Parenting Peak Performers Podcast

“The biggest differentiator between people who do well in a pressure moment versus people who do below their capability is perception of the situation. You have to befriend it.” - Dr. Hendrie Weisinger

Dr. Hendrie Weisinger is a world-renowned psychologist and author of the recent New York Times Bestseller, Performing Under Pressure. He has spent three decades helping individuals and organizations enhance their performance through his innovative applications based in clinical, counseling, social, organizational and evolutionary psychology. He’s a popular blogger for Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Execunet.com and Lifehack.org.

In this episode, Dr. Weisinger and I talk about the pressure athletes feel during and leading up to the games and how it impacts their mental health. Dr. Weisinger discusses the pressure from parents of athletes and how it differs from supportive parenting, drawing from practical applications from his book. He also provides advice and suggestions for parents who want to switch things up and for athletes who want to instill confidence in themselves.

Resources:

• Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most by Dr. Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry
• The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure: A Positive Approach to Pushing Your Child to Be Their Best Self by Christopher A. Thurber and Hendrie Weisinger
• Dr. Hendrie Weisinger’s other books

“They need someone outside of their sport to talk to about it. I never want my kids to feel like if they had a bad practice that I’m also going to be mad that they had a bad practice. How can we be that support? We should be their biggest advocate, but that does not mean that we’re marching onto the fields demanding more playing time or more personal attention. That’s a different kind of thing. We need to be making sure that holistically they’re doing ok as a human being. That’s the most important job that we have.” - Shari Medini

Shari Medini is the co-author of Parenting While Working from Home: A Monthly Guide to Help Parents Balance Their Careers, Connect with Their Kids, and Establish Their Inner Strength and the co-owner of AdoreThemParenting.com. Her parenting articles have been published in dozens of print and online publications. Shari’s past experience includes working with children and families in the mental health field, mentoring and speaking as a mindset coach and working as a freelance writer and marketing strategist for companies across the country.

In this episode, Shari and I talk about raising young athletes. Shari is a former collegiate gymnast and is a mind coach. She discusses the role her parents and her experiences as an athlete play into how she’s raising her young athletes. She also shares about her book and what kind of feedback she has received from readers. Listen to her advice for parents of young athletes and what they need to do in July to prepare for youth sports season in the upcoming year.

Resources:

• Adore Them Parenting
• Co-author of Parenting While Working from Home: A Monthly Guide to Help Parents Balance Their Careers, Connect with Their Kids, and Establish Their Inner Strength by Karissa Tunis and Shari Medini

“As parents, you guys are probably the best monitors of your children’s behavior because you’ve been watching them from the time they were born, and honestly, you’re a better expert on your child than I am so I tend to trust parents on that.” - Dr. Rolando Gonzalez

Dr. Rolando Gonzalez is a sports psychiatrist who provides mental health care for children through young adulthood with the Lee Physician Group and Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers, Florida. He previously worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Miami, where he completed his fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry. He provides mental health care and treatment for elite and competitive athletes through all competitive levels, including athletes with disabilities. He provides initial consultation with a focus on specialized care that compasses diagnostic clarification, medication management, and individual therapy. He serves on both the Youth and Outreach Committees of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry.

In this episode, Rolando and I talk about the difference between sports psychology and sports psychiatry and some of the common disorders he sees among the athletes he works with. We also discuss what parents need to know about traumatic brain injuries and his position on performance enhancing drugs. Join us as he also explains why it’s important for parents to help their child cope with the changes and maintain structure and a routine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

• International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP)’s ​International Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology
• Sports Psychiatry: Strategies for Life Balance and Peak Performance by David R. McDuff

“We’ve asked the kids - do you like it better here now that your parents are outside? And, unfortunately, a lot of them say ‘yes.’” -- Anthony Telford

Anthony Telford spent 9 seasons as a MLB pitcher, but now he’s a father and a coach who works closely with both up-and-coming athletes and their parents.

So how does Anthony perceive the parent-athlete relationship?

What are the pandemic restrictions teaching him about his athlete’s relationships with their parents?

Why does he have a Parent Penalty Box at his training facility?

In this episode, Anthony details his journey to and through the MLB as well as his current role as a coach of both young athletes and their parents. This discussion is challenging, convicting, and well worth a listen, so take some notes and be sure to share your perspective with me on Instagram at @sportpsychworks or leave comments at https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.

Anthony Telford, a retired MLB pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles, the Montreal Expos, and the Texas Rangers over the course of his career in professional baseball. In college he played for San José State University. Today, Anthony has a renown training facility - The Zone - in Tampa Bay, Florida - where he coaches players of all ages and levels.

The number one thing parents must do, in my opinion, to allow their son or daughter to be successful in extracurricular activities and sports is support the program. - Mike DiGrigoli

Mike was born in Pittsfield, MA in 1972 and raised in West Stockbridge, MA. He grew up playing sports with friends and cousins in Berkshire County and attended Monument Mount Regional High School in Great Barrington where he played three sports - football, wrestling, and baseball. He was also recently inducted into the Monument Mountain Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame! He has just finished his 10th season coaching at Golden Gate this year and 8th season as Head Coach. He made school history by leading the Titans to their first postseason playoff appearances in 2011 and 2012 and only winning seasons in 2013, 2014, and 2018. Mike began his coaching career in 1995 as a graduate assistant football coach for the State University of New York at Brockport where he coached linebackers in strength and conditioning for the Golden Eagles. After one year he took his second coaching assignment at American International College in 1996. At American, he served for two seasons as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for the Yellow Jackets and earned his master’s degree in Education from American International in 1998. Coach D and his wife Paula have been married since 2003 and reside in Naples, FL with their daughter Issa, and son Andreas. Kathy and Mike talk through understanding the importance of athletics and why students should be involved, how sports build character and work ethic, and the encouragement needed to teach athletes perseverance. They also discuss creating realistic goals and how to bring about awareness when parents live vicariously through student athletes. Coach D shares how the vital elements of gratitude, attitude, toughness, and effort dictate the success of his teams. We are excited to keep sharing from the expertise of coaches! If you enjoyed the show, please like, share it with sport families in your life, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. If you’d like to share any feedback with Kathy she’d love to hear from you! Connect with her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.