Announcing “The Mentally Fit Athlete”: A New Podcast on Sport Psychology & Mental Fitness
This week marks an exciting new chapter in my career in clinical sport psychology. I am launching a new podcast! The Mentally Fit Athlete is dedicated to exploring the mental side of athletic performance. Join my colleague, Lidia Garcia, MSW, and me as we discuss how to cultivate mental fitness in short episodes packed with concrete takeaways.
About the Show
As usual, my inspiration for this project came from what people might consider an unlikely place. If you know me, you know I am a big fan of comedy. One of my favorite stand-up comedians, Fahim Anwar, runs a show in Los Angeles called Fahim Works on Stuff. In this show, Fahim’s fans watch him try out new material, understanding that they're seeing unpolished jokes without the cohesive structure of a traditional comedy set. On The Mentally Fit Athlete, Lidia and I will be speaking off the cuff, based on our experience and training. The episodes will not be painstakingly prepared oral dissertations. That wouldn’t be fun for us, and you wouldn’t want to listen to that anyway!
Meet Lidia Garcia, MSW
My colleague, Lidia Garcia, MSW, is a clinical social worker who specializes in working with athletes. She helps athletes better handle performance pressure and improve their self-worth. Not only is she a competitive middle-distance runner, but she also manages the Pasadena Run Club. Before we started our own podcast together, she joined me on Movie House Sport Psychology to discuss one of our favorite shows, Cobra Kai.
Check Out Our First Episode
In our first episode, we focus on common sport psychology myths. For example, we discuss the old saying, “Sport is 80% mental.” Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t. You’ll have to tune in to find out more.
We’re also excited to present our podcast in both video and audio-only formats. Our first attempts at recording video are pretty rudimentary. In the spirit of Fahim Works on Stuff, we’re not waiting to have a perfectly polished product before sharing it. We would rather have fun sharing our expertise and getting better at producing content as we go along.
In wrapping up, I'm genuinely excited to embark on this new journey with you all. Lidia and I invite you to tune in, laugh with us, and challenge your preconceptions about what it really means to be mentally fit in sports. We promise candid conversations filled with practical insights. So, join us on this adventure as we explore the mental side of athletic performance, one off-the-cuff episode at a time. Thanks for reading, and we can’t wait to hear what you think!