Episode #69- Ari Kafka, former minor league pitcher, current licensed social worker, and mental performance coach, Jerusalem, Israel

Ari Kafka is a former professional athlete and current Mental Performance Coach for athletes. He likes to help athletes flourish under pressure and overcome mental blocks to excel at their game. Additionally, he helps transitioning athletes who are ending their sport playing careers dig deep to find their unique character strengths and how they can utilize them on a daily basis. He guides them on their journey to find their next passion in their lives. In between High School and College, he was fortunate to work with Dick Radatz ("The Monster"), a dominant closer for multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in the ‘60s, and Jim Lonborg, a Cy Young Award winning pitcher. Both men introduced him to the importance of the mental game in sports, which helped take his game to the next level. Although he struggled with inconsistency, with the help of these mentors he improved his game each year at NCAA Division I Quinnipiac University. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and played three seasons of Minor League baseball. During that time, he benefited from working closely with Dr. Jack Curtis, author, motivational speaker, and Mental Skills consultant for athletes. After retiring, he started working with a close mentor who encouraged him to pursue a Masters in Social Work. He is a licensed Social Worker. Over the past 10 years, he has been honing his clinical skills, helping incarcerated inmates, abuse victims, addicts, and gap year students dealing with and working through mental health issues.  Please see his website for more information is https://www.arikafka.com/.