A complete mental health is not merely about the absence of mental illness. Yet, surprisingly few studies in a sport context have focused on understanding what contributes to positive mental health and high levels of well-being. Drawing on the Mental Health Continuum model (Keyes, 2002), Dr Kurtis Pankow recently completed a PhD dissertation that sought answers to this question. In this podcast, we explore the three empirical studies that formed the dissertation.


Key topics of the conversation include: How do coaches and athletes find balance? Can we find "too much" meaning in sport? And should we be concerned if athletes wish to spend time off from sport?


Dr Kurtis Pankow recently defended his PhD dissertation titled “Exploring Flourishing in Canadian University Sport” at the University of Alberta, and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at Queens University on a project focused on student mental health.


You can follow Kurtis on Twitter @K_Pankow.


The first part of the conversation is available here.