213: Becoming One with The Shark with Jen Schumacher, Certified Mental Performance Consultant & Performance Psychology Instructor, West Point Academy

Jen Schumacher, M.S., CMPC, is a Performance Psychology Instructor at the Center for Enhanced Performance at the United States Military Academy. She works with cadets and teams on the psychological aspects of elite performance. Jen works with cadets on the mental aspects of the Survival Swimming course, incorporating virtual reality training alongside workshops.

Jen operates a private consulting practice, providing individual training for elite and club athletes, marathon swimmers, and executives. She also runs mental skills seminars and team building retreats for athletic and corporate groups.

In addition to performance psychology, Jen’s other passion is marathon swimming. She has completed two Catalina Channel crossings, the 28-mile length of the LA Bay, the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Strait of Gibraltar, Lake Tahoe, and several Catalina Channel relays. Jen credits much of her athletic success to her experiences working with and learning about the mental aspects of performance.

Jen earned her Master's Degree in Sport Psychology at California State University, Fullerton, studying under Dr. Ken Ravizza, and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance at Concordia University of Chicago.

In this interview, Jen and Cindra talk about:

How she became grateful while swimming with a shark How she uses Ravizza’s “3 Rs” in marathon swimming The difference between offensive and defensive self-talk The 4Ps of self-talk How to address your fear with “fear statements”

You can find a full description of the Podcast at cindrakamphoff.com/jen