General

There was a time when gyms weren’t called gyms. They were called health clubs. You didn’t go there to perform better. You went there if something was wrong… or if you were trying to avoid something going wrong. Then something shifted.  Health became fitness. Maintenance became improvement. And eventually… It became normal. Now nobody says:…

This past week I presented “Mental Fitness for Athletes” for three high school boys and girls’ basketball teams from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Through the talk was mostly about getting a mental edge in sports – and it went really well- the true mission we’re aiming to achieve in Bridgeport is greater than just a one-off speech.…

Dating is fun. When you’re in the honeymoon stage of a new relationship, it’s easy to feel on top of the world. For many people, being a DINK (dual-income no kids) is a phase of life where you still have time and energy to dedicate to courting and traveling, physical fitness, and career goals. Then…

Client: “I struggle with self-confidence…” Therapist: “Write out a bunch of idealistic I am statements and mantras and you’ll magically manifest what you write over time.” Client: “You’re probably right, but I think I’ll pass.” I know this dialogue may seem simplistic and facetious, but it’s not far off from the all-too-often truth. Many people…

Recently, I was watching a stand-up comedy clip from comedian Bill Burr. In the clip, he talks about going through some hard childhood events which would have led him to feel depressed, IF he felt like he was allowed to show feelings of sadness as a man. In his stand up, he says men are…

Negativity Bias is when we remember a snake on a hike more so than the beautiful scenery. It’s also why we remember a boss’s criticism more so than their praise. This mental tendency still exists in us today because early humans needed to quickly identify and react to threats (predators, hazards) to survive, so focusing…

When my son, Wesley, scores goals in hockey, that’s cool, I’m proud of him for that. But when he backchecks, that’s when I’m really proud of him. Back-checking is when an offensive player hustles back on defense to prevent a breakaway or odd man rush. It doesn’t show up on the scoresheet. It doesn’t count…

Michael Phelps gets all the fame, but… Michael Phelps gets a lot of fame and glory for winning 8 gold medals in 2008, and deservedly so. However, without lesser known swimmer, Jason Lezak, this accomplishment isn’t possible.  In the 2008 Beijing 4x100m freestyle relay, Michael Phelps led off. He did NOT put the US in the lead. In…

Work meetings at the disc golf course are the way to go! If you’re looking for an incredible therapist, please feel free to consider my good friend and colleague, Howard Irwin. As a pastor, social worker, father and grandfather, Howard understands life’s struggles… – How to balance work and life – How to find meaning…

The biggest problem with Covid we never talk about… television and screen time. Covid meant staying in. Staying in meant greater consumption of media, more specifically, increased screen time and television.  Media is designed to be extreme, fear-based, and polarizing (it holds out attention better this way), and time spent on a platform is the number one metric…