You Should Write a Book About That. Dr. Borlabi Keeps the Chicago Bulls' Performance in Check 🏀
Podcast Plunge into the world of women in professional sports
Podcast Plunge brings you a more-than-weekly newsletter that contains a podcast episode recommendation, a deep dive into a topic within that episode, and links to other internet things on that topic.
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THE PODCAST. Listen here.
Writer and podcaster Kim O’Hara speaks with musicians, artists, writers, CEOs, athletes, and developers about their careers and their lives. Should they write a book about their experiences? Kim and her guests discuss. If they’ve already written a book, they break down the process of writing said book; how they formulated the idea, the writing process, and how it sold.
About the podcast:
Have serious questions about whether you should write a book? Is your story unique enough? Join Book Coach to Best Sellers® Kim O’Hara as she dives into stories with fascinating people about men you should avoid, when to take medicine into your own hands, how to be a top music manager, executing a life of peace and building beauty products, to name just a few of the vast topics covered with candor on the show.
In this episode, Kim speaks with Dr. Wendy Borlabi, who is the psychologist for the Chicago Bulls. When she took the job in 2016, she became the first-ever person to hold the position of in-house psychologist. Dr. Borlabi and Kim discuss Borlabi’s career path, her journey to motherhood, and what keeps her motivated.
Here’s the episode description:
Wendy Borlabi never considered herself ambitious but today she is the performance coach for the Chicago Bulls. You don’t rise to this stature in the sports world taking life lightly. She continued to connect the dots in her career, stay focused, and put one foot in front of the other. Originally from Ghana, her dad and brother watched a lot of American football...and that was family time together. It became synonymous with comfort and love and familiarity.
For this edition of Podcast Plunge, we’re talking about Dr. Borlabi and her position with the Chicago Bulls.
THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES ARTICLE. Read here.
When Dr. Borlabi was interviewing for the staff psychologist position with the Bulls, she was advised by a friend to hold back the fact that she is a single mother raising twins. She didn’t take the advice. Instead, she told team president Michael Reinsdorf about her golfball-sized fibroids, her IVF treatment, and her four-year-olds. Of course, Borlabi got the job…because of her qualifications.
THE NBA PRESS RELEASE. Read here.
Dr. Borlabi was hired in 2016 after spending seven years working at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego, where she trained athletes for one summer and two winter games. The Bulls emphasize that Borlabi’s role on the team will involve combating performance anxiety among athletes. She is also prepared to help players maintain mental focus to improve their game-play.
THE RETWEET. Read here.
This (re)tweet displays important data from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Namely, that white folks are overrepresented on the office and journalism side of sports. Editors, reporters, and columnists are much more likely to be white. This tweet doesn’t, however, touch on the gender gaps between men and women on the staff side of professional sports (here, I’m referring to men’s leagues). As a Black woman, Dr. Borlabi’s presence as a performance coach on the Bulls is combating that narrative as well.
Learn more about Dr. Wendy Borlabi on the You Should Write a Book About That podcast, hosted by Kim O’Hara.
For more podcast recommendations, follow Arielle Nissenblatt.