The continuation of a yearlong series

When you come right down to it, this could have likely been the greatest sports accomplishment for any Gardner athlete.

The ultimate goal for an athlete is to reach the acme of competition and when that results in an Olympic gold medal, it doesnt get any bigger than that.

Former Greenwood Memorial swimmer and 1999 Gardner High School graduate Samantha Arsenault achieved that moment of glory back in 2000 when she competed in the Sydney Summer Olympics and came home with a gold medal.

Arsenault was a member of the gold medal-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.

A competitive swimmer since she was a youngster, she once recalled looking into the evening sky when she was 8 years old and always making the same wish on the first star she would see each night.

I would always make the same wish, to one day win a gold medal, she said.

However, things were not always rosy for the young swimmer during her high school years.

She was 15 years old and found herself losing interest in the sport while participating for the town team in Peabody, and on the verge of quitting. Her mother, Jeanne, while at the boys high school state meet where Samanthas older brother, Chris, was competing, had a casual conversation with Gardner coach Don Lemieux.

He encouraged her to have Samantha give the Greenwood program a try to see if her attitude to swimming would change it all. As it turned out, it would become the turning point of her life.

It was a big sacrifice, she said, noting how she and her father, Ed, would rise each morning at 3:30 to make the 64-mile one-way trip to Gardner from Peabody.

After a 90-minute practice, she would eat a quick breakfast on the way to Gardner High where she took all honors and Advanced Placement classes.

Then after school it was back to the Greenwood Pool for afternoon practice sessions before the return trip to Peabody for supper, a few hours of studying, and off to bed to resume the same schedule the next day.

It would become her routine for the two years she attended Gardner High, where she graduated as the salutatorian of the Class of 1999 and also helped lead the team to another state championship.

I learned so many life skills swimming in that dungeon of a pool, she said of Greenwood. But swimming became fun for me again and I got the chance to fall in love with the sport all over again.

Her hard work paid off in success as she would eventually have the chance to compete with the same swimmers who were among her idols and whose pictures she had taped to her bedroom walls.

In time, Amanda Beard, Kristy Kowal and Jenny Thompson werent just the photos on her wall they became the swimmers in the next lanes she would be battling with for berths in the National and Olympic qualifying meets.

Eventually, they would become teammates as they represented the United States in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

I got to compete with them and beat some of them, she said. Just knowing that I was on the same level with them, it just made me want to work even harder.

She explained that in Australia, swimmers are put on a pedestal the way American sports fans put pro baseball and football players.

They are the people who are up on the billboards there, she said. The eight days I spent in Australia for the Olympics was the most fun of my life. It was just so exciting to have that swimming cap on with the U.S. flag, you just cant believe it.

She led off 4x200-meter relay with a 1:59 opening leg, and she recalled never being so ready for a race in her life.

I was very nervous, but at that point I had swam that race so many times in my life I just got into my zone, she said. It was so overwhelming.

After getting the U.S. team off to a great start, fellow relay swimmers Diana Munz, Lindsey Benko and Jenny Thompson brought it home for the gold medal.

I still havent been able to come up with the words to describe it, except that it was pure happiness, she said. I was in shock when the race was over.

She gave credit to her parents, Ed and Jeanne Arsenault, who were always so supportive of everything I did, she said. They had high expectations for me: to be loyal to my team, to attend each practice, to set high academic standards, and to always have my priorities straight.

In addition, she paid tribute to Lemieux, crediting him with helping her reconnect with the sport that she loved so well.

We all knew what he expected of us, and it made us know what to expect of each other, she said. The older kids at the pool always have to set the tone. The great swimmers before us did that, and we knew we had to carry on that tradition and we did it well.

She also admitted that winning the gold medal and the things that happened after that helped her find her eventual career path.

I had thought I would go into medicine, but after winning that gold medal I got a chance to come back to Gardner and speak to a lot of the kids in the schools, show them my gold medal, she recalled.

She noted that trips to Holy Rosary School, to Gardner Middle School and Gardner High School, sharing her experiences with young students really appealed to her.

After her Olympic experience, she attended college at the University of Georgia, where she helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA championship in 2005.

In all, it wasnt a bad career for the young swimmer who by the age of 24 had achieved the acme in every level she had competed a high school state championship, the NCAA title and an Olympic gold medal.

And I know none of this would have never happened to me had my mother not talked with Coach Lemieux that day and I decided to come to the Greenwood Pool, she said. I know that was probably the biggest decision to influence my life.

Today, she is Samantha (Arsenault) Livingstone and lives in the western Massachusetts town of Williamstown, where her husband, Rob, is the director of sports performance at Williams College and runs his business, Livingstone Speed Academy.

Samantha has transitioned into a full-time working mother and entrepreneur with four daughters who are all actively involved in various sports.

Kylie is 9 and plays soccer, ice hockey and baseball. Their 6 year old twins Jayden (soccer, ice hockey and baseball) and Mia (soccer, ice hockey, baseball, dance and gymnastics) keep them on the go. Mia underwent serious heart issues in her infancy but now is doing really well, according to her mom.

Their youngest, Reese, is 3 and also does gymnastics and swimming. In fact, all four girls love to swim.

In 2017, Samantha launched Livingstone High Performance and is a high-performance consultant, mental performance coach, speaker and educator. She works with clients all over the country, travels for speaking events, workshops and retreats, and also facilitates two multi-module online courses.

The mission of Livingstone High Performance is to build an empowered village so all athletes feel safe, supported and seen. She speaks and writes about mental health issues, especially depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicidal ideation because those are part of my story, she explained.

Im forever grateful for the community that is Gardner, she said. When I transferred, I was navigating my way out of the darkness of what I now know was depression and suicidal ideation.

I was leaving a toxic and abusive culture, and even though that bathhouse was tiny, it felt like home, she continued.

And although she is a native of the North Shore community of Peabody, she has always considered Gardner a second home.

I have so many memories and am so grateful for the friendships forged and how much the town and community wrapped their arms around this girl from the North Shore, she said. That small-town love and, honestly, that small-town feeling is a huge reason why were here, raising our girls in this tiny town (of Williamstown) two hours west of the Chair City.

Samantha Arsenault proved to everyone that dreams indeed come true.

That is, if you dare to dream big enough.

Next week: Hurricane takes 180 lives in central Massachusetts (September 1938).

Comments and suggestions can be sent to Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or in writing to Mike Richard, 92 Boardley Road, Sandwich, MA 02563.

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Headlines of the Past - Sept. 20, 2000: Gardner High grad Samantha Arsenault wins Olympic gold - The Gardner News

Back when the Bears traded for Eddy Pineiro on May 6 following that nine-kicker rookie minicamp circus his old kicking coach offered some analysis that now looks particularly prescient.

He. Is. The. Man, kicking coach Brandon Kornblue texted NBC Sports Chicago. He has the mental edge. Not afraid of anything.

I think he is perfect for this situation.

Four months later, Pineiro drilled a game-winning 53-yard field goal against the Denver Broncos. He won the teams kicking competition, then won a game. This is the outcome the Bears hoped theyd realize though all the 43-yard tries and Augusta silences and dealers choices in the spring and summer.

But beyond just making the kick, what stood out is how badly Pineiro wanted the ball on his foot to end the game.

I was praying on the sidelines that I was able to get that moment, Pineiro said. I was like please, God, give me this opportunity, I want to get in this spotlight to make this happen for the team.

Mental edge. Not afraid of anything. Perfect for the situation.

The stakes of Pineiros kick were massive maybe not as dire as John Fox mightve thought given the discouraging track record of teams that begin a season 0-2. The moment was not too big for him, since it was the exact moment he wanted.

I knew I was ready for it, Pineiro said. From all the things that Ive been put through, the Augusta silence, the kickers getting cut left and right, I feel like I was ready for it.

Theres something to be said for a kicker wanting to be in that moment. Its easy to get the impression thats the case with Pineiro; it wouldve been a lot harder to come to that conclusion with Cody Parkey a year ago, even before the double-doink. Parkey missed a game-winning field goal in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, then hit the upright four times against the Detroit Lions, and even a week before the playoff game booted a PAT off an upright against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears now know they can trust Pineiro in those kind of moments. Because the next time they need a game-winning kick, theyll know their guy is not just confident he can do it. He wants the opportunity to have the ball on his foot with time expiring, and wants it badly.

He definitely craves the pressure, offensive lineman Kyle Long said. And that's something that coach Nagy has talked about for a long time, craving pressure and being in those pressure situations. Weve been there before, now how do we deliver?

Pineiro delivered. And the Bears can count on him to deliver again.

Click hereto download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of theBears.

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Eddy Pineiro's mental edge is exactly what the Bears need - NBCSports.com

DHL Express has announced a partnership with Caroline Leon, a pioneering mountain climber who is the first woman to attempt to climb 15 of the highest peaks in the MENA region, totalling around 40,000M in height, in just 30 days.

DHL Express will provide logistics support to Caroline as she travels through the region as well as offer on-ground support in each country.

CEO of DHL Express in the Middle East and North Africa, Nour Suliman commented: We are delighted to support Caroline on this adventure she has incredible grit and passion, and is continuously looking to conquer new frontiers.

Her remarkable strength of character and can-do attitude resonates with our brand values and she is an inspiration to us all at DHL. We send her our best wishes, and we will be providing her all the support she needs.

Caroline Leon said trekking up every peak in the Middle East is a psychological, physical and mental feat she is excited to confront.

After almost a decade of working and living in the region, I have found it to be incredibly intriguing, and I would like to show people its real beauty, she said. I believe we are only bound by the limits we set on ourselves.

In 2015, Caroline survived a life threatening rock-climbing accident, after falling over seven meters from an outdoor climbing wall. It has taken two years of rehabilitation and training for her to be ready for this next challenge.

See original here:
DHL teams up with first woman to climb 15 of highest peaks in MENA region in 30 days - Logistics Middle East

Yet despite dismissing that romantic notion, the Iowa-born Californian does admit that being in Mexico for the last five weeks has been something he wont forget.

To fight in Mexico is an honor, it's a new journey, a new experience, and I wanted to fight here, he said. It took Yair a week and a half to sign the contract and I wanted to fight here. I wanted a new challenge, I wanted the new journey, so I embraced it. It's a different journey and I took myself out of my comfort zone and got really uncomfortable and that's where the biggest learning is. It's been amazing out here, I'm surrounded by great people, I'm at high altitude and I'm just embracing it. I'm not comfortable; this isn't my country, this isn't my home, this isn't my regular place to train. There's a lot of differences, a lot of struggles, a lot of different things that I've had to overcome and that's good for the mental game because when I come to the fight, I'm gonna be well prepared.

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Mexico's Unfamiliarity Helps Prepare Stephens - UFC

The NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), working with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, have commissioned Isorropia Foundation to provide the new Community Mental Health Wellbeing Service (CMHWS).

Dealing with mental health challenges can be a very personal thing to tackle however it always helps to have support from those who have lived through a similar experience.

Isorropia Foundation, the Islands new mental health service provider, is able to offer a team of staff and volunteers who not only have professional training to support people but crucially also have real experience of what its like to tackle this and navigate through the health and care system.

At the moment the team is working with people who are accessing the Trusts Community Mental Health Service, supporting them to move on in their recovery from mental illness in a community setting with support to live well and independently.

So far the service has seen around 375 people, with more referrals coming in.

Jaime Williams, who has moved over from the Trusts service to Isorropia, explains the life-changing benefits he has gained. He said:

The encouragement and support provided has really helped me move forwards with my life and start making the changes I need to live the life I want.

I feel like I have a place to look forward to going to during the week and I am learning so much about some of my issues and the ways to tackle them.

The professional yet personally relatable staff members are a huge asset. Their attitude, demeanour and professionalism go a long way in providing a safe environment that allows members to tackle their issues and make improvements in their lives.

I always feel supported and safe, even during the challenging moments that come with making progress towards a better life and better wellbeing.

The CMHWS offers wellbeing workshops, which are a range of psycho-education sessions that empower people to take positive steps with their mental health recovery. There are a wide range of sessions covering topics like anxiety management, understanding depression, regulating your mood and food and nutrition.

The service also offers wellbeing recovery planning sessions that help people to identify those areas in their life they need support with and taking small steps to reach their goals.

Ami Cripps, wellbeing centre manager, said:

My experience of going through the mental health system is paramount to the way I am able to support our members. My lived experience has given me insight that is impossible to understand unless you have been there yourself.

Sometimes when people access our service they can be extremely anxious and it can often be helpful to know you are talking to someone who can really empathise and understand you.

A key quality of the team is we are able to inspire new hope and possibilities to our members.

Growth and change is possible and life doesnt have to be defined by your mental health people are so much more than an illness.

After attending the more intensive workshops and wellbeing classes, we are still here to support our members as they transition into the community umbrella of Isorropia.

This service is located at 7 High Street, Newport, along with the Isle of Wight Safe Haven, and bringing them both into the same location is all part of the first steps to transform mental health services on the island.

Alison Smith, managing director of the CCG, said:

We spoke to a lot of people last year, who gave invaluable insight into mental health services, and we know there needs to be major changes in how the services are being provided and delivered.

Good mental health and wellbeing is central to living a healthy, productive and enjoyable life, and this is what we want for the islands population.

The Mental Health Blueprint includes ambitious plans to make these changes happen but it wont all happen overnight.

There is a lot to do and this is an important first step to start us on our transformation journey to provide the best service and support for island residents.

Lesley Stevens, director of mental health and learning disabilities for the Trust, said:

We want to support people with mental health problems to take control of their own lives, and to build meaning and hope.

Organisations across the island are working together to deliver this vision, with a focus on strengthening our community-based mental health services that can help people who need different levels of support this could be activities, education, therapies and advice and support.

This means that those people who do need a higher intensity ofmental health support are able to be seen more quickly and effectively. This is an exciting step into a wider programme of improvement.

The long term vision is that the CMHWS will become a self-referral service.

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NEW COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH TEAM GET TO WORK ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT - Island Echo

The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now. And the more grateful you are, the more you get. Oprah Winfrey

What are you grateful for?

When Oprah says the more grateful you are, the more you get, shes right. And that includes more healing to help you recover from burnout.

I know what youre thinking

Can practicing gratitude really help me get over being burned out?

Truth is: yes, it can.

The organization Workplace Strategies For Mental Health cites numerous cases of people whose burnout recovery has been supported by writing daily in a gratitude journal to help them refocus their mind on the positive aspects of their life.

And digging deeper into the research uncovers some undeniable facts. Lets take a look.

Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of CaliforniaDavis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. A number of years ago they published an article, Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life, about an experiment they conducted on gratitude and its impact on well-being.

They followed several hundred people who were split into three groups and asked to keep daily diaries, as follows:

Group 1 note events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things;

Group 2 record their unpleasant experiences; and

Group 3 make a daily list of things for which they felt grateful.

Youll be astonished at the results.

Daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of:

In addition, those in the gratitude group:

These are all characteristics that will help you recover from and prevent a recurrence of burnout. And for ongoing support, click here to join my online community to receive weekly tips and advice.

Several years ago, I found myself in full-blown burnout. I became so focused on trying to do too much that I stopped allotting time to my many feel-good practices, including feeling gratitude for all the blessings in my life. Then, when I was struggling with burnout, I felt frustrated: Why me? Why am I so tired? Why cant I do anything?

I couldnt muster gratitude for the burnout symptoms. All I could see were struggles and challenges. Blessings were nowhere to be found.

Does this sound familiar? You look at your life, and all you see is the negative.

Then, during one of my Somatic Experiencing practices, when I began to listen to my body, but this time with an intense desire to heal from burnout, I received a message that holding on to frustration was not going to support my healing. That message was a wake-up call for me.

Just then, a book on my inspirational bookshelf caught my eye. I hadnt looked at it in more than a decade, yet it called to me. The book is titled Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

As I read through the first several pages of the book, the January 13th essay header, Gratitude: Awakening the Heart, grabbed my attention. The phrase, The more I focused on lack and on what I couldnt have, the more depressed I became. The more depressed I became, the more I focused on lack, leapt out at me.

Can you can relate?

Id spent day after day horizontal, struggling with burnout, feeling ever more depressed while focusing on what I couldnt do. I was trapped in the cycle Sarah described.

Sarah went on to say, At that moment I acknowledged the deep longing in my heart. What I hungered for was an inner peace that the world could not take away I looked at my life with open eyes. I saw that I had much for which to be grateful. I felt humbled by my riches and regretted that I took for granted the abundance that already existed in my life. How could I expect more from the Universe when I didnt appreciate what I already had?

It was as though she was speaking directly to me. I, too, wanted that inner peace. But I had been taking for granted the abundance that was already in my life.

In short, I had forgotten to be grateful.

Writings by Christine Breese, DD, PhD, further confirm that a gratitude practice can help you with your emotional well-being. According to Dr. Breese, the practice of gratitude and appreciation is a powerful way to create a positive reality. Thats what I wanted to create! I was determined to create a positive reality for myself.

As part of my healing-from-burnout journey, I began counting my blessings and choosing to refocus on being grateful for what I had, instead of what I lacked. Each day I wrote down 3 to 10 things that I was grateful for in my journal. My discovery of research showing the benefits of a gratitude practice inspired me to be consistent with my attitude of gratitude. Although it was difficult for me at first, that mental state has grown stronger with use and practice.

Through a consistent practice of gratitude, I started experiencing a greater sense of well-being. I felt less depressed, less stressed, more aware and motivated, and increasingly optimistic. Upon reflection, I now see that by giving thanks, I was also receiving that which I was giving thanks for in even greater abundance.

If youre burned out, chances are you have a Type-A personality. Youre always on the go; forever busy. You dont slow down to actually receive. Yet there is something powerful about practicing gratitude, not as yet another item on your to-do list, but as an invitation to slow your pace and receive all the blessings in your life.

With gratitude, you acknowledge the goodness in your life. In the process, youll realize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside yourself. As a result, gratitude can help you connect more strongly to something larger than yourself your higher power.

As you acknowledge appreciation for what youre given, the Universe sees fit to give you more to be grateful for. Youll manifest more good things in your life. This has been true for me, and I have no doubt it can be true for you too. In fact, research shows that people who are more grateful are happier, more satisfied with their lives, and less likely to suffer from burnout.

Its so easy to get started with a gratitude practice

Whats 1 thing youre grateful for? Write it down and make this action a daily habit.

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A Gratitude Practice Can Help You Recover From Burnout - Thrive Global

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Fort Defiance's Ashton Dove tries to break free of a Stonewall Jackson defender.(Photo: Patrick Hite/The News Leader)

FORT DEFIANCE - Dan Rolfe had been saying it since August. He had a strange schedule to begin the season.

The Fort Defiance football coach wasn't thrilled to have an open week on the very first Friday of the VHSL football season. Then, when the Indians did take the field, they were on the road two straight weeks.

Fort split those games, losing a one-point heartbreaker to Liberty Bedford before beating Waynesboro.

And, finally, on Friday night, 20 days into September, Fort got to play at home. Only it came on a day when students were out of school. So Friday was anything but a typical game day.

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Maybe that showed early in Friday's game. A couple of minutesinto the second quarter, Fort was tied 6-6 with Stonewall Jackson, a team that had lost 40-straight games coming into Friday night andhad been outscored 100-8 in its first two games of the season. It wasn't supposed to be that close that late into the game.

"I think the day off school kind of slowed us down," said Fort Defiance senior Aaron Wright. "We weren't mentally prepared. We talked about mental toughness in the locker room. And in the second half we stuck to what we knew, played together and kind of just did business."

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Fort only led 14-6 at halftime after Austin Monroe found Addison Knicely for a 14-yard touchdown pass with five minutes left in the half. Dalton Ream got into the end zone for two points and an eight-point Fort lead.

The second half was all Fort Defiance though. Jeff East scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, Monroe hit Ashton Dove for another score. Monroe, Knicely and East all added two-point conversions. Throw in a safety and you get a 40-6 Fort Defiance win.

More: Fort Defiance's Austin Monroe discusses Indians win Friday night

The message at halftime was "execute." Rolfe told the players that Stonewall didn't do one thing in the first half for which they hadn't prepared. They just needed to shake off the sluggishness and play the way they are capable of playing.

Early, two big pass plays got Stonewall on the scoreboard. One was along the sideline and put the Generals into Fort territory. The second was a touchdown.

"Truthfully, those were breakdowns in coverage," Rolfe said.

It's breakdowns like those that keep Fort Defiance from taking that next step on defense, from good to very good. It's also those breakdowns that can be costly.

"In a game that's close, for instance the Liberty Bedford game, those are the plays that dictate the outcome of the game," Rolfe said. "So we've got to make sure that we clean that up."

Fort will have to clean those up before next Friday when they're home against a very talented Rockbridge County team. Rockbridge beat Christiansburg 41-19 Friday to improve to 3-1.

Wright said the attitude of the players in the locker room is good, but they're not satisfied after two big wins.

"We want more," the senior said. "We want playoffs, we want to win next week. Big game. We just want more."

More: Stuarts Draft gets great team win over Clarke County

More: Staunton survives Turner Ashby in overtime thriller

More: Reality check for Buffalo Gap in home loss to East Rock

Follow Patrick on Twitter @Patrick_Hite

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Fort Defiance wants more after two big wins - Staunton News Leader

Newman's torrid offensive start continued Friday night as freshman Arch Manning threw five touchdowns in less than three quarters to lead the Greenies to a 38-14 homecoming victory over East Jefferson at Lupin Field.

We wanted to show teams that if you focus on the pass that we have other players who can bring the pain, said Newman running back Joseph Pleasant, who finished with 144 yards rushing on 17 carries. Our line has been working on getting better, and tonight we showed that we're a threat on all sides of the offense. Teams have to look out for us. When we're balanced, we're hard to beat. This is a big win that shows that we've gotten better.

Manning finished 18-of-26 passing for 230 yards and threw touchdowns to four different receivers. Homecoming king and senior wide receiver Jarmone Sutherland hauled in two touchdowns including a 44-yard strike while Beau Adams, Pike Philibert and John Charbonnet each caught one.

We wanted to run the football, and that opened up a lot of things for us, Newman coach Nelson Stewart said. Joseph Pleasant was great running the ball, and our defense was great. We got a good lead, and it gave us a chance to get our young guys out there. But the way we started running the football was huge because we were able to control the line of scrimmage.

Leading 24-0 at halftime, the Greenies (3-0) put the game away on the opening drive of the second half. Newman marched 60 yards in eight plays capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Adams. On the ensuing drive, Manning rolled out to find Philibert for a 2-yard touchdown. The 38-0 advantage ended the night for Newman's starters with two minutes left in the third quarter.

We approached this season with the attitude of playing fast and physical on defense, Newman defensive lineman Brandon Williams said. Tonight, we showed that. This game meant a lot to us. We wanted to stop them on every possession. We really wanted the goose egg, and our first team defense did that.

East Jefferson (0-3) avoided the shutout as Jermaine Guillard hauled in a 12-yard touchdown from Arthur Oliver with five minutes left in the game. The Warriors added another score at the buzzer as Isaiah Lee caught a 39-yard touchdown. Oliver finished 10-of-28 passing for 149 yards with an interception and a touchdown.

East Jefferson coach Frank Allelo said the Warriors, who were penalized 14 times for 108 yards, simply need to play smarter.

We tend to play pretty good for 24 minutes and not a full 48 minutes, Allelo said. We need to fix that. We have to limit our mistakes. Our mistakes are just complete mental breakdowns, and when it happens, it is usually followed by four other things. We need to learn how to regroup and overcome our own adversity. We've got some really talented kids. We just have to believe in ourselves.

The Greenies outgained East Jefferson 236 to 77 yards in the first half en route to a big halftime lead. After a 22-yard Will Hardie field goal for the games first points, it was an onsides kick that ignited the Newman offense.

After the recovery, Sutherland hauled in a 6-yard touchdown catch with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

The offense continued as Manning threw touchdown passes of 44 yards to Sutherland and 11 yards to John Chabonnet to give the Greenies a commanding lead.

While Newman's offense rolled, the Warriors were haunted by mistakes and penalties (73 yards in the first half) that killed any momentum.

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Arch Manning passes for five TDs as balanced Newman Greenies top East Jefferson - NOLA.com

Getting back up after traumatic experiences knock you down is something that the Stoke Mentor, Wolfgang Wolf, has learned a lot about.

Since having a major stroke in 1990, Wolfgang has focused on helping others overcome trauma through mentoring, coaching and public speaking in New Zealand and internationally.

This month he is the guest speaker at the Rodney Aphasia Groups meeting in Silverdale. Aphasia, which most commonly results from a stroke, affects a persons ability to communicate speak, read or write, and the Rodney Aphasia Group provides support and information for people with the condition, and their caregivers.

Wolfgang says something he always emphasises in his talks with community groups is the importance of adapting to change.

He says his childhood, which included several years in a refugee camp in Germany, created the tenacity and resilience that he needed in bucket-loads while recovering from the stroke.

You learn once you fall down, to get up and keep going, he says. One of the biggest mistakes people make is wanting to go back to their old life. No one can, because once you have had a traumatic experience, such as a stroke, things are not the same.

He says developing a positive mental attitude is key, but acknowledges that is easier said than done.It took me a long time and in fact Im still working on it, he says. Talking with people and coaching others focuses on those positive things.

His work includes coaching couples where one partner has a disability.

Your whole relationship is affected, he says. Its critical to remain a partner and not fall into the trap of being mainly a caregiver. That is difficult, and part of the solution is trying to get professional help.People are used to helping someone who is disabled, which can lead to being over protective, or helicoptering. I dont like that I prefer to do what I can for myself, but not everyone is like that.

While he adjusted to life in a wheelchair, Wolfgang wrote the book Im not stupid, just disabled,completed a Bachelor of Social Practice, and a Diploma in Community Development. He also founded Computers Against Isolation, a charity that provides computers for people who live with disabilities, and travels widely giving talks.

The Silverdale talk will cover Wolfgangs achievements as a stroke survivor but the emphasis will be on his experiences as a disabled traveller.

It is open to the public and will be held on September 26, at Rotary House, 4 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Silverdale, 1.30pm. Anyone interested in attending should email Lisa rodneyaphasiagroup@gmail.com or phone 0210 527 258.

Further info: wolfgangwolfthestrokementor.weebly.com/ Wolfgangs book is out of print, but a version is available on Amazon/Kindle. Rodney Aphasia Group http://www.rodneyaphasiagroup.co.nz

The rest is here:
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THE FASHIONISTA TURNED BROADCASTER HAS RISEN SWIFTLY IN THE UK, BUT AS A NEW MUM WHO HAS BEEN OPERATING AT FULL THROTTLE FOR A FEW YEARS, SHE IS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN

Its a Thursday afternoon and Angela Scanlon is on a flying visit to Dublin. The broadcaster is here to help launch Taste the Island, a new Filte Ireland initiative aimed at showcasing the best of Irelands food and drink culture to visitors. Without being prompted, she launches into a verbal appraisal of Irelands culinary scene, namechecking the likes of cafe chain Sprout and Emilies, a restaurant in Glenbeigh, Co Kerry.

In many ways, there is no better woman for the job. Over the years, Scanlon has established herself as something of an unofficial poster girl for all things Irish, fronting campaigns for quintessentially Irish brands like An Post and Kerrygold. Its a phenomenon that Scanlon describes as lovely but also weird and a bit mental.

Like many Irish people who move abroad, she says being away from Ireland has given her a renewed sense of Irishness. Its kind of embarrassing how I come home like, Wow, it really is green and the people really are friendly, she laughs.

Irish people have this sense that home is always home. No matter how long youve lived abroad you will always reference coming home as coming back to Ireland. I think that is quite a uniquely Irish thing. That sense of being fiercely protective over our Irishness. That idea our accents might soften and the shame of it.

Originally from Ratoath in Co Meath, Scanlon first made her name as a stylist and fashion journalist. She became a fixture on Irish television, appearing on the likes of Xpos and Off the Rails, as well as Channel 4s Sunday Brunch. Soon she was tipped as the Irish heir apparent to the British trendsetter Alexa Chung. Vogue dubbed her as one to watch for 2013, and wrote that she was known for her humour, directness and upbeat cheerfulness.That year, she presented Oi Ginger!, a light-hearted one-off documentary about growing up as a redhead in Ireland.

It was around this time that Scanlon made a conscious decision to move away from fashion and focus on her nascent broadcasting career. She landed a co-hosting gig on the RT/BBC Northern Ireland travel series Getaways, and fronted her own documentary series for RT called Angela Scanlon: Full Frontal.

In the meantime, her career in the UK began to take off. Scanlon upped sticks and moved to London in 2014. She caught the eye of the BBC and has since become one of its go-to presenters, landing plum hosting gigs on the likes of The One Show with Alex Jones and Matt Baker, and Robot Wars with Dara Briain. More recently, she has hosted a property makeover show called Your Home Made Perfect, as well as a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 2.

In other words, her rise has been swift.Facebook recently reminded her that it had been four years since she fronted BBCs coverage of the T in the Park festival in Scotland. It was her first ever live television gig. Im like, Wow is that only four years ago? she says. Because it feels like so long ago and in another way it feels like only yesterday, which is quite a cliched thing to say.

Scanlon attributes her success to a sort of relentless hustle on her part. When she arrived in London, she says she approached things with a kind of fearlessness and recklessness.

When you first start out, there is a sense that you have literally nothing to lose, she says. I was like, I dont know anybody in telly and I dont have a clue what Im doing, but I quite fancy that.

There was a real power in that that I only appreciated in hindsight. That ability to arrive at things and go, Maybe this is a good idea. Can I email the head of the BBC and say Im really kind of great, you should meet me in this way that youre not really supposed to do, apparently.

The momentum and enjoyment I got out of that hustle did make things happen quite quickly, and it felt that there was progression, for sure. But I also worked my proverbial balls off for a really long time.

Alongside the likes of Aisling Bea, Sharon Horgan and Nicola Coughlan, Scanlon is part of a cohort of Irish women who are killing it in British television right now. The broadcaster believes Irish women these days carry themselves with a sort of confidence and swagger that may not have been there previously. Irish women historically have not had the best of times, she says. There was a sadness and shame, and theres a real defiance now.

That sense of defiance was on display during last years campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment. Such moments instil a sense of national pride, Scanlon, says, while also standing in stark contrast to what is currently happening in the UK.

Its bittersweet living in the UK right now, because in a way the exact opposite is happening over there, she says. There is a poignancy to us having these milestones and changing and using those moments to define a new era of Ireland.

After a few years of operating at full throttle, Scanlon is now trying to slow down a little bit.

That drive and ambition is useful in an industry that is pretty tough, but you also realise that theres not very much joy in that relentless pushing of yourself, she says. I am trying to get a little bit of balance back into my life.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Scanlon says things havent been all plain sailing for the last few years. What we dont see behind the highlights reel on Instagram are the cancelled shows and the dream gigs that got away. Recently, she has tried to be more open about this.

Theres a fear in talking about your failures because its like, Ooh maybe its contagious, she says. Maybe if you didnt get one thing someone will see and youll never get anything again. Theres a denial. Lets not talk about it. Lets pretend it never happened. Lets pretend everything is great.

She recalls one particular low point, right after she gave birth to her daughter last year.

A few days after I came back from the hospital, I got a call and was told that a show that I had worked on wasnt being recommissioned, she says. I dont know whether it was crazy hormones or the fact I had a new human and was quite unsure about what the hell to do . . . but I wept. It was honestly as if my whole world had fallen apart. It sounds so dramatic, but it was purely because, you know, youre a brand new mother.

I was already grappling with the idea of how my identity was going to change with being a mother, and being defined by that. Now suddenly I was unemployed. It was awful.

Obviously that was contrasted with being able to look down at this brand new human and gaining a bit of perspective. But it was moment to moment like, How am I going to provide for her? and Hang on, who gives a sh**? Ive just created a life and this show is not that important. Maybe thats the biggest change for me with motherhood, apart from scheduling. That sense of perspective.

Next up for Scanlon is a new podcast series called Thanksa Million. Each episode will see her interview a well-known personality about the moments that should have broken them, but ultimately taught them something new or sent them on a different course and for which they are ultimately grateful.

Scanlon, a proud consumer of all things woo-woo, is a big fan of gratitude. Ive done therapy, she says. Ive read every self-help book under the sun. Ive tried everything and gratitude, although it sounds so fluffy, is one of the things that Ive found is such a quick fix.

Basically, I write gratitude lists and I change from being negative and pessimistic into somebody that is actually quite badass. Its the thing that I consistently go back to.

I remember reading that you are the best teacher of the thing you need the most, she says. This podcast is essentially a free way for me to get therapy, and to learn a positive attitude from people.

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Better balance: Angela Scanlon on the trade-off between work and motherhood - The Irish Times