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jasondorland5441

Dad to a butterfly child & 2 rescues. Husband to an inspiration. Author. Olympian. High performance coach. Keynote presenter. Workshop facilitator.

Stress as a Superpower: Reframing Pressure for Gro

Stress as a Superpower: Reframing Pressure for Growth.

Okay, so how's that for flipping the script—stress as an opportunity for growth! Could it be true? Check it out...

It’s the rare moment, it seems these days, where stress doesn’t own a good portion of our time. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It turns out that good stress can fuel our days and actually support our health and wellbeing.

In the short term, having to perform under stress can be motivating and help us be at our best. It can feel exciting, too. When we get ourselves up for a new challenge, like a deadline, a race, or a competition, it boosts focus and energy without overwhelming us. I’m sure many of us can recall a time when we’ve had to perform, and it’s felt invigorating not just at the end but also during.

However, most of us can also recall a time when stress felt oppressive and distracting—a friend or family member, for example, who’s sick and struggling, a circumstance where we don’t necessarily have control over the outcome, or financial stress, where we constantly worry about paying bills and living pay cheque to pay cheque.

Regardless of the situation, it can all feel too much at times. That doesn’t make us wrong or bad; it makes us human. It’s our body’s way of letting us know something’s important to us and needs attention. I’ve often said that when my heart no longer goes pitter-patter before a keynote, I’ll stop. Why? That physiological response tells me what I’m about to do matters to me—I take it as a good sign.

But what about when there doesn’t appear to be a reprieve from the discomfort of all-consuming stress—what then? Is there something we can do to manage stress in moments where it’s not short-lived?

Continued in my SubStack—link in bio! Enjoy...

I've waited 20 years for this LOVE to land. And,

I've waited 20 years for this LOVE to land.

And, given the rough start, I trust the timing is now perfect and that this new relationship will only flourish.

It was a coaching conference in Vancouver in 2006 where I first shared the idea that LOVE could be an integral part of building a successful team and healthy culture. It’s funny; I was more nervous about simply getting up in front of the assembled crowd than sharing my unorthodox message. I mean, I was familiar with it—LOVE as a competitive strategy was something I was used to. I had lived it ever since awkwardly stumbling upon this paradigm shift a few years earlier with the help of my wife, Robyn, and her approach to middle-distance running on a very competitive world stage.

When a handful of those gathered responded with dismissive laughter, I tried not to judge. Truthfully, how could I—I had no foot to stand on. My initial push back against Robyn and her hippie-centric LOVE message was abnoxiously herculean. What I knew and believed then not only didn’t jive with what Robyn was all about, I found her views offensive—an affront to my ego’s desperate protection of an old-school, tough-guy approach to competing. My insecurity couldn’t handle a message that invited me to rethink my tried-and-true combative methods. Piss off with your fluff, was my initial repsonse.

So when I spoke again a few years later in 2011 at a national coaching conference in Ottawa, where national team coaches and administrators literally got up and left when I began questioning the recent rebranding of our national sports governing body to “Own the Podium,” (OTP) well, I wasn’t totally surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised. And, okay, maybe calling OTP brash, destructive, and misguided was a little harsh. But once again, I had to remind myself that during my competitive years, I likely would’ve embraced the confidence that owning a podium imbues.

Continued in my SubStack—link in bio. Enjoy!

Is there research that backs up "following your he

Is there research that backs up "following your heart?"

Yup, no longer reserved for the new age feel-gooders dispensing their favourite life advice—apparently, it’s now a mantra that holds water!

In 1985, I had a good gig going at Syracuse University. I was in my sophomore year, taking time away from rowing for knee surgery and rehabilitation. I was part of a solid training group left over from a strong freshman crew. The boathouse, boats, indoor tank, and weight training equipment were all top-notch. I studied advertising design at one of the top programs in the United States. Most of our instructors flew up from New York City each week, sharing the latest trends in the industry—it was impressive. And to top it off, someone else was paying!

The University was like nothing I’d ever seen or experienced. The Carrier Dome (now the JMA Wireless Dome), situated on campus, hosted the popular acts of the day—David Bowie, Madonna, The Police, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, and yes, Rush, too! The University’s NCAA sports were world-class. And as a bonus, as varsity athletes, we were first in line for beer-hawking jobs at home basketball and football games. Good money and free admission—I’ll take it!

It was a cosmopolitan school—students came from around the world. For a young kid who had grown up in a small, sheltered town in Southern Ontario, I was meeting people I likely wouldn’t have otherwise.

As a bonus, I was a three-hour drive from home. So, I was far enough away to have to grow up and fend for myself, but close enough that mom’s cooking was still accessible. I had chosen well and expected to finish my university education and rowing career exactly where I was. And, why wouldn’t I? Rationally, everything made sense.

Then, that same year, I received an invitation from Al Morrow, the head coach of the men’s rowing program at the University of Victoria. He offered me a flight to the West Coast of Canada to check out what he was up to, building a feeder program for the Canadian National Team. I accepted.

Continued in my SubStack—link in bio. Enjoy!

Overcoming Burnout: Signs, Solutions, and Preventi

Overcoming Burnout: Signs, Solutions, and Prevention.

Simply put, you can't ignore the stats: 2 to 3-fold increase in workplace burnout since 2000.

Yes, I’ve had an intimate relationship with burnout. When I retired from rowing in 1990, it wasn’t because I had exhausted my potential, accomplished everything I wanted to, and was now ready and excited to move on and explore life’s next chapter, far from it. It was because I couldn’t stand the thought of having to train another day. I was done physically, emotionally, and mentally, and not in a good place—angry, resentful, bitter, and lost would better describe my circumstances.

That after years of not being able to get enough of the sport. I couldn’t train enough or spend time enough thinking and dreaming about rowing; it was my life—who I was. And therein lies the problem: no balance, no boundaries, and no perspective.

Looking back now, yes, if given the chance of a do-over, I’d not only do it differently, but I’d be different as well. It wasn’t just the hours of commitment but who I was in that commitment. When we look at the research that points to the reasons people burnout, whether it’s sports, business or life, our mental and emotional well-being is paramount.

For high-performers in sports, burnout manifests as an overtraining syndrome—physical exhaustion paired with mental fog. Motivation dissipates, performance declines, and injuries spike as the body pleads for a break. A Journal of Sports Sciences study found that 10-20% of elite athletes experience burnout, often derailing careers. It’s the double-edged sword of that relentless drive. What I was admired for when I first began rowing became the source of my own undoing.
Continued in my SubStack—link in bio. Enjoy!

What happens when we find our life's calling at 50

What happens when we find our life's calling at 50?

Well, I guess the obvious answer is that life gets more interesting and maybe even a little bit better!

I met an old rowing friend at a local coffee shop a few weeks ago. I’m not a coffee drinker; I’ll usually have tea. Occasionally, though, I’ll indulge in a non-dairy hot chocolate—it takes me back to cold winter days in St. Catharines, playing hockey outdoors on a nearby rink. Yes, the rich chocolaty drink is warm and satisfying, and I enjoy it, but truth be told, I love the childhood memories that come with it. Those were good days, and I was a fortunate young kid to have the rink basically in my backyard.

My friend hadn’t arrived yet, so I put our drinks down at a table and took a moment to investigate the artwork on the walls. One of the things I appreciate about the independents is that they often feature local artists' work. In another life, I wanted to be one of those artist—an illustrator, more specifically. Therefore, any time I have a chance to see what one of them is up to, I take it.

The paintings were vibrant and attention-grabbing. A few still lifes and some landscapes as well—the scenes were uniquely West Coast. Nothing political. No big commentary on society. Just medium-to-large-sized canvases with beautiful attention to detail, resulting from someone who knew how to control a brush and mix colour. For me, the influences appeared to be the vibrant colour of Roy Vickers and the style of Lawren Harris, along with some of the other Group of Seven. Basically, it was “eye candy,” as one of my early university instructors used to refer to this kind of work complete with a generous tone of condescending judgment.

Continued in my SubStack—link in my bio. Enjoy!

Nutrition for the Mind: Foods That Boost Focus and

Nutrition for the Mind: Foods That Boost Focus and Energy.

If you've ever stuffed your face with sugary treats and thirty minutes later, it felt like someone poured concrete into your legs, you know from experience the impact of our food choices.

My journey into the world of alternative food and nutrition began at a time when we didn’t know much about the choices we made regarding how we fueled ourselves. There were no computers with search engines, no podcasts, not many books, and no real way to “do our own research.” Therefore, we relied on what our parents learned from their parents.

Like most of us, I was raised in a meat-and-potatoes-centric household. Sunday night dinners were at the dining room table, and it was usually a roast beef with baked potatoes, vegetables, salad, dinner buns, and a store-bought dessert. Oh, and we washed it all down with a couple’ glasses of milk. I’m not complaining. I mean, as dinners go from the 1960s and ’70s, that sounds like a good one!

But with the eighties came “health food” stores, where I began to make my own peanut butter and explore the claims of vitamins and supplements that were coming on the market. As a teenage athlete, I was keen to learn anything and everything to help with my training. Soon, protein powders and raw eggs à la Rocky were part of my nutrition routine.

In 1984, I saw an iridologist who, based on the colours and patterns she saw in my iris, suggested that I eliminate red meat and dairy products from my diet. “Whoa—you want me to stop eating burgers and drinking milk?” Yikes, needless to say, my mom was not impressed; I, on the other hand, was curious. I decided to try it for a few months and see what happened.

Continued in my SubStack—link in bio. Enjoy!

The "pain-cave" paradigm sounds enticing enough, b

The "pain-cave" paradigm sounds enticing enough, but it's a limiting strategy.

And that's coming from someone who used to buy into all of the egoic BS surrounding rowing and how "tough" we were—or thought we were!

When I think back to my days of rowing, for a non-contact sport, it certainly had its fair share of macho-laden rhetoric hell-bent on portraying rowers as mean, tough, and able to withstand unusual amounts of discomfort. And I guess, in some respects, there’s truth in that portrayal—rowing can hurt, and if that’s a problem for you, finding another sport might be a good idea.

Case in point, I recall my first year at Syracuse University when our freshman coach shared a study done at Cornell University during his time rowing there in the 70’s. The researchers were trying to determine the psychological makeup of members of the crew team (rowers) with two questions: why were they able to endure extended periods of extreme pain, and what drew these athletes to such a gruelling sport in the first place?

I specifically remember feeling a jolt of excitement hearing the news. “Wow, see, I am special—rowers are tougher than most people,” was my inner voice response as I anticipated our coach’s explanation. Straightfaced, he looked at me and the others in the room and said, “They determined nothing—nothing special or different other than rowers are just weird, I guess!” he said with a boisterous laugh.

Disappointed but not wanting to appear as such, I sheepishly asked, “Really? That’s it; they didn’t find anything unique or special about rowers?” I was desperate for scientific proof that my inner story about being a bad-ass, tougher-than-tough rower had some scientific backing. Turns out, no such luck—hmm, maybe I was just weird!

For the most part, impressive ergometer scores were the badges we sought after—a numerical marker that assigned you a position, good or otherwise, in a pecking order.

“What’d you pull?” The one and only question you’d be met with from your teammates after your test. Understandably, it became your calling card—we put a lot of credence into that number.

Continued in my SubStack—link in bio. Enjoy!

I've never been interviewed by a sports psychologi

I've never been interviewed by a sports psychologist—this was an interesting conversation. Really enjoyed his insights. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts... enjoy!

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