We are beyond excited to announce our new partnership to shine a light on mental health surrounding the athletic community! With this new podcast, we hope we can help reach a variety of athletes that may seem frustrated, lost, feel alone, and need some guidance on the struggles they may be going through in their athletic journey. We are excited to bring on current and former athletes, coaches, parents, nutritionists, therapists, psychologists and sports psychologists, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and everyone surrounding athletics to talk about some of the struggles that come with sports and how to advance your performance in a healthy manner. We often think we are alone, but through conversation, we find that although our experiences are unique, there are similarities in the struggles and the solutions.
Mahalo to Art Yamamato of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation for supporting this podcast.
This week on Off The Court Episode 10, a podcast focused on athlete nutrition, mental health, and training, Dalton Solbrig talks to Dr. Peter Zhu who is a Physical Therapist. Dr. Zhu grew up doing a lot of water sports and loves to work with active individuals from weekend Warriors to professional athletes.
This week on Off The Court Episode 9, a podcast focused on athlete nutrition, mental health, and training, Fayna Zeng talks to Carly Kan who is an alumni of Punahou, former University of Hawaii Beach Volleyball player and a an AVP Volleyball Player.
This week on Episode 8, former Rainbow Warrior Men’s Basketball player and recent addition to UH staff as an Assistant Coach for the men’s team, Michael Thomas, joins the podcast. From embracing the responsibility of being in the public eye and representing for the people of Hawai’i, to then navigating the pressure and noise that can come from being in the spotlight, Mike brings us into the headspace of his career playing for UH and how he eventually saw a career path in coaching for his alma mater. Listen in to this incredibly insightful conversation as Mike reflects with James about the importance of breaking down the game mentally, understanding financial management as a student-athlete and its indirect correlation to your fitness and nutritional health, and what up-and-coming elite athletes should prioritize in the recruitment process of playing at the next level.
This week on Episode 7, Dalton Solbrig hosts a mini Hawaii Men’s Volleyball reunion for special guests Joe and Gage Worsley and Colton Cowell. These UH MVB legends chat about playing on the same team again, on SVG Lüneburg in Germany, and talk through their experiences with injuries and mental health as they progressed through their volleyball careers.
This week on Episode 6 of Off the Court, two-time Men’s Volleyball National Championship Coach, Josh Walker joins James to talk about how he leverages his experience as a professional volleyball athlete to help his players realize their potential. When it comes to making a breakthrough with a player, Coach Josh talks about how important the mental side of the game is. One of the first steps to becoming a great athlete is truly believing that you can be or that you are.
May 23, 2022: In this episode, Dalton Solbrig chats with former high school teammate David Milostan about what he went through as a player and how his role and perception of mental health has changed now that he is the head coach of the freshman basketball team at Lakes Community High School. Milostan shares the importance for coaches to understand that they need to gain the trust of their players and be someone they can confide in not just about the sport, but about life. He feels that if everyone on the team is on the same page about talking and communicating that the players will want to play at their highest potential for their teammates and coaches.
May 16, 2022: Jhenna Gabriel is not what you think your typical NCAA Division 1 starting setter would look like, but she is. A recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and 3-year UT Volleyball alum, Jhenna discusses the highs and lows she faced within and outside the sport of volleyball and where she is in now post-collegiate volleyball career. During this week’s episode of the Off The Court podcast, Jhenna, and co-host Fayna chat about the recruitment process being in Hawai’i, the harmful repercussions of social media on student-athletes, navigating burnout and embracing who you are holistically.
May 11, 2022: On the one-year anniversary of the passing of Hawai’i Football legend, Colt Brennan, James Anastassiades sits down for a meaningful conversation with Terry Brennan, Colt’s dad. Discussing everything from Colt’s upbringing to reflecting on what this last year has meant to him and his family, this episode dives into the intricacies of the importance of addressing mental health issues early on and the impact it can have on those in your close circle.
April 25, 2022: Welcome to our very first episode of season 1! Off The Court host, James Anastassiades, talks with Mike Nilson, Gonzaga strength and conditioning coach and former Gonzaga walk-on basketball player who made it to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 who has earned his Master’s degree in leadership and is a sports nutritionist. In this episode, Nilson explains the three levels of nutrition and how athletes’ diets and food choices have a direct effect on their performance.