Professional Sports and Military Psychology with Naval Special Warfare Psychologist Ryan Maid

After my moose hunt in Alaska, I went back and checked my Fitbit. When I took the shot, my heart rate was in the 160s. I felt perfectly calm in that moment, but I also know that once my heart rate gets above 130, I will skip portions of my process unless I take a mental pause. My guest today, Ryan Maid, is a psychologist and expert on stress and performance in high stress environments. I met Ryan after I was wounded in Afghanistan while he was serving as a Navy Psychologist for the Sixth Marine Regiment. Later, Ryan moved on to be the Command Psychologist for Naval Special Warfare Training Command. After retiring from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, he became a sports psychologist for the Atlanta Braves and now the Kansas City Royals. In this episode, Ryan and I discuss the ins and outs of stress. What is is chemically happening in your body when you experience stress, and how can you overcome that stress to achieve peak performance? Ryan's Book RecommendationsNerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool by Taylor ClarkThe Psychology of Enhancing Human Performance: The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment Approach by Moore and Gardner