Parenting Peak Performers Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 34: Lindsey Hamilton on Being a Good Teammate Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

There's such an opportunity for us to really teach our kids in a more implicit way and demonstrate what good teammates look like. - Lindsey Hamilton

Friend of the podcast Lindsey Hamilton joins us today to share her wisdom! As a mental performance coach, Lindsey dedicates herself to empowering others to build the best version of themselves. In her role as a mental conditioning coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida Lindsey works with elite youth athletes to develop the mindset they need to perform at their best. She specializes in women's sports to help female athletes build confidence, maintain composure, and develop a rich connection in ways that transcend sport. Lindsey relentlessly encourages those around her to pursue their dreams and have a fun time doing it. Lindsey completed her master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science with an emphasis in Sports Psychology from the University of Utah after completing dual BA degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Chapman University. She has dedicated a great deal of professional expertise to working with parents, highlighting in this episode the importance of being a good teammate to the athlete, building the value of humility in and out of the arena, role modeling, and how the athlete's performance is not a reflection on the parent's technique.

Episode 33: Dr. Rob Bell on Setting a Precedence Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

It's tough to be driven when you're always being driven. - Dr. Rob Bell

Dr. Bell is a mental toughness coach who has worked with champions on the PGA tour, Olympic medalists, Notre Dame athletes, and Indy Eleven players. He has written six books on performance and joins Kathy this week to discuss his book "Build Their Mental Toughness", sharing some amazing wisdom for both parents and athletes on how to support your athlete and focus on being on the journey together. Dr. Bell also hosts the podcast Fifteen Minutes of Mental Toughness - if you loved this episode please like and listen to his show as well! Dr. Rob Bell has been a keynote speaker for sports organizations and corporations across the country, and we can see why! He was an incredible guest, sharing game plans on how to handle stress, control emotion, and create routines as a family. Dr. Bell emphasized that building confidence comes from setting a precedence - making sure that athletes feel supported even when they make mistakes, and are able to let go. He shares that mental toughness skills come from athletes teaching themselves, supported by sport parents. We encourage all our listeners to huddle the whole family for this week's episode (Try on the car ride home!). Connect with Dr. Bell on his website: https://drrobbell.com

Episode 32: Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky on Raising Cognitively Encouraged Playmakers Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

The best way is to ask questions, good questions… there is an art to asking good questions - Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky

Professor at Boston University, researcher, and consultant Len Zaichkowsky joins Kathy this week to talk about the importance of perception, decision making, and engaging your athlete's cognition; helping them to hone the skills of a playmaker. Dr. Zaichkowsky has been a professional in the field of Sports Psychology for almost four decades. He acted as a pioneer, bringing together the research fields of Cognitive Neuroscience and Sports Performance as an interdisciplinary science. His academic textbooks and research publications demonstrated the importance of the athlete's brain in anticipating and acting on opportunities during competition. He has consulted with teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, Australian rules football, Spanish men's national soccer team, and Olympic sport organizations across the globe. His book, released this year, "The Playmaker's Advantage: How to Raise Your Mental Game to the Next Level" focuses on the elements of quick seeing, thinking, and action-taking by the athletes who lead in their respective sports. Dr. Zaichkowsky is a former president and fellow of the Association for Applied Sports Psychology, and currently the section editor of psychology for the International Journal of Sport and Health Science. Recently the American Psychological Association honored Dr. Zaichkowsky with the Distinguished Service to the Profession Award. Today, Len is co-founder and senior consultant at 80% Mental Consulting, advising on developing athlete cognition. You can connect with both Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky and his co-author Daniel Peterson by visiting http://www.80percentmental.com/contact. We hope that you will share this episode and connect with the authors, as Dr. Zaichkowsky's expertise is matched only by his kindness - and don't forget to try the app (available here: https://www.gamesensesports.com) to practice your skills at bat!

Episode 31: Carrie Cheadle on Regaining Confidence and Building Resilience Through Injury Recovery Oct 23, 2018

Show notes

This is a part of a bigger journey, and you can really use it to become a better athlete. - Carrie Cheadle

Author and expert in sports performance Carrie Cheadle is our guest this week! We want to encourage both parents and athletes (especially those navigating injuries) to listen in together to this episode. Carrie is an incredible guide who employs a real-life approach to her work, and we think you're going to really appreciate her expertise. A resident of Petaluma, California, just north of San Francisco, Carrie has been working on the performance of teams, organizations, and individual athletes and exercisers since 2002. She is the author of the book "On Top of Your Game: Mental Skills to Maximize Your Athletic Performance" and co-author of the upcoming book "Rebound", which will be released in 2019 and focuses on helping injured athletes regain confidence and build resilience through injury recovery and return to sport. She has been interviewed as an expert resource for articles in publications such as Outside, Shape, Men's Fitness, Women's Health, Runner's World, Bicycle, and The Huffington Post. She is an incredible speaker who has spoken for and consulted with many collegiate teams, cycling teams, and triathlon teams, as well as corporate organizations like Camelbak! Carrie is an expert in mental skills training, working with athletes at all ages and levels from recreational athletes to elite and professional athletes competing on national and international levels. She specializes in working with athletes and exercisers with Type 1 Diabetes and is the Director of the mental skills training program for Diabetes Training Camp. She received her BA in Psychology from Sonoma State University, and MA in Sports Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. Carrie has also taught at the collegiate level, currently serving as an adjunct professor at John F. Kennedy University. Carrie has a life-long commitment to her athletic performance and shares what has been most beneficial in shifting her mindset through injuries.

Episode 30: Dr. Jose Colon on the Relationship Between Sleep Health and Peak Performance Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

Just like a washing machine has different cycles, our sleep has different cycles, our brain, and our body, and we cycle between these stages of REM sleep and non-REM sleep and different cycles have different functions. - Dr. Jose Colon

Welcome to Parenting Peak Performers season three! Now that we've heard from sports parents and the athletes themselves, Kathy kicks off the new season by diving into the expert perspective! First up is Dr. Jose Colon, sleep expert and dual board-certified physician in sleep medicine and neurology, with special qualifications in child neurology. He is a member of The Institute for Functional Medicine, The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and a founding member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Dr. Colon is also an award-winning author of several books on sleep, children's mindfulness for sleep, and infant sleep. He shares incredible information on sleep deprivation, injury, EMF, and why it is that much more important for athletes to exercise - that is exercise healthy sleep habits (hint: you'll want an alarm clock)! We look forward to sharing more perspectives from coaches, clinicians, and other experts in the field this season, get ready!

Episode 29: Joey Lye on the Importance Student - Led Coaching Oct 03, 2018

Show notes

This week's guest is an excellent example of peak performance, as an athlete, and as a collegiate coach!

Joey is the head softball coach at Bucknell University, and has been a member of the Canadian national softball team since 2010. During her collegiate career she was a 4-year letter winner at Williams College in both ice hockey and softball. Joey was named to the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship team for both softball and hockey, and was a four-time All-Conference New England Region First Team selection shortstop. Lye set five all-time school records for Williams in batting, with some very impressive stats! During her senior season she led the nation with a 563 batting average, setting a single-season record at Williams. She also set a record for 22 stolen bases in the very same season! In 2009 Joey was the NESCAC and ECAC Division Three New England Player of the Year, and joined the Canadian National Softball Team the following season. She has been very successful on the team, batting a 611 average at the 2012 Women's World Championship and aiding Canada in their silver medal win at the 2011 Pan American Games. Kathy and Joey discuss responsibility, coaching, playing, and the importance of allowing athletes to lead.

Episode 28: Swimmer and Mom Cailin Weidenmiller on Leaning into Independence and Off of the Pressure Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

There was never a pressure for me to be successful as long as I put all of my effort in, there was never this reward for being so great, it was all about how you showed up and how you committed and how hard you worked. - Cailin Weidenmiller

Cailin is a former collegiate swimmer and mother of three. She began swimming at five while participating in multiple team sports and found a love for both the water and the routine. In middle school her focus shifted to swimming solely, resulting in three-practice days as a high school student and the desire to swim on the collegiate level. When she began swimming for The College of the Holy Cross she was named Rookie of the year for her Freshman season but began to notice that her desire for routine was creating anxiety and Tendinitis in both of her shoulders. By her Sophomore season, her heart and mind were not in the sport, causing her to walk away. Cailin and Kathy discuss her journey of discovering a love of sports, how living up to expectations affected her drive and finding herself as an athlete. Cailin shares how as a mom she is navigating allowing her own children to love what they're doing and easing off pressure to perform both for her children and as a parent, all while she is currently training for an Ironman triathlon!

Episode 27: Expert in Sport and Performance Psychology Dr. Julie Wiernik on Tackling Perfectionism Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

There is no such thing as perfect, we are created to make errors, so I think once we accept that reality it's so freeing. - Dr. Julie Wiernik

Licensed Clinical Sport and Performance Psychologist Dr. Julie Wiernik comes on this week to discuss the mental game of being a top performer and her own journey with perfectionism. Julie competed on two high school state championship teams for volleyball and basketball and was a four-year varsity softball starter before earning a scholarship to the University of North Florida. She was a 4-year starter for the Women's Osprey Softball team and excelled off the field. Julie was a Rhodes Scholar, earned All-conference and All-region honors, and was an Academic All-American; graduating Magna Cum Laude. In 1996 her UNF Flag Football team played in the Nike Flag Football Championships, and she earned All-America honors for being the best female quarterback in the country. Julie holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and owns The Texas Center for Sports Psychology, where she works with incredible athletes to optimize their performance. She comes on to share her thoughts on how her internal motivation impacted her athletic career, and how parents can help athletes learn, rather than perfect. She shares healthy tools for building the parent-child relationship, autonomy, confidence, and self-awareness, and encourages parents to let their athletes take risks, but match goals of the student with the expectations of the parent.

Episode 26: Sofia Perez on Making Sacrifices to Reach Your Goals Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

I'm going to be able to build a family and give that to my children, be a role model as they were to me. - Sofia Perez

Sofia is a spectacular tennis player, and a rising Junior at Division I Florida Gulf Coast University. She began playing tennis at the age of 10 with her father, who became her full-time coach the following year. Ten years later, Kathy and Sofia discuss the value and importance of her parents as role models, how communication between parents and young athletes is a key factor, and all the lessons she's learned both on and off the court in the last decade of play. Parents! This episode is one the team at Parenting Peak Performers would highly recommend listening to as a family - Sofia highlights ideas she wish she'd heard competing as a youth athlete, especially her parents' belief in her as an athlete, their support in building her confidence through rigorous challenges, and how they made decisions as a United front that helped her consider and succeed in her goals. Sofia is looking forward to the upcoming FGCU season, and we look forward to watching her future in tennis!

Episode 25: Myles Pringle on Finding Home with Success Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

I can't win everything. I don't want to win everything, I don't want to be first for everything... With me and defeat, I'm okay with defeat, because I know there's something else that's going to be better coming along in the future. - Myles Pringle

Myles began running through a lifetime love of soccer and team sports that transformed into a career in Track and Field in middle and high school. Myles was featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd column for his accomplishments, which are numerous. He is the National Champion in both the indoor and outdoor 400m dash, holds All American honors in several events, and has achieved school records in the outdoor high jump at 2.14 meters, indoor high jump at 2.17 meters, indoor 400m at 46.11 seconds, and outdoor 200m at 21.28 seconds. He was awarded the USTFCCCA Men's Midwest Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2017, and is a rising senior at Ashland University. Myles and Kathy discuss the importance of support from all sides, keeping healthy expectations and perspective on success, and seeking opportunity to improve over perfection. Myles is a true champion of growth mindset thanks to his relationship with his mom, who helped him cultivate focus within whatever arena he found himself competing in. Myles is looking forward to his final year of collegiate competition, the 2019 World Championships, and the opportunity to run for Team USA in the 2020 Olympic Games.

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