December 11, 2020

#21 Kelsey Engman: Lessons for Counseling from Coaching Squash...

1 hour 31 minutes

Episode 21: Show Notes.

Today we are very happy to welcome Kelsey Engman to Squash Radio! Kelsey is currently a counselor working in a school in Philadelphia, and we get to hear all about her current work as well as the important part that coaching squash has played in her life. Early on in our conversation, Kelsey underlines her feminist outlook, situating it in a broader fight against oppression and discrimination.

This motif runs through the episode, as Kelsey talks about the difficulties she encountered as a coach and the types of discrimination that still occurs in sport. We discuss the impact of the introduction of Title IX regulations, Kelsey's reflections on coaching male and female teams, and how she made a change into her current line of work. Kelsey also unpacks some of her thoughts on education and the ways that teachers are undervalued, especially financially.

From there we get to hear from our guest about the support she offers the students of her school, the forms this takes, and some examples of the types of situations she deals with. The episode ends with Kelsey responding to our quick-fire questions, dealing with squash, and beyond! Listeners can expect to hear about Kelsey's favorite movies, podcasts, tips for better sleep, and much more!

Make sure to join us for this illuminating and inspiring chat!

Key Points From This Episode:

Kelsey's professional life as a counselor and her roles in the squash community.

The different universities and clubs at which Kelsey has held positions.

Kelsey's coaching style and its relation to her general philosophy and feminism.

Differences in coaching men and women and the assumptions about these dynamics.

The impact that the introduction of Title IX regulations have had on coaching and women's teams.

Reflections on early days coaching and the challenges that Kelsey faced.

Discrimination that Kelsey has experienced and lessons she takes forward from this.

Kelsey's 90-second advice for dealing with difficult circumstances.

The somewhat unplanned transition that Kelsey made into counseling.

Kelsey's work at a school in Philadelphia, and the full-time counseling she performs.

Thoughts on the ways that society value teachers and how this could be improved.

Implementing initiatives and the positive side of working at a small school.

An example of the kind of support that Kelsey is able to provide to students.

Conversations around access and funding — providing what is necessary to those in need.

Kelsey's preparation and precautions for showing up in the best way.

Tips for finding the right person to speak to; helpful resources and avenues to explore.

The 90-second quick-fire round with Kelsey about different levels of squash, the future of the sport, and more!

Movie and podcast recommendations, fueling the fire, sleep tips, and Kelsey's other interests.

Tweetables:

“There is a part of me that would rather be effective than angry, even though I think anger is appropriate in some of those moments.” — Kelsey Engman [0:17:12]

“Everyone has struggles in their life, if you haven't had them yet you probably will have them and you will get through them most likely, but we need to have supports in place to make sure that happens.” — Kelsey Engman [0:41:26]

“You don't need to wait until you are in a crisis moment or where you are crying or where it feels really dire. I think preventative work is one of the tenets of our profession.” — Kelsey Engman [0:51:41]

“I think there is opportunity to learn to be impartial under the hardest of circumstances.” — Kelsey Engman [1:04:16]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Squash Radio

Conor O'Malley on Twitter

Kelsey Engman on LinkedIn

Tufts

Drexel

The New York Times

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Atlantic

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Charlie Kaufman

13th

Ava Duvernay

The Social Dilemma

Peggy Orenstein

1619

Invisibilia

Hidden Brain

Constitutional

Nice White Parents

WANT TO TALK? There’s someone to listen

There’s no real threshold, there’s no need to compare your hurt others, if you even think that you want to share what’s on your mind with someone else… that’s not only okay… there are people who want to talk to you!

Go to psychologytoday.com it’s a great resource to start with to find someone for you. You can search and filter in several different way.

National Suicide Prevention hotline as well, which is 1.800.273.8255

The National Substance Abuse Hotline is 1.800.662.4357

The Trevor Project, which is crisis support for LGBTQ youth, dial 1.866.488.7386

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This episode of Squash Radio sponsored by ProSportLED – the most advanced lighting technology for sports.

Music for Squash Radio by Bensound.

If you have an interesting story you think our audience needs to hear, feel free to reach out to us on social media or email [email protected]. As always, thanks for listening!

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By Conor O‘Malley (SQR Squash Radio)

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