Mindset, Motherhood, and Moving Forward with Basketball Coach and Cancer Survivor, Brooke Wyckoff

I reconnected with my friend and colleague, Brooke Wyckoff, for what I thought would be a conversation about modern coaching, but ended up being a much deeper conversation about her battle with cancer. 

 

Brooke is a former professional basketball player, and current Head Coach at Florida State. Even through chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, Brooke did not let her diagnosis slow her down, and continued to lead her team. She is a badass and a pillar in her community, and her unwavering strength and positivity shines through in this episode. 

 

In this episode, we talk about:

• The emotional and mental challenges of being diagnosed
• How mindset work prepared Brooke to battle cancer
• How Brooke’s experience will influence the way she navigates coaching, parenthood, and life moving forward
• The foundational importance of team building - and how Brooke nurtures trust and closeness on her team.
• The vulnerability of asking for help, and how Brooke’s community stepped up.

I’ve always been such a big fan of Brooke’s, and getting to dissect the mental and emotional components of what she’s been through, and for her to share her heart on this platform, is really powerful and such an honor. 

From someone who has faced the unthinkable and gone through it with so much grace, this episode offers a perspective shift that we can all benefit from. I know this episode will become a fast favorite! 

A huge thank you again to Brooke for coming on The MCA Podcast to share her story!

 

Follow Brooke

Website: www.seminoles.com
Instagram: @bwyckoff

 

Resources:

 

• Download our free e-book: “How to Become a Mental Performance Coach”: This FREE, ultra-simple guide will show you how YOU can make mindset coaching your full-time career or part-time hustle. (Even without your PhD). Take the first step to becoming the mindset coach you've been dreaming of: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/guide 

 

• The Mindset Coach Academy Certification: If you are ready to step into your purpose as a Positive Performance Certified Mindset Coach, join our waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens: https:www.positiveperformancetraining.com/MCACertification 

 

Here’s a glance at the episode…

 

[2:04] Brooke talks about her recent diagnosis, how it impacted her basketball career, and how it’s challenged her mindset.

 

[4:45] Through the lens of a competitor and a mom, Brooke shares what it was like to get diagnosed with cancer. She discusses the emotional journey and highlights her feelings of gratitude. 

 

[8:50] Sharing her cancer journey with her daughter was a challenge for Brooke. She talks about her and daughter’s emotions around chemo symptoms like losing her hair. Brooke explains how her symptoms reframed the way she thought about her age and her appearance.

 

[16:16] Going through chemo as an athlete is incredibly challenging. Lindsey asks about how she handled feeling sick from chemo while coaching basketball. Brooke talks about how it helped her slow down and prioritize.

 

[21:56] Lindsey asks, “How will this experience inform the way you handle things in the future?” Brooke talks about what she thinks her team missed out on with her limited coaching time, and how she plans to move that foundational piece forward this next year.

 

[27:09] Brooke discusses the importance of building closeness on her team, and how she nurtures team building. 

 

[32:56] Being a public figure with an illness comes with its own unique challenges. Brooke shares about why she didn’t want to be public with her diagnosis, and the outpouring of love when she announced it. 

 

[37:03] You can’t go through cancer without a serious perspective shift. Brooke talks about her renewed gratitude for her family and how facing her mortality helped her focus on what really matters. Lindsey and Brooke discuss the vulnerability of asking for help.

 

 [41:09] Lindsey wraps up the episode with five rapid fire questions. Brooke talks about how she’s been listening to the MCA Podcast, creating plans for her team for next year, keeping up on her prayer journal, and looking forward to her next big goal of making it to the Elite 8. Brooke ends by sharing how she plans to evolve as a leader, and how much she loves her daughter.

 

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