Love What You Play

In this episode, we talk about Duff's book The Tao of Sport: Reflecting on Purpose, Passion, and Growth and the observations of the athletic world that ultimately inspired him to write it. He discusses the various stages of his career, from participating in multiple sports during his youth to working as a firefighter, competing in the Olympics, and the insight he gained from being a coach.

Find out more here: https://www.darkhorseathletic.ca/general-6

Duff is a speaker, coach, advocate, and father, who aims to develop athleticism and foster an intrinsic love for sport. He spent the better part of three decades in the world of Olympic sport, and was also a provincial champion speed skater and a national champion in bobsleigh. He competed from 1999 to 2006 when he won gold in the Men’s Skeleton Race, making him the oldest Canadian Winter Games Gold Medalist and the oldest Individual Winter Gold Medalist in the world.

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

2:40 - Growing up playing sports

7:45 - Origin of the book and of Dark Horse

13:40 - Data on Olympians

18:55 - Challenges and fear in Skeleton

21:20 - Firefighting experience

24:30 - Memorable moment from competition

28:05 - Achieving his dream

30:20 - Preparation/time management

35:40 - The importance of making mistakes

40:35 - Control and selflessness

46:00 - Growth mindset

54:25 - His support network

58:15 - Advice for parents to help kids thrive

1:00:55 - Advice for coaches just starting out

1:13:25 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page.

In this episode, we talk about the origin of Athlete Intelligence and how they have adapted to recent circumstances, as well as their goals and plans moving forward. Chris goes into detail about the study of concussions and the services that his organization provides - specifically, discussing how the mindset around head injuries and prevention methods in the sport world has changed over the years.

Find out more here: https://www.athleteintelligence.com/

As a former LAX player and current LAX coach, Chris is involved with a number of efforts to help kids stay healthy and safe while having fun in their sports. Currently living in Washington State, he is passionate about lacrosse, volunteering, and his work with young people.

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

2:05 - Growing up playing sports

6:10 - Benefits of multi-sport participation

8:35 - Concussion data

14:40 - Rowan’s Law and safety products

19:30 - Priorities for Athlete Intelligence

23:25 - Research timeline and business model

28:15 - Ideal athletic techniques

34:05 - The future of the platform

40:45 - Head impacts and CTE

45:20 - Advice for coaches just starting out

50:00 - Where to find Chris

52:10 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page.

In this episode, we talk about Allison's journey from her commitment as a student athlete to her experiences in the Olympics, and what led her to the field of Safe Sport. She discusses how the perspective on abuse is shifting and what still needs improvement, as well as offering suggestions for organizations that want to implement a new system.

Find out more here: https://www.itpsport.ca/

Allison is a business leader focusing on the prevention and case management of maltreatment, who has worked with the federal government and the public sector to create a safer, high-performance system. With 12+ years of business development, operations, marketing, communications, and leadership experience, she is now a consultant and advisor to sports brands and organizations at all levels.

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

1:20 - Growing up playing sports

3:45 - "Over-specialization" vs. long-term development

6:10 - Allison's skiing career and the Olympics

10:00 - Her path to working in Safe Sport

18:25 - Changes in the athletic world

23:50 - Preventing harassment/abuse

30:10 - Emotional and physical protection

33:00 - Cyberbullying in sports

43:50 - Business model and partners

47:20 - The newest developments

50:10 - Recommended approaches

55:40 - Supervising young players

58:10 - Where to find Allison

59:25 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page.

In this episode, we talk about how sports were a part of Jacques's life growing up and his journey to going pro. He shares his advice for young athletes, coaches and parents alike, focusing on the issues of multisport participation, respect, nutrition, and supporting players' health.

Find out more and purchase Jacques's books here: https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Ladouceur/e/B08VDMRMGY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1637260688&sr=1-2

Jacques was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and immigrated to New York City with his family in December of 1969. After playing for the US National Soccer Team for two years, he went on to play professionally for 11 years and was a member of six championship teams before he went into coaching and the business world. He has worked as an entrepreneur and has also consulted executives and managers of various companies; he is currently a business coach with Buffini & Company.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

2:03 - How old were you when you moved to NYC?

5:49 - When did you start playing soccer and did you play other sports as well?

8:06 - Do you think it's beneficial for kids to participate in multiple sports?

16:51 - How might we educate parents so they won't push their children to the point where they experience burnout?

21:14 - What are your suggestions in terms of nutrition and healthy habits for young athletes?

30:23 - How do you recommend they balance their sports with sufficient time for sleep and rest?

36:52 - How can families and coaches help kids love the game?

41:14 - What key takeaways do you want people to gain from your books?

46:09 - Why are we seeing a lack of respect in sports, especially toward officials, and what should we do about it?

53:17 - Based on your own background, what's the #1 piece of advice you would give to coaches?

57:24 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page.

Dr. Julie Stamm is a neuroscientist, anatomist, athletic trainer, researcher, and sports lover. She is also the author of The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future.

In this episode, we talk about Dr. Stamm's recently published book The Brain on Youth Sports, which tackles the issue of repetitive brain trauma in youth sports and their health consequences. By reading the book, Dr. Stamm hopes that consumers will be equipped to make well-informed decisions.

Find out more and purchase Dr. Stamm's book here: https://www.juliestamm.com/book

Dr. Stamm has done extensive research and published many works in the areas of concussions, sub-concussive impacts, CTE, and the consequences of repetitive brain trauma in youth. Through her many publications and online presence, her mission is to debunk the myths around repetitive brain trauma and concussions in sports and explain the science so that it is easy for everyone to understand.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

01:14 - How Dr. Stamm came to study concussions in contact sports when she played mainly non-contact sports

02:29 - What do we need to do in terms of shifting the mindset of “getting your bell rung” vs. recognizing an actual concussion?

05:17 - Are there any concussion laws in the US to legislate return to play (similar to Rowan’s law)?

06:52 - Is there any truth to concussion-proof helmets?

08:24 - How Virginia Tech rates the concussion protection levels of helmets and how the price difference is often unrelated

11:10 - Are mouth guards useful to help prevent concussions?

11:54 - The crucial brain development happening in the 8-12 age group and the effects of disrupting it

13:32 - Did Dr. Stamm's concussion research play a role when USA Hockey and Hockey Canada banned body checking for the younger U13-U15 age groups?

15:22 - Why was the American Academy of Pediatrics in the US in support of removing contact in hockey but not football?

18:51 - Is the money stream for the NFL preventing football from removing contact?

22:09 - Why Dr. Stamm believes contact in sports shouldn’t be present before players' teen years

25:06 - Does early specialization in contact sports and football impact concussion rates compared to multi-sport athletes?

27:43 - How popular is baseline testing in the US and how effective is it in measuring concussion recovery?

30:08 - How are motion sensors implemented during play and how effective are they?

32:39 - What sports have a higher percentage of head impacts and how does the position you play affect your risk of concussions?

34:48 - What sports have the highest concussion rates when comparing boys vs. girls?

36:32 - How do we ensure young athletes report their head injuries during play and are made aware of the lifelong impacts of concussions?

38:31 - The importance of coaches supporting their athletes in being open about reporting their injuries

39:25 - How to make coach concussion education ongoing learning rather than a one-time workshop

42:03 - What are the myths of diagnosis and recovery for concussions?

44:58 - Previous concerns of people falling asleep and not noticing internal bleeding vs. allowing them to sleep to help their recovery

46:24 - Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy have benefits for concussion recovery?

47:43 - What led Dr. Stamm to write a book on concussions and what she hopes people will gain from reading it

49:55 - Dr. Stamm's aspiration for no contact under 13 in football in the next five years

51:40 - Some examples of amazing football athletes who were successful without playing contact sports early on in life

53:33 - Where can people find Dr. Stamm’s book and how can they reach out to her?

54:21 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Lindsay Goulet is an advocate for Buddy Check For Jesse and Director of Exercise Programming and Education for Habit Lifestyle Medicine. Rob Pallante is a former NCAA Div 1 hockey player and the founder of Mindset Body Bank.

In this episode, we talk with with Lindsay Goulet about how Buddy Check For Jesse came to be, and how the organization has helped Lindsay's son Owen with his anxiety and talking about mental health with his hockey teammates.

Buddy Check For Jesse is a charity founded by Stu Gershman - a dad, sports medicine physician, and a volunteer youth coach - with the goal of de-stigmatizing, educating, and supporting our youth with mental health, through the power of coaches and sport.

We also discuss Rob's journey as a hockey player, his near-death motorcycle experience, and his professional business career, and how they all motivated him to become a mindset coach for high performance, conscious-minded athletes and individuals who are looking to develop an invincible mindset.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

01:06 - Why Lindsay is passionate about exercise for mental health, and her son Owen’s experiences with mental illness

06:51 - Video of Owen’s story and how Buddy Check For Jesse helped him

11:25 - Owen’s approach to tackling his own mental health

12:03 - The socioeconomic pressures that build a stigma around mental health

12:46 - Where the Buddy Check green comes from and how Buddy Check helps coaches and athletes open the discussion of mental health

16:56 - How coaches often don’t get training to help kids with mental health issues, and the importance of open communication between coaches and parents

18:53 - How the COVID-19 uncertainty can benefit from Buddy Check and open communication

21:18 - Buddy Check’s transition from the hockey space to the multi-sport space and upcoming events

24:30 - Achieving charity status and having the ability to spread the message

25:29 - Basketball, lacrosse, and ball hockey events and partners

27:01 - Lindsay’s definition of mental health

28:05 - How to find Buddy Check For Jesse, access resources, donate, and connect with them over on social media

29:16 - Buddy Check’s role in our upcoming Mental Fitness summit

29:37 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Ryan Phillips is a former pro hockey player, published author, and TEDx speaker. Rob Pallante is a former NCAA Div 1 hockey player and the founder of Mindset Body Bank!

In this episode, we talk about Ryan's experience in professional hockey and his struggle with mental health, as well as the dramatic events that motivated him to spread the power of positivity and focused thought around the globe. From being barred from the United States and his daughter, and then traveling the world to find happiness, Ryan's incredible life experiences have been recorded in a published book and in a documentary.

We also discuss Rob's journey as a hockey player, his near-death motorcycle experience, and his professional business career, and how they all motivated him to become a mindset coach for high performance, conscious-minded athletes and individuals who are looking to develop an invincible mindset.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

01:04 - Ryan’s early beginnings in hockey and sports

03:10 - Ryan’s misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and how concussions had an impact on his health

10:17 - How Ryan handles multiple projects and a busy lifestyle with a good environment and who he surrounds himself with

13:13 - Ryan’s cycling trip around Cambodia to fundraise for human trafficking prevention

16:10 - What Ryan learned from being barred from the United States and being involved in the early days of the marijuana boom in 2012.

19:13 - Where Ryan’s passion for cycling began, and how he rode across Cambodia for human trafficking awareness, across Canada for mental health, and across Southeast Asia

23:11 - How Ryan advocates for moving forward in life with purpose and how he acted on his mental health

25:32 - Awareness and action, and how Ryan defines success for himself

26:50 - The time when Ryan lost who he was during marijuana smuggling and how he now dedicates his life to world service

29:12 - Ryan’s tips for how we can control the mental loops we get stuck in, and the importance of having fun with the “now”

32:53 - How to connect with Ryan

33:35 - Ryan’s feature presentation at our summit on June 17th

34:26 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Kevin Rempel is a Canadian sledge hockey 2013 world champion with a 2014 Paralympic bronze medal, and the founder of The Sledge Hockey Experience. Rob Pallante is a former NCAA Div 1 hockey player and the founder of Mindset Body Bank!

In this episode, we talk about Kevin's life experiences and how they led him to play for Team Canada. After being paralyzed in a motor cross accident in 2006, having to learn to walk again, and then losing his dad, Kevin has shown extreme resilience in overcoming adversity. The discussion reveals why he ended up becoming a mindset resilience coach and how he ultimately created Kevin Rempel & Associates Inc.

Kevin is now focusing on building the game of sledge hockey with The Sledge Hockey Experience, inspiring others as a keynote speaker, and coaching leaders using the Resilience Toolbox.

We also discuss Rob's journey as a hockey player, his near-death motorcycle experience, and his professional business career, and how they all motivated him to become a mindset coach for high performance, conscious-minded athletes and individuals who are looking to develop an invincible mindset.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

01:54 - Kevin’s early days in motor cross, BMX, and skateboarding and his accident

04:51 - Rob’s motorcycle accident

07:31 - Kevin’s mindset during his recovery and his dad’s approach to his own recovery

10:49 - Kevin’s idols and how they played a role in his recovery

13:48 - How Kevin started his journey into sledge hockey

17:06 - Joining Team Canada and going to Sochi for the Paralympic games

19:11 - The physical demand of sledge hockey

21:14 - Kevin’s Sledge Hockey Experience education program, instructional YouTube videos, and giving back to grow the sport of sledge hockey, as well as his charity donation of $30,000 to supply sleds for kids

24:09 - Kevin’s definition of mental health and removing the stigma around the term

26:18 - What can we do to increase awareness of mental health? (The three A’s of the resilience toolbox: admit, ask, and accept)

31:12 - Rob’s mental fitness program

34:38 - Kevin’s tools and programs and where to find them

35:43 - The origins of the term “sledge” in sledge hockey, and the renaming to “para ice hockey”

38:50 - Kevin opening the upcoming Mental Fitness for Sports and Life II Summit, raising funds for Buddy Check for Jesse

40:40 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Jason Podollan is a NHL Alumnus and the founder of Up My Hockey. Rob Pallante is a former NCAA Div 1 hockey player and the founder of Mindset Body Bank!

In this episode, we talk about Jason's story as an NHL player and how he has now harnessed his experiences to teach the modalities of mindset, nutrition, fitness, and high performance. Up My Hockey shows clients how to empower and rebrand themselves to directly impact those they care about most. 

We also discuss Rob's journey as a hockey player, his near-death motorcycle experience, and his professional business career, and how they all motivated him to become a mindset coach for high performance, conscious-minded athletes and individuals who are looking to develop an invincible mindset.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Rob’s origins as a Toronto hockey player and his draft pick experience 

03:00 - Rob’s motorcycle accident and how that drove him to found Mindset Body Bank

05:30 - Jason’s story of being in the NHL and the mental toll

08:50 - Why Jason began the journey as a mentor

10:00 - Current early specialization in youth and Rob and Jason’s multisport experience

13:30 - The importance of free play in child development and the resurgence of it during COVID

15:20 - How Jason helps kids find and reconnect with what they love about the game

18:00 - Fear of failure in kids and parental pressure

21:00 - Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset, tips for success and growth in sports

27:30 - Naomi Osaka’s decision to pull out of the French open

30:00 - Definition of mental health and the line into clinical help

34:30 - Mental agility for athletes via the Up My Hockey Peak Potential Hockey Project with Jason Podollan

38:00 - Controlling your physical and mental state, offered through Mindset Body Bank, and how to contact Rob

41:00 - How parents and coaches can best support athletes

46:08 - How the off-season/COVID is the perfect time to implement new mental techniques and perspectives before heading back into the game

49:15 - Mental Fitness summit announcement

51:00 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Dan Blackburn is a coach and the founder of National Training Centres Hockey, as well as the creator of the Pillars of Greatness curriculum.

In this episode, we talk about Dan's journey to success as a coach, author, and father, despite his hardships. Dan has trained thousands of athletes, including PK Subban of the NJ Devils, two-time Stanley Cup champion David Bolland, and Stanley Cup champion Tyler Sequin of the Dallas Stars. We also go over NTC Hockey's mission of teaching athletes how to see and experience their greatness both on and off the ice, and to produce the most dominant hockey players in the game.

Table of Contents

00:00 - Introduction

01:25 - Where Dan grew up, his family challenges, and what sports he played as a kid

04:42 - How he got involved in hockey coaching and his tryouts anecdote

09:20 - His motivation to coach hockey at a young age and what age groups he coached

12:13 - How he started with off-ice training and set out to prove its benefits for athletes

16:37 - Being ahead of the curve with off-ice training and incorporating mental training

19:24 - Recognizing that there is a life after professional sports and how to transition smoothly

22:14 - Dan’s definition of what mental health should be

26:26 - Looking at the athletes that have struggled in the COVID era and Dan’s approach to help them

30:25 - His vision for a better normal in youth sports after COVID

35:37 - Where Dan’s optimism and energy comes from and his “booyah” shtick

40:22 - Details on how you can connect with Dan

42:48 - Outro

The interview featured on this episode of the Love What You Play podcast originally aired live on For the Love of the Game's Facebook page and YouTube channel.