The journey of self-discovery takes a lifetime to unfold. Considering the adversities that are guaranteed along with it, how can we sharpen our axes with resilience? What does a mitigation strategy entail for us to get through and eventually overcome what we must go through? 

 

Humanity has an innate potential to face life's most overwhelming moments, regardless of what aspect in life it is. One's ability to regain presence in times of anxiety and negative thought dictates the reaction we can muster towards the situation at hand. Developing this skill paves the mentality of resilience and healthy coping to any problem thrown at our way. 

 

Join us in this episode to hear from Dr. Karen MacNeill about her journey from years of sports psychology and as an athlete herself. She imparts the life lessons of freeing oneself from a psychological prison and maintaining recovery strategies in the midst of challenges. 

 

Highlights:

 

• [3:54] The importance of accepting challenging situations as Dr. MacNeill tells about her role and passion
• [5:23] On how how her passion came to be transitioning to to and fro between Sports psychology and her own career in playfield hockey
• [9:15] Starting the practice of mindfulness during events and prioritizing her emotional regulation in dealing with the athletes under her
• [11:46] Space between the space: having that buffer of mental clarity in deciding how you want to respond to a situation and developing a recovery strategy through mindfulness 
• [15:14] On being in the Canadian Olympic Committee, a performance consultant and an advocate for resilience through talks
• [17:55] She quotes George Mumford in saying "failure is feedback" and explains how painful moments and hard-earned lessons shape your career
• [19:32] The three phases in breaking free from one's psychological prison and cites the counseling psychology lifeline exercise
• [24:03] On understanding how you think and the essence of resilience in the workplace
• [27:03] Preparing for the challenge before it even happens and building resilience through the three C's
• [31:14] She talks about core contributions and the process of stepping into the unknown 
• [34:37] Her take on protecting resiliency despite the pandemic and the use of psychological hygiene tools
• [39:00] Dr. MacNeill emphasizes the skill of connecting to yourself 
• [44:48] The demand for mental well-being coaching considering the people are the biggest asset in today's economy
• [48:16] Knowing oneself on a deeper level is the most crucial action to start on building resilience

 

Resources Mentioned:

Canadian Olympic Committee - https://olympic.ca/

Mindflow performance - https://www.mindflowperformance.com/karen-macneill

Brené Brown - https://brenebrown.com/

 

Profile Links

Karen MacNeil - 

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/drkarenmacneill