Introducing Lindsey Keenan
Today,I’m talking to athletic trainer and entrepreneur Lindsey Keenan about taking care of yourself.
Her Career Journey
Lindsey knew she wanted to be an athletic trainer since the 8th grade. She went to Lock Haven University, specifically for athletic training, and where she also played lacrosse. After graduating, she nabbed what she thought was her dream job, but quickly realized that despite ticking the boxes on paper, the atmosphere and values did not align with her career goal and she left after six months. Fortunately, through strong mentorship, she was able to find another position and this time decided to go back to school and ended up getting two Masters at East Stroudsburg University in Sports Management and in Athletic Training.
During this time, Lindsey realized she was passionate about teaching and mentorship, and clinically was passionate about mental health in the athlete. She went back to school again and earned her PhD in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports and Exercise Psychology from Temple University.
Currently, Lindsey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sports Medicine at West Chester University where she’s also the team athletic trainer for women’s rugby. Additionally, Lindsey is the CEO and Co-Founder of PROmotion Health, LLC, a company focused on streamlining mental health screening in athletes.
Taking Care of Yourself
Lindsey balances a lot of roles and identities with teaching, research, clinical work, running a company, and being mom to two young daughters. She shares how important it is to be taking care of yourself and maintain your own identity amidst everything else. So, not only does Lindsey do research on mental health in athletes, and started a company to help promote and streamline mental health screening in athletes, she walks the talk and is a big proponent of self-care.
Inside this episode:
- How knowing her values helped Lindsey walk away from her first job (theoretically her dream job) after just six months.
- All the steps that saw Lindsey earning two separate Masters degrees (simultaneously!) and choosing to go back for her PhD.
- How her experiences and interests around mental health in athletes fueled her to get her PhD and to start her own company.
- How Lindsey overcomes the mindset struggles that go along with being an entrepreneur, including imposter syndrome and perfectionism.
- Why Lindsey feels it’s important to stay clinically active as an athletic trainer while working academically in teaching and research.
- The advice she received that helps her focus on her own self-care while balancing work as an academic and clinical athletic trainer, entrepreneur, mom, and all around badass woman.
- Being mindful of your position of power and the impact you can have to lift others up.
Resources
- Lindsey Keenan’s LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook
- PROmotion Health LLC’s website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Guide to defining your values
- Rate and review Madam Athlete on Apple Podcasts
- Want more sports psychology? Listen to some of our most popular episodes: Leeja Carter, Kensa Gunter, and Stephany Coakley