Thankfulness = Success with Pro Soccer Player, Luca Deza Athlete Mindset

The Athlete Mindset podcast presents a conversation with a professional female soccer player, Luca Deza. In this episode, Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CSW and Luca Deza discuss gratefulness/thankfulness, Luca’s journey to pro female soccer career, her company/agency – Divine Time, and things you can do to improve your health (physically, mentally and spiritually).
Conversation list:
An offer to play in LaLiga for Sevilla FCLuca Dez received a two-day notice and was invited for tryouts – she bought a one-way ticket…Going through the pandemic as a college athlete made her feel uncertain. It was chaotic. But it also made her feel grateful to be able to playInjury in Sevilla FC – torn MCLRecovery was even harder because her family and friends were far awayWhen you’re at your low point, you start to appreciate the little things morePro footballers have a lot of spare timeHer company Divine Time Agency helps female athletes financially, mentally, and societallyBeing a female soccer player is the complete opposite of being a male soccer player – mainly financiallyThe goal of the Divine Time Agency is to create a community of women that think the same way, believe in the same mission, and all help each other move forwardAdvice for soon-to-be professional athletes: ask yourself why are you doing it. If you’re doing it for any reason other than loving the game – it’s not going to be worth it.Things you can do to take care of your health: physically – icing, stretching, eating healthymentally – journaling, listening to music, connecting with other peoplespiritually – being thankful and gratefulShort Bio from Luca Deza:
TEAM: Granadilla Tenerife POSITION: Defender BIRTHDATE: 10/19/1998 (24) NATIONALITY: United States
Luca is a 24-year-old professional footballer playing for Granadilla Tenerife (until recently Sevilla FC). Before moving to Spain she played for her university (UC Berkeley) in California.
She started playing football as soon as she could walk, at the age of two, and with a ball at her feet, she has watched the transformation and growth of herself as a football player but above that as a human being. It has been a dream of hers to play for La Liga in Spain from a very young age and it is an honor for her to have reached a point in her career where she can say she has done that, however, she strives to achieve much more.
Along with her passion for football, she also has a big interest in business (sports business specifically). She created her own sports marketing club at UC Berkeley that is still up and running today and recruiting over 150 student-athletes to join it in order to prepare them for a life outside of sports.
She is a first-generation US citizen as her parents are immigrants from Spain and Japan. She has three nationalities and is bilingual. Along with her passion for sports and business, she loves music and plays two instruments: guitar and piano.
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This is the Athlete Mindset podcast. And it’s all about mental health in sports. Presented and produced by SportsE+. Part of the KazSource Podcast Network.
Athlete Mindset is hosted by Lisa Bonta Sumii. Lisa Bonta Sumii is a psychotherapist and mental performance consultant to high-performing athletes at the youth, collegiate, Olympic-hopeful, and professional levels. She is the first-ever Mental Health & Performance Coach at the Oakland Roots SC, a men’s professional soccer team, in the USL. Lisa is the Founder & CEO of AthMindset, a diverse team of practitioners, who serve alongside her.
The Athlete Mindset podcast is a space for conversations with athletes, coaches, pract