71 | Wheelchair Racer Susannah Scaroni: A Newfound Gratitude
Release Date: 06/16/2022
101 | Football Player & Author Tim Hightower: Playing to Your Strengths
The Injured Athletes Club
“You can't fight for everything in life. But we all have a few things in our lives that are core to who we are, and that pull on us every single day. As much as you can endure, endure, because it's always worth it and it's bigger than you.” Running back Tim Hightower had all the momentum in the world heading into his fourth season in the NFL—a critical year, when contracts are renewed (or, in most cases, aren’t). But a catastrophic ACL tear in a 2011 game, when Washington played Charlotte, took it all away in an instant. Tim didn’t know it then, but it would be four...
info_outline
100 | Carrie & Cindy Celebrate Success
The Injured Athletes Club
“One of the catalysts for us starting the Injured Athletes Club support group and then also doing the podcast is so that you don't feel like you're alone … when you lose your sport, there's sometimes so many little mini-losses that come with that. So to be able to come to the Injured Athletes Club and be a part of a community is so special, and you all are the ones that make that special.” One big message we try to share on this podcast, in our Facebook group, and throughout our work with injured athletes is that it’s essential to celebrate your successes. This week,...
info_outline
99 | Ballet Dancer Chyrstyn Fentroy: Exploring New Identities
The Injured Athletes Club
“My parents are dancers, so I literally grew up in the studio. Ballet kind of goes hand in hand with my identity—I have always been Chyrstyn the ballet dancer. I didn't realize that until I had it taken away from me and I had to sit down and identify other things that I was interested in. Otherwise, what was I existing for? I think having the confidence of understanding a little bit more about what I want in life that's not just ballet, or what I represent more than just being a ballet dancer or being a pretty mover on stage, was helpful.” is a principal dancer at the Boston...
info_outline
98 | Carrie Answers a Question: Stephanie’s Snag
The Injured Athletes Club
“I'd really love to know how to stop comparing the athlete I was before injury to the athlete I am now. I had knee surgery 10 months ago, and even though I'm fully cleared for all activities I am really struggling to get back into a groove with running. Any type of speed work really isn't working for me and I just can't seem to get any speed back. I am so frustrated with my lack of progress and would love to know how I can get over it.” —Stephanie This week, co-host and mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question from listener Stephanie, who feels stuck comparing herself...
info_outline
97 | Carrie & Cindy Ease Your Fears of Reinjury
The Injured Athletes Club
“One of the biggest challenges athletes face is trying to figure out if the pain that they're experiencing is pain that's a signal to stop or a pain that is okay to push through. Like, ‘When I feel this pain, if I push through, am I going to do further harm? Am I going to make things worse?’ The fear of re-injury helps you pay attention to your pain. But when you are physically cleared to do your physical therapy, or cleared to get back to training and practice and return to competition, yet you're still struggling with that fear—now the fear is holding you back versus...
info_outline
96 | Carrie Answers Your Questions: Re-Finding Your Edge
The Injured Athletes Club
“I’d love to know how you ever get comfortable with pushing the limits, or pushing hard again, without being so scared of re-injury. I often feel that in my speed workouts, I’m holding back, afraid to see how hard I can push, because I’m scared, but I also don’t want to let that fear hinder my athletic development! How to strike a healthy balance of ‘fear’ I suppose or learning to listen to your body.” —Jessica “How do I trust my body again, and how do I untangle what is purely mental (fear!) and what is physical (still rebuilding muscle)? How do I separate what...
info_outline
95 | Long Jumper Kate Hall-Harnden: Finding Strength in the Challenge
The Injured Athletes Club
[Having type 1 diabetes] comes with a lot of struggles, but I try to kind of embrace those struggles and learn from them and they help me grow. Having that perspective with type 1 helped me with my ACL recovery. Because I could say, ‘Alright, this is going to be one of the hardest times in my life, but in the long run, I will be stronger because of it.” When the 2020 Olympics were first postponed, long jumper Kate Hall looked on the bright side—she’d have more time to train and prepare for the Olympic Trials, which would qualify her for the Games. But a week before her first...
info_outline
94 | Carrie Answers a Question: Family Matters
The Injured Athletes Club
“How can we communicate with our partners, friends, and family about how hard we are finding it to be injured and what we need in terms of emotional support? —Anna “I have the same question: My husband is very helpful in doing physical tasks I still can't manage eight months after a trimalleolar pilon fracture, but he can't accept how severe this injury is, even though he has heard my surgeon explain it. He thinks it's just a broken ankle and thinks I should be back on the tennis court this summer, which is not going to happen since I can't even walk down the stairs properly and...
info_outline
93 | Paralympic Rugby Player and Coach Joe Delagrave: Defining Yourself
The Injured Athletes Club
“Rugby is something I think about all the time. But then going like, if it's gone, am I okay? If it's ripped away, like my able-bodied football career was, am I okay? In that moment, I wasn't. I had to ask, who is Joe in this new life in a wheelchair, and what's my identity? ... I think that's an important piece too, where a lot of athletes—it might not be as devastating as a paralysis, but when they're going through that eight- to 12-month rehab or a two-year rehab, or whatever it is, that identity is gone for a minute there and they have to kind of fight through and ask themselves those...
info_outline
92 | Carrie Answers a Question: Louise’s Lament
The Injured Athletes Club
“I loved the bit in the book where it gave ideas of how to respond to common messages or responses from people. I find it difficult to respond to the two following common comments I get about my injury journey: 1. You'll come out stronger 2. Your injury means you can concentrate on other things that are not your sport.” —Louise This week, co-host and mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question from listener Louise, who finds herself at a loss for words when people around her express these common sentiments. In her response, Carrie...
info_outline“I remember not knowing whether I was going to be able to race that day. I felt so emotional, I was crying. I had tears on my face and I was just thinking about just how weird the circumstances were, and just feeling how it was taken from Daniela, but it wasn't from me.”
Susannah Scaroni had one career high in summer of 2021—she won her first two Paralympic medals, a gold and a silver, at the Tokyo Games. This past May 29, she had another, when she set the world record in the 5,000 meters for the T54 category.
In between came one of her greatest challenges. In September, she was struck by a car while training, sustaining a burst fracture in her T8 vertebrae. Treatment included a clamshell-like back brace and restricted movements, which kept her out of the fall marathon season—and had her wondering about her future in the sport.
As if that weren’t enough to make her recent record-breaking performance more emotional, the race took place at the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial meet, named for a Swiss wheelchair racer killed in a similar collision. Susannah joins us on this week’s show fresh off that incredible accomplishment, and talks through what it took to get there, the lingering effects of the crash, and how it’s changed her outlook on athletics—and life.
New this season: We’re asking listeners to support the show directly, which you can do at buymeacoffee.com/rebound. Make a one-time donation or download extras like webinar recordings and resource sheets. Or, you can join as an ongoing member; for $10 a month, you’ll get goodies like podcast extras, live monthly Q&As with Carrie, and discounts from great companies like Fluid Running, Lever Movement, Netic Health, and Reflex Health.
You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show.
Resources/links:
- Susannah’s Instagram and Twitter
- Runner’s World article about Susannah’s story (by Cindy)
To access more resources for injured athletes:
- Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!
- Join The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updates
- Join The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderie
- Like The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodes
- Email us at [email protected] with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback
DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.