Athlete Minded: Stories

In this episode of my audiobook Hoop Dreams Fulfilled, I discuss my summer all-american camps leading up to my senior year of high school, and the change of mentality I had going into this year. I took responsibility for my team this season, and that's party why I think we became so successful. I made sure we didn't take shortcuts or take it easy. If you want to check out more of my book, just go to hoopdreamsfulfilled.com.

In high school, Kevin Saum played football, and on one play he got hit in the head so hard that it ended his career.  After that experience, he felt a wave of emotions about what he should do with his life, since his whole life was wrapped up in being a football player. Fortunately, he overcame these obstacles, and became an equipment manager for the Rutgers football team, and now does speaking engagements to help young people deal with the experiences they will inevitably have to overcome. We did a back and forth podcast, where I interviewed him and he interviewed me at some points.  I hope you like it. For more about Kevin, just go to headsntales.org

"Stage 4 cancer is nothing to mess with" -Andy Hartnett In the Father's Day Special Episode, we talk to my dad, Andy Hartnett. Andy was a "sports goon" growing up and talks about his experiences playing and coaching sports. Most recently he talks about his injuries from a bike accident and dealing with Stage 4 cancer. Unfortunately, my voice was lost during this episode, but we pushed through it and made it happen. And it was even more special since it was an in-person podcast as Andy came to New York City to celebrate Father's Day. What's tough about the trouble Andy is going through is how focused he's been on his eating and health his whole life. He always ate well and took it seriously, and now he is dealing with cancer (which he terms Big Nasty) and chemotherapy, which forces him to be even more vigilant about his health. Andy is passionate about healthy eating, the environment, and many more potent issues which you can find on his Huffington Post blog. You can also follow him on Twitter at @ajhartnett.

In part 5 of Audiobook Friday of my book Hoop Dreams Fulfilled, I talk about my experience of finally getting a Division 1 scholarship, and the bad habits I formed in my junior year of high school. For more, just go to hoopdreamsfulfilled.com

Today's episode is personal, because I talk to a friend and former teammate from Rowan University Allen Pritchett.  Him and I battled together in college and took similar paths once school ended.  He played in the ABA for a bit, then started his own clothing brand.  Now, he is doing something that's very meaningful to him, helping young athletes better their basketball careers.   Allen runs A1 Basketball Fitness in the South Jersey/Philly area and it's amazing to hear his motivation.  He mentions that he wants athletes to be realistic about their ability, but to also shoot for the stars, and take their sport as far as it can go.   Another interesting point was when we discussed his first venture with the clothing brand. After a few years he wanted to transition it, but everything he learned did not go to waste, since he is using that knowledge to build his basketball training program now.  It was also interesting to hear when he needed a break from basketball, and didn't want anything to do with sports for a

Former collegiate wrestler Jim Harshaw Jr. joins us today to discuss his experiences as a 3-time ACC wrestling champion at the University of Virginia.   In a perfect example of an athlete transitioning their mentality to another avenue, Jim now has a podcast, as well as a program to help athletes deal with the transition from being an athlete to a non-athlete.  He also helps athletes deal with the inevitable failure that occurs during a career. One of the most interesting parts of this episode was when he discussed the losses he occurred on the wrestling mat.  He said that not only is there a mental toll of knowing that you just lost, but it's a very primal feeling, knowing another man beat you, man to man, one on one.  In team sports, we don't typically feel that because there are other people involved, but in wrestling or fighting, you know that you just lost to another man... he is tougher than you... he is stronger than you... he just "beat" you.  And that's a tough thing to deal with. For more about Jim

In Part 4 of my self-published book Hoop Dreams Fulfilled, I discuss my experience going to a new school, and when I finally became an integral part of my high school basketball team. For more, just check out HoopDreamsFulfilled.com.

Today, we talk to former Division 2 women's volleyball champion Yana Ninova-Johnson.  Yana came to the University of North Alabama from Bulgaria, where she won a national championship. It's really interesting to hear her story.  She grew up in communist Bulgaria where she played volleyball, and needed to borrow money from her brother to finally come to America.  Here, she was shocked by how much the university did for her, since she lived on her own from the age of 13. Overall, a really interesting podcast to hear her story, and how when she was growing up she never thought she would end up in North Alabama and be happy, but she did.  

Today we talk to professional wheelchair basketball player Ryan Martin about his experiences in high school, college, and professionally playing the sport he loves. Ryan was born with Spina Bifida and both of his legs were amputated at the age of two.  For a lot of people, that might mean the end of any sports career, but not for Ryan.  He loved basketball so much that he forced himself to make a career out of it.  Even though he was the only disabled person in high school, he eventually played college wheelchair basketball, and is now traveling the world because of his skills. The most powerful thing I think he is doing now is giving back with the Ryan Martin Foundation.  He is helping young disabled athletes play basketball through camps and speaking engagements, helping them realize they are not alone in their journey, even though they may feel alone if they are the only disabled athlete at their school. Ryan is a true inspiration, and I highly suggest you check out his foundation at ryanmartinfoundation.o

In Part 3 of my book Hoop Dreams Fulfilled, I discuss my early journey into high school basketball and the huge difference from where I lived in Atco, New Jersey. For more, just check out HoopDreamsFulfilled.com.

Today, we talk to former San Francisco 49er Chris Borland.  This is a powerful podcast because Chris was a high school All-American, an All-American at the University of Wisconsin, and was about to have a stellar NFL career.  However, after the first season in the NFL, Chris decided to retire from football. Speaking with him, he mentions how he did get some slack, but there were a lot of people supporting him as well.  I had to ask the question that he got thousands of times, "Why?", and his response was with utter class. He is one of the most intelligent, well-spoken athletes I've ever met and it was a true honor to have him on the podcast discussing his career and the subtleties of his decision. Thank you, Chris.

ESPN Outside the Lines Reporter and Co-author of League of Denial Mark Fainaru-Wada joins us today to discuss concussions and his experiences in investigative journalism. The book League of Denial is the one that really woke me up to the severity of concussions and what was happening with them.  Growing up, I knew guys who had concussions and knew that it was an issue, but didn't realize the extent of it until this book.  Dr. Bennet Omalu, Dr. Ann McKee, and Chris Nowinski became like celebrities to me. With Mark, we talk about why he does what he does, and the similarities between the BALCO scandal he reported on with steroids, and the current concussions crisis.  He also talked about what can be done about this. I highly encourage you to check out his book at leagueofdenial.com. 

In part 2 of my book Hoop Dreams Fulfilled, I discuss my experiences playing basketball in middle school, and my mindset going in.  I also discuss the transfer to a different school and how it was different. For more, go to HoopDreamsFulfilled.com.

So far in the concussion series, we've heard from three former athletes.  But today, we don't talk to an athlete, we talk to the wife of a former NFL offensive lineman.  I can only imagine what it was like being an offensive lineman in the NFL for 8 seasons, and today we get to hear what it's like for the wife of one of these athletes. This is illuminating, because what happens in a sport doesn't just affect the one person.  It affects that person's family, friends, and community, who also have to experience the symptoms as well.   We touch on the NFL, their response to the concussion crisis, and Liz takes us into her story and dealings with the NFL.  Overall, a powerful podcast from a different perspective in athletics.  

Jay Fraga, founder of The Knockout Project, joins us to discuss his experiences with concussions. A week before we did this podcast, legendary BMX racer Dave Mirra committed suicide.  He had been open about how he was dealing with concussions, and Dave's death hit me and Jay hard.  Jay was a BMX racer for many years, so it was even particularly hard for him to deal with. In this episode, Jay talks about the concussions he's had, his inspiration for starting The Knockout Project, and a particular time when he was driving down the road when everything went mentally blank, and he had no idea where he was going or why he was going there.  This episode is an illuminating dive into someone who still experiences concussions symptoms, but who is doing everything he can to help people dealing with this. For more information, and for extremely powerful articles about athletes who have experienced concussions, go to his website theknockoutproject.org.

In something new we're going to do, every Friday I'm going to put out a portion of the book I wrote, Hoop Dreams Fulfilled.  I self-published the paperback version last year, and also narrated the full audiobook, which is about 7 hours and 30 minutes long. So, every Friday, I'll play, starting from the beginning, about 15 minutes of the audiobook.  In the first section, I discuss my journey into playing basketball and the signs I noticed along the way which I felt directed me to the sport. I would love your feedback of this, and if you are interested in hearing or reading more, just go to hoopdreamsfulfilled.com

In part two of six in our concussion series, we speak with Katherine Snedaker.  Katherine has had multiple concussions over three decades and is the founder and executive director of PINKConcussions. PINKconcussions is a 501c3, non profit charity, whose mission is focus on females challenged by concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from sport, abuse, accidents and/or military service. As someone who has dealt with concussions as well as breast cancer, it's interesting as she tells the difference between the two, even at one point saying, "Concussions aren't a casserole event."  When she had cancer, her friends would buy and cook her food to last a lifetime, but when dealing with concussions, her community did not know how to respond.   ​ To find out more about Katherine, and her concussion event for women, go to www.pinkconcussions.com or for her youth sports concussion site see www.sportscapp.com.

Alicia Jensen, a former high school soccer player, discusses her experiences with concussions.  Speaking to her, it's sad to hear a person so young have to experience concussion symptoms like headaches and migraines nearly every day. She recently spoke at the United Nations about concussions, and was the youngest one there.  We think about men who have played for 10 years in the NFL as the only ones who experience post-concussion symptoms, but Alicia shows us that is definitely not the case. She is now helping women and men deal with concussions so they understand the risks and treatment available.  Some of her writings can be found at theknockoutproject.org.

On this Mother's Day Special Episode, I talk to my mom, Nancy Hartnett, about the effects of bullying in athletics. Yes, it's a Mother's Day Special, but she was also a collegiate tennis player at Montclair State and Florida Atlantic University.  She also has been through the current world of sports and seen first-hand the effects of when a coach bullies their players. We discuss bullying in this episode, but we also talk about what can be done about it.  We also discuss how, 10 years later, the same coach is doing the same things, and nothing or nobody is doing anything about it.  Why?  We determine because nobody wants to put their neck out for the kids.   We also discuss how the most powerful people at the school are typically the coaches of the sports teams, and why a petition to remove a mentally or emotionally abusive coach wouldn't work, because the families of the athlete don't want their names on that list since it could jeopardize their child's sports career.  

Today, hockey coach and University of Minnesota adjunct professor Sarah Westall joins us to discuss bullying in athletics. Sarah has seen athletics from both sides, as a parent and as a coach.  The most powerful statement during this episode was when she said, "Parents will put up with almost anything if they think their kids have a shot."  This is so true, yet unfortunate for the athlete.  Sports has become so serious for young athletes that the pressure they feel is unbelievable.  And when coaches bully their young athletes, some parents will brush it under the rug because they don't want to upset the chances the young athlete may have to play at the next level. Overall, this episode was interesting because Sarah but a lot of the responsibility on the parents here.  She mentioned they should stop complaining about every little thing, so that when real, important things happen, the coaches and administrators will listen. Sarah also runs a radio show entitled "Business Game Changers" and you can find it, and