#30 - VALentine’s Day in September?

Girls Gone Gritty

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In this episode of Girls Gone Gritty, the hosts chat with Val Barnaby, a former NFL player and fitness coach. Val shares his approach to training and personal growth, focusing on living in the moment while working for the future.
He talks about the importance of tailoring workouts to each athlete, building both their strengths and weaknesses, and the value of balancing sports and managing time. Val also dives into mental toughness and how it plays a key role in both fitness and life. His insights are perfect for anyone looking to grow, whether on the field or off.
Connect with Val:
Valentine Barnaby is not your typical youth-athlete turned successful adult, coach and mentor. Val began playing youth sports at a young age and continued into his adult life recognizing that the challenges faced in everyday life can be as daunting as those faced on the court and athletic field. Through his work ethic, dedication, and drive, he created a successful athletic high school career, which carried him through college and beyond as a youth-athlete trainer, mentor and fitness professional.
As a three-sport athlete at Franklin High School, including soccer, football and track, he was determined to make the best of every bad situation and turn every good situation great. Following high school, Val earned a full scholarship to Rutgers University, where he helped propel the team to their first national ranking in decades. Yet his mantra was always, “Academics first, athletics second.” As he explains, “I made a promise to my mother that I will not leave college without my degree.” He fulfilled that promise and more, founding and launching ESSA (Explosive, Strength, Speed, Agility) Sports Performance & Fitness a decade later.

Website: https://www.essasportsperformance.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essasportsfitness/
X: https://twitter.com/essasportsperf1

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(2:23) Val’s mantra: Live in the moment, work for the future
(5:35) The importance of understanding and adjusting training for each athlete
(8:59) Tackling injury prevention and balancing weak sides
(17:42) Time management for multi-sport athletes
(25:59) Overcoming anxiety and mental barriers in sports
(34:41) Val’s fitness studio: ESSA Sports Performance and Fitness
(40:40) Outro

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