At 25 years old, Darleen Santore was living her best life. As an Occupational Therapist, she knew plenty about the brain… So one day, when her perception of the world flipped upside down – not figuratively, but LITERALLY – Darleen knew the scary truth, immediately: she was having a stroke.

The victim of a chiropractic adjustment gone wrong, Darleen’s stroke would set into motion a pivot in her life that would both shake her, shape her, and deliver a sense of gratitude that would become her north star.

Today, Darleen – who is affectionately known as “Coach Dar” – is a renowned mental skills coach, motivational speaker, and best-selling author of The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life - Anytime You’re off your Game. With a wealth of experience coaching professional athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLB, and more, Coach Dar reveals the power of developing mental skills that help high performers achieve their best, no matter the challenges they face.

Her passion is to help us all say “no” to the status quo and raise the bar in our life. Are you ready to raise the bar, up your game, and find the key to unlock your true potential? Tune in.

[1:22] Coach Dar begins to talk about her childhood and how there was so much community and connection being in a huge Italian family, which was vital to her later in life 

[4:29] Coach Dar explains what being an occupational therapist is and what her specific niche is 

[7:13] Coach Dar tells the story of a young girl she helped after a car accident and how she motivated the girl to never give up even though she was not predicted to make it  

[11:12] Coach Dar recounts how she was living her best life at 25 and suddenly had a stroke while at work 

[15:00] Coach Dar struggles to comprehend her new reality as she is told she could die anyday 

[24:06] Coach Dar answers the question of her trajectory as a coach, how her qualifications have set her up for success, and how ‘God Confidence’ helps her not be intimidated 

[28:45] Coach Dar leads through a coaching session with a client, how she would help them in different ways, and uses tough love to bring out the best in each client 

[36:00] Coach Dar tells stories of athletes she has worked with and how her coaching is based on teaching these athletes to show up for themselves mentally and emotionally 

[43:00] Coach Dar recounts how life was after her first stroke, how her life was put on hold, and her experience with two more strokes  

 

Key Takeaways 

[16:52] Coach Dar reflects on how she went back to school at night to make a difference in healthcare and then when the economic crisis hit she went a whole different direction in her career by opening a private practice 

[31:20] Coach Dar says she focuses her coaching on gratitude and confidence and how important both of these are 

[51:50] Coach Dar explains a day in her life and how gratitude fits in each day

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Thank you to Coach Dar for sharing your incredible story of the power of second chances. Follow Coach Dar on Instagram: @thecoachdar

Check out more about Coach Dar: https://darsantore.com/

Purchase Coach Dar's Book, “The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life Any Time You're Off Your Game”

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Make sure to follow Jamie @jamiehess on Instagram for news & updates, and visit our companion Instagram account @gratitudeology for a sneak peek into the personal moments discussed on the show.

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The Gratitudeology Podcast theme music is by HYLLS, performed by Nadia Ali @thenadiaali 

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