The Athletes Podcast

The Goalie Therapist's Playbook - Dusty Imoo - Episode #262

• David Stark • Season 1 • Episode 262

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Dusty Imoo, also known as "The Goalie Therapist," shares his journey from professional hockey goaltender to mental performance coach, offering insights on managing stress and finding balance in high-performance situations. Drawing from his 15-year career, most recently coaching with the Los Angeles Kings, Fort Wayne Comets, and Japanese national team, he provides practical wisdom for athletes looking to optimize their mental approach.

• Mental performance often separates good athletes from great ones once physical skills reach a certain level
• Simplifying your approach reduces anxiety rather than adding multiple techniques and routines
• Balance is crucial - you can maintain drive and ambition without sacrificing enjoyment
• The "mamba mentality" isn't the only path to success - sustainable passion comes from a good place
• Forcing children into sports rarely works - passion must come from within
• Parental support without pressure created Dusty's natural drive for excellence
• Later career years were his most enjoyable after shifting his mindset about performance
• Finding balance led to career longevity rather than burnout

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Speaker 1:

So I would get up at like 7, drive for the 10 am skate, do the skate go, do the grind, have a bar or whatever might pack a lunch or whatever, eat something, and on the way back I would hit the Newton Gold's gym and hit the gym and then get back home to White Rock and hit the gym and then get back home to White Rock.

Speaker 2:

Hey folks, welcome back to the 262nd episode of the Athletes Podcast today, featuring Dusty Emu, also known as the goalie therapist. He's worked for the Los Angeles Kings, played for the Fort Wayne Comets and represented the Japanese national team as a nice hockey goaltender, someone who I was very grateful to be able to spend 45 minutes with driving around locally here in White Rock, south Surrey, british Columbia, in our brand new plug-in electric vehicle, that being this fantastic Jeep that Pioneer Alder Group Alder Grove has provided with us, and it's been such a pleasure being able to drive this thing around in electric mode so that it doesn't sound crazy loud and we can listen to the amazing insights that dusty has in this episode. We can't forget about our partners in perfect sports supplements and can I, wellness supplements for providing us with the best products available. You can get perfect sports by using the code ap15, getting 15 off at checkout when you use that code, and if you send me a screenshot of your order, I might even be able to send you some more stuff as a thank you for listening to this episode and for subscribing to the entire podcast, because ultimately, you want to stay up to date every single week, when we drop new episodes, when we release prizes, when we give you amazing insights, knowledge and wisdom, all for free. All you got to do is hit the subscribe button. So I guess it's not free, but without further ado, let's get to the 262nd episode of the Athletes Podcast, featuring Dusty Emu.

Speaker 2:

Here we go. You're the most decorated racquetball player in US history, world's strongest man, from childhood passion to professional athlete, eight-time Ironman champion. So what was it like making your debut in the NHL? What is your biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes, from underdogs to national champions? This is the Athletes Podcast, where high-performance individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons to educate, entertain and inspire the next generation of athletes. Here we go. How?

Speaker 1:

long have you been doing it like?

Speaker 2:

this, the mobile podcast, has been about three, four months. We've been working with Pioneer Jeep Chrysler out in Aldergrove.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So they hooked us up with this amazing Jeep. No way yeah we get to drive around interview incredible individuals like yourself on the show you know Do you want me to roll up?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we can probably roll up. We got the ac on, we're in uh, we're in electric mode so it stays nice and quiet for us. During the conversation, when you said jeep, I was like he's doing a pod in the jeep.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because I've only known, been in jeeps where it's like they're probably the loudest cars on the planet trying to highlight the fact that this plug-in electric jeep is pretty dang cool and and you know everyone's driving trying to save the environment. You know we're just trying to do our part, highlighting the amazing things that Pioneers got going on and, like what you got going on, helping out the next generation. You know we got to try and do the same here. That's what our goal with the Athletes Podcast is Educate, entertain and inspire the next generation. Get to drive around South Surreyrey where you're from, where I'm from, uh and just learn a bit more about what the the goalie therapist has got going on my, my son was just asking so what are you guys talking to talk about?

Speaker 1:

and I said you know what I have no idea like because I know I've seen what your your content and really geared around health and athletics and those types of people anyways, mm-hmm and I'm loosely around that. But I don't do a ton of interviews regarding the past, all the crap stuff with Toronto and all that and being canceled and stuff. But I have done a few Mm-hmm but I also leave it open Like I'll talk about whatever. But there's, I love getting into the, you know, when people ask me more about what I'm doing now. Yeah, you know, I thought that I love everything, good and bad, in the past. I embrace it all and it creates who you are right For sure. And it creates who you are right For sure. But I told him, I said I don't know, maybe he'll go down avenues I had no idea. I kind of like it, like that.

Speaker 2:

I had Paris O'Brien on the podcast about a month ago, so talking about a Chinese national goalie, I've had about maybe a dozen goalies on. I myself, as goalie growing up, have a huge passion and I feel like we're actually the best athletes out there. So, selfishly, I'm trying to showcase that via the Athletes Podcast, with 260 episodes to date, but Hutch from Ingo Mag being my uncle, kevin Woodley working closely with them, I've also been able to learn about the goalie world and the fact that we got a lot of stuff going on up here that maybe not necessarily other athletes do, or maybe they do to some degree, but I figured bringing you on would be an amazing opportunity to educate that next generation as to how they should maybe be thinking about approaching their sports whether it's as a goaltender or any other sport.

Speaker 2:

Frankly, what is it? Ben Hogan or lee travino? One of those famous golfers said that 90 of golf's in between the head, and then so is the other 10 or something like that, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

well, you know, goalies are, it is true, a bit of a different breed, but a lot of this stuff that I I teach from the goaltending aspect can translate to whoever and that's kind of how the goalie therapist really has morphed into more of myself being more of a life coach, because as time went on, I realized I can help anybody with the way I think and the way I go about things and the way I went about things as a younger pro and even back in junior and all the mistakes along the way and how we thought we had to think and be to be successful. In that. Really I learned a lot, I think, and it's kind of created who the goalie therapist now in the business is, but it definitely there are things you can take specifically from goaltending and the way you think as a goaltender and apply that into all other aspects, whether it be your business, life in general, and that's what really has created this whole thing where we're at now.

Speaker 2:

That's kind of why I was also excited about getting you on the show, because obviously I have this passion project in the Athletes Podcast. I played a bunch of sports growing up was never necessarily good enough to make it to the pro level. I played a bunch of sports growing up was never necessarily good enough to make it to the pro level, but feel like I can play enough and to a level at which I can chop it up with most people Right. A lot of the next level that people talk about comes from the mental aspect as well. Oh yeah, and I myself, with a lot on the go between Cookstark Management, our female athlete agency, the podcast podcast and my full-time job, I tend to get overwhelmed, I tend to get a little stressed out and I'm curious if you have specific coping mechanisms that you teach to your young athletes as to how to handle, manage that stress. Are there specific kind of you know, you've got box breathing.

Speaker 2:

You've got your five, four, three, two. One method. I've learned a little bit through therapy, but like, what's your kind of methodology right? If you were to teach it to young adults who are trying to become the best athletes they can be? What are your suggestions to them? Off the hop, just getting started the beginning.

Speaker 1:

The beginning it's a great topic because it really does come down to that um for high level athletes, and you kind of get to a point and if you have talent and hard work, a good work ethic, you you can kind of start going in the right direction. But then you hit this point where other things start to creep in and now you start to have ups and downs and and that's where really the challenge is so great topic and I love to start there with the kids, especially the younger kids, to try to get them to see this before they hit that point where they're still having fun and they're still having a good time but they're getting all this pressure to make the spring team, make all these teams, and so that's really where the joy is in helping the younger kids. My, my personal approach is just and I think this has helped me with with teaching. This is helping the young kids has helped me teach it to all kinds of people, because with kids you need to simplify and that's kind of how I always rolled in the first place. So I think my biggest way of success towards helping people understand how to go about lowering anxiety heading into high-pressure situations is not filling it up with so much and I'm not ripping on I I love when people have uh organization and they they like to write things down and make a one to ten list of you know top priorities of what they need to work on all this stuff.

Speaker 1:

But it can really build the anxiety, especially if you're like, say, someone that is really overly OCD with everything. Simplifying can really be helpful in lowering the anxiety. So I try to give small points, one at a time, and and use personal experiences. Okay, um, so I use a lot of examples, as opposed to saying let's use this method, like when you're some of the things you were just mentioning, they all have value. But if I slap on all these approaches and then really hunkering down on this one way of doing like you got to do your affirmations at this time, when you wake up, you got to go do your breathing, you got to get your feet grounded to the earth. All of these different things are great, but you unknowingly, you're actually building a little bit more anxiety if you have too much on your plate.

Speaker 1:

Okay, trying to stick to the routine I would pick one or two things to focus on for a good stretch of time. Say, I'm just going to do this okay, does that make sense?

Speaker 2:

for sure? So, instead of overwhelming yourself with 62 different things, yeah, during your day, to structure it so that you're optimized, reducing it to two or three right that you can make sure you can complete right full succession every single day, no matter what exactly.

Speaker 1:

And the funny thing is, you know, I look back at myself, my younger self and very driven and very committed to the, you know, extreme. Yeah, and my wife I remember she's in the summers would be like you know what part of the day is for the family. Yeah, and because I would, I would leave there back in the day. There used to be only one pro skate and that was for years. It was moody park in new west and then we shifted it to can land in north van and so we're here. So I would get up at like seven, drive for the 10 am skate, do the skate, go do the grind, have a bar, whatever, and might pack a lunch or whatever, eat something, and on the way back I would hit the newton gold's gym and hit the gym and then get back home to white rock and that was my summer. Wow. And. But really it didn't have to be like that. I can still get my. I could have gotten my work done and just planned it better and have more balance.

Speaker 1:

And if you've ever listened to me, whether it be on social or worked with me, balance is a big thing for me, because I didn't do that. There were a lot of good things I could pick out from my career. You know anyone that plays 15 years pro did some things right, but there were a lot of things that didn't need to be the way they were. So I think having a good balance and this leads back to what we're discussing here is when you're working on something. If you focus on the balance of yourself first and foremost, all these other little things you're going to be working on are going to be a lot smoother and you really need to like what you're talking about with yourself when you're trying to build businesses and do this, and that you've got to take a step back and look at yourself. Okay, myself, where am I at? How am I doing Right? Am I enjoying myself? You got to kind of start to find a better balance. Then you go tackle something.

Speaker 2:

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Speaker 2:

Yeah, I definitely struggle smelling the roses, as they say. For sure, for sure, I'm not good at it. I am constantly being reminded by others. Not good at it. I am constantly being reminded by others. But I think I've also, I guess, been exposed to people saying, mentioning, and like I, kind of. When I hear you saying you're looking for balance, I'm curious do you think you would have played 15 years professional if you were balanced growing up and throughout those years where you were training, working that hard like do you, would you have gotten to that level if you were balanced?

Speaker 1:

a lot.

Speaker 1:

Of this is a good, good question too, because anyone that is really striving and stuff a lot of people gravitate towards uh, the mama mentality yeah, they love seeing the, the grant cardones, the, the and even kobe bryantants, and and these high, high level achievers, and they figure that that must be the reason, right, I believe you can have things about the mama mentality and I think I had that okay. But I also believe you can keep some of that but still balance your life out better and better and enjoy yourself along the way. That's where a lot you you miss out a lot and and don't uh, I don't think they smell the roses the way you said it. Um, I think you can do that.

Speaker 1:

I found at the end of my career the last jeez. Six, seven years. It just got better and better and better and better and better and at the end I only retired for my family. I would have played another five years for sure. Yeah, because I was loving the game, I was taking care of myself better and not in the drinking area, yet I had that wasn't until I was done hockey. But I really think you can still have that fire and drive, but it's come from a good place. I was more for years, especially through, especially through my second year junior, third year junior. Once I became the top-ranked goalie in the NHL draft. It was like it shifted. Up until that point I was just going hard and loving it, I was just the man. But then it shifted and it was this chip on my shoulder to prove everybody wrong that I wasn't too small and I had to show everybody and this went on for quite a few years until I left and was in Japan. Once I got there, I started to see a whole different thing about the game and where I was with the game. So I believe, to answer your question, I believe you can uh get to where you want to go without just only living your life with that mama mentality. I only that. I believe you can have balance, like I do believe this is probably the most important thing.

Speaker 1:

Unknowingly, my parents, I think, had a big part to play in what created my drive and everything. It wasn't, though. My dad was telling me anything. He wasn't an athlete. My mom wasn't an athlete. They were so quiet, but I think that was the key for it. Really, they allowed me to just go get it and and and play anything I wanted to play and just cheered me on and made me just want to go to the ball diamond in the summers I I was as good a baseball player, as I was a hockey player and I love that. And then in the winter I was just couldn't wait to get play hockey and and I think them allowing me to just enjoy the sports I was playing started to create that.

Speaker 1:

Um, there, I'm not gonna lie, there is something in people sometimes yeah like as a little kid I wasn't getting it from my mom or dad, like seeing my dad go out and do something. You know he's so driven. He wasn't, he was just guy went to work at ford warehouse, you know well, maybe that work ethic on its own just being able to wake up at four.

Speaker 2:

Do that I?

Speaker 1:

don't know if I appreciated back then, but I do. You know, man, like getting up every day and doing that same job. I had to work there a few summers yeah as a young teenager and that was just before junior and into junior and I realized, I realized what hell he did every day. So without him teaching me verbally definitely showed me commitment to the family anyways, and what I didn't want to do, right, sometimes those jobs like I roofed for a day and it was a day.

Speaker 2:

It was a long day and it didn't want to do Right yeah.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes those jobs like I roofed for a day, and it was a day, it was a long day and it didn't happen after that.

Speaker 2:

But I you know, you, you've learned that from your parents the ability to work, work ethic, those things don't necessarily always come naturally. How does that impact you raising your two sons, three, three Sons, and a daughter and a daughter.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the Three Sons and a daughter and a daughter. Yeah, the three boys, all very different. We both, my wife and I, tried really hard to kind of follow that way of being with our kids in sports. Everyone thinks that me, being a pro athlete, I would have been a lot more, and especially because one of them played pro. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I would have been a lot more, and especially because one of them played pro, that I was teaching and on the ice, you know dedication and all that. And it was quite the opposite. I told them early on that I was never going to push them. If I had to pull or push, then that's not the sport. The sport for them. Right that they're not going to be anything anyway.

Speaker 2:

Dusty emu thank you for coming on the athletes podcast. I appreciate it. Fellow whoop user, we're not talking training, we're talking mental mindset today. Thank you, folks for tuning in, really appreciate you. We'll see you next week. Thanks again, dusty.

Speaker 2:

Just want to say thank you, folks for tuning in to the 262nd episode of the Athletes Podcast. I do have to apologize, we've been sporadic in getting our content out on that weekly cadence that we love to adhere to. But we want to say thank you to you folks for continuing to support us, following along, witnessing what an incredible journey we've been on. And we want to say thank you to our partners, perfect Sports Supplements, for continuing to be the best in the business, providing us with the best protein possible in diesel and providing you guys with an incredible discount code, that being AP15 at checkout to save 15%. I also want us to thank our producer, ryan Locke. Give him a shout out down below. The guy's an absolute gem for putting this together every single week. And again, shout out to you for listening, getting yourself a little bit better today. I hope you have a great rest of your day, a great rest of your week, and we'll see you next week for another new episode of the Athletes Podcast. My name is David Stark. Thanks for tuning in, bye.

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