S3 E9 : Kendra Fischer: Team Canada Hockey to Mental Health Advocate

Episode Overview:   Making a choice is not always easy, but for our guest Kendra Fischer-- it was easy to make that choice and move from figure skating into Candian Hockey.   I met Kendra on Twitter and when I first read about her and what she’s done, I knew right off the bat that she’d be perfect for this podcast! Join us today as she shares her journey to becoming a public speaker by putting her mental health first.   Kendra was the first female player for the Grey-Bruce Minor AAA program, eventually growing and playing for Esso Women’s Nationals for the Host Ontario’s team. Despite all her success and doctors telling her there was nothing to worry about, she knew there was definitely something wrong.   True enough, she was diagnosed within the month with mental illnesses that needed attention immediately. Kendra was kind enough to agree to share her personal struggles, what she did, and how she moved forward with them in check now that she has a wife and kids.   I can’t wait to share Kendra’s story with you-- I think you’ll love listening to her, just as I did!   Episode Highlights:   Kendra’s early career in figure skating to hockey Being the first female hockey player for a Minor AAA program Being a firefighter, ex-hockey player, and public speaker Growing up with parents that didn’t set barriers for her as a girl Her struggles with choosing between her career and her mental health The outcome of her choices Being inspired to become a public speaker Starting her family and how she raises her family with her wife Losing a beloved child and teaching her other kids about loss Actualising your emotions to overcome mental health issues   About the Guest: Kendra was a former member of Team Canada’s Women’s Hockey program, but had to make the hard decision and walk away to prioritise her mental health after being diagnosed with severe Anxiety and Depression. She now chooses to share her journey in order to provide some clarity for those that end up on the same path clouded by mental health issues. The first five years of her journey were filled with hopelessness, isolation, and darkness-- even with the support and resources around her. Kendra faced a sense of pointlessness, something she had such trouble overcoming. Until one day-- she made the choice. The choice to keep living. It took another five years for Kendra to recover, five whole years of learning about herself and the ways she needed to help herself. In the beginning, she was ashamed of her mental illness, keeping it a secret most of the time. That was, until one day where she realised that she had so much more to share with the world-- to help those that needed it. She vowed never to be part of the problem again, to finally tell her story to help others heal.   Connect with Kendra:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KendraFisher.mf/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mentally_fit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyfitmf/ Email: info@mentallyfit.com   ---   Did you enjoy today’s episode? Please click here to leave a review for The 6%, with NancyMD. Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out!    Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to inspire and empower!   Let's get social! Instagram @_nancymd Facebook @nancymdpdx Twitter @_nancymd LinkedIn @nancyyenshipleymd Website www.nancymd.com   Subscribe to The 6%, with NancyMD ++ Apple Podcasts ++ Spotify ++ Google Podcasts

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The 6% with NancyMD is dedicated to women thriving in traditionally male-dominated fields. As a female orthopaedic surgeon, I belong to the 6% that are women in this field - and thus the inspiration for the title. The birth of The 6% came about when I was at an airport and saw a female commercial airline captain. Though I didn't know her, I wanted to talk to her and ask her all about her life and path - and I wanted to hug her, knowing she likely experienced many of the same challenges that I had. I realized that across disciplines and careers, we have parallel experiences and struggles in following our passions. I hope that by sharing these stories, we will inspire the next generation of women surgeons, scientists, firefighters, engineers, CEOs. In The 6%, I talk to women about how they arrived at their careers, and the facets of their lives that brought them there. We talk about imposter syndrome, microagressions, barriers to entry, pay gap, mentoring, obstacles and failures - more importantly, how we get up from those failures. If you love stories grit, perseverence, resiliency, then The 6% is for you!