Grim Drive

Episode 22: Youth Sports + Mental Health 

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

Sports are an important part of so many lives.  Whether a person is playing an individual or team sport, or just watching and rooting for a favorite team as part of a fan group, sports often play a large role in both physical and mental wellbeing, having a clear impact on overall health.  In this episode, we discuss an article which covers youth sports in general, recent changes in how sports intersect with with the short and long-term future of youth, and our thoughts on the pros and cons.

*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. 

Episode related links:

• https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-04-10/youth-sports-mental-health-pandemic

The post Episode 22: Youth Sports + Mental Health 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 Payton Pritchard + Grim Drive.

Payton Pritchard just finished his rookie season on the Boston Celtics, after being taken with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft out of Oregon.  A four year collegiate player, Pritchard has notably said that he’s been mistaken for the ball boy on multiple occasions.  Undersized for the NBA, Pritchard has had to make up for that in other ways.  In this episode, we explore how he personifies Grim Drive, and how that has led to overcoming the odds to play at the highest level.

*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. 

Episode related links:

• https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/14/sports/payton-pritchard-celtics-nba/

The post Episode 21: Payton Pritchard + Grim Drive 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, discusses some slight shifts in the podcast moving forward and what listeners can expect.  We are excited about the new format and look forward to getting feedback!

*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 Going Forward 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, recaps our key takeaways from episodes 11-20 of the podcast.

*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 11-20 recap 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 Tiger Woods.

Tiger is undoubtedly one of the most famous athletes of all time, regardless of sport, and was single handedly responsible for making golf cool in the late 90’s and since, all the way to the present day.  To become that level of juggernaut athlete and marketing tour de force, Tiger was molded into part man, part machine by his father Earl Woods, a process which was well documented in the recent two-part documentary on HBO called “Tiger.”  Ih this episode, we reflect on that documentary, Tiger’s life and presence as a Mt. Rushmore level athlete, and the roll mentors and role models play in personal development.

*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. 

Tiger Woods episode related links:

• Charity: TGR Foundation: https://tgrfoundation.org
  • Empowering students to pursue their passions through education.

The post Episode 20: Tiger Woods 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 David Beckham + OCD.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is a both a condition and an overused acronym.  With the latter, the phrased adjective “I’m so OCD with…” is often thrown around flippantly, any time someone prefers neatness or likes to follow a specific routine.  Similar to “Bipolar” or “ADHD” there is a tendency for people to self-diagnose without knowing the true extent of the struggles faced by those who deal with the condition.  For someone who actually has OCD, the time spent on obsessive thought patterns, and the elements of life missed or impacted by compulsive behaviors, can reach a debilitating level, and often leads to accompanying depression and/or substance misuse as a result.  In this episode, we discuss David Beckham’s challenges with OCD, and then provide information on what causes OCD, what separates OCD from anxiety or hoarding, the OCD cycle, and ultimately, how the approach to treatment for OCD works.

*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. 

David Beckham episode related links:

• Charity: UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org

Article Links:

• https://fherehab.com/learning/david-beckham-ocd
• https://www.myocdfighter.com/post/david-beckham-celebrity-success-stories
• https://youhaveocd.com/2010/07/18/david-beckham-talks-about-his-ocd/

The post Episode 19: David Beckham + OCD first appeared on Grim Drive.

Episode 18 (Julie/Zach Ertz + Relationships):

This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at Julie/Zach Ertz + Relationships.

Relationships are central to what makes us human, weaving through all aspects of life, from family to friends to the workplace and even on the field/ice/court.  Intimate partner relationships, when healthy, can elevate quality of life to another level for both people involved.  With anything in life, you get what you put in and hard work leads to positive results.  Relationships are no different, often requiring mutual effort on a consistent basis to ensure positive growth.  The Ertz’, Julie and Zach, are a great example of how relationships require effort and sacrifice, with all that is put in being entirely worth it.  In this episode, we discuss our takeaways about the Ertz’ as well as discussing some tips for how to form and maintain positive relationships in life.

*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. 

Julie/Zach Ertz episode related links:

• Charity: https://www.ertzfamilyfoundation.org/our-story/
  • Focus on providing opportunities for youth sports, education, and family (3 pillars of service)

Article Links:

• https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/08/11/zach-ertz-eagles-wife-julie-womens-soccer/
• https://www.ertzfamilyfoundation.org/our-story/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e13XbEvXm8M
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq9Dwwpzvlk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAcsFdSgqu4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEmA_cNhIrY
• https://fanbuzz.com/nfl/zach-ertz-wife/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Ertz
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Ertz

Relationships:

• https://www.lovenotery.com/post/the-4-most-toxic-relationship-killers

Kristen Rocco: https://www.lovenotery.com/post/the-4-most-toxic-relationship-killers

*Plenty of these types of articles out there; I’ve always liked this one 

• Four moves/things that ruin a relationship: “Four Horseman” by Dr. John Gottman/Institute
  • *These predict divorce 90% of the time!

• 1. Criticism (global attack on faults/mistakes/personality/character)
  • *Often same things we see with CBT/individuals (labeling, jumping to conclusions, etc)
  • Erodes openness and trust 

• 2. Contempt (one partner sees themselves as superior)
  • Worst of the four apparently 

• 3. Defensiveness (taking things personally and blaming the other person instead of taking responsibility for your role in the situation)

• 4. Stonewalling (refusing to provide answers or delaying replies; game playing)
  • Stonewaller is usually overwhelmed, so they short-circuit and avoi

The post Episode 18: Julie/Zach Ertz + Relationships 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 Jackie MacMullan + Mental Health in Sports Media.

Jackie MacMullan is an American freelance newspaper sportswriter and NBA columnist for the sports website ESPN.com, and also works for the Ringer.  She is very well known, particularly in the Greater Boston area where she is from, for her balanced, insightful approach to sports journalism and her ability to connect with athletes and get them to open up about personal topics.  In 2018, Jackie was instrumental in Kevin Love’s decision to open up about his mental health journey, and she ultimately created a fantastic and impactful five-part series on ESPN on the state of mental health in the NBA.  This five-part series covered the fight to fix the NBA’s mental health problem, mental health and black athletes, mental health and medication, the life of a referee, and the future of mental health in the NBA.  We discuss our takeaways from this five-part series, as well as the current and future state of sports media with regard to the topic of mental health.

*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.  

Jackie MacMullan episode related links:

• Charity: SameHere: www.samehereglobal.org
• Link to Five part piece by her: https://nba.nbcsports.com/2018/08/24/read-jackie-macmullans-five-part-series-on-mental-health-in-the-nba/

All Five parts (indiv. links):

One: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24382693/jackie-macmullan-kevin-love-paul-pierce-state-mental-health-nba

Two: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24393541/jackie-macmullan-complex-issue-mental-health-nba-african-american-community

Three: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24383926/jackie-macmullan-ocd-adhd-medication-marijuana-nba-mental-health

Four: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24391191/nba-mental-health-joey-crawford-stress-referees-jackie-macmullan

Five: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24426920/nba-mental-health-trae-young-kevin-love-future-mental-wellness

Other: 

• https://www.boston.com/sports/media/2020/05/06/jackie-macmullan-nba-writer
• https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2020/09/18/jackie-macmullen-gets-new-espn-deal-joins-the-ringer/

The post Episode 17: Jackie MacMullan + Mental Health in Sports 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 Brandon Marshall + Borderline Personality Disorder.

Brandon Marshall was one of the first athletes to speak up about his own mental health challenges and the overall importance of mental health awareness in general.  So moved by his own experience and what he learned about the number of people struggling with mental health issues, Marshall became aware of his true purpose in life, to help others through advocating for mental health education and awareness.  Marshall even refers to football as his “platform” while mental health awareness is his “purpose.”

*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, please search for “The Grim Drive Podcast” on Youtube and click subscribe!  If we get to 100 subscribers (we are close), we can get a custom URL to ensure people can find the content easier and get access to this helpful and free information!  We appreciate your help in getting us there 

Brandon Marshall episode related links:

• Charity: PROJECT 375: www.project375.org
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/project375/
• https://youtu.be/AcCaWEuw50w
• https://www.tmc.edu/news/2019/05/nfl-receiver-brandon-marshall-speaks-on-borderline-personality-disorder-at-menninger-luncheon/
• https://abcnews.go.com/Health/miami-dolphins-wide-receiver-brandon-marshall-reveals-borderline/story?id=14204660
• https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/brandon-marshall-nfl-mental-health-awareness

The post Episode 16: Brandon Marshall + Borderline Personality Disorder 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 Ben Gordon + Bipolar.

Ben Gordon was as stoic as they come on the basketball court.  Rarely did he show emotion, stealthily taking down his opponents, never seeming to care if they talked smack or got in his face or bumped him physically.  While it was impossible to tell from the outside, on the inside, Gordon was a flurry of activity.  For a long time, he had dealt with the challenges of life by throwing himself into the game of basketball, obsessing over every last detail on an endless loop, so that come game time, he could dismantle his opponent with surgical accuracy.

With an eventual diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, Ben Gordon realized that while obsession in a sport can propel one to greatness, it doesn’t translate well to everyday life and healthy wellbeing.  Through numerous challenges, Gordon was pushed to extremes with his mental health.  Luckily, he got an accurate diagnosis and began to learn how to live with Bipolar after basketball.

*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, please search for “The Grim Drive Podcast” on Youtube and click subscribe!  If we get to 100 subscribers (we are close), we can get a custom URL to ensure people can find the content easier and get access to this helpful and free information!  We appreciate your help in getting us there 

Ben Gordon episode related links:

• Charity: Couldn’t find one; instead: #SameHere
  • Samehere: https://samehereglobal.org
• https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/ben-gordon-mental-health-nba
• https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/i-feel-very-empowered-former-bull-ben-gordon-opens-about-his-struggles-mental-health-try-help

The post Episode 15: Ben Gordon + Bipolar first appeared on Grim Drive.