Podcasts about heads n tales

How do you define toughness? What characters, images, and stories come to mind when you think of displays of toughness? As athletes, we grow up thinking toughness is never letting anything get in our way of winning. It is playing injured. It is showing up early, outworking everyone, and leaving last. It is doing anything and everything necessary to be as  best prepared come game day...and then some. The toughest are feared by their opponents, respected by their teammates, legends to their coaches, and adored by the fans.At 17, Kevin Saum was the epitome of tough. Groomed and influenced by the external validation and outcome oriented ideal of what toughness is to an athlete, he would give everything to earn this label.He did just that. And it almost killed him.After suffering a traumatic brain injury that nearly cost him his life, Kevin found himself in an entirely new fight: Who am I if I am not Kevin the toughest football player around?Kevin is one of the lucky few who survived second-impact syndrome, but his identity as a hard-nose, tough player died the night he was airlifted off the field to fight for survival.What transpired next in Kevin's life is a story of rediscovery through struggle,  how he learned to redefine what toughness truly is, and how he serves others to inspire courageous action that could very well save aspiring athlete's lives. Kevin is a true inspiration, a beautiful human, and one damn tough dude.You can listen to his podcast Heads N Tales on all podcast platforms, find him on LinkedIn, and visit his website http://www.headsntales.org/.Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)

    A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to share my story on the Morris Sussex Sports podcast and I enjoyed my experience so much I wanted to post it here for you guys too.  I feel this episode is a good measure of my personal growth over the last three years from serving as host of this podcast and absorbing the wisdom taught by my guests.  One of the questions I was asked was in this interview was "what would you say to your 17 year old self?" I gave this question some more thought after I began putting this post together because I don't think I would have listened to me or anyone at that age. So I thought of a way to phrase it that may have penetrated my extremely thick skull (no pun intended). "TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE YOU TREAT YOUR CAR." A few months ago I leased a new truck.  Before getting this truck I had only ever had one vehicle and that was a 2005 Toyota 4Runner that has been with me throughout all the ups and downs my injury and life dealt me.  I wanted to share the pictures below to show how far I have come since October 5th, 2007.   2007 The picture above was taken by my mother on a Friday morning before what was (I'm guessing) our first game of the season in my senior year playing for the West Morris Central Wolfpack.  No smile, backwards hat, black socks (I thought they made me look more athletic), exuding what I thought was "toughness" at the time.  However, this definition of toughness, with a focus on physicality and masculinity was a fleeting bar to base my self-worth on. There was always someone who was going bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic than me. Unfortunately I was willing to lay it all on the line to prove the impossible, which was that I was the "toughest" guy on the field. Who was I trying to prove this to? Why did I care? I still can't quite answer that, but I know the quest cut my football career much shorter than anticipated. 2018 This picture was taken a few months ago just before I drove off the lot in a new truck. This is the same vehicle I stood in front of 11 years (holy hell) earlier just with a different license plate, a lot cleaner windows and about 140,000 extra miles.  This is also the same guy standing in front of the car, just with a few more battle scars, longer hair and an eyeglass prescription. However, thanks to the wisdom I gained from my podcast guests and a fully developed frontal lobe, I measure my self worth much differently today than I did in the first picture. Toughness is actually a lot like buying a new car.  There will always be cars that are bigger, faster, flashier or my luxurious than yours.  Unfortunately, you can't control what other people choose to buy or modify on their cars.  The only thing you can control is how you take care of and drive your vehicle. If I took care of my own body like I took care of my 4 Runner over the last 11 years, there is no doubt I would have played football in college. I regularly changed the oil, didn't drive aggressively, gave it rest for a couple years in college and washed all the salt off during harsh New Jersey winters.  When something was feeling off with the car, I addressed it. If all athletes treated their bodies like they did their cars, I am sure they could add at least 11 years onto their careers too. We all know a squirrel-lover or two who swerve all-over the road to miss their furry little friend.  I think the risk of swerving outweighs the benefit of missing the squirrel in most cases, but I hope people attempt to avoid deer and other large animals that cross their paths because of the destruction it can do to both your vehicle and the animal.  If treated my body like I did my car I would have done anything I could to avoid contact. However, I took the opposite approach and tried to hit everything in sight because I thought it made me "tough." That mentality when translated to behind the wheel is like seeing the biggest deer in the history of all deer and driving your vehicle right into it. Who would do that? The major difference between a car and your body is that cars are replaceable, your life and body aren't.  What good is a broken Ferrari anyway? What good are you to your team when your hurt?  Treat your body like the asset that it is.  You are only given one brain, heart, set of shoulders, and knees. How long they last is up to you. I traded my 4 Runner in for a Ford F-150. Ford's slogan for their line of trucks is "Built Ford Tough" for their reputation of being long lasting and dependable.  It doesn't matter what car or truck you buy. If you beat the crap out of your car and don't take care of it, it is not going to be long lasting or dependable.  Prove your toughness through your dependability. There is only one way to do that and that is by taking care of yourself. You control your toughness. Below is a list of conversation topics I touch on throughout this episode: Why I am not anti football. What it was like playing football growing up in Long Valley. Talking about the glory days. How the tough guy complex worked against me. What led up to second impact syndrome. How my athletic trainer saved my life. The aftermath of the Second Impact Syndrome. The Evolution of the Heads ‘N Tales podcast. The true definition of toughness. What I would say to my 17 year old self. Download Episode 133 : iTunes | Stitcher 

In this episode, we interview former West Morris Central runningback Kevin Saum. Kevin suffered a traumatic brain injury called Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) during a high school football game against Morris Knolls on October 5, 2007. SIS has a 50% mortality rate and nearly 100% morbidity rate, yet Kevin miraculously survived with full cognitive and physical abilities, but was no longer able to pursue his dream of playing college football. Although Kevin knew how fortunate he was, his transition to life after sports was trying. Despite his disappointment and depression, Kevin felt inspired to be the voice for those athletes who weren’t as lucky as he was and cannot share their story. Heads ‘N Tales was created to be a platform where athletes can share their tales of perseverance to help inspire anyone in their time of need. After graduating from Georgetown with a master’s degree in sports industry management and with hopes of raising concussion awareness and improving sports safety, Kevin Saum established the Heads ‘N Tales podcast to share inspiring stories of perseverance and the latest innovations in sports health. Keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times folks and buckle up as you listen to Kevin's amazing story of heart break, despair and triumph.  

Dr. Douglas Casa, CEO Korey Stringer Institute, Survivor of Exertional Heat Stroke As hot summer training camps open for fall sports, I felt that it was the perfect time to roll out our 4-part educational interview series in collaboration with the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) at the University of Connecticut on exertional heat stroke and preventing sudden death in sports. In August 2001, Korey Stringer, a Pro-Bowl offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, passed away from exertional heat stroke. Since the time of Korey’s death, his wife, Kelci, worked tirelessly to develop an exertional heat stroke prevention institute to honor her husband’s legacy. To that end, she joined forces with exertional heat stroke expert Dr. Douglas Casa at the University of Connecticut to make this dream a reality and the institute came to fruition in April 2010. KSI's mission is to provide research, education, advocacy and consultation to maximize performance, optimize safety and prevent sudden death for the athlete, soldier and laborer, which is directly aligned with the mission of this podcast.  KSI serves the needs of active individuals and athletes at all levels – youth, high school, college, professional, people who are physically active, recreational athletes – and those who supervise and care for these individuals. Components of these services include: consultations, advocacy, education, research, athlete testing, and mass-market outreach. In episode 38 (part 1/4) of the Heads ‘ N Tales podcast we start off by talking with KSI’s CEO, Dr. Douglas Casa, whose passion for the study of exertional heat stroke started in 1985 when he suffered an exertional heat stroke while running a 10K race.  Since 1999, Dr. Casa has worked toward his goal of preventing sudden death in sport at the University of Connecticut, Department of Kinesiology. During this time he has published more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and presented more than 350 times on subjects related to exertional heat stroke, heat-related illnesses, preventing sudden death in sport, and hydration. Dr. Casa has successfully treated more than 167 (and counting) cases of exertional heat stroke. Dr. Casa is the 2008 recipient of the medal for distinguished athletic training research from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. He was named a fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2008. He received the Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2007 and has been a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine since 2001. He has been a lead or co-author on numerous sports medicine (ACSM, NATA) position statements related to heat illness and hydration.  Dr. Casa has worked with numerous media outlets across the country in discussing his research including the NBC Today Show, ESPN, CNN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.  Dr. Casa earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Allegheny College, in 1990; his master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Florida in 1993; and his doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Connecticut in 1997. In this episode, Dr. Casa provides us with some background on the Korey Stringer Institute, shares his tale of exertional heat stroke, teaches about the signs, symptoms and appropriate treatment of exertional heat stroke.  Lastly he shares the story of former Towson Football Player, Gavin Class who nearly lost his life to exertional heat stroke and worked with the KSI Staff to get back on the field.  We also hear from Gavin in a separate interview to learn about the obstacles he faced in his recovery and what his transition to life after sports was like. This part of episode 38 can be found at 00:54:11.  Gavin was a 6'4'', 305 lb offensive lineman at Towson University who was benching 440 lbs and squatting 525 lbs before suffering heat stroke during training camp in August of 2013.  This goes to show that even when you are in the best shape of your life, you are not invincible.  Gavin had to have 12 subsequent surgeries, including a liver transplant, to save his life and at one point he even flatlined.  After getting out of the hospital, Gavin worked with Dr. Casa and the staff at the Korey Stringer institute in an attempt to get back on the field.  However, he was never able to get clearance to play by the Townson University Doctor, despite passing all of the rigorous heat acclimatization testing performed by KSI.  His story was featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines (Below) and Dr. Casa is also featured in this segment.  Gavin also discusses his transition to life after sports and how he found comfort in understanding God's plan for him.  Lastly, Gavin gives me one of my favorite definitions of perseverance to date, so give it a listen! Where can you find Dr. Casa and the Korey Stinger Institute? WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE Where Can you find Gavin Class? TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK Download Episode 38 : iTunes | Stitcher Permalink

Dr. Douglas Casa, CEO Korey Stringer Institute, Survivor of Exertional Heat Stroke As hot summer training camps open for fall sports, I felt that it was the perfect time to roll out our 4-part educational interview series in collaboration with the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) at the University of Connecticut on exertional heat stroke and preventing sudden death in sports. In August 2001, Korey Stringer, a Pro-Bowl offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, passed away from exertional heat stroke. Since the time of Korey’s death, his wife, Kelci, worked tirelessly to develop an exertional heat stroke prevention institute to honor her husband’s legacy. To that end, she joined forces with exertional heat stroke expert Dr. Douglas Casa at the University of Connecticut to make this dream a reality and the institute came to fruition in April 2010. KSI's mission is to provide research, education, advocacy and consultation to maximize performance, optimize safety and prevent sudden death for the athlete, soldier and laborer, which is directly aligned with the mission of this podcast.  KSI serves the needs of active individuals and athletes at all levels – youth, high school, college, professional, people who are physically active, recreational athletes – and those who supervise and care for these individuals. Components of these services include: consultations, advocacy, education, research, athlete testing, and mass-market outreach. In episode 38 (part 1/4) of the Heads ‘ N Tales podcast we start off by talking with KSI’s CEO, Dr. Douglas Casa, whose passion for the study of exertional heat stroke started in 1985 when he suffered an exertional heat stroke while running a 10K race.  Since 1999, Dr. Casa has worked toward his goal of preventing sudden death in sport at the University of Connecticut, Department of Kinesiology. During this time he has published more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and presented more than 350 times on subjects related to exertional heat stroke, heat-related illnesses, preventing sudden death in sport, and hydration. Dr. Casa has successfully treated more than 167 (and counting) cases of exertional heat stroke. Dr. Casa is the 2008 recipient of the medal for distinguished athletic training research from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. He was named a fellow of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2008. He received the Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator Award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2007 and has been a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine since 2001. He has been a lead or co-author on numerous sports medicine (ACSM, NATA) position statements related to heat illness and hydration.  Dr. Casa has worked with numerous media outlets across the country in discussing his research including the NBC Today Show, ESPN, CNN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.  Dr. Casa earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Allegheny College, in 1990; his master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Florida in 1993; and his doctorate in exercise physiology from the University of Connecticut in 1997. In this episode, Dr. Casa provides us with som

As you might know by looking at our logo, the number 37 is special to me and I couldn’t think of a more perfect interview for the 37th episode.  This week I talk with Brett Wycinski, who like me, suffered second impact syndrome while playing football in an inter-squad scrimmage during his senior year at Walsh University.  In case you don’t know what second impact syndrome is, it happens when an athlete suffers a concussion and as a result, has post concussion symptoms, which in our case was a severe headache.  Before this symptoms resolve, the athlete suffers a second and often unremarkable blow to the head or body and receives a second concussion.  This second impact can cause massive brain swelling an hemorrhaging.  The survival rate is around 50% with the morbidity rate being around 100%.  The fact this conversation between the two of us is happening is nothing short of a miracle.   Brett’s concussion symptoms and obstacles during recovery were nearly identical to mine.   We both hid our symptoms in an attempt to be  “tough” and this mindset is ultimately what got us both into trouble.  Our message to athletes isn’t to stop playing sports or to play scared, rather it is to be open and honest about how you are feeling because no body knows that better than you.  In this episode, you will learn why this way of thinking is also important from a mental and emotional perspective when your sport is taken away from you either temporarily or permanently. Throughout the entire episode we compare war stories and offer ideas to prevent other athletes from making the same mistake we did.  Lastly, the Heads ‘N Tales podcast is brought to you by you. We are now selling Heads ‘N Tales trucker hats and t-shirts to help with travel and equipment costs to help us to continue to bring inspiring tales each week (pictures below). I am working on creating a shop page on the website, but in the meantime, If you enjoy the podcast and want to help out, I can coordinate the sale via email at kevin@headsntales.org or via a direct message on Instagram or Facebook.  Thanks for the support and we have some exciting educational interviews lined up, which includes a 4part series with the Mind of the Athlete Sport psychology group coming in September and another 4-part series with members from the Korey Stringer Institute on preventing sudden death in sport with an emphasis on preventing exertional heat stroke.  T-shirt, Muscle Tank & Hat $20 Each Where can you Find brett?  Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Download Episode 37 : iTunes | Stitcher Permalink

As you might know by looking at our logo, the number 37 is special to me and I couldn’t think of a more perfect interview for the 37th episode.  This week I talk with Brett Wycinski, who like me, suffered second impact syndrome while playing football in an inter-squad scrimmage during his senior year at Walsh University.  In case you don’t know what second impact syndrome is, it happens when an athlete suffers a concussion and as a result, has post concussion symptoms, which in our case was a severe headache.  Before this symptoms resolve, the athlete suffers a second and often unremarkable blow to the head or body and receives a second concussion.  This second impact can cause massive brain swelling an hemorrhaging.  The survival rate is around 50% with the morbidity rate being around 100%.  The fact this conversation between the two of us is happening is nothing short of a miracle.   Brett’s concussion symptoms and obstacles during recovery were nearly identical to mine.   We both hid our symptoms in an attempt to be  “tough” and this mindset is ultimately what got us both into trouble.  Our message to athletes isn’t to stop playing sports or to play scared, rather it is to be open and honest about how you are feeling because no body knows that better than you.  In this episode, you will learn why this way of thinking is also important from a mental and emotional perspective when your sport is taken away from you either temporarily or permanently. Throughout the entire episode we compare war stories and offer ideas to prevent other athletes from making the same mistake we did.  Lastly, the Heads ‘N Tales podcast is brought to you by you. We are now selling Heads ‘N Tales trucker hats and t-shirts to help with travel and equipment costs to help us to continue to bring inspiring tales each week (pictures below). I am working on creating a shop page on the website, but in the meantime, If you enjoy the podcast and want to help out, I can coordinate the sale via email at kevin@headsntales.org or via a direct message on Instagram or Facebook.  Thanks for the support and we have some exciting educational interviews lined up, which includes a 4part series with the Mind of the Athlete Sport psychology group coming in September and another 4-part series with members from the Korey Stringer Institute on preventing sudden death in sport with an emphasis on preventing exertional heat stroke. 

This week on the Heads ‘N Tales podcast I talk about Health & Safety in youth football with Brian Klinger.  Brian is the president of the Morristown Wildcats youth football program in Morristown, NJ and he took an admirable approach to ensuring safety at all practices and games for his players. Brian started the football program with the vision of giving all players with varying skill levels a chance to play, instead of watching from the sideline.  To ensure this, Brian enacted a minimum playtime rule of one quarter/game for every kid on the team.  I appreciate this rule because I was a kid who spent his first few years of football memorizing the cheerleader chants instead of the playbook.  Another rule that ensures all athletes receive equal and unbiased attention from the coaching staff, no parent’s are allowed to coach at the 8th grade level.   From the get-go Brian saw the value in having a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) looking after the kids on game days.  If you know anything about my story, an ATC saved my life, and although most high schools are beginning to see the value in them, many youth programs haven’t.  The most important thing about this decision is that the ATC has the final say in if a player can return to the game. USA Football, which is the sport’s governing body and is supported by the NFL has put great effort heat making the sport safer to play.   They offer a coaching certification course that covers the following topics and all coaches in the Wildcat program are certified: •    Concussion Recognition and Response •    Heat Preparedness and Hydration •    Sudden Cardiac Arrest •    Proper Equipment Fitting •    Heads Up Tackling •    Heads Up Blocking  I think the Heads Up program is great for changing the culture of football from one of toughness to one of safety.  However, at the end of the day, football is football, which is an inherently physical and at some times dangerous game.  Heck, walking across the street and driving a car can be dangerous too.  In this episode I want it to be clear that I loved football and still do.  If I could go back and do it all over again I would.  The only thing I would have done differently is say something when my head was hurting me.   Had I been playing in a sports culture like the one Brian has created for the Wildcat program, I probably would have voiced my concern for the headaches I was experiencing.  However, I chose to hide my concussion symptoms and had to sit out for the rest of my life.  I hope all youth sports programs can look to the Morristown Wildcat program as the gold standard for ensuring the safest game possible. 

This week on the Heads ‘N Tales podcast I talk about Health & Safety in youth football with Brian Klinger.  Brian is the president of the Morristown Wildcats youth football program in Morristown, NJ and he took an admirable approach to ensuring safety at all practices and games for his players. Brian started the football program with the vision of giving all players with varying skill levels a chance to play, instead of watching from the sideline.  To ensure this, Brian enacted a minimum playtime rule of one quarter/game for every kid on the team.  I appreciate this rule because I was a kid who spent his first few years of football memorizing the cheerleader chants instead of the playbook.  Another rule that ensures all athletes receive equal and unbiased attention from the coaching staff, no parent’s are allowed to coach at the 8th grade level.   From the get-go Brian saw the value in having a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) looking after the kids on game days.  If you know anything about my story, an ATC saved my life, and although most high schools are beginning to see the value in them, many youth programs haven’t.  The most important thing about this decision is that the ATC has the final say in if a player can return to the game. USA Football, which is the sport’s governing body and is supported by the NFL has put great effort heat making the sport safer to play.   They offer a coaching certification course that covers the following topics and all coaches in the Wildcat program are certified: •    Concussion Recognition and Response •    Heat Preparedness and Hydration •    Sudden Cardiac Arrest •    Proper Equipment Fitting •    Heads Up Tackling •    Heads Up Blocking  I think the Heads Up program is great for changing the culture of football from one of toughness to one of safety.  However, at the end of the day, football is football, which is an inherently physical and at some times dangerous game.  Heck, walking across the street and driving a car can be dangerous too.  In this episode I want it to be clear that I loved football and still do.  If I could go back and do it all over again I would.  The only thing I would have done differently is say something when my head was hurting me.   Had I been playing in a sports culture like the one Brian has created for the Wildcat program, I probably would have voiced my concern for the headaches I was experiencing.  However, I chose to hide my concussion symptoms and had to sit out for the rest of my life.  I hope all youth sports programs can look to the Morristown Wildcat program as the gold standard for ensuring the safest game possible.