The Psychology of Youth Sports | AMA Victoria Garrick Browne and Dr Michael Gervais

Victoria Garrick Browne (0:00)

How do we help young people build an identity rooted in who they are, rather than solely in what they do or how they perform? And how can parents, coaches and mentors start those conversations before a crisis or transition occurs?

Michael Gervais (0:13)

Wow, that is a parent that's really doing the work. What questions are tugging at you right now? And how might exploring the answers to those questions help unlock your potential?

Victoria Garrick Browne (0:23)

Actually, you once told me something that lives rent-free in my brain. And it's actually a great answer to this question, too, which is...

Michael Gervais (0:32)

Welcome back, or welcome to a special episode of the Finding Mastery podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais. And this week, we're turning the microphone around again. And instead of diving into mastery through the minds of our remarkable guests, we are going straight to you for another Ask Me Anything episode.

Victoria Garrick Browne (0:49)

How can we tell the difference between healthy competitiveness and unhealthy pressure? What are some warning signs that a young athlete may be experiencing burnout? Will an open, transparent, honest sharing moment about the challenges and pressures of competing end up costing me?

Michael Gervais (1:03)

How about it? What do you think? You have once again submitted really deep and thoughtful and sometimes vulnerable questions about life and performance and relationships and how to navigate the complexities of our human experience. Now, in this episode, we have the help of Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, mental health advocate, creator, podcast host, and speaker, Victoria Garrick Browne. All offer insights and perspectives designed to help us all think a little differently, to hopefully live a little better. The thought that they over there have it all together and I over here by myself don't, it's not honest, but it feels that way. That's the, I think, the major anecdote for imposter syndrome.

Victoria Garrick Browne (1:45)

I don't like fake it till you make it.

SPEAKER_3 (1:47)

I don't like that advice.

Michael Gervais (1:48)

That idea will not hold. As you listen, I hope that you'll pay attention to the questions that resonate most strongly with you. So with that, let's jump into your questions, our reflections and an exploration of what matters most right here on Finding Mastery.

Victoria, it is great to be with you. This is the first time we've done an AMA and I'm so excited to do it with you.

Victoria Garrick Browne (2:18)

I'm so excited. I ask you hundreds of questions all the time, always.

Michael Gervais (2:22)

On your podcast. Perfect.

Victoria Garrick Browne (2:23)

That I'm here to now ask questions and help with your audience.

Michael Gervais (2:27)

I know, it's so fun.

Victoria Garrick Browne (2:28)

Get this access to you. So thanks for having me.

Michael Gervais (2:30)

Yeah. And it's been great to be able to watch what you've done over the years. And for our community that might not be familiar with you, you've got this really thoughtful voice about, well, I think it began with mental health and athletics because of your experience of privately struggling.

And you've turned the deep work that you've done to better understand yourself as a gift for millions. And so I'm stoked to do this with you. You're really thoughtful. You're right on the kind of the buzz of what's cool. And you're helping me out in that way. So thank you again for being here.

Victoria Garrick Browne (3:04)

I appreciate it. Of course. I'm so happy to be here. And, you know, the questions that your audience submitted are really amazing. And I think we're going to get into a lot of fantastic stuff today. I'm excited to hear what you have to say and to talk about this. So if you're ready, we should dive in.

Michael Gervais (3:19)

Let's go.

Victoria Garrick Browne (3:19)

Okay. So this first question comes from James.

As someone who has spent a career in public service and leadership, I've seen how closely identity becomes tied to performance and purpose, whether in athletics, first responder professions, or other high performance environments. Many people struggle when their role, uniform or title begins to change or comes to an end. So my question is, how do we help young people build an identity rooted in who they are rather than solely in what they do or how they perform? And how can parents, coaches and mentors start those conversations before a crisis or transition occurs?

Michael Gervais (3:56)

I mean, first order business, that's a thoughtful question. Like our community is really trying to understand. They're really smart. And that's a super thoughtful question. So it doesn't surprise me. I know you have a lot to say about this as well. So I'll take a first pass at it. And then I do want to get your thoughts on it. The whole conversation about identity can be really deep, and then it can also kind of run along the surface. So let me start with the depth of it for just a minute. It begs the question, you know, are you more than this bag of skin and bones?