132 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Bec’s Rebound
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How does one find self-compassion when you’ve been through this too many times and understand the importance of the beginning phase while also itching to get out of it and back to the activities that bring me joy? I know all the usual tactics: time with friends, using other activities (music, podcast, drawing), resting, lifting upper body and moving in whatever way I can that doesn’t jeopardize the surgical area, reframing, CBT, DBT, etc. But I still feel a bit lost.” —Bec It’s our very last episode of the season—and a fitting Q&A to end on, as Coach Carrie...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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“Instead of being mean to myself and saying, ‘You’ve got nothing else outside of running,’ I said, ‘Look at all the other multi-faceted things you are. You are a son, you are a brother, you're a business owner. Humans are multi-faceted; you have an identity outside this sport. The sport may have helped you find more of your authenticity, but you're not bound to this sport. It's only a piece of the puzzle, a part of your identity.”
When Merrell Professional Athlete Aum Gandhi first started running six years ago, he barely went a quarter of a mile—and he describes it now as “the most nauseating, grueling experience ever.” But something compelled him to do it again, and again, and again. Now, he’s regularly conquering distances of 200 miles and more.
All that has taken him incredible places, including to the helm of endurance-sports publication Run Tri Bike; to that professional contract with Merrell; and as a key fundraiser for the Richstone Family Center. Several years later, however, all that came into question at mile 235 of a 240-mile race, when a hip injury forced him to make a huge decision about whether to continue.
Hear how Aum harnessed his inner coach to rebound from that injury and redefine his relationship to running; how the everyday athletes he profiles on Run Tri Bike inspire him; what he gains from his relationship with kids at the Richstone Family Center who are also overcoming trauma; and his advice for the ultrarunner in all of us.
Resources/links:
- Aum’s Instagram
- Run Tri Bike
- His fundraiser for the Richstone Family Center
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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.