The Inner Armor Podcast

Be Where You Are

Presence is one of the most powerful tools in our performance arsenal. Disengagement from the place we are, the people we are with, or the task in front of us robs us of power and potential. In this episode, Doc and Greg explore what it means to be present and why it is the key to human thriving (or not).

Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential.

Learn more at ForgeInnerArmor.com.

Beyond Performance: Thriving

We usually talk about "performing at our potential," but there is something more valuable than performance: thriving. In this episode, Doc and Greg talk about what it means to thrive as a human being. In fact, thriving might mean performing in all aspects of your life, not just in your sport or work. Can we "thrive at our potential?" What would that look like? How would we measure it? What stands in our way? And how do we begin reaching toward it?

Inner Armor can help you perform, and even thrive, at your potential.

Learn more at ForgeInnerArmor.com.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

The science that Inner Armor uses to improve human performance is built upon the work of pioneers in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and digital technology. In this episode, Doc and Greg discuss these innovators and how their work made possible the advances of the early 21st century.

Learn more at forgeinnerarmor.com

A New Book!

The Humanity of the College Athlete

Our culture idolizes collegiate athletes. We watch them on TV, fans wear branded gear, and booster's donate billions to the universities. They appear to be in the prime of life, physically and mentally gifted, with promising futures. How do we avoid turning them into idols, or performers, and preserve and develop their humanity during these few years they are on that stage?

In the second of two episodes from the campus of Liberty University, Doc interviews Neil Binette, who oversees mental health and performance services for student athletes at Liberty. Neil shares that in his experience, conventional counseling becomes much more effective when the athlete has a better regulated nervous system.

Inner Armor helps everyone, from professional athletes, perform at their potential and live healthier, happier, and more successful lives.

Inner Armor Website

Forging Stronger Student Athletes

Student athletes face unique developmental challenges. In many ways, they at the peak of their physical prowess, but they are still learning and maturing intellectually, emotionally, and relationally. Moreover, they have multiple roles or jobs as full-time students and (often) nearly full-time athletes. How can colleges and universities help these young people to reach their potential without being crushed by expectations or engaging in self-destructive behavior?

In this episode, Doc is visiting Liberty University and interviews Chris Casola, Liberty’s Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Welfare and Performance. For years, Doc has worked with the athletics department at Liberty, helping to forge stronger student athletes and Chris has been a partner with Doc in developing strategies and methods. It was Chris who first coined the term dynamic resilience, which has become a cornerstone of Inner Armor's approach.

Inner Armor helps everyone, from professional athletes, perform at their potential and live healthier, happier, and more successful lives.

Inner Armor Website

 

Anxiety, Alligators, and Finding Freedom

In the second of two episodes on overcoming anxiety, Dr. Royer talks about the "alligators," or potential threats, that lurk around us. Often, they are right in front of us, blocking our path. But just as often, we exaggerate the threat level, allow them to dominate our thoughts and restrict our freedom.

Grounding ourselves in the tangible world, measuring our thoughts, and properly regulating our autonomic nervous system helps us to keep the alligators in proper perspective and find room to maneuver through the swamps of life.

Inner Armor helps everyone, from professional athletes, perform at their potential and live healthier, happier, and more successful lives.

Inner Armor Website

Come to Your Senses

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues of our time, especially for younger people. Your brain has an amazing capacity to analyze and conceptualize, which is how we accomplish so many fantastic things. But with that comes our ability to overthink, worry, and fear ideas that exist more in our minds than in reality.

In this episode, Doctor Royer shares a powerful antidote to anxious thoughts: come to your senses. Move your focus away from your imagination and ideas and ground it in the physical world around you. Pay attention to what you actually see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Unless you are being attacked by a bear or on a sinking ship, what's around you is almost certainly not as bad as what you're worrying about (and if you are in the midst of a bear attack, it's best to pay attention to what's going on). Be present, where you are, and begin building your world out from there.

Inner Armor helps everyone, from professional athletes, perform at their potential and live healthier, happier, and more successful lives.

Inner Armor Website