In 2018, we did a SameHere Sit-Down w USC. We had three former pro athletes there w us: @chold1 of Tenessee & WNBA fame, @realtracylmurray of NBA Championship fame, & @randalltelfer who stared as a TE for @usc_athletics & was drafted & played for the Browns, before injuries derailed his career. All three have been open about their own MH journeys (next slides➡️)
We brought THREE co-presenters along w us. We usually have one, at most – like was the case w @mikesweetney at JP Morgan Chase last wk. But we needed to “bring it.”
USC, led by Dr. Robin Scholefield, had more members of their sports psychology team than any school in D1 sports at the time: SIX!
One of those six, was the woman who this Post article is about: Dr Lani Lawrence. I’m not surprised w her success. She was so helpful on our trip & truly participated. As a woman of color she was also extremely interested – as was Robin – in opening up this dialogue in communities of color, where, especially in 2018, this topic was not being talked abt.
I’m going to share this actual article in Stories. It’s a shining light example of how working on our MH (not just “mental performance”) yes, improves performance.
There are examples of players who have had flashbacks from injuries that she helps w. Examples of players who look for her to do guided meditations when things become overwhelming in games or practices. New head coach Brian Daboll, who’s helped get the team off to a 5-1 start, credits Dr. Lawrence w much of the teams great early performance. He said he includes her on the field, weekly, & asks “what do you think our players need this week.”
This is a departure from: “it’s all about mental toughness & visualization.” No, we ALL go thru STUFF….in practices, in games, in life. We need coaches who help us w that stuff.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of running a leadership session at Clemson w grad students in leadership w @coachyearg – a big time player for their football team, & now coach. Check the last slide for feedback ➡️. If we position MH as something that improves performance (bc it DOES), we get more who are willing to engage in the topic & dive in.