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Darleen “Coach Dar” Santore is a licensed and board-certified occupational therapist. She’s also the former Phoenix Suns mental-skills coach, and a leadership and mental-edge coach to athletes and business leaders worldwide. She also recently released her book, The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life - Anytime You’re off your Game.
In this episode of Motivational Mondays, Coach Dar shares the “why” behind her inspirational book and the serious medical obstacles she overcame.
Coach Dar seeks to equip people with the tools to build mental resilience and emotional fortitude to bounce back from adversity. Her book helps people build the emotional foundation you need to succeed when hard times inevitably arrive.
She believes you must face adversity to cultivate fortitude. All of the greats had something to overcome, and had to endure suffering and tragedy. Resilience cannot be built without being put under pressure. “Pressure is a privilege. Adversity advances you and the struggles will strengthen you.” Failure is simply a lesson.
Write down your gifts, talents, and the things that come naturally to you. Coach Dar calls this your “confidence card.” When you get out there and work on your craft, it attracts those that need you. Your purpose is to take the gift you have and share it with the world. When you wake up to that, you have a reason to start bouncing back.
Your environment is the space, the place, and the people around you. Humans are experiential beings. If the people around you are negative and pulling you down, you should remove them from your environment because they’ll hold you back.
A comeback has to be where everything around you is ready to propel you forward. If someone is toxic, love them from a distance and keep them out of your daily space. You’re the only one who protects your mental health, so spend time with people who inspire you and fuel your mind.
[0:53] What caused Coach Dar’s first stroke
[2:50] What she hopes people learn from her book
[4:36] The reality of why you don’t get a trophy just for trying
[6:53] Why setbacks are the best preparations for success
[10:53] How to overcome the elusive “they”
[14:27] How Coach Dar landed in the sports world
[18:24] How to discover your power
[20:37] Creating your perfect comeback environment
Listen to the bonus episode to learn what it means to listen if you really want to level up and why some people just want to be heard.
Resources:
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Listen to other Motivational Mondays episodes