In Episode 79, Dr. Daniel O’Neill, Board-certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with an added Certificate in Sports Medicine, and a Doctorate in Exercise and Sports Psychology, Author of Survival of the Fit: How Physical Education Ensures Academic Achievement and a Healthy Life, and master of physical identity, talks with Phil about physical identity, his books, the negative side of tech and screens, why we need a “PE Revolution” in our schools, why we need to exercise in the morning, the need for more free play, athletes vs. non-athletes, “safetyism,” why parents shouldn’t go to all their kids’ games, why we don’t need to teach our kids to win, and the different ways specialization is hurting our kids, among other important topics. Specifically, Dr. O’Neill discusses:

 

• His story, how he developed his passion for physical fitness, physical identity, and leadership, why he wrote Survival of the Fit, and how he was able to get so many degrees and certificates to get where he is today (2:29)
• His personal why and how he is living it out every day (5:49)
• The shadow side of tech and why he believes more and better Physical Education for our children will ensure academic achievement and a healthy life (8:24)
• Why it’s so important for us to get some exercise in the morning (11:56)
• Some practical tips to getting exercise for ourselves and our kids at school (16:08)
• The concept of physical identity, the physical identity crisis we have in the US, and why we need to understand it and fight against it (19:11)
• Organized play vs. free play, parental involvement vs. kids playing without parents, athletes vs. non-athletes, and why these distinctions and implications of the distinctions are critical to understand (23:42)
• The concept of “safetyism” and how it is impacting the lack of physical fitness and identity in our children, as well as cancel culture and other negative issues in society. How the premises of “safetyism” are flawed, how we can counter the negatives, and why we need to get out of our comfort zones (29:06)
• How he believes specialization is hurting our kids in a lot of different ways (43:12)
• Why he believes that Physical Education in schools furthers children’s academic achievement and physical identity more than organized sports (1:01:10)
• The studies showing that the more screen time a child has, the more mental health issues the child will have, and what we can do about it (1:04:37)
• How he defines the markers of a “good youth coach” (it might surprise you) (1:14:50)
• The implications of the athlete/non-athlete distinction and why it matters (1:17:05)
• His other book, Knee Surgery, and how it can help people who are recovering from knee surgery (1:21:10)
• How he uses lessons learned from playing sports or other free play in his personal relationships, and why we don’t need to teach our kids to win (1:23:05)
• His recommendations for us (1:27:25)

Resources and Links from this Episode

• Dr O’Neill’s Website
• Survival of the Fit: How Physical Education Ensures Academic Achievement and a Healthy Life, by Dr. Daniel O’Neill, MD, EdD
• Knee Surgery: The Essential Guide to Total Knee Recovery, by Daniel F. O’Neill
• Uncut Video of the Episode
• HSEL Facebook Group
• Coaching the Bigger Game information
• Warrior Way information
• Phil Darke’s email address
• The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation of Failure, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
• Think Orphan Episodes with Jeff Sandefer