Blog — Own Beat Athlete

High on the list of protective circumstances when it comes to kids’ and teens’ mental health is the presence of at least one close relationship with a trusted and supportive adult.

Deep DiveSusan StoutOctober 10, 2020ADHD, anxiety, learning differences, leadership, confidence, cofidence

It's Not Personal. It's ADHD

Turns out one of the little-known characteristics of ADHD is inconsistent performance.

Deep DiveSusan StoutJanuary 25, 2020ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, discipline, Leadership

Dear Coach -- Forgotten Play

It’s called ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which is weird because what really happens is my brain pays attention to EVERYTHING.

Dear CoachSusan StoutOctober 30, 2019ADHD, executive functioning, confidence

Helping Kids with ADHD Thrive in Sports -- Q&A for Coaches and Parents

Noticing what they’re doing right and ignoring (at least for the moment) what they’re not will pay off in spades.

Deep DiveSusan StoutOctober 4, 2019ADHD, executive functioning, role

Dear Coach -- Thanks for the Mulligan

I’m learning about my brain, about how it affects my body and about how to control both.

Dear CoachSusan StoutJuly 17, 2019ADHD, executive functioning, mindfulness

Dear Coach -- Constant Fear

It’s a constant feeling that something could go wrong – that I’m likely to do something wrong – at any moment.

Dear CoachSusan StoutMay 17, 2019ADHD, learning differences, anxiety

Leading Through Role Playing -- Show Them a Better Way

All kids want to have a good day. If they could do better they would. And most will, when you give them the tools and demonstrate how to use them.

Deep DiveSusan StoutApril 28, 2019Leadership, learning differences, ADHD, role model

Stanley Cup Winner Brent Sopel -- A Champion On and Off the Ice

Far more important than his reading and other dyslexia-related difficulties, Brent’s confidence stopped at the edge of the ice.

StoriesSusan StoutApril 11, 2019dyslexia, anxiety, confidence, learning differences

Coaching Advice from Jovan Haye -- Former NFL Lineman, Collegiate Coach, Dyslexic

Jovan, despite having spent hours and hours mastering NFL playbooks, will tell you that relationships are so much more powerful than Xs and Os.

StoriesSusan StoutMarch 7, 2019dyslexia, ADHD, leadership, NFL, learning differences

From Angry Braves to Brave Leaders -- Phil Jackson Part II

Of course, tapping that calm intuition takes work. And practice. The anger is going to keep coming – yours and your athletes’.

StoriesSusan StoutFebruary 20, 2019ADHD, Anger, Leadership, executive functioning, anxiety, learning differences, dyslexia

Win-Win Coaching -- Phil Jackson Part I

Yes, he wanted them all to buy into the triangle offense. But he knew that the team would mesh only if each player was allowed to be himself.

StoriesSusan StoutJanuary 23, 2019ADHD, discipline, executive functioning

The Rising Tide of Anxiety

The coach’s role is not to solve the problem, not to make the anxiety go away, but to help the athlete see that she is able to face and overcome the fear.

Deep DiveSusan StoutApril 29, 2018anxiety

Daggers to the Heart

Kids with ADHD aren’t wimps. Far from it. The rejection and criticism actually hurt them more, much more, than other kids.

Deep DiveSusan StoutApril 8, 2018ADHD

What I Wish I Knew Then

I wish that I had understood back then why the boy in lane six never, ever remembered the set, even a minute after I had explained it.

StoriesSusan StoutMarch 28, 2018anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia

Coach K Got it Right

Too often, coaches adopt a one-size-fits-all style, and that extends to how they discipline.

StoriesSusan StoutMarch 24, 2018ADHD, discipline, executive functioning

Talking Back

The hitch is that kids like me, who have ADHD, sense threats all over the place, even when they aren’t real.

Dear CoachSusan StoutMarch 24, 2018ADHD, discipline, executive functioning

A Day in My Life

When negative things get into my brain, which is pretty much always, it can be impossible to stop the loop.

Dear CoachSusan StoutMarch 24, 2018ADHD, executive functioning