The Secrets to Winning with Dr. Bhrett McCabe The Hidden Hero with Last Chance U Star, Brittany Wagner
"When you start winning, people start paying attention." The MindSide Podcast struck gold this week as we brought on the star of the Netflix documentary, Last Chance U, founder of 10 Thousand Pencils, and nationwide inspiration leader, Brittany Wagner. Wagner has made a dent in the world of college athletics as she has turned her dream of impacting young athletes into a reality.
In the show, Last Chance U, Brittany helped the football team of East Mississippi Community College become more than just a group of jocks who had no future other than football, "I had no expectations." Coming from a family with a psychologist as a father and a special education teacher as a mother, Brittany knew from her youth that she had a greater purpose.
"This is what I was born to do."
Inside this podcast, Wagner digs into the realities young athletes are faced with every day. She discusses how most college athletes are already given labels based on stereotypical judgement from their peers and even some authority figures. "These labels we place on these kids prohibits them from really figuring out their potential on their own." There is an underlining issue that is raised when these athletes are already told what path they "should" or "need" to go on to reach a society's definition of success.
"I think we do a horrible job helping these athletes navigate the pressure of being a college athlete."
Brittany compares a college football player's situation in Scuba, Mississippi, to a hypothetical situation where she is the one putting on the football gear in the locker room and then getting tackled on the field and feeling that shame and public humiliation that these kids must feel in the classroom. "They are unequipped."
Wagner brings her own opinions on the educational deficiencies that these college athletes must climb past to reach success outside of the game. "We can teach them how to be true to themselves." Brittany has started her own company, 10 Thousand Pencils to provide academic counseling services to student athletes everywhere.
You can visit her website at: https://brittanywagner.com
We hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we enjoyed recording it.
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