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87 | Weightlifter and Mental Coach Mona de Lacey Pretorius: Don’t Go it Alone

The Injured Athletes Club

Release Date: 03/02/2023

101 | Football Player & Author Tim Hightower: Playing to Your Strengths show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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...

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"It was one of those that was like, injury leading to injury, and it was strange for me because in my over 20 years as an elite level athlete, I've never had really bad injuries. I've always been one—even though I used to train really hard—I was resilient. I would get niggles and things like that, but I never dealt with anything this big and had it set me back this much. So it really challenged me. I'd say, not just physically, but really on the mental side as well.”

 

After the 2018 Commonwealth Games—where she took home a bronze medal and broke multiple South African records—weightlifter Mona de Lacey Pretorius felt like nothing could stop her forward momentum. Her longtime dream, to compete at the Olympics, felt destined to become a reality.

 

But the road leading up to the Games was far more winding than she could have ever expected, including injuries, a pandemic, and travel challenges and restrictions that tested her limits more than any barbell ever had.

 

Mona talks us through it all on this week’s episode, including the dramatic conclusion—listen to hear more. She also explains why, though she’s a mental coach herself, she reached out to a sport psychologist for support. And, she tells us how her experiences have fueled every aspect of her career and the rest of her life (since this recording, she’s become a new mom!).

 

Resources/links:

 

Thank you so much to our sponsors for season 6: 

  • Fluid Running, which has revolutionized fitness by bringing running to the deep water

  • IceeNOW.com, which provides innovative injury prevention and recovery solutions for athletes

  • ADAM Rehabilitation, creators of the ADAM Brace System, the most stable exercise system built to save the health of your shoulders

Learn more and access exclusive discount codes for their products at buymeacoffee.com/rebound or by joining The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group.

 

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.

 

To access more resources for injured athletes:

 

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.