The Injured Athletes Club Podcast By Carrie Jackson and Cindy Kuzma cover art

The Injured Athletes Club

The Injured Athletes Club

By: Carrie Jackson and Cindy Kuzma
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We're sorry you're here, but we're glad you're with us! If you're lucky enough to call yourself an athlete, chances are you've been injured. One of the biggest challenges of injury is facing recovery alone. Now, you don't have to. Mental skills coach Carrie Jackson and journalist Cindy Kuzma interview athletes about how they've coped with sports injuries and come out stronger on the other side. And, Carrie shares some of the mental skills and drills she teaches injured athletes—tools you can use to stay positive and resilient during your recovery. Not only can these strategies help you bounce back stronger from injury, you can use them to rebound from any setback in your sport—or in life. DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk. Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • 165 | Author and Athlete Chelsey Klein on Grace, Survival, and Letting Go
    Mar 26 2026
    " I've had to learn how to ask for help. I am grateful for my independence. I'm grateful for the fact that if I want something, I go get it. And my work ethic—I work in sales and my success of being an athlete, I owe it to that. But at the end of the day, there is that understanding of there's a difference between giving up and surrendering." Chelsey Klein is a lifelong athlete—and no stranger to injury, which ended both her pursuit of gymnastics as a child and her collegiate volleyball career. But during the summer of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, she faced a trauma she never would have imagined. When she was hiking on Mt. Shasta with her boyfriend, the unthinkable happened. He fell, then she did, and it took hours and a series of small miracles to get her off the mountain alive. Her loss was immense and her injuries significant, but on the other side, she's found strength through grace and meaning in sharing her story—which she does in this week's episode and in her memoir. Resources/links: Chelsey's new book Beyond the Edge: A Survivor's Tale A huge thank you to LEVER Movement, the exclusive sponsor of season 9 of The Injured Athletes Club podcast! They're the creators of the LEVER system, a portable, lightweight device that attaches to a treadmill to reduce your body weight. Use the code INJURED20 to get 20% off your purchase here. You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show. To access more resources for injured athletes: Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!Buy Injured Athletes Club merchandise, including hoodies, stickers, patches, journals, mugs, hats, and gift cardsAccess webinar videos, mental rehab e-courses, and more great resources for injured athletes while supporting our workJoin The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updatesJoin The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderieLike The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodesEmail us at hello@injuredathletesclub.com with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.
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    53 mins
  • 164 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question on Balancing Healing and Life Goals
    Mar 19 2026
    " I'm feeling like my injury has really held me back in life. My first two years of college, I was trying to survive school while recovering from a car accident. I've needed every extension and have had many surgeries after that, which have affected my schooling and life in general. Now I'm ready to transfer from my community college to a university, and I don't have all the right classes for the degree I'm going into. I feel like this injury has just ruined me, and I'm not sure what to do." —Rylie Injuries can be devastating at any stage and time. But in some cases, they deeply affect other areas of life in ways that can feel deeply unfair. In this week's listener Q&A, Coach Carrie first of all expresses deep sympathy and empathy to Rylie and other athletes who find themselves in such a long-term, difficult recovery period. As challenging as these situations can be, Carrie suggests some ways to shine a light into the darkness. Most important, she says, is to try not to time-travel to the past or into the future—instead, calmly bring your focus back to what's in your control right now. From there, you can consider the actions you can take today to bring about the tomorrow you hope for. Resources/links: Past episodesOther things we mention A huge thank you to LEVER Movement, the exclusive sponsor of season 9 of The Injured Athletes Club podcast! They're the creators of the LEVER system, a portable, lightweight device that attaches to a treadmill to reduce your body weight. Use the code INJURED20 to get 20% off your purchase here. You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show. To access more resources for injured athletes: Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!Buy Injured Athletes Club merchandise, including hoodies, stickers, patches, journals, mugs, hats, and gift cardsAccess webinar videos, mental rehab e-courses, and more great resources for injured athletes while supporting our workJoin The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updatesJoin The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderieLike The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodesEmail us at hello@injuredathletesclub.com with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.
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    11 mins
  • 163 | Marathoner Leanna Scaglione on Running Through Life's Challenges
    Mar 12 2026
    " Whatever you're feeling, whether it be anger, hatred, sadness, disappointment—it's okay. You're allowed to feel those things. That is valid. But just know that this situation— yes, NF is a lifelong diagnosis, and not having a cure, it does change your life trajectory a little bit. But it doesn't dictate how you have to live your life." Leanna Scaglione was just 16 years old when what the aspiring ballerina thought was an injury from dancing turned into something she never could have imagined—surgery to remove a spinal tumor that left her temporarily unable to walk. Soon afterward, she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 2, which is now called NF2-related schwannomatosis. This lifelong condition causes non-cancerous tumors to form throughout the body. For Leanna, that's meant brain surgery to remove a tumor that resulted in facial paralysis; several clinical trials of medications that have helped, but also have brought unpredictable symptoms; and now, the need for another surgery on her spine. After her first surgery, Leanna not only walked again, she danced. And during the pandemic, she began to run. Eventually, she built up to the marathon, which she ran with the Children's Tumor Foundation's NF Endurance Team—she talks in this episode about the inspiring moment she realized that was a possibility. Leanna just completed the Tokyo Marathon, which brings her one race closer to her goal of becoming the first athlete with NF2 to run all the Abbott World Marathon Majors. She runs because it gives her joy, agency, and community; it's how she refuses to let NF2 control her life, shows others what's possible with a chronic illness, and carries forward both her athletic identity and her family's legacy of endurance. Resources/links: Leanna's InstagramThe Children's Tumor Foundation A huge thank you to LEVER Movement, the exclusive sponsor of season 9 of The Injured Athletes Club podcast! They're the creators of the LEVER system, a portable, lightweight device that attaches to a treadmill to reduce your body weight. Use the code INJURED20 to get 20% off your purchase here. You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show. To access more resources for injured athletes: Buy Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries —now available as an audiobook!Buy Injured Athletes Club merchandise, including hoodies, stickers, patches, journals, mugs, hats, and gift cardsAccess webinar videos, mental rehab e-courses, and more great resources for injured athletes while supporting our workJoin The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updatesJoin The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderieLike The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodesEmail us at hello@injuredathletesclub.com with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
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