NFL Star Foye Oluokun Breaks Down Goal Setting and Beating Imposter Syndrome

We’re back for Season 2 of the ISSP Sports Psychiatry Podcast! Our first interview is with star NFL Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, of the Jacksonville Jaguars! Foye discusses his unconventional journey from the Ivy League to the NFL, and also shares with us tips on how to set structured goals, overcome imposter syndrome, and much more! Foye originates from St Louis, where he was high school teammates with Dallas Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott. He then played college football at Yale University, where he was a standout performer at both linebacker and defensive back. After being drafted in the 6th Round of 2018 NFL Draft to the Atlanta Falcons, Foye rose in prominence from a primarily special teams player to the NFL’s overall leading tackler in 2021! In March of 2022, Foye signed a lucrative deal as a free agent to the Jacksonville Jaguars Hosts: Roy Collins MD, Charles Bay MD, and Devan Baijal MS4 Show Notes: 0:38 - Introducing Foye Oluokun 1:44 -  Getting recruited along with Ezekiel Elliot, unconventional journey to the NCAA (Yale) 6:14 - Making it to the NFL after dealing with injury 13:01 - TEACHING POINT -  Set specific goals to provide structure and focus towards an ideal outcome. Revisit and refine your goals so you can objectively measure your results and adapt as necessary. Identify changeable behaviors that you can improve over time 14:00 - Finding his way in the NFL 15:43 - Sacrifice and the student-athlete balance 17:31 - TEACHING POINT - Strengthening the mental aspects of the game: Compartmentalization is a technique that helps with regaining focus when feeling overwhelmed. First, focus on small tasks you can control 18:40 - Why are Ivy League players successful in the NFL? 26:30 - TEACHING POINT - The impostor phenomenon is a specific form of intellectual self-doubt. Impostor feelings are generally accompanied by anxiety and often, depression. 28:27 - TEACHING POINT - Combat your negative “imposter” thoughts with positive facts about yourself to lessen anxiety and self-doubt! 34:12 - “U gotta love yourself,” the value of self-love 35:00 - Foye discusses his Nigerian upbringing, his family’s name, and convincing his parents to let him play ball! 40:30 - Foye gives advice for those who want to follow his footsteps to success 44:27 - Outro Find Foye on social media @foyelicious, and visit his website: www.FoyeOluokun.com to follow his journey and buy his merch!