Episode 20: Trade Your Passion for Curiosity

Dr. Kirsten Cooper on Athlete Retirement and Why Mindfulness is Worth the Effort

About This Episode

This episode is with Kirsten Cooper! Who is Kirsten? Well, she’s a badass, and let me tell you why. She’s dedicated a large part of her career to supporting athletes as they transition out of sport. Kirsten was a professional alpine ski racer, competing for the United States Ski Team, and won a national championship with the University of Colorado. As you’ll hear, her experience leaving the sport of skiing really informs the work she’s doing now with athletes. 

Kirsten is a clinical and performance psychologist, earning her MA in Sport and Performance Psychology and her doctorate in Clinical psychology, both from the University of Denver. She is currently working as a performance psychology Fellow with  Howard Head Sports Medicine in Vail, CO. 

In this episode Kirsten and I spend a lot of time unpacking the challenges and opportunities of retiring from athletics, she shares her own story of transitioning out of elite sport, and she lays out three keys to making a successful move into post-athletic life. Enjoy!