The Curious Competitor with Connor Carrick Connor Carrick

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Nikole MacLellan aka “Dr. Kokes”, a naturopathic doctor and fellow member of the Designs For Sport advisory board. We talk about the dance between sympathetic and parasympathetic states for athletes, strategies for getting back into a parasympathetic state after an event, how to balance a playful approach in stressful situations, and using breathwork as a tool to build your CO2 tolerance. Dr. Nikole also dives into the tradeoffs that often occur between performance and longevity, why you should build a support team of different professionals you trust, and how to endure the darker periods as an athlete.

In this episode, we are joined by the founding members of Apex Cool Labs, Ariel Paul and Evy Lyons to discuss their new palm cooling device “The Narwhal”. Ariel and Evy share their inspiration for creating Apex Cool Labs, how they first connected over a Tweet, all the prototypes and testing they went through to get to their final product. They also discuss how your core body temperature and local muscle temperatures affect performance, why palm cooling is such an effective tool, how to use palm cooling for downregulation at the end of your workout and to reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, and the optimal temperature for palm cooling to see results.

Do you ever wonder how your brain works? In this episode, we have the privilege of hosting Neurotherapist Dr. Andrew Hill, who graciously guides us through an exploration of cerebral operations. Following our participation in Quantitative EEG ”brain mapping,” we had the opportunity to interpret the ensuing data in real time during the podcast. Our analysis delves into an array of brain patterns, connections, and states of neural activity. Notably, several of these revelations unveil significant correlations with the daily-life symptoms I encounter and even extend to my athletic performance, all without any prior interaction with Dr. Hill. Our discussion extends to the impact of brain injuries on function, alongside an examination of how brain mapping holds promise for forthcoming athletes. We conclude by addressing pivotal lifestyle factors poised to enhance cognitive capabilities.

In this episode, I welcome renowned Performance Coach and Physical Therapist Scott Livingston. We discuss the concept of Neuro Reconditioning, and how traditional training modalities fail to consider how the brain functions. We talk about the importance of individuality in training based on sport, position, injury history, and body type. We also chat about the hidden challenges of working through injury as well the importance of disrupting narratives we tell ourselves.

In this episode, I break down some of my thoughts on the latest NHL trade deadline as well, as some personal stories of players that have been moved. I also discuss some recovery modalities I use to help me regulate my nervous system and maximize athletic performance during the season. I also talk about the importance of emotional regulation and off-season training advice for youth athletes.

In this episode, I sit down with Jeff Lovecchio, a former professional hockey player and current trainer and co-host of the Hockey Think Tank Podcast. We talk about how it’s not enough to just show up in the sport of hockey, how to grow confidence through discipline, and how to learn from your mistakes. Jeff also shares his journey from a professional athlete to becoming a trainer, his methods of using visualization to better his game, and the role models he looks at to expand his toolbox and better help his clients.