We’re sorry you’re here, but we’re glad you’re with us!
Welcome to the first episode of The Injured Athletes Club, a podcast about how to cope with sports injuries. We’re your hosts, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson Cheadle and journalist Cindy Kuzma. We’ll be right there with you through this 12-episode season.
We’ve both been there—sidelined—and we know how frustrating rehab can be, how slow your progress can seem, and how the entire experience can leave you feeling isolated and alone.
On this initial episode, we discuss:
- What The Injured Athletes Club is: “It might not be a club that you originally wanted to be a part of, but it’s a way to reframe it—to go, ‘Ah, this actually can be a really powerful experience,” Carrie says
- Some of the most common psychological consequences of injury, including loss of identity, lack of confidence in your body, fear of reinjury, worry about falling behind your competition, and disconnection from your tribe
- Why it’s so important to do mental rehab along with physical rehab when you’re injured
- How social connections and support—including in groups like The Injured Athletes Club—are critical to the recovery process
- Who can benefit from mental skills training/mental rehab from injury (hint: It’s not just elite athletes)
- What to expect in this upcoming 12-episode season: shows that alternate between interviews with guests—including athletes, researchers, clinicians, and more—and episodes where Cindy and Carrie break down the tools you can use to cope with injury and recover faster and stronger
- How the mental skills you practice during rehab can benefit you long after you’ve recovered from injury
- What it means to rebound from an injury and come back stronger
- The way we hope to change the entire perception of injury: “When you step back and look at your entire athletic journey, this is just going to be one point that maybe provides a really powerful opportunity for you to learn more about yourself and come back even stronger, both mentally and physically,” Carrie says
- One mental drill Carrie recommends to any injured athlete (get out your pen and paper for this one)
Resources we mention:
- Our website, www.injuredathletesclub.com
- The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group
Thanks for listening, and please reach out anytime at hello@injuredathletesclub.com with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback.
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.