We Need More of This

When you work in any profession, you really get shaped by the people you meet and the relationships you form. This week, I'm making up for the fact that I coached in the same conference as our podcast guest, and yet I didn't get to know her.

Christen Schefchunas was an NCAA swim coach for many years, culminating with a run at University of Miami. As you'll hear, she reached a major turning point at Miami, one that ultimately led her to go beyond coaching just one team. I called her because I've been following what she's been doing, and I think she has a really important message that, frankly, we need more of:

You can find out more about Christen and her work at her website.

Jeff Of All Trades

Today's conversation is with a very unique Canadian gentlemen, Jeff Grace. Jeff, well, Jeff has done a lot of things in swimming and continues to do so. He's a fellow writer, and we talk about how he got into writing about swimming. We also talk about how open he has been about his own mental illness and advocating for others.

For more information about Jeff and all the work he does: 

Mental Health for Athletes:

https://swimswam.com/?s=mental+health+for+athletes

Yoga and Meditation Classes for Mental Health

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_CMQtiKnX8K9pQQJF2yuzJZra1nOiNcP

Eliza's Website

https://www.elizajanewellness.com/

Stand-Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcbjztZo8Kg

Swimming Specific Yoga

https://www.swimmingspecificyoga.com

Excel with Grace Sport-Specific Yoga

https://www.excelwithgrace.com

The Unicorn

Today's conversation takes us to somebody that I have been a fan of from afar for many years: Janelle Atkinson. Janelle is currently the head coach of the recently restarted program at Stony Brook.

Janelle talks me through her life story, from her early days in Jamaica, to the decision to come over to America for high school and college, and paying her dues in the coaching ranks. We also talk about some of the challenges and frustrations that come with being a person of color and a single mom in high level college athletics, and how she's overcome that. Enjoy.

The podcast was also sponsored this week by Swimnerd Pace Clocks. Check them out. 

Mental Health Deep Dive

This week I talk with someone who's doing some work that I really admire, and I wanted to hear more about it. Emily Klueh is a former national teamer who has gone into the field of mental health and sports performance at the University of Michigan and the attached USA Swimming team, Club Wolverine.

I dig deep on the kind of innovative work she's doing both with college students and younger kids, how to navigate some of this stuff as a coach and even some of the Positive Psychology she is incorporating. I recorded this podcast with Emily right before the holiday season. Enjoy.

Rules for Adulting

This week Sherri Fisher takes us outside of the swimming bubble and we talk about words like "smart" and "talented" and how they actually play out educational and athletic environments. Sherri has some really cool rules for how to get people who have not been marked as "talented" to really up their game. We also talk about the flip side: kids that have been marked as capable but aren't "performing" up to expectations

For those of you who want to learn more about Sherri and what she does, go to http://www.learnandflourish.com/. If you want to check out her journal go to positiveedgejournal.com. Check back and I'll let you know when her journal becomes available.