This week, I’m interviewing Katie Spada who is a former Ohio State Synchronized Swimmer, National Champion, and now Registered Dietitian teaching former athletes how to understand their identity and relationship with food after sport. We’re talking about how to build a healthy relationship with food and understanding how it can help us perform at the highest level, how to love our bodies and what they can do for us, and we even get into body image and how we’re BOTH still struggling with it ours...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 44
The best coaches have a few core things in common and this week you’re going to learn 4 things I’ve learned from the best coaches I’ve either had or studied that make them some of the very best out there (like HOF Coach Sue Enquist who we had on the podcast in Episodes 13 & 14!). Whether you’re a coach or not, this episode is going to give you insight on what athletes NEED from their coaches in order to become the very best versions of themselves from the importance of encouragement and empo...
May 19, 2021•21 min•Ep. 43
The recruiting process doesn’t have to be scary. This week, the recruiting queen herself, Tisha Mayhon is going to be sharing tips on where to start with recruiting and steps you should be taking TODAY to set you up for success in the future. Tisha is a former University of North Carolina outfielder who now spends her time teaching athletes how to find their dream school and keeping the process as simple as possible. Even if your athlete isn’t quite at this stage yet, Tish gives incredible advic...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 42
This week, I'm talking to Team USA Softball pitcher and also the FIRST female recipient of a MILLION DOLLAR contract for a team sport, Monica Abbott. We are talking about pitching strategy, how to be confident and play to your strengths, mastering movement pitches, the importance of recovery, what we have to look forward to in the 2021 Olympics and more. We also talk about MY first encounter hitting against Monica, which will probably have you laughing right along with us. Enjoy. Follow Monica o...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 41
In this episode, you’re going to hear one of the most inspirational stories ever told in the game of softball. Former University of Georgia outfielder, Kendall Burton, shares her incredible story of resilience which includes having 23 surgeries by the age of seventeen, an acute ischemic stroke at the age of 18, being told she would never play the sport she loves again, and how she didn’t take “no” for an answer and ended her playing career competing at the Women's College World Series in 2018. Y...
Apr 28, 2021•57 min•Ep. 40
You ARE what you focus on! Most hitters get stuck trying not to: pop up, roll over, swing at the riseball, and strike out….but you’ll find in this episode THOSE THOUGHTS DON’T WORK! In this podcast with yours truly, I’m going to give you cues you can work on with your athlete to help her STOP saying in her head what she doesn’t want, and REPLACE those negative thoughts with what she DOES want to happen. It’s time to help our athletes be BOLD and CONFIDENT with her POSITIVE thoughts, so her perfo...
Apr 21, 2021•23 min•Ep. 38
I’m THRILLED to introduce to you Dr. Chris Carr who is the current (and first ever!) Director of Performance Psychology and Team Behavioral Health Clinician for the Green Bay Packers. I met him while he was working at Purdue University and he helped guide me through one of the toughest mental battles I had ever faced in my career where I thought about quitting the game of softball. In this conversation, Dr. Carr explains the impact of properly knowing how to goal-set, building relaxation techniq...
Apr 14, 2021•59 min•Ep. 39
This week on the pod, former college athlete turned Professional Softball photographer and videographer, Jade Hewitt, gives us her journey of a day in the life of a D3 athlete, recruiting tips, how being selfless and humble got her to where she is, and what it's like being the photographer for the FIRST EVER softball TOPPS trading cards and more. Visit Jade's Website - https://www.jadehewittmedia.com/ Follow Jade on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jadehewittmedia/ Follow Jade on Twitter - ...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 37
Ashley sits down this week with AJ Andrews, who is the first female Rawlings Gold Glove Winner, and one of the most talented, confident and empowering female athletes in softball. Learn how one diving play was enough to start being looked at by LSU Softball, the importance of playing with swagger, who she looked up to in the game growing up, how her dad taught her to walk into every room with commanding presence, and how she's breaking MORE barriers inside her brand new podcast! Tune in to Barri...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 36
Does your athlete want to hit her first home run or maybe have a big goal she wants to achieve? In this episode, learn how you can help your athlete develop a roadmap to her goals, and some tips on how to make them happen for her sooner! It’s our job to help HER gain control of her goals and the work it’s going to take to make them happen, and this is your episode to help guide her towards who she wants to be! This is a coaching call I recorded LIVE on Instagram with one of my OG SMASHTRIBE Acad...
Mar 24, 2021•35 min•Ep. 35
Chloe Maleski is a former track and field athlete at Duke who is teaching athletes this importance of mental fortitude, cognitive performance, stress management, and mindfulness. On this episode of When the Cleats Come Off, Chloe reveals a story of how one coach negatively impacted how she thought of herself and her body, how that doubt helped fuel her passion to study psychology and how to cope with negativity, how she relied on strength training to remind her of her inner strength, and how mas...
Mar 17, 2021•45 min•Ep. 34
GEAR UP because Aubree is about to get SOOO passionate about her love of catching! From the importance of building a relationship with her pitchers, knowing AND PLAYING to your strengths, why selflessness is a GOOD THING, when to call a timeout and (what to say to your pitcher to pick her up), how to best communicate with your coach, and SO MUCH MORE! Stay tuned ‘til the end where Aubree shares a bit of her Athletes Unlimited experience, how she lost her identity at Florida and the incredible mi...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 33
Meet the incomparable, tenacious, positive Team USA catcher Aubree Munro! In this episode, you’ll learn how her mom mastered the car-ride home talk, the best way to prepare for a big tryout, how to not let stereotypes get to you, the power of gratitude and the keys to becoming an elite, confident and selfless catcher! We also get a behind the scenes look at her two WCWS Championship titles at Florida, what it was like playing in the inaugural Athlete’s Unlimited league, and her excitement to com...
Mar 03, 2021•57 min•Ep. 32
What if we started looking at our softball talents as an “art from” instead of just skill? This week, meet 4-Time All-American at UCLA, 2-Time Team USA Softball Olympic Medalist, and first ever African American Softball player to compete for Team USA in the Olympics, Natasha Watley! Learn from one of the greatest slappers our game has ever seen the foundations of a great slapper, the similarities between slapping and hitting, how and when slappers should execute three different types of slaps, h...
Feb 24, 2021•52 min•Ep. 31
This episode is tailored for parents AND athletes who are looking for some tools to have a more productive “car ride home” conversation instead of the scary (and sometimes) one-sided conversation. It doesn’t have to be messy and loud. In this episode you’ll learn how to make it more of a mutual, safe (and FUN!) conversation so we can talk about the good things, dabble into the things we need to work on, and then go grab some food, because we know FOOD is the biggest priority post-game! Use disco...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 30
Join me for Part 2 of the conversation with Team USA shortstop, Delaney Spaulding. Last week, you learned about Delaney’s journey to becoming an Olympic athlete and the sacrifices it took to get her there. But this week, we learn about the devastating injury that almost stripped that Olympic dream away from her. Here’s the story of her overcoming a heartbreaking ACL tear, how COVID had an impact on her recovery, the power of incredible teammates and coaches and her advice on why it’s important t...
Feb 10, 2021•47 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, I’m talking to the inspirational Delaney Spaulding, UCLA All-American, Nike Athlete and current Team USA shortstop. In Part 1, we dive into the power of her two older sisters (who were standouts at Oklahoma and UNC) sparking the inspiration for her to want to play at the highest level, what some of her infield practices and favorite drills are, what sacrifices she had to make to become one of the best in her area, and what it was like growing up in the competitive “softball hub”...
Feb 03, 2021•55 min•Ep. 28
Confidence comes from building upon successes, and if we ONLY look at the BIG successes as “wins” NO WONDER why our athletes struggle with confidence! So, here are three “little” things we need to start celebrating, so we can build upon these “wins” and help your athlete become more confident, driven, and invincible. Learn more about the #SMASHTRIBE Academy - https://ashley-burkhardt-training.mykajabi.com/become-a-member Join our exclusive ABT Community Facebook Group- https://www.facebook.com/g...
Jan 27, 2021•25 min•Ep. 27
Not many people honor, love and respect the game of softball as much as Caitlin Lowe does. It’s been a dream of Ashley’s to have her role model on When the Cleats Come Off AND IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING! Caitlin Lowe is a 4-Time All-American, back-to-back National Champion, Olympic silver medalist, 3-Time Professional All-Star, and now is an Associate Head Coach alongside Mike Candrea at her alma-mater. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Caitlin to talk about her love for the art of slapping, ba...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 26
Today’s guest is a 2-Time All-American at Texas A&M, Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, and played in two Women’s College World Series. Since her playing days, Amanda Scarborough has become a Co-Founder of The Packaged Deal, an ESPN Softball Commentator and started a company called Pitching Angel where she teaches thousands of pitchers from around the world how to become more confident versions of themselves! In this episode, Ashley sits down with Amanda to talk about her...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 25
