Ever thought of how therapy is designed and looks like? Surely it can't be a one-fits-all type of thing where you just sit in a room and tell your shrink what's been bothering you, like we see on TV. That is correct because therapy can actually be interesting, and that is why this podcast episode is about all 8 common types of therapy we use here at Mindbuffs. On today’s unconventional podcast episode, our favorite nerdy duo talks about the 8 types of therapy and everything you need to know abou...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 39
The weight of performance: How Athletes View Their Bodies Lindsay is taking the lead on this series debut of the Body image issues in athletes podcast. Having written her thesis on this topic, Lindsay accounts her passion for it on being an athlete herself. Her experience as a competitive basketball player combined with the accumulated knowledge from research and client experience makes her the perfect source to address these issues. This episode introduces the upcoming conversations that will s...
Feb 28, 2025•41 min•Ep. 38
Mat and Lindsay are back with their series the Power of Control Wheel in Sports, where they discuss the sports culture and how it can be improved. Both are very passionate athletes enthusiastic about building an athletic community/society that is not detrimental to either the athletes, coaches, or parents’ mental health. In this episode, they discuss ways to create a high-performance sports culture that still allows everyone to enjoy a good game and have fun. This conversation is a much-needed t...
Feb 21, 2025•39 min•Ep. 37
In continuation of the Confidence series by Mat and Kayla, this episode highlights the importance of managing our inner critic to maintain confidence. They break down practical ways to increase confidence, highlighting the importance of self-compassion. Taking us on an emotional journey most of us are familiar with, they address how our inner voices play a role in confidence and what our inner critic and self-analyzation do to our confidence. They discuss why self-compassion is important and why...
Feb 07, 2025•40 min•Ep. 36
Fit at any cost: Eating Disorders in Sport For the upcoming Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which runs from February 1 to 7, these three athletes and Mindbuffs psychologists, Alex, Ana, and Lindsay, address the stigma and taboo surrounding eating disorders. All three, former or current competitors in different sports, share their experiences with specific sports cultures and the impact on athletes' health and performance. Acting as the host is Alex who brings to light the silence around eating d...
Jan 31, 2025•26 min•Ep. 35
Friendship and Loneliness: Why your New Year's Resolution should be a time to adapt and change your social networks! With New Year’s resolutions in mind, this episode features insights from Mindbuffs’ psychologists Mat de Moissac and Kayla Unrau to address the loneliness epidemic. They shed light on the complexities of friendships and western society’s symptoms of loneliness through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory. Recalling lessons learned from last year’s experiences, th...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 34
This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: Join Mat and special guest Kayla, a sports psychologist, as they explore the theory of confidence and offer practical strategies to improve it. Building on the foundation of their previous episode, Mat and Kayla dive deeper into how athletes and individuals can enhance their confidence through a mix of internal and external approaches. In this episode, they break down key concepts like verbal persuasion, self-talk, and the importance of prioritizing what matte...
Oct 04, 2024•33 min•Ep. 33
This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: Join Mat and special guest Kayla, a sports psychologist, as they dive into the multifaceted nature of confidence in sports. Building on their previous episode that laid the groundwork for understanding confidence, Mat and Kayla take a deeper look into what confidence really means for athletes and how they can harness it for optimal performance. In this episode, they break down the various types of confidence, exploring how each plays a role in an athlete's jou...
Sep 27, 2024•50 min•Ep. 32
This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: Join Mat and special guest Lindsay Piper, a sports psychologist and performance dynamics expert, for Part 2 of their in-depth exploration into the complex world of coercion in sports. Building on their previous discussion, Mat and Lindsay dive deeper into real-world examples of coercion and how it manifests in athletic environments. In this episode, they unravel how coercion can impact athletes' performance and mental health, especially through methods like is...
Sep 20, 2024•27 min•Ep. 30
This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: In Part 2 of our series on Business Appreciation, Mat is once again joined by Shawna Shuster, a mental performance consultant at Mindbuffs. This episode dives deeper into how businesses can create and sustain environments where employees truly feel seen and heard, even during challenging times. Shawna brings her expertise to the table as we discuss the pivotal role of appreciation in fostering a positive workplace culture. We explore how genuine acknowledgment...
Sep 13, 2024•38 min•Ep. 31
This week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: Mat is joined by special guest, Lindsay Piper, a sports psychologist and expert in performance dynamics, to delve into the often-overlooked topic of coercion and control in sports. Lindsay brings a wealth of knowledge on how power dynamics shape interactions and the profound effects they have on individuals. Mat and Lindsay are back to explore the Power and Control Wheel further, focusing on how power differentials create opportunities for coercion. They begin...
Sep 06, 2024•34 min•Ep. 29
This week on The Mindbuffs Podcast: Mat is joined by special guest Shawna Shuster, a mental performance consultant at Mindbuffs, to share their focus on enhancing workplace dynamics through appreciation. Shawna shares her extensive knowledge on the nuances of appreciation and its vital role in fostering a positive workplace culture. Both Mat and Shawna dive deep into the culture of appreciation at work, exploring how it can transform work environments and boost overall performance. We start by u...
Aug 23, 2024•40 min•Ep. 28
This week on The Mindbuffs Podcast, Mat and Alex are joined by Megan Dart, the executive director at Edmonton Fringe Theatre. With the Fringe festival just around the corner, Megan shares her insights on the intersection of art and entrepreneurship, the unique spirit of the Fringe, and the importance of community in fostering creativity. From her journey as an artist raised by entrepreneurs to leading one of the largest Fringe festivals in North America, Megan offers a behind-the-scenes look at ...
Aug 15, 2024•33 min•Ep. 27
Join Mat de Moissac and Alex Schinke on the latest episode of The Mindbuffs Podcast as they dive into some of the most memorable moments from the recent Olympics, exploring the games through the lens of sports psychology. From awe-inspiring performances to heated controversies, Mat and Alex break down the psychological elements in the games' biggest stories. In this episode, we cover: The surprising events that captivated our attention, from steeplechase to surfing. The infamous "Dronegate" scan...
Aug 10, 2024•33 min•Ep. 26
Hello friends! We have another exciting new Mindbuffs Podcast for you, live in high definition video! We are starting another new series this week, entitled the Power and Control Wheel: Abuse in Sport. This series will explore the power dynamics between coaches and athletes, using the Power and Control Wheel to show examples of this dynamic being abused. As the name implies, The Power and Control Wheel is a diagram we use to demonstrate ways abusers in sports use power to gain and control over a...
Jul 12, 2024•35 min•Ep. 25
The positive mindset and emotions that come with genuine confidence are so powerful that they can significantly alter our neurochemistry. Dozens of studies in medical journals show that confidence in one's recovery leads to accelerated and longer-lasting healing. In performance, confidence gives us a direct pathway to that sweet, sweet flow state. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix or simple solution for building confidence; it takes time and effort. It also takes time to explain, which is why...
Jun 28, 2024•36 min•Ep. 24
If you haven't already, go back and listen to our What is the Difference Between Discomfort and Insecurity episode here ! Also, before we get started, here are some important concepts we go over: - SOGIE: Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression. We use this acronym as our umbrella term for the conversation - Safe space versus welcoming and inclusive space - Dispelling misinformation: Specific to drag queens and the belief that there is kitty litter in schools... Yes, we sure talk about...
Jun 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 23
Continuing their chat about tangible accommodations for neurodiverse employees, Mat and Shawna dive into the science of neurodiversity. Are we all neurodiverse, or has social media taken over the world of medicine? This episode offers additional tools for you to use or gain a better understanding of, giving a glimpse into the mind of the neurodiverse. Expanding on the previous episode, we go deeper into strategies that can be put into action. We'll share some tools and insights aimed at benefiti...
Jun 07, 2024•46 min•Ep. 22
We're really cooking now! Last week on the Podcast, Mat and Shawna had a great discussion about Neurospiciness (Neurodivergence) in the Workplace. They talked about all the different ways Neurodiversity can show up and the challenges and opportunities it brings. This week, we're getting into how employers can support their Neurospicy employees and get the most out of them. We talk about all things neurodiversity in the workplace, like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, and why it's important to underst...
May 31, 2024•35 min•Ep. 21
Ready to spice things up? If you've been keeping up with social media, you know that neurodivergence (or as we like to call it, neurospiciness) is one of the hottest topics online right now. So this week on The Mindbuffs Podcast, we're starting a new series called Neurospiciness in the Workplace. Our goal is to help create inclusive work environments where people with neurodiversity can thrive. In this episode, we'll be discussing disabilities commonly seen in workplaces, such as ADHD, dyslexia,...
May 17, 2024•38 min•Ep. 20
You’re not going to want to miss out on this one. You might think that curiosity and inquisitiveness are the same thing, but there is a significant difference between how it feels to be on the receiving end of both of these mindsets. The goal of this week's podcast is to improve the quality of our conversations by leaning into curiosity, and away from inquisitiveness. Inquisitiveness is important in research and for finding solutions, however, there are times when too much inquisitiveness can cr...
May 03, 2024•33 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, we talk about something that often gets overlooked in sports culture: the normalization of negativity. Athletes deal with injuries and intense pressure all the time, but we don't always talk about it openly. We are going to explore how this affects their mental health and performance, and why it's so important to address these issues in the sports community. We discuss some of the unspoken rules in sports and the relationships between coaches and athletes. We'll talk about what ...
Apr 26, 2024•37 min•Ep. 18
This one is for the Oilers fans! Can we just take a second to acknowledge the crazy rollercoaster of coaches that McDavid has had in his career? But this year, it finally feels like we've got the right leader behind the bench. Knoblauch has been killin' it since he took over from Woodcraft, with the best record in the NHL. There are some clear reasons he's been successful this year. Unfortunately, Woodcroft also had a taste of success before his coaching philosophy went down the drain during the...
Apr 19, 2024•29 min•Ep. 17
Mat and Shawna discuss what employers can do to help their employees prevent and/or manage burnout. From culture to government-sponsored support, there is hope even in the darkest times! If you are a leader, mentor, or have people who rely on you, check this episode out to review what you can do today to help your business and people in the future. Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9478693/#:~:text=Persistent%20clinical%20burnout%20is%20associated%20with%20a%20reduction%20in%...
Apr 12, 2024•46 min•Ep. 16
Mar 15, 2024•35 min•Ep. 15
Explore the tangible tools during the stages of burnout. Mat and Shawna explore proactive self-care, early onset of burnout, and the dreaded "I am ready to die" levels of burnout and how to take care of you at each step. If you need some tools to address your own stage of burnout then this episode is for you! Let’s all admit we are human and work on this together.
Mar 08, 2024•40 min•Ep. 14
This episode is either going to make you feel a lot better, or a lot worse about yourself. The reality is that even as sports psychologists who know all the tricks, all the tools, and all of the science, we still have to battle with those annoying inner critics. Critics are pluralized because it's actually several different parts of self that give us unhelpful and outdated information depending on the situation. These parts, however, genuinely believe that they are helping us. Some parts are pro...
Mar 01, 2024•32 min•Ep. 13
Have you ever tried to think about how to “solve” a problem, but instead, you end up feeling worse off than when you started? If your inner voice becomes repetitive and narrows to only negative conclusions, folks, we have entered the land of rumination. This podcast explores how rumination or its more adaptive counterpart, emotional processing, may affect your performance. Gather around, and take a quick listen to see if you are the kind of person who justifies their time spent in rumination lan...
Feb 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, we unravel the intricate dynamics of the coach-athlete relationship and discuss the difference between intent and impact. Learn how fostering healthy relationships is not just essential for wins on the court, but how it can shape athletes’ lives beyond their sporting careers. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the unseen influences that make or break teams and individuals in the competitive realm!
Feb 09, 2024•36 min•Ep. 11
It’s both maddening and unsurprising that a show like Swamp Kings celebrates only the toxic aspects of sport and masculinity. The headline quote of the show is “I treat my superstars like superstars and my shit like shit.” Coach Urban Meyer smiles with satisfaction at the quote and the football players on the show, which are only the superstars, chuckle at the mention of this famous line as they try not to show how they truly feel about it. It’s an extreme example of the kinds of old-school “suc...
Feb 02, 2024•32 min•Ep. 10
