Finding Sustainability Through Meaningful Work with Physiatrist and Founder of Sports Equity Lab Yetsa Tuakli-Wosornu

Hi friend! It’s Giselle. I’m jumping on here real quick to remind you that I’m taking a break after over three plus years of weekly episodes to rest, reset, and recalibrate. In case you need a little woman in sports career journey wisdom while I’m away, I’ve pulled this episode from the archives.

This conversation with Dr. Sarah Lesko aired in April 2022 and it is one of the most downloaded episodes of all time. So you’re going to love it. I know I did.

Since the last episode. Dr. Lesko was named Executive Director of the non-profit Bras for Girls, which is an amazing organization, check it out, and she was also named a Director of the USA Track and Field Foundation Board.
Enjoy!

Episode 88:
On today’s episode, I’m talking to Oiselle’s Leader of Corporate Development and Family Medicine Physician, Dr. Sarah Lesko, about honoring your values while changing careers.

Sarah is trained and practiced as a family medicine physician before making the leap to a career outside of medicine. Before leaving medicine, Sarah got back into running after watching the ‘08 Olympic trials. Two years later she met the founder and CEO of Oiselle, a running apparel company, by and for female athletes. Eventually leaving medicine, Sarah’s work with Oiselle expanded and she found a better way for her to serve. Through her work with Oiselle, Sarah is able to utilize her training in medicine and public health to support women and girls in sport at every level of competition.

We talk about:
●The twists and turns of her career in sports, medicine, and public health before she found a job where she could bring it all together. 
●The multiple identities she created throughout her career and the resilience they’ve provided.
●How defining your values and vision for your career can help you find the right fit. 

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

Hi friend! It’s Giselle. I’m jumping on here real quick to remind you that I’m taking a break after over three plus years of weekly episodes to rest, reset, and recalibrate. In case you need a little woman in sports career journey wisdom while I’m away, I’ve pulled this episode from the archives.

This conversation with Dr. Stephany Coakley aired in August 2022 and it is one of the most downloaded episodes of all time. So you’re going to love it. I know I did.

Dr. Coakley is still working at Temple University as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Wellness, and Performance. Since the last time we talked she earned the designation of Fellow with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and she was the keynote speaker for the Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium where she gave a talk on “Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble: How Sport and Exercise Psychology Practitioners Can Support Athlete Activism.”
Enjoy!

Episode 108:
On today’s episode, I’m talking to certified mental performance consultant Dr. Stephany Coakley about creating your own space.

Stephany works with student-athletes to develop mental health skills as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Wellness and Performance at Temple University. She also works with professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, and beyond through her private practice. On the way to where she is today, Stephany developed her craft by creating her own space, like starting her private practice during grad school so she could start getting experience working with athletes. She also worked with warrior-athletes in the military to help them develop resilience. By creating her own space, she was able to gain experience, grow, and learn, and ultimately serve her higher mission to help people realize their best lives through sport.

We talk about:
●How Stephany came to recognize the burnout she was feeling in the early part of her career and the decision to go back to school to get her PhD.
●How hard it is to break into sports and how she started her private practice to create her own space and build experience in her own way.
●Stephany’s personal mental health practices and the tools she encourages others to have at the ready in times of stress. 

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

Hi friend! It’s Giselle. I’m jumping on here real quick to remind you that I’m taking a break after over three plus years of weekly episodes to rest, reset, and recalibrate. In case you need a little woman in sports career journey wisdom while I’m away, I’ve pulled this episode from the archives.

This conversation with Christa Stout aired in March 2022 and it is the most downloaded episode of all time. So you’re going to love it. I know I did.

Since the last episode, Christa is still with the Portland Trail Blazers but has now advanced to the position of Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer. This past year she’s helped launch the organization’s new G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
Enjoy!

Episode 87:
On today’s episode, I’m talking to the Portland Trail Blazers’ Senior Vice President of Innovation & Technology Christa Stout.

Christa played 5 sports in high school and 3 in college. She has traveled internationally doing development work and has seen the value of sport for social change. Because of a persistent interest in corporate social responsibility, Christa decided to go to business school. As a generalist trying to find her future career, a professor advised her to list out exactly what she was looking for in a job. By considering the qualities she needed in the workplace instead of the job title, Christa found exactly what she was looking for working in professional sports, working first with the Portland Timbers and now the Portland Trail Blazers. 

We talk about:
●How taking advantage of every opportunity that came her way in international development, gives Christa more skills than she could ever list on a resume. 
●How taking the time to define her values and the qualities she needed in her workplace helped Christa find great jobs after business school.
●The importance of keeping a growth mindset to continue learning the ins and outs of every task as a generalist responsible for leading specialists in their fields. 

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

I'm taking an end of the year break and bringing you some of the top downloaded episodes from the archives. This is episode 96 which originally released May 31st, 2022.

On today’s episode, I’m talking to Physiatrist and Founder of Sports Equity Lab Dr. Yetsa Tuakli-Wosornu.

Yetsa is a sports physiatrist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an adjunct associate professor at Yale School of Public Health. She is the founding director of the Sports Equity Lab, which focuses on dismantling inequalities in sport while amplifying sport’s role as an agent for positive change.

We talk about:

• How learning to direct your focus to multiple pursuits can add meaning to your work.
• Applying skills learned through sports, like how to pivot and adapt, to everyday life.
• Yetsa’s advice to cherish and prioritize unstructured time as a way to create a sustainable, meaningful life. 

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

I'm taking an end of the year break from producing new episodes but I didn't want to leave you hanging! This episode from the archive is episode 83, which aired March 1st, 2022. Enjoy!

Today I’m talking to sports medicine physiatrist Monica Rho.

Monica is the Chief of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She also serves as a team physician for the US Women’s National Soccer Team.

We talk about:

• How Monica’s mission has been to take care of and listen to female athletes ever since she was a young athlete athlete who felt like her injuries were dismissed.
• How finding the right training environment at any point in your career includes finding mentors who are invested in your development.
• Monica's unique opportunity to serve as an ambassador for If/Then, an organization looking to provide female role models in STEM to young girls.

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

Welcome back to another special episode of the Madam Athlete podcast! On the second Tuesday of the month, I take a deep dive into a career-related topic, and on today’s episode I’m talking all about doing what you want to do instead of what you should do. (Or what you think you should be doing).

Here's a key freaking hint: The opposite of doing what you think you should be doing isn't doing nothing. It's not being lazy. It's not being a failure.

Listen to this episode to find out more and to get living your own unique life and your own unique career.

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

On today’s episode, I’m talking to Sports Podcaster Cherie Turner about changing directions.

Cherie is the host of the Women’s Running Stories podcast, which features women athletes running all distances. Cherie’s unique story started out as a professional cyclist after college, unsure of what came next in her career. After finding her footing, she embraced her dream of becoming a writer and began a decades-long career in publishing and editing. Cherie then went about changing directions one more time by throwing herself into the podcast and radio community, finding mentors and teachers who helped her grow into the audio storyteller she is today. 

We talk about:

• Recognizing the skills we’ve developed in the past and how they helped us get to where we are today.
• Putting perfectionism aside to embrace being a complete novice in a new field.
• Telling women’s stories, by women and for women, as a way to overcome the established narratives.

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

On today’s episode, I’m talking to the CEO of WeCOACH Vanessa Fuchs about finding the opportunity. 

Vanessa is the CEO of WeCOACH, an organization focused on recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches in all sports at every level. A former DI basketball player at Florida State University, Vanessa worked with the NCAA, becoming the Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs, before returning to her alma mater. She stayed at Florida State for 14 years, becoming the Senior Associate Athletic Director, Senior Women’s Administrator, and doing a stint as the Interim Athletic Director. Vanessa encourages young professionals to focus on finding the opportunity hidden within each role they take on and to keep an open mind in order to maximize their chances for growth.

We talk about:

• Seeking out mentors with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Expecting to be challenged when starting a new job and using these opportunities for growth.
• Finding and prioritizing balance when working in a demanding field, like sports.

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

On today’s episode, I’m talking to the Senior Manager of Player Development at the Seattle Kraken Katelyn Parker about defining success. 

Katelyn is currently with the Kraken handling everything youth hockey and player development for this young franchise. Her background as a former DI hockey player on a quickly growing team set her up well to work in this environment that looks more like a tech startup some days. While it may seem that Katelyn always knew she wanted to work in sports, it wasn’t until after she experienced working outside of athletics that she realized that the part of her day devoted to hockey was what she really looked forward to. Katelyn shares how defining success is different for everyone and how that definition should be free to change throughout our careers.

We talk about:

• Starting new roles without firm expectations in order to take advantage of all of the opportunities. 
• The athlete mentality of being all-in, and how this is both a strength and a weakness in other parts of life.
• Taking time to appreciate success and how extraordinary some experiences are. 

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete

On today’s episode, I’m talking to Athletic Trainer Andrea Kovalsky about sticking to your values. 

Andrea is the Head Athletic Trainer for Granite City High School in Granite City, Illinois. She’s currently working towards her Doctorate in Athletic Training while also serving on the Illinois Athletic Trainers Association. In each role she’s taken on, Andrea has given herself a few years to fully learn the job and what it requires. She assesses if it fits her values and her goals, and chooses to move on if it’s not the exact right fit. With each move, Andrea has taken lessons learned along with her, confident she won’t make the same mistakes over again. 

We talk about:

• Learning to be selfish, especially in a role that usually works behind the scenes.
• Finding outlets for our true passions, like mentoring, within our current careers.
• Shuffling priorities through different opportunities and career stages.

You can find the show notes and more resources at https://madamathlete.com

Keep an eye out for new content or let us know what you'd like to see next by following us on social:
Instagram: @theMadamAthlete
Facebook: @MadamAthlete
Twitter: @MadamAthlete