My friends and family call me "Dr. Beth", but that's only because I'm the one they come to when in pain and need to get fixed. But I'm not a medical doctor or even a Ph.D. Nope,
I'm a Life and Wellness Coach, and what I do really well is help teen girls, their moms, and female athletes get through both the physical and emotional obstacles that we face on the path from pain to play.
Some of my experience comes from being a life-long athlete and recovering from the injuries and surgeries I've experienced in my life, but the majority of my expertise comes from spending 20 years as an Athletic Trainer and High School Teacher, and taking thousands of students through the return to play process, that is from being stuck or injured to getting back to their sport or other life path.
I know that may not seem very impressive, but don't discredit that experience.
As I said before, overcoming obstacles is my thing - both the physical and the mental. That's what makes Athletic Trainers special - we are educated and trained specifically in athletic injuries and approach it holistically by addressing the physical, nutritional, and emotional aspects of recovery. I've been able to take the same approach to overcoming fear, anxiety, and self-doubt that also tend to keep us on the bench for the game of life.
It's often a jagged path where we encounter unexpected obstacles and sometimes receive poor advice on how to get through.
These setbacks can lead us into an emotional downward spiral and leave us scared of trying again. I find this is so true of my clients of any age.
You can come out from hiding and try again. Identity is something that's unique and each of us has a different path to explore. Your teen isn't giving up on their dreams, they needs help finding their path again and letting us know whaat this is - an we need to be ready to listen.
Many teens need to learn the tools that are specific to your needs and goals and not the general advice that's usually given. You need to take a whole-body approach by balancing your physical, nutritional, and emotional health.
Well, it's a bit of a twisted taleā¦
While working with my high school athletes, I always noticed that some had a more emotional healing path than the than others. I would spend hours not only talking them through their corrective exercises but also taking the time to talk about their fears of not being able to play anymore and the desperation they felt about getting back to play. They felt like no one understood what they were going through. I thought I did until I went through the process myself.
After my daughter was born, I was diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse. I'd been through the recovery process before, but nothing compared to my journey back to play after this. Many people don't see core dysfunction, such as POP and diastasis recti as injury, but rest assured that these conditions follow the same path back to play as plantar fasciitis or a sprained knee. I was told I would not be able to return to the sports that I loved. This killed me. I sunk into a depression that was deeper than I had ever known. I watched my identity as an active woman slipping away, and I was devastated to see that there was no one who could help me in the ways that I needed. It was then that I realized there was much more than went into healing than the exercises I was taught in school.
And so I decided to help myself.
I immersed myself in learning more about how life and wellness influence healing. I specialized in women's health - everything from injury recovery, hormones, how to train and eat according to our cycles, female-specific mindset work, and more - and found the missing link of everything I had been doing in my work up to that point.
It was an approach that included alignment for better movement. Crazy hormone fluctuations that affected our ability to heal and perform. Hormones that were affected by everything from sleep to stress, to what we were eating. And here's the crazy thing - it wasn't limited to just women. These are factors that all teens experience. Most girls start the process in their tweens - sometimes younger. - but all teens have shifts in hormones that make life a crazy and confusing ride. Suddenly my entire approach to athletic training and even holistic wellness was turned on its head - and I loved it!
I applied these tools to my own recovery and have made a full return to play as a Masters athlete in rowing and Olympic Weightlifting. During this time, I realized that I could help many more people than the teenagers who sought me out in the training room. Their parents and teachers started telling me their stories, and I gladly gave them advice.
I have help women recover from their core dysfunction and return to running and triathlons without pain and leaking. And I have counseled their daughters on how to better fuel themselves to prevent those overuse injuries and establish balanced training habits to make sure they stay in the game. I have helped both girls and boys to shift their mindset to over come fear and BECOME amazing humans and step into en empowered self-identity.
To return to their play.
The key is taking control of your own story, and if you don't like where it's going, then taking the steps to rewrite it.
Give yourself the ending that you imagined when you were growing up. You just need to tools to finish the journey and write that happy ending, and I can give these to you, and equip your teen with these tools from the get-go.
I'd love to hear your story- as it is now, and the new ending.
If you're curious about my education and experience, you can find out more here.
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