82. Finding Variety in Your Career with Sports Psychologist Lisa Lewis

Introducing Lisa Lewis

Today I’m talking to sports psychologist Dr. Lisa Lewis about finding variety in her career. Lisa is a licensed psychologist with her own practice. She serves as part-time faculty at Northeastern University and as the head of behavioral science at gWell.

Her Career Jouney

Lisa earned her BA in psychology and Masters in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Her first attempt at applying to doctoral programs was unsuccessful, so she focused on work and opportunities while she waited to apply again. While working in Naples, FL, she was able to participate in the psychological profiling of prospective NFL athletes.

Lisa reapplied to doctoral programs and her persistence paid off. She completed her EdD in Counseling Psychology at Boston University with a specialization in Sports Psychology.

At the same time as she was getting her EdD, Lisa also worked full-time in addiction medicine. Lisa was able to se the common thread of what drives her by having variety in her career. She continues to pursue multiple opportunities that fuel her passions today.

Finding Variety in Her Career

Lisa has a passion for uncovering what makes people tick, but it took her years to figure that out. Because things didn’t exactly go according to plan, Lisa worked in a number of different environments by the time she completed her doctorate. By working with everyone from professional athletes to individuals recovering from addiction, Lisa built up her real-world experience. Today, finding variety remains important to her. Lisa takes on challenges that energize her and allow her to use all of her professional skills.

Inside this episode:

  • Lisa knew she wanted to be a psychologist from a young age, but she didn’t discover sports psychology until college.
  • Lisa helped with the psychological profiling of college football players for the NFL when she didn’t get into any graduate programs.
  • Just because you’re rejected the first time doesn’t mean you’re out of the game. When Lisa was accepted to her doctoral program, her unique and diverse experiences were valued.
  • Working in outpatient addiction while in graduate school and her real-world experiences complemented her educational journey. 
  • Becoming a mom caused Lisa to see that any time at work was time away from her son, so her job needed to be something she was passionate about. 
  • Growing her sports psychology practice from a one night per week operation into her main business while still leaving plenty of time to take on other projects.
  • A self-described “decathlete in psychology,” Lisa keeps many different irons in the fire. She teaches at Northeastern, runs continuing education classes for people in the fitness world, and consults for a tech start-up. 
  • Her background in addiction medicine allows her to help athletes with addictions that impact both their lives and sport performance. 
  • As a dyslexic learner, Lisa needed to work extra hard at every step of her education. Now that she’s reached the point where she no longer feels like she needs to prove herself. Now she only accepts projects that energize her.

Resources

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