January 23rd – The day that the podcast “The Championship Mindset” will launch. Yes, it will launch BEFORE the book e-book version. The paperback version will be the last to be launch.
A champion mindset is a mindset that allows you to perform your best. Anyone that works on adopting this mindset will not only get better at what they do, but they will have the chance to be the best at what they do. Mindset is the biggest factor in success. Your mindset impacts each and every decision that you take. Now, this mindset just isn’t for athletes, it is for everyone.
Each week I will do a podcast, blog post, and post some creative content designed to inspire you and encourage you.
Here is an affirmation to help you for the weekend ahead: I am the master of my thoughts and energy and I can create my destiny.
Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. Remember, Nothing happens by chance, but you need to take the chance and get out of your comfort zone in order to achieve greatness. If you want the championship mindset you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. By having a deep-rooted belief in your abilities, you have the potential for success. Having confidence in your skills and talents, is one part but visualizing your routine that makes you feel excited about the future to align your thoughts and emotions, is what makes the championship mindset possible!
We need to remind ourselves that this is a journey with ups and downs twists and turns, but that we need to stop looking at everything as a “when we get there” and enjoy the journey.
So before the ball drops in Times Square, release what is no longer serving you. Move forward knowing that everything is working for your highest good. Walk into 2024 with vulnerability – learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. There are still going to be times when things won’t work out perfectly, and that is okay. But that is the point.
Shift things in 2024 from wanting to it’s happening and there is NOTHING ANYONE can do to stop it from happening! They can bitch, they can troll, they can complain but what is meant for you will happen in its perfect timing!
SUBSCRIBE to my podcast in 2024 to hear the message of the championship mindset. (Also, hey, the behind the scenes stuff too!) Let’s get excited! SO many AWESOME things are ABOUT to unfold in 2024! Follow my path and create yours.
When I went into 2023 – I KNEW this year was going to be different and bring me so many new possibilities, opportunities, experiences, and adventures. The seeds were planted and now in 2024 it’s time to watch them bloom. When you walk your path doing it scared and doing it unprepared, your desires will guide you to where you need to go. This is the BEST PART!!
Live each day with gratitude realizing that is going to get you so much more than you can ever want or need.
The obstacles are what we need. When we see the opponent on the ice, we don’t run from them, we just gain clarity as to what our next move is. Your only job in 2024 is to JUST BE.
Congrats on getting through whatever it is that you got through in 2023… Now, let’s continue this journey together in 2024.
I did a segment o TMZ on Alec Bladwin …. go ahead and take a look. BTW… I am a content creator so I added to this video and made it a little retro.
In 2024 THIS IS THE APP that you should be using! here is my code to use! CLICK HERE FOR CODE
If you don’t follow my podcast, here is the link to follow it and join me for the December 31st show. Do you how th social media platforms were ranked in the 2023? Do you know what trends are coming? Also a review of my year along with some surprises too! I also will be doing an IG LIVE on New Year’s Eve!
QR CODE TO FOLLOW MY IG
I will have a Christmas Blog for you Sunday. See y’all then!
Everyone needs their little tribe where people are allowed to be themselves, where people are allowed to have feelings, and where people are allowed to love and stand up for what they believe in. People today want to keep us in a box. And athletes today wear the rose colored glasses. It’s okay to feel important, but it’s not okay to feel that you are better than anyone else. No one is perfect, I’m not even perfect, far from it but what I do know is what empathy is.
And what I do is that sometimes you have to teach people in unconventional ways how to turn inward to feel empathy and love so that when they look outward they can see life in that perspective.
People spend way too much time being fake and embracing things that are not real while trying to break down anyone being authentic; including your “precious” athletes you root for. Everything to them is about being fake because that is what their branding is- if they didn’t get caught up in the fake world of materialistic wealth and being wrapped up in narcissism, I bet you that they too would be more compassionate without a camera crew, more loving and open, and more respectful.
With the holiday season here, that is my wish. For people to open their eyes to authenticity and for people to see that life is best lived being real, not fake like you see on social media. Hating on someone for realness, their opinions, or their unknown story doesn’t make you better than them, or a hero, it makes you weaker. Dimming someone else’s light doesn’t make yours shine brighter.
So, this holiday season; spread kindness, pay it forward, remembering that words have power but so do actions. Put the two together with good intentions and just imagine the world we can create.
Here’s the problem… It’s two-fold. The problem with having a genuine heart, is that people think you’re stupid. They may think they played you. But the whole time they played themselves out of meeting and being with a good person. Athletes do this to themselves EVERY time. And us fans are STUPID for only expecting bare minimum from them just like women do for men that they date. What is the bare minimum that fans except and think that the particular athlete is so ‘great’ to them? All athletes NO MATTER the sport SHOULD freely sign autographs. Now, there are boundaries that fans should respect like if they are out with family and eating at a restaurant you don’t go up to the table while they are enjoying a meal begging for an autograph. But clearly when they are finished it is okay to ask. When they do events, before games, after games. BUT respectfully! If you placed yourself in this limelight by wanting to be a professional athlete, then THIS IS WHAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR whether you like it or not! Period. I laugh at seeing social media posts from athletes who literally COMPLAIN about this- um, hello you make millions of dollars and you can’t take 5 seconds to sign an autograph for a fan? Remind me again why you chose this occupation. ( insert roll eyes emoji here) But then here’s the other side of the coin- ALL athletes get a swelled head and their ego is enlarged when they start to see folks ask them for autographs, the media talks about them, they see social media posts about them and then we start to idolize these dudes. This then makes them start to think that they are BETTER than the regular Joe and on the SAME playing field as a celebrity. But here is why us fans SHOULD NOT idolize these guys. You have to remember rule one of marketing/branding: Rule one your image as an athlete is EVERYTHING. They are in fact their own brand, and what they do in front of the camera is what in fact makes fans idolize them. How many times have you been on TwitterX or Instagram and seen your favorite player doing something for charity, or at a hospital, or at an event that is designed for them to look like they give a shit? The kicker is, I am SICK of hearing that this guys “really do in fact care” about us, the regular Joe. I am TIRED of hearing that they are “really great dudes” when their actions when the cameras are not involved are totally different. Recently some hockey players did this charity thing called Shoulder Check in memory of Hayden Thorsen who loved hockey and excelled as a goalie in Darien, Connecticut. The 16-year-old died unexpectedly in May of 2022 and his family is using his passion for hockey to help Hayden’s legacy live on. The idea is wonderful. The mantra is reach out, check in and make contact. What a beautiful way to remember a kid who was that person who made sure others were okay. But to think that pro-hockey players from the NHL actually will “Reach out, check in and make contact” with fans who on social media maybe post things that are about mental health, or a fan that reaches out to a player to tell them how they love them, is UNREALISTIC to say the least!
The truth of the matter really is, that behind a screen you don’t know what ANYONE in life is dealing with and sure you can “study” their posts, and you can Google their name, but that is not going to give you who the REAL person REALLY is! People don’t live in their pasts anymore, they grow, adapt, change… and we ALL including the NHL players have skeletons in our closets that don’t define who we are today!
A friend of mine posted that Mika Zibanejad spent time signing autographs at the Shoulder Check and yes, he’s VERY good at doing this, and again, this is the bare minimum that fans have come to expect and not hold athletes to a higher standard. But his quote from the event was very telling, “You can see if you’re hurt physically sometimes but mentally, it’s very hard to see that and to see the signs.” Not true. Not true at all. I think most people ignore the mental signs because they just don’t want to deal with that. So here are the signs that are as CLEAR CUT as daylight that people are experiencing a mental breakdown:
Symptoms of withdrawal
Not showing up for work for one or more days or calling in sick.
Missing scheduled appointments or social events.
Slipping into poor lifestyle habits like unhealthy eating, not getting enough sleep or can’t sleep, poor hygiene and not exercising.
Losing interest in activities or hobbies or things that brought you joy.
Not wanting to leave your home or be with others.
Symptoms of depression
Feeling very sad, hopeless, helpless or worried.
Being irritated, frustrated or having outbursts.
Having trouble concentrating.
Having thoughts of self harm or suicide.
Symptoms of anxiety
Feeling pain, fear and uneasiness.
Having nightmares.
Unable to remain still and calm.
Nausea
Heart palpitations
Cold or sweaty hands.
Dizziness.
Upset stomach.
Trembling or shaking.
Trouble breathing.
Panic Attacks.
See, we all see these signs but we pass them over as just “normal” when they are not normal. And do you really think a pro-athlete is going to 1) care and 2) check on fans? That to me ins unreasonable to even think! Most of the time they don’t even check on their teammates nor they deny that they are going through a rough patch because they don’t want to be seen as weak. Again, we have the male stereotypical concept, that a man is weak asking for help and men can’t show emotions.
Recently, if you read this blog or follow me on social media, you know that I have been asking Jacob Trouba, Vincent Trocheck and Ryan Lindgren to do a fun segment with me called “Coffee With The Captain (and teammates)- which is basically 30 minutes of talking about why they take their coffee the way they do, hockey questions I have and just plainly have a fun – fun questions like do you prefer Pretzels or Potato Chips- getting to know each other so I can see them OUTSIDE the RINK and WHO They TRULY are as PEOPLE. Well, I have been asking for 2months and they look at the videos and they ignore me. They treat me like I am trash. I’m not someone they “need” or who is “important” so they don’t even respond at all.
NOTHING exposes CHARACTER MORE than the way you TREAT people you don’t THINK you need.
My point is, STOP putting these guys on a pedestal when they don’t give a rats ass about you.
Remember, all they do in front of the cameras is JUST for SHOW – it’s not who they GENUINELY are.
And if this is not who they genuinely are, and they truly are the “good guys” then they respond to me and do the segment. Cause they care about people and they remember where they came from… Don’t worry, I ain’t holding my breath but I will find a NHL player who actually cares and who will do this with me.
The saying is true, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.”One should not judge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. For example, “That man may look very small and insignificant, but don’t judge a book by its cover – he’s a very powerful man in his circle.“
Remember, karma, she’s a bitch. How you treat people will ALWAYS come back around to you. And if this who Jacob, Vinny and Ryan genuinely are… then their true character has been exposed and it’s all a show as to who they pretend to be… But if this isn’t who they genuinely are, then they will do the fun segment with me. But make no mistake.. I will find a NHL player who will do the segment with me. I have worked too hard to keep playing small. I never will discount myself and my worth. I deserve to be respected whether I am a celebrity or not. I know what I bring to the table and I just raised the bar.
My hot mess Summer began June 23rd… but officially started July 1st. Yesterday I got the keycard to my office space for my company in NYC on 5th freaking avenue!!
So..What’s a hot mess summer you ask?
Well, it’s me being my real self, no photoshop, going out and living my best summer’s life! Usually you see girls talk about a hot girl summer, but I say fuck that shit! Seriously, we should love who we are and not try to be this fake person just to be accepted by society. All the girls who have hot girl summers do the same shit: generally characterized by an emphasis on promiscuity, immodesty, and partying. Having a “hot girl summer” means not being tied down by a boyfriend, dressing “hot”, and living wild. I hate to burst everyone’s bubble on that, but having a hot mess summer is all about being confident, having fun and not caring what others think. It’s going out there and living your best life.
June 23rd it started at LBI … my family has a house there and I spent some time relaxing and spending time with my parents, brother, sister in law, niece and nephew. We had a good time. We went to the arcade and I actually won a stuffed animal from those claw games! My nephew won his lava lamp while my niece won her pink pillow friend. It was a blast.
July 4th was about my neighborhood and watching these really cool fireworks they let off. Also went shopping , spent time watching Christmas movies ( Christmas in July) and also I do love to read in the summer. I also started painting my seashells. I paint the inside of the shell ( I will have to post a photo on Twitter)
July 7th – Yesterday – I went to NYC to get my keycard for my office space I will be using for a slew of projects. It’s on 5th Ave and it is so freaking awesome! I posted some photos on Twitter, IG and Threads. I have ALWAYS been a city girl ever since I was 14. I worked back in the city in my early 20s and since then I have been in love with NYC. It’s where I belong and I am doing everything that my soul finds joy in. And the best part is the office building has summer networking events and stuff, so I get to meet new people which I love to do!
I have started asking Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and Vincent Trocheck from the NY Rangers to do a FUN segment with me for yes my podcast and this blog called Coffee With The Captain and Teammates… but of course, it’s going to be a cruel summer with them. Oh, I also asked Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier of the NJ Devils too, ( the 3 cutest on the NJD- the guys on the NYR are hot but a competition is always good. And oh, yeah, I got options.)
I am a cheerleader, cheerleading coach/choreographer so like duh.. this segment is going to be the most gimme a F-U-N these guys will EVER have.. that is a guarantee. Heck, if they want I will bring my poms and do a cheer for them. If these dudes want to break Twitter and IG… they will if they are smart enough to say yes to me.
I also started writing the follow up to my book, “The Diary of a Drama Queen” where one of my old haters decided to leave me a bad review on my book. Seriously, I get a kick out that. I have a couple of those that seem to “follow” my every move. If you can believe it, from the Twitter War of 2010 -2011 this girl STILL is obsessed with me and tried to follow my youtube channel and IG account. Like my god… SO, yeah I have fans and a haters club. (I say this as sassy as I can… lucky me)
I also am on Cameo… here’s my link if you want to hire me to send a cheer to anyone… or if you need that comeback for your social media troll. CLICK HERE
Just be Just be and let go. Don’t try to force anything. Don’t hustle. Just be Just be in the moment. We never know how long we have , We never know where life is going to take us So, just be Be in the moment. Stop trying to control what’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen and just embrace the moment you’re in. Divine timing. Everything happens in divine timing.
If you have ever been in NYC, there are TONS of coffee shops to satisfy your love and need for coffee. BUT… which ones are the BEST ones?
Don’t fret… I’m here to tell you of a few that are good for their coffee or their baked treats. The catch though… I am going to have you guys vote which one you’d prefer or if you actually have had coffee from there, give that shop a vote. * sorry but Starbucks is not on the list….*
First up… Gregory’s Coffee
Their coffee is a little strong but okay. ( if you like Starbucks then this coffee is for you!) The aroma was good, no burnt smell inside the shop. The body was a little heavy, the aftertaste was sharp, the sugar I added to it didn’t hide the sharp taste either. The taste itself was bitter. I wasn’t sure if it was a medium roast or a dark roast.
The cookie in the picture was FANTASTIC! Definitely worth the money. It was fresh, chocolatey and was baked perfectly.
UPDATE: I am visiting again…. I will have an update on the coffee soon.
Next up was Think Coffee.
Their coffee was not strong the first time I had it, but the 2nd time I had it was very strong. They put way too much cream in it and served it to me cold. Not fun to have hot coffee that is already cold. The aroma in the shop was good, no burnt coffee smell. The body of the coffee was medium both times, but the 1st time the aftertaste was mellow the 2nd time it was sharp. Obviously I enjoyed the coffee the 1st time since I went back. I will go back a 3rd time to see if my 1st or 2nd time defines this coffee.
The PB&J bar which was vegan, was FANTASTIC! It was crumbly, Nutty and had just the right amount of Jelly. I would definitely buy that again!
UPDATE: I have gone back 2x and the coffee was MUCH better both times and that PB&J bar—- OUTSTANDING!
I will always remember where I was on that day and how it impacted everyone’s lives.
I remember working at a school that day and having a co-worker tell me her dad worked in the North Tower and in 50 years he NEVER missed a day of work until that day. I remember having to comfort a parent who thought his wife was on 1 of those planes. Luckily she wasn’t. I remember driving home that night and seeing State Troopers parked at every exit on the Thruway. I remember learning that my neighbor lost his dad that day trying to rescue others. He was a firefighter. I remember hearing about friends who lost siblings in the buildings.
I also remember how this Country BANNED TOGETHER and NEVER let Politics stand between each other – how we were kind and caring of one another. We need to REMEMBER that because we as a Country have lost sight of what TRULY is important. If you don’t want to do it for yourself and your neighbors do it for the 3,000 lives that were lost that day.
Stephanie 's Corner 