During times of uncertainty, we can start to feel a little anxious and lost. Resilience is something that can help us cope with times of uncertainty. Below are 2 different exercises to help foster the development of your resilience through your support system and accountability through group activities.

Exercise 1: Identify three teammates you want to reach out this week and how you want to give and maintain support. A key pillar of resiliency is to identify your support system. Get creative in the ways that you can support each other virtually or from a distance. Click Here

Exercise 2: Movement feels good and boosts your immune system! Here is a workout you can do with your teammates, with instructions on how to set up a “workout meeting” via Zoom. Which exercises will you enjoy more with the support of teammates? Click Here

Premier is excited to announce that Laina Nelson will be joining our staff this August as an office administrator. Read below to learn more about Laina!

What has most drawn you to the field of sport psychology?

What has drawn me to sport psychology is my experiences growing up with a love for sport, as well as being a performer. I was a three-sport athlete throughout high school and spent the rest of my time in the fine arts and performing and writing music. I find sport psychology fascinating; it merges my love for sport and performance, while advocating for mental health and well-being, as well as prioritizing the ability to reach optimal performance. It is extremely intriguing and I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow within the field!

What sport do you enjoy playing the most?  Watching the most?

As a three-sport athlete, I love playing volleyball, basketball, and softball in equal amounts. I was even in an all-female boxing club in college. But I think my favorite to participate in now is definitely basketball; it’s a sport that can stay with you forever! When it comes to watching sports, I completed my undergraduate career at North Dakota State University, so I bet you could guess that football is my favorite to watch. Go Bison!

Outside of the “basic” or “standard” apps on your phone, if you could only choose to have 3, what would they be?

I would choose the MyPlate app (it is great for tracking macros!), Spotify (to listen to my favorite music/podcasts), and probably Pinterest (to keep up with creativity and motivation).

What trend do you hope makes a comeback?

To be honest, I am a huge fan of the 1990s fashion trends.. well mostly what Rachel Greene wears on Friends. I love crewnecks, the updos, camo pants. But these days, anything is fashionable!

Describe your ideal weekend?

My ideal weekend would be spent at the lakes with family and friends. Nothing is better than being out on the lake on a sunny day and then coming back home for a grill-out, fishing, yard games, and spending time around a campfire!

Have you ever met a famous person/What’s your claim to fame?

A famous person I have met, and sang with, is Colton Dixon. He was an American Idol contestant during season 11. He was one of my all-time favorites even after the show was done. He was performing at a local event a couple summers ago and my boyfriend and I decided last minute to go and ended up meeting him. He is an incredibly humble, down-to-earth guy and was cool enough to sing his original song “Never Gone” with me!

If you could only watch 3 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

The Notebook, the Sixth Sense, and Finding Nemo. It would be the ultimate balance of a little bit of everything!

What quote inspires you the most/Who (in your life) inspires you the most?

One of my favorite quotes is “Grow through what you go through.” It’s a reminder that facing adversity and other obstacles is an opportunity to learn and grow into who you want to become, and that you’re unstoppable.

If you weren’t going into sport psychology, what would you do?

If I had to choose a different path to follow, it would be music. I grew up singing the National Anthem at sporting events, performing at community events, and other establishments. I have been writing music since junior high and found a passion in the lyrical part of musical production through professional vocal clinics, auditions, and performing at different venues in the United States.

What are you a “closet fan” of?

Video games… I grew up with a brother who loved games and I was always the younger sibling who would watch. Also, growing up we used to have “Family Rockband nights” and we would play Rockband on the Xbox 360, touring the world as a family (haha, my mom is still proud of scoring 100% singing ‘Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi). So I grew to be a fan of all types of games. You’ve got to appreciate and respect the storylines and what people can come up with!

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome Dr. Tommy Fritze to our team. He is starting in late August 2019 as a post doc! Read below to learn more about Tommy.

What sport do you enjoy playing the most?

Ping pong…yes, really.

What trend do you hope makes a comeback?

Using technology/electronics as tools rather than toys / playing outside more

What quote inspires you the most?

“Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.” – Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama

What is your focus cue or mantra that you use to get in the game?

Don’t think, sense.

If you weren’t going into sport psychology, what would you do?

Physical therapy – the only thing more fascinating than anatomy and physiology is psychology.

What’s something that people get wrong about you the most?

The pronunciation of my last name…it’s a long “e” at the end!

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome Dr. Jaimie Rubin to our team. She will be starting August 2019 as a post doc! Read below to learn more about Jaimie!

What sport do you enjoy playing the most? 

Watching the most, I really enjoy getting to play any sport. I love any chance to be active and competitive especially getting to do so with friends! But if I had to chose my favorite to play is basketball. I played basketball in college and coached for five years after college. I love watching women’s and men’s college basketball, the women’s national soccer team, and of course my Giants and Yankees!

Would you rather create history or delete it? What would you delete/create and why?

I would rather create it. I’d love to be a part of creating a history of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

What’s one song that you have completely memorized/What song is your guilty pleasure? 

I memorized Run Around by Blues Traveler with my dad on a recruiting trip in high school.

If you could only watch 3 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

First Wives Club, Remember the Titans, The American President

What quote inspires you the most/Who (in your life) inspires you the most?

“If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it”

What’s your favorite podcast/What’s your favorite book?  Why?

It is so challenging to pick just one podcast! But I do have an affinity for some of the true crime and investigation podcasts including Up and Vanished and S-Town. I also love some weekly podcasts including Keep It, This Might Get Weird, Pod Save America, and My Favorite Murder. This isn’t a podcast, but I watch Red Table Talk on Facebook every week because it is amazing!

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome Dr. Adam Gallenberg to our team. He will be starting August 2019 as a post doc! Read below to learn more about Adam!

What has most drawn you to the field of sport psychology?

I love the active aspect of the job, so spending time “on the field” with teams to conducting individual sessions in the office throughout the day makes the work
exciting and unique.

What sport do you enjoy playing the most? Watching the most?

Although completely different, I enjoy participating in boxing and ballroom dancing equally. However, when it comes to watching, boxing definitely comes
out on top.

What’s one song that you have completely memorized/What song is your guilty pleasure? 

“I want it that way” – The Backstreet Boys is both memorized and a guilty pleasure.

What fictional place would you most like to visit?

Hogwarts, although the theme park in Orlando is close…

Would you rather show up to a presentation where none of your technology/preparation works or would you rather give an impromptu presentation without prior knowledge of it?

Both actually happened this past year! Although I hope neither happens again, I would rather deal with technology issues because I am at least prepared with the
material I’ll be presenting on.

What quote inspires you the most/Who (in your life) inspires you the most?

“It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” – Rocky

Please welcome Premier’s new team member Chrissy Holm. Read below to learn more about our new Project Specialist.

What has most drawn you to the field of sport psychology?

Sport Psychology is a field that moves fast, and I am drawn to the multiple elements of performance such as training mental performance skills, mindfulness, biofeedback, clinical sport psychology, and emotional intelligence/self-awareness. Working to continuously find a competitive edge, I am intrigued by the opportunity to train both the mind and body in unison to achieve excellence. As a yoga instructor I recognize the power of the mind-body connection to achieve physical feats, and committed to investing in mental wellness to keep the individual as a whole working optimally. 

Who inspired you as a young athlete and why? Steve Yzerman from the Detroit Redwings was my favorite athlete growing up. He was an incredible leader at a young age- he was elected captain of the Redwings at age 21, lead the team to multiple Stanley Cup wins, and performed his best under pressure with absolute integrity and grit. 

Outside of the “basic” or “standard” apps on your phone, if you could only choose to have 3, what would they be? 

Calm- for guided meditations and sleep stories to help keep me anchored in the present moment and achieve some quality Z’s. 

Whole Foods- as someone with a gluten allergy, I’m always trying to cash in on those Amazon Prime deals at my favorite store! 

Waze- I appreciate a navigational app that aims to stay efficient by finding another way to get it done (also a great life mantra!) 

What’s one song that you have completely memorized/What song is your guilty pleasure? The song that I can sing start to finish without skipping a beat is Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, although my guilty pleasure music is anything you would imagine hearing in a hair salon. Electronic, good vibes music with an energetic beat and minimal to entirely strange lyrics. 

If you could only watch 3 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be? 

Bull Durham, Pulp Fiction, Silence of the Lambs 

What quote inspires you the most/Who (in your life) inspires you the most?

“To do anything really well, you have to overextend yourself… In my case, I learned that I just had to pay twice as much attention. I came to appreciate that in doing something over and over again, something that was never natural becomes almost second nature. You learn that you have the capacity for that and that it doesn’t come overnight.” – John Irving

What is your focus cue or mantra that you use to get in the game? Competency over Confidence. Keep the focus on the task-at-hand and trust your preparation. 

If you weren’t going into sport psychology, what would you do? Sports broadcasting or orthopedic surgeon.  

What’s your favorite podcast/What’s your favorite book? I have a hard time choosing favorites…Books: Grit by Angela Duckworth, Mastery by George Leonard, Dune by Frank Herbert, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Podcasts: The Minimalists, In the Dark (APM Reports), TED Radio Hour 

What are you a “closet fan” of? Putting powdered peanut butter (PB2) and cinnamon on everything. 

If you were stranded on a deserted island, who/what would you bring and why? My smooth fox terrier named Henley, my travel yoga mat, and a Costco sized bag of veggie straws. You can make the most out of any challenging situation with a furry friend, exercise, and an almost guilt-free snack. 

What’s something that people get wrong about you the most? I enjoy a good challenge and will bring optimism or find the silver lining/lesson learned in everything that I do.  I genuinely experience joy from these experiences and I wear that on my sleeve. I think that sometimes I come off as not grinding because I’m having fun while doing it!  I believe that you can work extremely hard and at the same time, you don’t need to look miserable or complain to be getting things accomplished. The more positive and productive energy you bring to a task, the more that others want to get involved which drives collaboration and sustained success! 

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to introduce one of our Summer interns, Jake Kluver!  Read below to learn more about Jake!

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself.

I ran over 5000 miles over the course of last year.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’ve always dreamed of traveling to the Patagonia Mountains in Chile and Argentina.

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

My favorite artist is hands down Logic; I’ve seen him in concert four times now, and my favorite song by him would be Super Mario World.

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

I would probably bring my best friend, that way we can at least laugh about the situation together. I would also bring the “Physicians Desk Reference. Hollowed out. Inside, waterproof matches, iodine tablets, beet seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket, and, in case I get bored, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” No, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” – Dwight Schrute. 

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I grew up watching Shaun White win the X Games Gold Medal on the Half Pipe, so naturally, I dreamed of being a professional snowboarder. 

What is one thing that scares you?   

Definitely snakes. I don’t know what it is but even little ones like Gardner snakes freak me out.

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

My favorite sport to play is definitely lacrosse, but don’t get me wrong I love running, so much so that I got it tattooed on me. My favorite sport to watch would have to be professional snowboarding or Track & Field.

What is your experience with sports?

I grew up playing soccer as most kids do and ended up playing until high school, tried basketball and wrestling for a few years, and I also played lacrosse for three years. Finally, I settled on Cross Country and Track and Field entering into my freshman year of high school, and am still competing in both today. 

What has drawn you to the sport psychology world?

To make a long story short, my high school track coach always made us set goals and visualize before our races and it always helped me to feel calm and prepared, but I didn’t really know the true importance of those skills until I got to college, where our team relies more on self-coaching. With a lack of leadership, my early athletic career seemed filled with injuries and constant setbacks, until I went back to those skills I had practiced during high school. I dove in and did a lot of my own research into mindset training and how effective it can be in every area of life. I’ve always known that I wanted to work with athletes, I just didn’t know where, but after exploring the world of sport psychology and also getting to see the world of athletic training up close and personal, I realized that I wanted to focus more on the mental side of training with athletes, which is most often an afterthought, but is now gaining a lot of traction in the world of high-level sports. I am currently a personal trainer and I have helped many individuals reach a higher level of physical fitness, but I see myself as becoming a trainer for the athlete’s mind and helping them to reach a new level of mental fitness, which can often be the edge they need in the competition.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I went to Buffalo High School and just finished up my Junior year at the University of Minnesota Duluth. My plan for the future is to take a year off after I finish my undergraduate work, in order to move out to the West Coast where I’m hoping to attend a graduate school in order to achieve my Master’s Degree from an applied sport psychology program. From there I plan to work toward reaching my Doctorate in Sport Psychology. And way, way down the road, I would like to move back here to Minnesota and build a position for myself at UMD, helping student-athletes reach a higher level of success in all their endeavors.

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to introduce one of our Summer interns, Bailey Thompson!  Read below to learn more about Bailey!

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself.

I recorded two CD’s that were sold in Target when I was 11 years old. Unfortunately that was the extent of my singing career.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Switzerland because I love the outdoors and am in love with the Swiss Alps! It would be a dream come true to go hiking there.

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

My favorite show on Netflix is New Girl, Nick Miller is just incredible!

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

I love Johnny Cash! I got to go to the Johnny Cash museum in Nashville over spring break and it was the coolest thing ever!

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

I would bring my mom and a pocket knife. My mom has a lot of survival knowledge, and the pocket knife would come in handy.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

I really want to be able to fly. I think it would be so cool to be able

to travel anywhere I wanted that way.

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

In kindergarten, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up.

What is one thing that scares you?   

I hate being tickled. It freaks me out.

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

I love playing hockey! But my favorite sport to watch is volleyball, I love how fast-paced it is and the way the girls sell-out on the court.

What is your experience with sports?

I have played hockey for 16 years and currently play at Bethel University. In high school, I also played softball and volleyball. I’ve also recently started my coaching career in hockey.

What has drawn you to the sport psychology world?

Simply stated, I love sports and I love psychology, so I figured Sport Psychology would allow me to combine my two passions. I have always enjoyed understanding the dynamics of teams I’ve been on and how coaches are able to influence players, so I hope to further my curiosities through a career in sport psychology.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I graduated from Mounds View high school in 2016, and will be graduating with a Psychology degree and a minor in Leadership Studies from Bethel University in the spring of 2020. I hope to further my education by pursuing a master’s degree and eventually doctorate degree within the field of Sport Psychology.

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to introduce our Spring Intern of 2019, Jordan Stewart!  Read below to learn more about Jordan!

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself.

A fun fact about me… I’m a cat mom!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would go to Ireland

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

Dexter

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

My ultimate favorite song is Tiny Dancer by Elton John. My favorite artist is Mac Miller.

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

I would bring my best friend Frank for comic relief and I would bring a trumpet because I love music and that is the only instrument I know how to play.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

I would want super speed!

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a doctor.

What is one thing that scares you?

Bugs!!! Any type of bug!

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

Favorite sport to play, ice hockey! Gymnastics is my favorite to watch. Their athletic ability is amazing!

What is your experience with sports?

I have been a multi-sport athlete all of my life. I come from a family of athletes, with my mom being a former DIV. I diver in college, my dad playing football, and both of my older brothers were also athletes. My two main sports in high school were hockey and soccer. I currently play DIV. I  women’s hockey at St. Cloud State University.

What has drawn you to the sport psychology world?

There have been a number of items that have drawn me to the sport psychology world. I knew that I wanted to be a sport psychologist when I had personally experienced the high demand of being an athlete. I would have loved to have had a sport psychologist at that point, but my athletic department did not provide one. With my experience and understanding of the sport and the societal pressures, I would love to be able to help and give back.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I am currently a senior pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at St. Cloud State University. I plan on attending graduate school Fall of 2019, at Adler University. I will be earning a Master’s degree in counseling, specializing in sport and health. I look forward to working with high school and collegiate athletes to enhance their athletic performance. Further down the road, I would love to give back to the educational system and teach

courses in sport psychology!

Premier Sport Psychology is excited to welcome one of our Summer 2018 interns, Jordan Johnson!  Read below to learn more about Jordan.

Let’s start with a fun fact about yourself. 

I am a quarter Filipino.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

If I could travel anywhere, I would take a hiking trip to the Swiss Alps in Switzerland.

What is the best show you’ve watched on Netflix?

The Office (Netflix)

Game of Thrones (hands down the best show ever created)

What is your favorite song? Favorite artist?

Favorite Song – Take Me Home, Country Road by John Denver

Favorite Artist – Chris Stapleton

You are being sent to a deserted island you can bring one person and one item, who and what would you bring, and why?

If I was sent to a deserted island I would bring Mike Zimmer and a memory foam pillow.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be?

If I had one superhero power I would want to possess the force from Star Wars.

When you were in Kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was in Kindergarten I wanted to be a professional football player.

What is one thing that scares you?

I am deathly afraid of snakes!!

Favorite sport to play? How about to watch?

My favorite sport to compete in is the decathlon for track and field.

My favorite sport to watch is NFL football or NBA basketball during March Madness.

What is your experience with sports?

I grew up in a sports oriented family and have had experiences various sports. In high school, I was a linebacker and running back for the football team. I also competed as a sprinter and triple jumper for the track and field team. I am currently a student athlete at the University of St Thomas where I compete as a decathlete for the track and field team. In my spare time I love to bike, rock climb, play basketball, and play softball.

What has drawn you to the sports psychology world?

I first learned about sport psychology when I was watching an ESPN program about Michael Jordan. They had a sport psychologist on the television talking about Jordan’s flu game during the 1997 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz. The sport psychologist talked about Jordan’s mental toughness and his ability to perform under pressure. I was immediately drawn into the television, and the rest was history.

What is your educational background and future aspirations?

I am currently a junior at the University of St. Thomas where I am studying psychology and exercise science. I plan on attending graduate school for sport psychology, and I have aspirations to own a sport psychology practice.