Grim Drive

During this episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, we discuss Evander Kane.

Evander Kane has been in the news recently due to allegations about gambling on hockey, claims he denies.  He has also been dealing with financial hardship recently due to gambling issues that date back years and have led to filing for bankruptcy despite career earnings that are well into the tens of millions.  We discuss Evander Kane, gambling in general, as well as the problematic trends among young males with regard to gambling being legalized in more states.  We also discuss how pornography being readily accessible is also leading to issues, which in some ways mimics the issues stemming from gambling, and in some ways are very different, likely requiring a future episode for us to cover in more depth.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

Helpful Links:

– https://www.casino.org/news/nhl-star-evander-kane-files-for-bankruptcy-owes-gambling-debts/

– https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/31944608/evander-kane-betting-allegations-know

The post Episode 31: Evander Kane first appeared on Grim Drive.

During this episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, we discuss Simone Biles and recent stories from the Olympic Games.

We have discussed Simone Biles in a previous episode, titled “Simone Biles + Mental Fitness” (check it out here: https://youtu.be/6CmTQt4bfsU ).  We recently went on NPR to discuss the latest news about Simone Biles from the Olympics (check it out here: https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2021/08/02/simone-biles-saga ) and we use this episode to follow up on some of the discussion points from the appearance on NPR.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss.

The post Episode 30: Simone Biles first appeared on Grim Drive.

During this episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, we have the pleasure of interviewing Alan Chazaro, Columnist + Poet.

Alan Chazaro is originally from the Bay Area in California.  Alan is a super authentic and talented individual, who creates and connects with others through teaching, writing poetry, travel, and sports.  Alan has published three books (see links below) and started the amazing online blog called “Headfake” which fuses sports, fandom, and art into one Basketball+Culture platform.  In our talk, we discuss his path, his books, and momentum in sports.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

Helpful links:

His author website: https://www.alanchazaro.com/buy

(Books include “Pinata Theory”, “Not Another Frank Ocean Cover Album”, and “Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge”)

Head Fake: https://medium.com/head-fake

The post Episode 29: Interview with Alan Chazaro, Columnist + Poet first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, delves into some thoughts on the Olympics and more

Matt Finn, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, is an Architect and Social Entrepreneur who founded Cognitive Design in 2016, a consulting and design firm that works with researchers, psychologists, social workers, and clinicians to create architecture for health.  Passionate about how the built environment influences human health, Matt was the recipient of Healthcare Design magazine’s 2016 HCD 10 Researcher position, named a “Distinguished Alumni” by in 2018 by his alma mater Kennesaw State University, and has had his work featured in numerous academic institutions, media outlets, and conferences.  In this episode, we discuss how his approach and some of his specific work relates to athletes and performance, his working definition of “Health” and where the future of design with regard to health is headed.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

Helpful links:

Cognitive Design: https://cognitive.design

Clarity Fitness Project: https://cognitive.design/clarity

Abbey Griffith of Clarity Fitness: https://www.clarityfitness.com/trainer/abbey-griffith

X3 Foundation: https://x3foundation.org

Mike Littrell of X3: https://x3sports.com/employees/mike-littrel/

The post Episode 28: Interview with Matt Finn first appeared on Grim Drive.

Thoughts on the Olympics 

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, delves into some thoughts on the Olympics and more

This episode is on the shorter side, covering a review of our first interview that Jon did last episode with Strength Coach Marco Sanchez, some thoughts on the Olympics (Simone Biles, Team USA Men’s Basketball, and hypocrisy with disqualifications), a spotlight on the NHL Blackhawks trauma story, and a movie recommendation, as well as a quick preview of upcoming episodes.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

Helpful links:

Simone Biles: https://bestlifeonline.com/simone-biles-twisties-news/

Chicago Blackhawks: https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2021/7/22/22589500/blackhawks-sexual-assault-amended-lawsuits-bradley-aldrich-john-doe

Motherless Brooklyn Movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385887/

The post Thoughts on the Olympics  first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode explores the intersectionality between physical and mental health and its impact on well-being. We were joined by Marco Sanchez. Marco has dedicated his life to enhancing his clients’ performance and well-being through sports and functional training. As a coach, trainer, manual therapist, educator and innovator, Marco is one of the industry’s most dynamic and prominent young figures. From 2009-2019, Marco was a Senior Coach at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. Additionally, Marco served as the Clinic Director at Movement As Medicine. He was blessed to teach over 2000 coaches, trainers and therapists in over 20 countries. Marco also spent the 2013-2014 season as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks, heading up their American League affiliate in Worcester, MA. Marco’s clientele consistently includes professional and collegiate athletes, Olympians, top high school prospects, and demanding amateurs. Marco continues to build an international profile having been invited to present at educational seminars in over 20 countries. The episode also examines how COVID has affected both the physical and mental health of our clients, and helpful things to consider to promote health through difficult times. 

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

The post Episode 27: Interview with Strength Coach Marco Sanchez first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at Momentum in Sports+Life. 

Analytics in sports has become quite big over the last 15 years, starting with baseball (popularized by books/movies like Moneyball) and then working their way into other sports, particularly in the last 5-10 years.  One big debate that is often discussed when it comes to sports is whether momentum (individually or collectively) is a real thing.  The stat heads will say no…well, we discuss why we disagree along with several reasons to back that up.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

The post Episode 26: Momentum in Sports+Life first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at Social Media. 

Social Media is largely unavoidable for most people.  Whether it is to keep up to speed with news, stay updated with family and friends, running a business, or building a brand (as so many athletes in particular strive to do these days), social media is woven into the global landscape and is likely here to stay.  In this episode, we delve into the intersection between sports and social media, why the use of social media elicits such vitriolic reactions from many (particularly males), and even our thoughts on the use of burner accounts.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss.

The post Episode 25: Social Media first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at Identity + Profession. 

Rod Benson, a former professional basketball player himself and current columnist, write an article for the SFGate about his time playing basketball and how that shaped his identity both during and after his playing career.  We cover his article and experience, as well as the overall relationship between identity and profession, trauma as a factor for professional athletes, athlete resistance to the concept of proactive mental fitness, and the benefits and limitations of a friend-based support system.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss.

The post Episode 24: Identity + Profession first appeared on Grim Drive.

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at Interviews + Fan Behavior. *There is about fifteen seconds early on in the episode where we discuss the episode topic that is cut out, we apologize!

In many recent sporting events, fan behavior has been the unfortunate highlight, taking focus away from the game played and the players performing at the highest level.  High performing athletes are also part of the big marketing machine that is professional sports, which means microphones and cameras are often thrown in their faces at the most intense and vulnerable moments of emotion.  In this episode, we discuss these two topics, as well as where they intersect with well known athletes such as Naomi Osaka + Kyrie Irving.

*The Grim Drive Podcast is a way for people to learn about mental fitness, mental health, and mental illness, through the lens of sports. We want to do our part to further reduce the stigma associated with mental health by highlighting the athletes who have shown strength through vulnerability, spoken up, and spoken out.  We want to provide listeners with mental health education, to raise awareness and reduce risk, maximizing the path to mental fitness.

As a reminder to listeners/viewers, please leave us a review on apple podcasts, or comment on one of our youtube videos with any thoughts.  We guarantee we will respond to all comments and would love the chance to have a dialogue about some of these topics with anyone who is interested to discuss. 

The post Episode 23: Interviews + Fan Behavior first appeared on Grim Drive.