Episode 54 welcomed Team Zimbabwe and former Kentucky Wildcat swimmer Peter Wetzlar. He talked about his experience growing up in Zimbabwe, going to a swim-centric boarding school in South Africa, and finally finding his home in the United States. He detailed the road to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, being one of only five Zimbabwean Olympians sent, and how his relationship with sport was capped by the trip.

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Season 2 kicks off with Team USA roller figure skater Candice Clifford's story. She details how she and her peers have worked to advocate for their sport in mainstream sports media and how it felt to represent the United States internationally, but also how the "figure skater" body contributed to her eventual hospitalization.

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Candice's "Time" Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gztXJtaWtoo

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In honor of a full year of content, I put together some of my favorite interviews and lessons from Season 1.

Despite geographic and cultural differences, it's been an amazing journey to point to certain mental similarities that bond all elite performers. This was such a fun way to look back on all the stories Closer Mentality has shared, and I hope you love it!

See you in Season 2!

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In Episode 51, sport nutritionist Denvyr Tyler-Palmer came on to work through her relationship with food and how her notoriety on the court aided in exacerbating the issue. She also talked through which cues signify a hidden problem with athletes she now helps coach.

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Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882473/

Intuitive Eating Book: https://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-4th-Anti-Diet-Revolutionary/dp/1250255198

Episode 50 welcomed Team Australia's 100 and 200 m T35 athlete Isis Holt.

Holt, who lives with cerebral palsy, detailed her ascension to gold medals, Paralympic Games, and world records in a sport that she stumbled into. She also articulated why she attributed silver medals to failure and what happened before she took a break from athletics leading up to 2020's Tokyo Paralympic Games.

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Episode 49 welcomed Izzy Connor, a Team USA rhythmic gymnast who took her team of five to the carpet at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. We talked about stage fright, performance anxiety, teammate synchronicity, quitting a sport you've spent your entire life tied to, and how to soften the blow of athletic retirement.

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In Episode 48, I sat down to discuss Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown's mid-game exodus during this week's game against the New York Jets, and how it mirrors the outbursts of late NFL players who have since been diagnosed with CTE. I also laid out the research surrounding the susceptibility of football players to end up with the disease, as well as warning signs to look for in teammates, relatives, and friends.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality

The Concussion Legacy Foundation: https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE

Boston University CTE Center Research: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/cte-former-nfl-players/

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In Episode 47, I discussed the psychology behind why the majority of New Years Resolutions fail and what you can do to prep your processes for continued success. I also discussed why athletes are better equipped than the average human at sticking to goal-setting behaviors.

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Episode 46 brought on Teesta and Jared Sullivan. Jared is a semi-pro soccer player in Europe, and his mother Teesta owns a company called GoSoccerPro, which helps inform American youth soccer players of opportunities to play professionally overseas. We spoke about Jared moving to Europe to pursue soccer at 15 years old, misconceptions of foreign soccer atmospheres, and how GoSoccerPro has evolved!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality

GoSoccerPro: https://gosoccerpro.com/

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Former professional soccer player Wells Thompson came on Closer Mentality to talk about how he cultivated his "against all odds" work ethic, the mental adversity of playing a sport professionally, hitting the wall of his playing career, and Soccer Resilience.

Soccer Resilience: https://soccerresilience.com/

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality

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