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
121 | Football Player and Entrepreneur Will Bartholomew: The Gift of Perseverance
The Injured Athletes Club
“Injuries, you can use them as opportunities to go do something great. I feel like that was ingrained in me early on in my life. I look back now and I'm very fortunate for having those injuries because they set me up for some great things.” This week, Coach Carrie and Cindy chat with Will Bartholomew, founder and CEO of D1 Training. Will shares his journey from being a promising football player who faced career-altering injuries to the founder of a successful nationwide network of athletic training facilities. Will discusses the significant moments in his athletic...
info_outline
120 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Emily’s Emotions
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How can you deal with anxiety not of a specific reinjury, but a more generalized fear about your sport being taken away from you again? That fear does help me appreciate what I have now that I'm running again, but also makes disruptions to my training or race plans—whether from how I'm feeling physically, or work/life stress—harder to deal with. How can I cope?” In this episode of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question from Emily regarding handling the anxiety associated with the potential permanent loss of her sport due to...
info_outlineWe’re sorry you’re here, but we’re glad you’re here, too!
Welcome to the third episode of The Injured Athletes Club, a podcast about how to cope with sports injuries. We’re your hosts, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson Cheadle and journalist Cindy Kuzma.
This week, the two of us are here to talk you through a mental exercise Carrie recommends to work your way through sticky situations during your recovery. This one’s called: Go FAR. You can use it anytime you feel trapped or are facing a bump in the road you just can’t see your way through.
On this episode, we discuss:
-What the acronym Go FAR stands for: Feel, Accept, Recover
-The types of situations in which it’s useful (hint: just about anytime you feel stuck or in denial)
-What your feelings can tell you—and why it’s so important to listen to them
-Why we tend to clump emotions together or rush either through or away from them (there are actually biological reasons for these tendencies)
-Why getting really specific about what we’re feeling helps to break this cycle
-The “beautiful release” that can come just from being honest about your emotions
-When stepping back and gaining perspective or context can help—and when it’s counterproductive
-How journaling can help, and an alternative if you don’t love writing
-Why actually scripting out—and practicing telling—your own injury story is important (including the magic of the word “prefer”)
-How to recover—to plot your next step once you’ve accepted reality
Resources we mention:
-Emotion lists: one html, one pdf
-A journaling exercise from Carrie’s website
-Mindset, by Carol Dweck
-The Insight Timer app
And, as always:
-Our website, www.injuredathletesclub.com
-The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group
Thanks for listening, and please reach out anytime 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.