Opening the Playbook

A thank you to all my guests and listeners, and a Happy Holidays as well.

Daria Abramowicz joins #OTP this week to discuss being a high level sports psychologist, the challenges surrounding athletes and social media, and the current state of mental health in sport.

Daria is the mental health coach for 2020 French Open champ Iga Swiatek, who didn't drop a set the entire tournament. That helped establish her as one of the top sports psychologists in the tennis world. While her focus is on the court, Daria has also worked with Poland's national swimming and cycling team. She grew up sailing and playing sports, then moved on to coaching. She says that experience helped her better address the needs of her clients. In today's episode, Daria shares some of the her top tools to help keep an athlete's mind in the game, as well as how much goes into preparing them for their biggest competitions.

Daria also discusses the current state of mental health in sport, and shares her thoughts on athletes, like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, standing up for themselves. 

Episode topics: 

• How much goes into preparing an athlete mentally for their biggest competitions
• How she tailors and develops her programs for each athlete (and why chemistry is key)
• The challenges surrounding athletes and social media
• The current state of mental health in sport
• How her experience as an athlete and coach helps her in her work

Quote:  

"Obviously there is a challenge here for mental health care professionals and sports psychologists but also people who manage sports and stakeholders to create a proper narrative, because it's actually…I would use the word dangerous, to let the narrative and discussion around mental health to be left alone."

-Daria Abramowicz

Resources: 

Guest Info – Daria Abramowicz

Instagram: @abramowiczdaria

Twitter: @abramowiczd

Facebook: Daria Abramowicz

LinkedIn: Daria Abramowicz

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Curler Kerri Einarson joins #OTP this week to discuss her love for the game, how her team found its groove, family tragedy, and her road to the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Kerri grew up in a curling family, with her uncle, Greg McAulay, being the 2000 Brier and World Champion. Kerri says he has played a huge role in her career, which is evident in the fact that she is a 2 X Scotties Tournament of Heart champ and the reigning Canadian Mixed Doubles champion. Her goal now is to return to the Worlds and represent Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

But she has overcome a lot to get where she's at, having dealt with the tragic loss of her brother and both her grandparents. All were passionate about the game, and Kerri says thinking of them before each match motivates her to play her best. 

Kerri is also a mom of twin girls, and today, discusses the importance of being a role model to them and showing them why they should follow their dreams. 

Episode topics: 

• Her journey to qualifying for the 20222 winter olympics
• Being a 2 x Scotties Tournament of Hearts champ and how that puts a target on her back
• How she handled the tragic death of her brother
• The influence her uncle, curler Greg McAulay (2000 Brier and World Champ) has had on her
• The importance of being a role model to her twin girls

Quote:  

"If you want to chase your dreams, you have to work hard at it, so it's something that I've never really given up on. And there were a few times that I thought, should I be being doing this, should I just stay home and be a mom and a wife and go to work, but then that takes away the drive that you have to succeed. And I want my girls to see that as well, that because you're a mom, because you have a job, and you're a wife, that you don't have to give up your dreams."

Resources: 

Guest Info – Kerri Einarson

Instagram: @kerrieinarson, @Teamkerrieinarson

Twitter: @keinarson, @EinarsonTeam

Facebook: @EinarsonTeam

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Today, 2 X Olympic Champ and Canada's Chef de Mission Catriona Le May Doan joins #OTP to discuss being 100 days out from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, her illustrious career, and the changes she wants to see made for sport in Canada. 

Catriona won back to back golds in the women's 500m speed skating event at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, the first Canadian to defend her title. She also won bronze in Nagano, and has countless World Championship medals. At one point in her career, she was even considered the fastest woman on ice due to breaking her own record numerous times. Today, she reflects back on that time of her life.

She also shares what being Chef de Mission includes. It's a role she says she's always dreamt of doing. Other topics include: striving for perfection, retirement, her time in the media, and why being a role model is so important to her. She also shares her frustration with how far Canada still has to go when it comes to making sport a priority. 

Episode topics: 

• Being Team Canada's Chef de Mission for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
• Her storied career and what that time of her life was like
• Striving for perfection and how she disengages
• Why she wants to see Canada make sports a priority for girls and new Canadians
• Being a role model to her kids and others

Quote:  

"Sport is not a priority in our country. We don't have a full time sport minister, and that's the problem. Until we make sport a priority, and make sure people understand not just how sport affects our physical side but our mental side and our health side, we won't make it a priority, therefore, all these barriers, so against new Canadians, girls, and teenage girls, they're going to continue to fall through the cracks."

-Catriona Le May Doan

Resources: 

Guest Info – Catriona Le May Doan

Instagram: @catrionald

Twitter: @catrionald

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Corvallis Knights Baseball President & GM Bre Miller joins #OTP to discuss becoming the first female General Manager in the West Coast League, the success of the team, and why she's so passionate about mentoring others. 

Bre's career in baseball started 15 years ago when she joined the team as an intern. From there she worked her way up, eventually earning the title of GM and President. She's been apart of the franchise's storied success, where they have won five straight titles and made the divisional playoffs every years except for one. 

Bre is now one of four female GMs in the league, and today shares why she thinks women have been able to find so much success. She also talks about balancing her career with being a mom of two, and why mentoring is so important to her. 

Episode topics: 

• Being named the first female GM in the West Coast League (baseball)
• Being a trailblazer in the league and how far women have come in the WCL
• Her role in the success of the Corvallis Knights
• Managing her career and being a mom of two
• Her passion for mentoring others

Quote:  

"When I was named gm, I was the first female gm in the west coast league, and even still to this day when I share that with people they are like, "what? Omg, that's amazing!" And it's crazy that that is such a big deal when it doesn't seem like it should be."

-Bre Miller

Resources: 

Guest Info – Bre Miller 

Twitter: @BreUnfiltered

Corvallis Knights

Instagram: @corvallisknights

Facebook: Corvallis Knights Baseball

Twitter: @ CorvKnights

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Today, 2X Olympic medallist Laurence Vincent Lapointe joins #OTP to discuss her recently experience at the Tokyo Games, how far women have come in her sport, and gets raw and real about her suspension.

Laurence is fresh off a silver medal in the C-1 200M event and a bronze in the C-2 500M event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It's the first time women have been able to compete in the event at the Games, and Laurence shares why she thinks that is and what the future holds for women in the sport.

She also discussed some tough times in her career. As a 13X World Champ, there was a time when she struggled with not winning.  Today she explains how she overcame that. She also dives deep into when she was suspended due to testing positive for a banned substance, which she fought and won. But before it was overturned, she wasn't allowed to practice or compete, which played a huge role in how she got to the games. Today, she explains it all, and talks about what helped her get through it all.

Laurence also shares her ambitions, what it's like to be a role model, and what she's most proud of.  

Episode topics: 

• Her silver and bronze medal wins at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• How far sprint canoeing has come for women in the sport
• Strengthening her mental game 
• Overcoming and winning being suspended after testing positive for a banned substance

Quote:  

"That's why I'm so proud of women in the game and my discipline, because I've been told so many times all those ridiculous things…but I've also been told "you opened my eyes, I actually didn't think women could paddle like that."

-Laurence Vincent Lapointe

Resources: 

Guest Info – Laurence Vincent Lapointe

Instagram: @laurencevincentlapointe

Facebook: @laurencevincentlapointe

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Paralympic silver medallist Kat O'Brien joins #OTP to discuss the wild journey that has led her to where she is today. Kate originally started in bobsled before suffering a hamstring injury, which led her to track cycling. From there, she competed for Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. But the following year, she was involved in a horrific crash while training that changed her life forever. 

Kate was told she would never ride a bike again and spent a month in the hospital and many more recovering. In true Kate style, she didn't let that stop her and hopped on a trainer as soon as she could. In today's episode, Kate explains how getting back on the bike helped her recover both mentally and physically. 

Just last month, Kate competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games in Track Cycling, where she won a silver. Today she shares how hard it really was to come to terms with her new life. She also talks about the divide between able-body and para athletes and how she'd like to see that change. 

Episode topics: 

• Her journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics
• The crash that changed her life
• Being a Paralympic silver medallist
• Becoming 'okay' with where she's at in life
• What she'd like to see change for Paralympic athletes

Quote:  

"There was a time, again to be totally honest, that I wished I hadn't been saved. Because the thought of going through life as this, human that I don't want to be, but then I felt too guilty to be ungrateful because all of these drs and family members had put so much time and effort into saving me. It was a hard hard pill to swallow."

-Kate O'Brien

Resources: 

Guest Info – Kate O'Brien

Instagram: @emptykate

Facebook: @empty_kate

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Sports production specialist and Tony Fay PR Chief Operating Officer Amanda Larder joins #OTP to discuss working national mega sports events, balancing work and her personal life, and why she thinks it's important to mentor the next generation of women.

Amanda's love for sports came as a teen when she was fascinated by a half-time Super Bowl performance. Once she got a sneak peak of the behind the scenes, she was hooked. Fast forward a decade or two, and Amanda has been a part of Super Bowls, the NCAA Men's Final Four, the US Open, and the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Tune in to hear what goes into producing a sports mega event, including some of her craziest stories, and why she thinks the sky's the limit for women in the industry. If you're looking to be inspired, it's an episode you don't want to miss!

Episode topics:

• The excitement of working mega sporting events like the Superbowl
• Balancing being a COO, and mother of two while also taking part in sports production
• Why she thinks the sky's the limit for women in sports
• How the world of sports has changed due to COVID-19
• The importance of mentoring other women

Quote:  

"I think that smart men surround themselves with really smart women. There's still a lot of work to be done and opportunity for women to do more but I think right now what I'm seeing is so many really incredibly powerful women who are also welcomed in by powerful wonderful men."

-Amanda Larder

Resources:

Guest Info – Amanda Larder

Instagram: @amanda.larder, @tonyfaypr

Twitter: @amandawhitelaw, @TonyFayPR

Website: www.tonyfaypr.com

LinkedIn: Amanda Larder

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Mountaineers Eva Capozzola and Pascal Marceau join #OTP to discuss their love of climbing and what it's like to be part of an all-women's first.

The duo recently made history as the first all-women team to successfully reach the peak of Canada's Mt. Lucania, an impressive 5,226 metres. In today's episode, they discuss what the journey was like, and the empowerment they gained from the trek.

Due to COVID-19, Pascale and Eva only had one chance to climb together before their trip, having to use video chats and quarantine to prep. While that seems challenging enough, their biggest challenge was having limited information on Mt. Lucania, something that was part of the allure of climbing the mountain.

The women also share how they got into climbing, their why, and the reason they work so well together.

Episode topics:

• Being the first all-women's team to reach Canada's third highest peak
• The empowerment they gained from their latest expedition
• Their 'why'
• The reason their partnership worked
• Why they chose Mt. Lucania

Quote:  

"I carry and hold with me now, just this incredible calm and this confidence and it's worth gold and I just hope to carry that with me going forward. And I think I will. When we get into these settings, suddenly I have this trust in myself and my abilities to be able to take that lead and do it."

-Pascale Marceau

Resources:

Guest Info – Eva Capozzola & Pascale Marceau

Instagram: @evazolaphoto, @pascale.marceau

Facebook: Pascale Marceau

Website: http://www.evazolaphoto.com, https://www.pascalemarceau.com

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

Long distance runner Rachel Cliff joins #OTP to talk career highs and lows, including how she overcame missing out on the Olympics not once, but twice.

Rachel grew up running but only got serious about it in grade 10. Her strength was the 3, 5 & 10km races, where she won a bronze in the 10,000m at the 2018 NACAC Championship. Prior to that win, she had her heart set on the 2016 Rio Olympics, but failed to qualify. That's when she decided to switch specialities and move to the marathon. It was a natural fit as she set the Canadian record in the half-marathon, then later that year, had the fastest ever debut time by a Canadian woman when she finished 11th at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Gunning for a spot on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics roster, Rachel ran the Olympic standard was wasn't selected to represent Canada in the field. In this week's episode, she shares the heartbreak of it all, explains the fear of it happening again, and how she has worked to overcome it.

Episode topics:

• Career highs and lows
• Not qualifying for the 2016 Olympics
• Switching from the 3, 5, & 10 km to marathon
• Qualifying for but not being named to the 2020 Olympic team
• What her future in the sport holds

Quote:  

"There are athletes who missed these Olympics like I did in 2016 and for some of them, this will motivate them and they'll be at the next ones. And there are others who missed these Olympics and it won't work out in three years either. And I think it's just important that people know that both sides of the story can be happy."

-Rachel Cliff

Resources:

Guest Info – Rachel Cliff

Instagram: @raecliff

Twitter: @dangerous_cliff

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook