87 | Weightlifter and Mental Coach Mona de Lacey Pretorius: Don’t Go it Alone
Release Date: 03/02/2023
131 | Coach Carrie Answers (More of) Your Questions on Recovery, Cross-Training, and Moving On
The Injured Athletes Club
“If one already has a good physical therapist, what are the benefits of a personal trainer when recovering from an injury or surgery? Is it just more money or can a personal trainer actually be a value add?” “How do you balance being smart about prevention without letting worry of re-injury consume you?” “What is the best way to recover from a VERY torturous PT session? Mental and physical. Also, more info on using blood flow restriction for recovery.” “How can I trust that my crosstraining really works? And how can I let go of the fear of not recovering? I...
info_outline
130 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Marion’s Misgivings
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How to deal with re-injury? I tore my ACL last winter and it almost broke me, but I fought my way back into skiing at almost my previous level this year. Now I just tore it again and I feel absolutely shattered. I wasn’t out of control or falling - the turn was just too much for my knee to handle and it snapped. I have no idea how I’ll ever feel confident enough to take up skiing in the future now this happened. Also, I’m feeling completely demotivated for my recovery this time around.” —Marion In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills...
info_outline
129 | Triathlete and Family Physician Alex McDonald: Advocating for Yourself as an Athlete
The Injured Athletes Club
“Injury was horrible and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I think again, that shaped me and that helped me become a better physician today because of those experiences. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. It's part of who I am and has made me who I am today.” Alex McDonald was in medical school when he tried a triathlon with a friend, just for fun. But he quickly excelled at the sport, and eventually decided to take a break between medical school and his residency to pursue it at a high level. He had some success, but heading into his final season, he went out on a...
info_outline
128 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Jessica’s Juncture
The Injured Athletes Club
"How do you develop a bank of confidence for the future without comparing to past achievements?" In this Q&A episode of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson tackles a crucial question from listener Jessica about confidence. In her response, Coach Carrie emphasizes the importance of redefining goals, focusing on the present moment, and celebrating small victories. She explains how deliberately setting rehabilitation targets can help injured athletes shift their focus to what's within their control and redefine success. By letting go of...
info_outline
127 | Skier and Non-Profit Founder Kelly Brush: Lessons in Resilience
The Injured Athletes Club
“All of a sudden, I had two-thirds of my body that weren't working anymore. I had to figure out how to live my life and how to move my body around, who I was and what I was going do with my life in a way that was, I thought at the time, completely changed. Now, I don't think I'm completely changed. I think I'm exactly the same person. I just do things a little bit differently.” Kelly Brush grew up in a family of skiers, excelled on the slopes from childhood, and eventually achieved her dream of skiing in college at Middlebury College. But during her sophomore year, when she was...
info_outline
126 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Rachel’s Resentfulness
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How do you manage the jealousy towards non-injured athletes while dealing with your own injury?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, athlete Rachel voices what so many other injured athletes feel—wondering how to cope with the feeling of loss and jealousy when she sees others doing the sport she’s missing. Coach Carrie acknowledges that feeling this way toward healthy athletes is normal during recovery....
info_outline
125 | Coach Carrie and Cindy Help You Through a Setback
The Injured Athletes Club
“Setbacks are a very common part of injury recovery. I don't know if it's ever happened where someone heals with a perfect upward trajectory. I'm going to, I'm going to go ahead and say, it's very rare that that happens. This is why we talk so much about resilience and hardiness and the bounce that comes with a rebound.” Almost every injured athlete knows the feeling. You’re sticking to your plan, dedicated to your rehab, and certain that you’ll be back to 100 percent in the time the doctor outlined. Then, it happens—a new wrinkle to the injury, another procedure required, a...
info_outline
124 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Jessica’s Journey
The Injured Athletes Club
“ I thought I was done with this group. I had surgery in 2021 to repair a torn labrum in my hip and I was doing better. Then 6 months after surgery, I was given the green light to go jogging 2 blocks and I’ve been in hamstring pain since then. How do you move past the back-to-back chronic injuries? How do I work out when I’m afraid anything will hurt me? How do I physically and emotionally heal from this 7-year injury journey?” We always say, “We’re sorry you’re here, but we’re glad you’re with us”—and when we (Coach Carrie and Cindy) heard this week’s...
info_outline
123 | Personal Trainer John Petrelli: Grateful Every Day
The Injured Athletes Club
“If this was 20-year-old, John Petrelli, I probably wouldn't have the positive mindset to navigate those waters. I would have probably been going, why is this happening to me? Being fearful, having shame, being angry. But because so many people had come into my life as a mentor and shared their gift of knowledge, their love, their compassion on me … I said, how do I possibly make something positive happen out of this that may impact other people?” For 30 years, John Petrelli’s work as a personal trainer has relied on him being physically capable. So it came as a shock when,...
info_outline
122 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Reese’s Roller Coaster
The Injured Athletes Club
“I am a cyclist. I have had multiple surgeries for an injury that occurred 2.5 years ago. Things are going downhill again, and it looks like I’m going to be faced with a third major surgery. If I do have this surgery, there is a good chance I will not be able to ride a bike again, even recreationally. I am completely heartbroken. I remember the beginning of this journey when I thought 6 weeks non-weight bearing and 6 months to recovery sounded insurmountable. I can’t believe that I’m still here and still in pain. I feel like I’m drowning and I need help navigating what is becoming a...
info_outline"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:
-
Mona’s weightlifting website, mental coaching website, Instagram, and Twitter
-
Her YouTube channel—and the video discussed in the episode, about her Olympic journey
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:
-
Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!
-
Access webinar videos, injury sources, and more great resources for injured athletes while supporting our work
-
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.