactly does success in life beyond sport mean?" The crew leans on both their personal and professional backgrounds to answer the question - leading to key takeaways you won't want to miss! Panelists incude: Tyler Carte...

Tune in to hear Mac's story as she reads and reflects on an essay she wrote for the Positive Coaching Alliance: https://positivecoach.org/the-pca-blog/the-power-of-perspective-from-a-former-d1-athlete/ --- Learn more about The Sideline Perspective: Website: http://thesidelineperspective.com Submit Your Story: http://thesidelineperspective.com/submit/ Instagram: @thesidelineperspective Connect...

Grief is both a heavy word and a heavy feeling. It is most often a word associated with loss of a person or living thing, but is just as poignant when we close a  life chapter and lose a piece of ourselves. In this episode, Mac is joined by Gabbie Ewing to unpack the validity of these feelings and why they aren't often recognized or talked about in the world of sport. Gabbie is the creator &a...

Debriefing is a powerful tool for reflection and life lessons. Elite athletes have so much to learn from their experiences in sport, but it can be hard to find the time to reflect... let alone know where to start! Mac shares the unique power a 'debrief' session brings to a successful athlete transition and/or return to sport, and provides a few different ways to think about how injured a...

Catch up with Mac and get a peek into what Season 3 of The Sideline Perspective Podcast has in store! --- Learn more about The Sideline Perspective: Website: http://thesidelineperspective.com Submit Your Story: http://thesidelineperspective.com/submit/ Instagram: @thesidelineperspective Connect with Mac: mac@thesidelineperspective.com

Haloti Ngata is a former Professional Football player. As a defensive tackle he played in college for the University of Oregon, earning Consensus All-American honors. Haloti was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for the Ravens for nine seasons (winning a Superbowl and being selected for the Pro Bowl five times), before being traded to the Detroit L...

What does dedication, accountability, commitment, and consistency have to do with each other? They’re all key to success in both athletics and entrepreneurship. The grit we develop through competition can serve us well when it comes to paving our own career path in life after sport - and entrepreneurship can be a great place to start. Kasten is a former professional Windsurfer and current coach wo...

Ralph DeQuebec is a bilateral above-knee amputee after being injured in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device or (IED) while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012. He is a Purple Heart recipient, a 2018 Paralympic gold medalist. His story from battle field to hospital bed to the world stage is nothing short of inspiring… Connect with Ralph: Instagram: @mrbenjaminboom & @weareallones...

Karl Arvidsson is a former NCAA swimmer at the University of California, Berkeley. At Cal, he was a part of three Pac-12 Team Championships as well as an NCAA Team Championship in 2019. Individually, he was a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic team member, a two-time NCAA qualifier, an Academic All-American, and culminated his career by being named an All-American in his Senior season. Unfortunately, hi...

"You know what you need to accomplish [as an athlete] so you focus on the task at hand, but you don't really know what's going on with yourself emotionally. I always thought there was something wrong with me because of what I was feeling at the time... and it took me years to undo all that stuff ." Bridget was an Oregon Cheerleader for four seasons during the Oregon Football re...

"Injuries are such a common thing in the sport - if you get through a ski racing career without a major injury, you're probably not pushing it hard enough... I knew it was going to come, and because of that, when I got hurt, I'd already jumped that hurdle of understanding that season ending injuries happen and I was at the point of 'ok, what's next?' " Jimmy Krup...

Bryn Drescher is a mental conditioning coach to NBA, NCAA and elite high school athletes across the country. Bryn started her journey into mental conditioning when she walked onto Michigan State University’s competitive track and field program. She competed at the highest level of college sports before leaving early to pursue her career She began coaching elite athletes and has worked with  D1, D2...

Kassie & Sondra met playing college volleyball for the University of Toledo.  A dynamic duo both on and off the court, they saw each other through the ups and downs of college life and beyond. Now, ten years later (and their friendship stronger than ever), they've teamed up to tackle a new opponent: the unspoken topics we face in athletics. They founded The Unspoken Arena to give a safe s...

We all have a mix of masculine and feminine qualities in us, but our athletic experiences and sport culture tend to push us to favor one over the other (any guesses which? ... ahem, masculine). In this episode Q and Mac dive into why that is, the benefits of finding a balance between the two, and the impacts of that balance on transitioning to life beyond sport. Get ready to hear about ringing pho...

"After almost 25 years of high-level competition sports, I am about 1 year into healthy-retirement (those first 2 were brutal). While claiming to “be an athlete” no longer feels like me, I know I am athletic… I am still able. Who I am and what I am capable of did not cease alongside my career and this I get to celebrate. There is still so much learning and feeling to be had along this journey...