Courtside Wellness
Courtside Wellness takes a jump into the lives of athletes from various walks of life to discuss topics related to Mental Health in the Sport Community. I am your host, Brandon St.Croix, former athlete and current Social Worker. Together we will discuss topics such as injuries, performance stress, body image, retirement, addiction and more while discussing their affects on athlete’s mental health. If you are an athlete, a coach, or someone who loves sports, this will be a conversation to focus on about not only the body but the mind as well.
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Episodes
Saturday Dec 31, 2022
Saturday Dec 31, 2022
On Season 2 Episode 5, we clue up 2022 and would like to thank all our listeners for checking in each episode and thank our guest who were willing to open about their journey, thoughts, and experiences of mental health in the sport community. We highlight some clips that stood out to us over the past year on the podcast. Discuss what to expect in 2023!
Thank you and Stay Well
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
On Season 2 Episode 4 we welcome NCAA champion and current professional soccer player Jack Beer! Jack joins us to discuss his experience as an athlete with anxiety and panic disorder while also discussing the positive supports he had with coaching staff at Georgetown University. He details with us how because of that support, it helped him to the heights he is at in his soccer career from being apart of the 2019 NCAA national championship team to his current place with New York FC II. We also discuss the work he has done with Athlete for Hope and changes he hopes to see in sport and sport culture around mental health for athletes.
Thank you and Stay Well
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
On Season 2 Episode 3 we welcome back Natalie Graves, Sport Social Worker, and founder of Natalie Graves Athletic Counselling as well as newly author of The Athlete Prepbook! Natalie joins us to discuss her experience writing the prepbook and how you can use it as an athlete, coach or trainer. We will discuss the different in mental health and mental toughness and how you can take care of your athletes!
You can find out more about The Athlete Prepbook on prepbook.info or find it on Amazon. Also follow Natalie on Instagram and website nataliegraves.com
Thank you and Stay Well
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Welcome back to Season 2 of Courtside Wellness. On Season 2 Episode 2 we are joined by Jamal Jackson, former NCAA football player, Sport Social Worker, and founder of Student Athlete Counselling as well as documentary maker of See Isaac Run. Jamal discusses his experience as a former college athlete while learning more about himself and his journey becoming a Social Worker. He also shared his journey in developing See Isaac Run documentary of his father's football journey. You can find out more about See Isaac Run and Student Athlete Counselling on Facebook and Instagram and website www.sacounseling.org
Thank you and Stay Well!
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Welcome back to Season 2 of Courtside Wellness. On Season 2 Episode 1 we are joined by Chris Baxter, former professional hockey player and founder of Athletes United. Chris discusses his experience as a professional hockey player, the mental and emotional stressors and pressures and challenge of identity. He also discusses his vision for Athletes United and how he sees the role of peer support for athletes from ages 13 and older.
Thank you and Stay Well!
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
On Episode 18 of Courtside Wellness, we are joined by Grace Annear and Catherine Hutchens to discuss the Queer Community in Sports. Both Grace and Catherine competed at the elite level in their sports of Track and Field for Grace and Hockey and Soccer for Catherine. We discuss what it means to be a Queer Athlete and the struggles and current barriers in place. With hopes to changes in our current system and successes that we have seen as of recent, Grace and Catherine share some amazing stories and experiences.
Happy Pride Month and Stay Well!!
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
On Episode 17 of Courtside Wellness, we bring a close to May which is Mental Health Month to discuss 10 tips for athlete's to take care of their mental health and mental well-being. We discuss tools and techniques that athletes and coaches can implement into their systems with narratives from athletes that have joined us Courtside such as Daniel Gordon, Trey Moses, Zee Butler, and Jesse Walsh. We also discuss how athletes are vulnerable and unique so knowing how each skill may look for each athlete may look different.
Thank you and Stay Well!
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
On Episode 16 of Courtside Wellness, we are joined by Daniel Gordon. Daniel discusses his athletic career from all three perspectives from High School Basketball, playing OCAA and for Memorial University of Newfoundland, as well as playing professional for the PEI Island Storm and the Newfoundland Rogue. We discuss Athlete Identity, pressures and stressors of athletes and impacts these can have on an athletes mental health. We also talk about the Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative, SAMHI. We also discuss how athletes can take care of their mental health and remember they are more than just an athlete!
Thank you and Stay Well!
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
On Episode 15 of Courtside Wellness, we are joined by Colton Ray-St. Cyr. Colton played 4 years of D1 Basketball at Costal Carolina between 2013-2017 followed by a professional basketball career with the St. John's Edge in the NBLC and Baskets Elchingen in the Germany Pro-B. We get the chance to talk about his own experience as a collegiate athlete then professional international athlete and impacts on mental health through pressures, stressors, and injuries. We also discuss how athlete's have a platform now more than they ever had to use their voice.
Thank you and Stay Well!
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
On Episode 14 of Courtside Wellness, we are joined by Warren Clark, Lecturer and staff at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor School of Social Work. Warren helped pave the way for Sport Social Work with his work with Bill Vanderwill in highlighting the role of Sport Social Work at their mini-conference in 2012 at the University of Michigan. Warren's passion around strengthen based coaching and positive psychology when working with youth is something you do not want to miss! We get the chance to talk about his own experience as a Sport Social Worker and how he hopes to help other student athlete and Sport Social Workers see wellness in their lives. Check out the information about the Sport Social Work certification at https://ssw.umich.edu/offices/continuing-education/certificate-courses/sport-social-work-certificate
Thank you and Stay Well!
Brandon St. Croix MSW RSW
I am your host, Brandon St. Croix, former Athlete and Current Sports Social Worker. I have a BSW from Memorial Univeristy of Newfoundland and a MSW from Univeristy of Waterloo. I have worked in the Sports Social Work field for 10 years between research, presenting on topics such as Mental Health in Sports, Impacts of Recruitment of Young Elite Hockey Players, and Identity of an Athlete.
Courtside Wellness tackling three main goals:
1. Bring Awareness of Mental Health in the Sport Community
2. Provide Athletes with a Voice which is often silenced by systems and organizations
3. Promote Social Change in our Sports Culture and Society