Episodes
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Joined by special guest, psychiatrist and MMA enthusiast, Dr. Mike Mah, we sprawl into the world of MMA. We discuss the history and evolution of the sport from the days of no weight classes and bare knuckles to today's billion dollar UFC events featuring highly skilled athletes fighting on ABC. Along the way we highlight the many unique struggles mixed martial artists face in their pursuit of the belt (chief amongst them, a livable wage, cutting weight and managing being locked in a cage with another human that wants to knock your head off [or choke you unconscious]). We also touch on the coach-fighter relationship and the importance of effective communication (featuring UFC 278's Leon Edwards and his coach Dave Lovell).
Athletes Discussed: Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Kamaru Edwards, Leon Edwards, Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, George St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, TJ Dillashaw, Luke Rockhold, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Alistair Overeem
https://www.mahmd.com/ -
We give our annual NBA playoff predictions as Dr. Hoes has to make adjustments to his preseason pick, the Los Angeles Lakers
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We detail how awareness, specifically, self-awareness and situational awareness can help you become better at managing emotion and taking advantage of the moment. We use examples of some legendary athletes that have used this skill to their advantage or, conversely, have shown a lack of self-awareness that negatively impacted their team.
Athletes featured: Tom Brady, Lebron James, Ben Simmons, Tiger Woods
Coaches featured: Mike Krzyzewski -
We pivoted from our originally scheduled programming to discuss what was on our minds rounding out black history month. Highlighted by the Brian Flores' story we discussed how we as fans (and consumers) can impact social change by being more mindful on how we use our money and, more importantly, our attention.
Is it time to start investing more of our attention into businesses (sports teams included) that not only provide us the services we are looking for (entertainment), but businesses that also align with what we value? Sports franchises that push for equality and justice for all?
Coaches discussed: Brian Flores, Mike Tomlin -
With the new year comes new beginnings. We discuss strategies to take advantage of any fresh start including setting goals, managing momentum (maintaining and swinging) and opening yourself up to honest communication. This is highlighted by the athletes below and their fresh or not so fresh starts.
Athletes Discussed: Demar DeRozan, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Jimmy Butler, Ryan Tannehill, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown
Coaches Discussed: Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich -
In part 1 of our Neurodiversity series, we turn our focus to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We discuss the spectrum of ADHD, how it presents, and how we—as individuals, coaches, and as a society—can make our world a more welcoming place for all. We also highlight treatment options including stimulants, non-stimulants and therapy.
Athletes Discussed: Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Chris Kaman, Justin Gaitlin, Kevin Lee
Studies Referenced:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/205525
https://www.additudemag.com/teen-pregnancy-rates-risk-adhd-girls/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4414493/ -
We highlight how mindfulness, communication and gratitude mental fitness skills would go a long way in helping resolve the ongoing issues regarding the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and more.
Athletes Featured: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, De'Andre Ayton, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, -
We the do an in depth of analysis of each NFL team and describe what each franchise should be grateful for going into the new season.
Individuals Featured: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Joe Burrow, Derrick Henry, Carson Wentz, etc -
Malice at the Palace is a prime example of when emotions get the best of us. We discuss all the factors that led to the worst brawl in US’ sports history involving fans and players.
It is important to note that in each individual and in each setting there is a threshold of emotions and once that is crossed fight or flight is initiated and all bets are off.
We discussed how the most vital aspect of the construction of a championship team is the creation of a bond or brotherhood or sisterhood that goes beyond the basketball court. With a culture of connectedness it is easier to overcome clashes of personalities, failures and any other shortcoming.
This is also a story of resilience and how these individuals were able to bounce back and grow from this experience through mental fitness, specifically being able to connect with others therefore allowing them to be able to connect and feel more confident with themselves.
Mental Fitness techniques featured: communication, mindfulness, gratitude, confidence
Individuals featured: Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ron Artest), Jermaine O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Stephen Jackson, Ben Wallace, Draymond Green, Dennis Rodman -
We wrap up the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by discussing some of the competitively great athletes who continue to cement their legacies, the team dynamics of team USA’s men’s basketball team and the barrier breakers and trend setters, like first time mothers competing.
Mental Fitness Pillars Featured: Mindfulness, Gratitude
Athletes Featured: Kevin Durant, Zach Levine, Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Sha’Carri Richardson, the Dream Team
Coaches Featured: Gregg Popovich -
We have a discussion about the 2 most polarizing topics in sports (and mental health) today. Simone Biles dropping out of the team all-around finals due mental health concerns and Sha’Carri Richardson being suspended for the Olympics due to testing positive for cannabis.
Mental Fitness Pillars Featured: Mindfulness especially self-awareness, Gratitude, Communication
Athletes Featured: Simon Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Michael Jordan -
Fellow psychiatrist and racing enthusiast, Igor Guryev, MD joins us to discuss the intricacies of Formula 1 racing and how mental fitness is the key for each driver and teams’ success.
Athletes Featured:
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Romain Grosjean, Nico Rosberg, Ayrton Senna, Valterri Bottas
Mental Fitness pillars featured:
Mindfulness, Communication, Confidence, Practice, Visualization -
The NBA and NHL playoffs are here. Stadiums are beginning to fill up across the globe from the Champions League Final to Madison Square Garden. Now that the playoffs are here how are these athletes dealing with the culmination of a condensed season following an even shorter offseason? We discuss the resilience factors that always come into play. Fans are back in the stadiums, pressure is rising for some. WNBA is back. Soccer stars dominate the Forbes earners list. Why the Cowboys signing Dak Prescott is an endorsement for mental fitness.
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Fresh off March Madness and Los Angeles' own UCLA's run to the Final Four as an 11 seed the SPMDs dive into the anatomy of an underdog. How there is no underdog story without an adversary (no David without Goliath), what makes them successful and some of the greatest underdog stories of all time.
Athletes and Teams featured: Buster Douglas, Mike Tyson, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, 2016 Leicester City, 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, Muggsy Bogues -
Being a late bloomer when it comes to sports can be demoralizing. Maybe you are you are smaller, shorter, weaker, slower or less emotionally mature compared to your peers. This may seem like a disadvantage at first glance, and this is shown out by the Relative Age Effect (the over-representation of chronologically older participants within an age category) in many adolescent sport leagues. But what if we told you this could play to your advantage. In this episode we not only highlight several all-time great athletes who were late bloomers, but we also discuss specific techniques that you can use to your advantage when being last to bloom.
Athletes Featured: Anthony Davis, Kurt Warner, Steve Young, Barry Sanders, Clay Matthews, Randy Johnson, Josh Hamilton, Didier Drogba, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Bisping, Deontay Wilder, Tim Thomas, Draymond Green, Nikola Jokić, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Tom Brady -
Brandon is a high school student in New Jersey and is the founder of Mind-Design Sports, a sport psychology organization geared for kids and teens. He started Mind-Design Sports to help student-athletes perform at their best through blogs and podcasts addressing different issues in sports and psychology. Brandon loves psychology and in fact, also started his own club at school where he promotes the knowledge of psychology and mental health.
Keep listening until the end for our introduction to the SPMDs new mental fitness programming focusing on the core principles of Integrity, Mindfulness, Gratitude, Communication and Confidence. -
Dr. Burke joins us to talk about the promising results of psychedelic medicine in treating mental illness in non-athletes and athletes. Dr. Burke is a psychiatrist specializing in psychedelic therapy. He works at California Center for Psychedelic Therapy in Los Angeles offering ketamine-assisted therapy. He is also a therapist and site physician on the Phase III clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.
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Ty Buttrey of the Los Angeles Angels joins us to discuss how his mental fitness routine of meditation, journaling in combination with his relentless positive attitude (and a solid work life balance) allowed him to make the jump to the Major Leagues.
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Olympian, author, filmmaker, actor... The multitalented Alexi Pappas sits down with us to discuss her journey. From losing her mother to suicide to experiencing depression following the 2016 Olympics, Alexi embodies resilience. Her memoir, Bravey, is out January 12th, 2021!
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BURN OUT is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. We breakdown how to avoid and or remedy burnout through seeking support, controlling the controllable by establishing a routine, gratitude exercises and incorporation of breaks/rest.
In SPMDs style we take our own advise by highlighting the silver linings of the tumultuous year that was 2020 and lay out our goals for 2021. Plus our NFL playoff predications.
Athletes featured: Lebron James - Show more
