July 6, 2022 • 48 mins
Research has shown that playing golf has demonstrable benefits for people. Whether it be improved quality of life, increased life expectancy, or improved mental health, golf has been a significant catalyst for people in realizing these benefits. In today's episode, special guest host Cara Erdheim Kilgallen explores the topic of "Health, Wellness, and Golf" with Liesbeth Pauwels.
For close to a decade, Liesbeth has been at the front of this movement that seeks to enrichen the lives of people through golf. Combining her golf background with her educational background in Kinesiology (University of British Columbia), Liesbeth has founded LP Golf Performance, working with recreational players, and aspiring elite players teaching body movement, yoga, nutrition, and more.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen is a tenured professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a passion for golf and the nourishment that the sport provides whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual. She is deeply interested in the democratization of golf as a sport for the masses. She also is featured contributor with the World of Golf.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Douglas Maida (00:12):
Hello, and good afternoon. Welcome to our show.
We're talking golf. My name isDouglas Maida, and I'm the host
(00:35):
of this show. Now today we'regoing to have a show that
focuses on health, wellness andgolf. Golf is one of those few
sports in life where you canplay it for a lifetime. Whether
you pick it up as a youngster,or carry through into your
earlier adult years youth years,are right into your retirement
(00:57):
years. It truly is a game thatcan facilitate all sorts of
players of different ages anddifferent skills.
In today's episode, we're goingto have a special guest host.
Her name is Cara Kilgallen andshe's a professor at Sacred
Heart University in Connecticut.
She is going to be speaking witha special guest Liesbeth Pauwels
from LP Golf Performance. Nowmany of you will recognize
(01:20):
Liesbeth from having been afrequent guest on our show. Over
the last three seasons. BothLiesbeth and Cara are very
passionate about golf, healthand wellness. Now, if you've
listened to this program overthe past couple of years, you'll
know that Liesbeth is a verystrong proponent and advocate of
all things health, wellness andgolf. Liesbeth is one of them
(01:41):
for most leading edge proponentsfor this type of approach to
golf. Her holistic methods haveformed the basis of several of
her programs that she shares andworks with, with her
international students and herprofessional students in Holland
and elsewhere.
(02:02):
Now before we get to this, we'dlike to take a short break so we
can get to some short messagesbefore we come back and you get
introduced to our special guesthost Cara Kilgallen. So thank
you for joining us, and pleasestay with us.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (04:17):
Good morning. Good afternoon. My name
is Cara Erdheim Kilgallen and Iam an English professor at
Sacred Heart University inFairfield, Connecticut. I'm from
(04:37):
New York City which is where Iam currently and I am just
really really thrilled to behere today. I am a longtime
recreational golfer andpassionate golfer golf
enthusiast and so we are heretoday with Liesbeth Pauwels Who
has created the LP GolfPerformance.
(04:59):
I'm and she's going to talk tous today about golf and
wellness. Today is the currentday we It's a time when we're
all, I think searching for somesort of physical, mental,
spiritual, emotional wellness inmany areas of our lives. And
(05:19):
many of us find it on the golfcourse. And I think that
Liesbeth today will tell us alittle bit about what she does.
And I just wanted to introduceher and she's going to enlighten
us on health, wellness, and thegolfing adventure.
(05:40):
So, Liesbeth, thank you. We'rethrilled to have you.
Liesbeth Pauwels (05:44):
Well, thank you for having me on the show
once again.
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (05:50):
Absolutely.
Absolutely. Before I launch intomy questions, I just wanted to
give a little bit morebackground on Liesbeth is a
graduate of the University ofBritish Columbia, with a degree
in kinesiology. So she brings tothe table a very rich science
background, as well as a loveand a passion for the game of
golf. She is based in Amsterdam,she works extensively with the
(06:13):
National Golf Federation. Andshe works closely in terms of
coaching with aspiring and adultaspiring golfers, professional
golfers and adult recreationalplayers as well. So Liesbeth has
a lot to offer. And I justwanted to maybe begin with a
question. And is there anythingleast but before I launch into
(06:40):
my question that you want tojust add about your your
background?
Liesbeth Pauwels (06:47):
Oh, no, this is, this was perfect. Yeah, this
was summarized it really, reallywell. Because there's, I mean,
there's a ton a ton more goingon. But I think this was such a
great summary, I couldn't havedone it myself. So
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (07:03):
Well, you know, it's easy, you have so
much wonderful material outthere. And I just I loved
learning about all that you do.
And you know that the wonderfulwork that you do with golfers,
you know, not only in terms ofthe technical side of the game,
but also the the spiritual andthe and the mental side of the
game too. So really, reallyterrific.
(07:25):
So my first question is, as . .
. I'm a professor, an Englishprofessor, so I'm a professor of
literature. And I'm also awriter, interested in wellness
and golf and overall health. SoI'd like to begin our
conversation with some of yourown words of wisdom, which,
which is a quote I found by you.
And that is, "the end goal ofeverything that I do is to help
golfers to a better health andvitality." So how does this
(07:49):
philosophy inform and inspireyour work as a golf movement
specialist and a performancecoach,
Liesbeth Pauwels (07:57):
it's it really boils down to kind of my belief
of helping people to move betterand increase their movement
capacity and live healthier thatthis will inevitably help them
to play better goals for longerand with greater joy and
fulfillment. And, yeah, so kindof, although my, my work is very
(08:20):
niched, it's very specific, itreally enables anyone who kind
of has the benefit of maybedoing my method, or even the
fitness or yoga in general ortailored towards schools, to
enjoy the vitality and wellbeing way beyond the golf
(08:40):
course, and or within the golfperformance parameters.
And in the end, my mission is astrong, healthy golf community
to be able to create that, tosupport that and to grow that
and I'm also about performance,but without health, there's no
(09:04):
performance. There's nodurability in performance, and
there's definitely no highperformance. So that's the
fundament, really.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (09:14):
Wow. And it seems like you really take a
holistic approach to health,which is what we're seeing a lot
more I know, at least in the inthe US with with our health
care, which, you know, certainlycertainly needs a lot of work,
you know, just everywhere. Imean, it's it's unfortunate to
see so many unwell people outthere, but I think that there's
a move at least to try in the USto create more of a holistic
(09:37):
approach to health, thinking notjust about health in certain
compartments, but and not justas physical but also as
emotional, spiritual,psychological, and I think
that's a that's a positive move.
So it seems like you take aholistic approach to health and
golf as well.
Liesbeth Pauwels (09:56):
Definitely, my method is very holistic.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (10:07):
Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you. Thank you.
And golf is so mental. youknow, I play often with my
husband who took up the gameI've been playing since I was
like about 10. But my husbandtook it up at 40. And he was an
athlete, and I don't think herealized, you know, other sports
(10:28):
are mental, but not in quite thesame way that golf is.
So that leads me into mynexKBong × t question, which
has to do with the mind bodyconnection, and also perhaps the
spirit or the soul or call itwhat you like a heart? So what
extent do you see golf as a gamethat combines not only the
physical and mental but alsopotentially, the spiritual or if
(10:51):
someone may not, you know, bespiritual, perhaps the
emotional, right? Getting tothat sort of deeper beyond the
mind. So I'm thinking here aboutthe golf yoga retreat that
you've created and founded.
Liesbeth Pauwels (11:07):
Spirituality really, for me doesn't evolve
around, kind of sitting on thecushion all day long, or that
being more spiritual than doingthe dishes. And as far as I'm
concerned, this is spiritual,like you said, well, however you
want to call it in a way thatresonates with you. It's, it's
(11:33):
to me about are you beingidentified by your thoughts? Or
are you observing them? Kind of,are you identified by your
behavior? Or are you observingit? are you reacting? Or are you
(11:53):
acting? And are you identified?
Or maybe ruled by your emotions?
Or are you also the observer?
Hmm. And, in my opinion, golf isan excellent way to practice all
of this, because we arecontinually challenged in these
in these ways.
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (12:17):
Absolutely.
Absolutely. And to kind offollow up on that question, to
what extent I mean, you are astudent of science. And, you
know, you have an expertise inKinesiology. So I'm sort of
curious to what extent do youcombine like Western practices
with Eastern? Because I'mthinking of the science
background on the one hand, butalso the yoga on the other?
Liesbeth Pauwels (12:42):
Um, yeah, I kind of follow my intuition in
that. I don't, for me, there's,there's no, like, it's not
either or, like, it's both. Anddepending on the subject, or on
(13:08):
the matter that we're talking.
I'm, I'm then more lean towardsfinding the resources from the
science or more from kind of theEastern sides. But definitely
Eastern philosophy inspires meand really, personally. brings
me a lot of hope and faith andinspiration. Yeah.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (13:39):
Wonderful.
Wonderful. Thank you. Thank youso much. So I guess my third
question, which is a little bitof connection to to the previous
one, and this is how does youracademic math background and
kinesiology inform your programon movement and golf?
Liesbeth Pauwels (13:57):
Um, well, really, what's actually what's
been the most valuable to kindof my program is the fact that I
was a student at the Universityof British Columbia and that I
was there and enjoyed thislifetime experience as an
(14:18):
international student, whichenabled me to create the program
I the programs I can create tothis day and to be the coach
that I am today. And, yeah, Ilearned the fundamentals of the
sports physiology, anatomy,sociology, and the psychology
and these are all absolutelyfundamental like. However, my
(14:44):
specialization really stems fromthe TPI, that's the Titleist
Performance Institute.
And I think that my expertisereally got elevated from working
with tons and tons of golfersfrom all ages and all levels and
yeah, I, I was fortunate to, toalready assisting the varsity
(15:11):
golf themes while I was at thestudying at UBC. And I loved it
so much that I was also mentoredby Jason Glass. Who was the head
coach for the strength andconditioning teams? And yeah, so
it's it's really that wholeexperience and kind of, indeed,
(15:31):
the fundamentals and the scienceknowledge that helps me to
create, really, yeah, theprograms that I have right now,
and but I think the really, thepart of being becoming a golf
movement expert only began aftermy degree. That's, I think
(15:54):
we're, we're begins, right,that's where you actually have
to go out and seek out theopportunities for yourself and
no one's going to hand that toyou like both in finding out the
certifications that match yourgoals and that match your Yeah,
what you what you like to do aswell, what you enjoy doing.
(16:16):
So for me, that was TPI, andthen yoga, and then some
additional, more specialized,like the FMS and the SuperSpeed.
But yeah, I kinda, I kind ofwent all in in there. Also, in
(16:36):
the experience of coaching,golfers like, there were days
that I would wake up at 5amstart coaching at seven until
nine, and then I was drivingaround the whole country, to
either coach or givepresentation or clinics and even
(16:57):
to, you know, try to sell myclasses to new courses or new
clubs. And through that, Iactually go to work with so many
golfers and learn more abouttheir problems, their what
they're longing for their, theircommon challenges, and I think I
have benefit. That was like,Yeah, another level to add it
(17:22):
to, to how I structure andinform my programs to these
days.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (17:29):
Wonderful.
I'm already thinking of thewheels are turning, because I'm,
as I said, I'm a professor atSacred Heart University in
Fairfield, Connecticut, but wehave, we have a golf course. And
we have a growing sort of GolfManagement Program. So my wheels
are turning, I'm thinking,collaboration connections, I'm
always I'd love it, we'd be Wewould be honored. So we can we
can chat. But um,
Liesbeth Pauwels (17:53):
yeah, I think I also want to add, because
it's, this is something that I'mvery passionate about, like, you
know, for maybe aspiring coachesas well, or anyone who ever
wants to achieve a goal in lifeand has a big dream, like I
have, and like I had, it's, youknow, you have to go out there.
(18:18):
The, in terms of coaching, likepeople won't come to you for the
certifications, or, I mean,they're necessary, but the
people will reach out to you,because they want to feel a
connection. And I think also, sodeliberately working on yourself
(18:39):
is really important as a coach,and that's where I get a lot of
value. Coming back to yourearlier question. From the kind
of more of the eastern side, Iget a lot. Yeah, I do a lot of
work in that for myself, becausemy value is to always kind of
practice what I preach. And if Iasked my students to invest in
(19:03):
themselves, or to be coachable,or to look in the mirror, or to
go outside their comfort zones,or even to rest and recover and
take a break, that's, you know,exactly what I'm also asking of
myself, and as a coach, I thinkit's a very necessary aspect
(19:24):
that you should have, because,yeah, if you do the work
yourself, it enables you toexperience it. But inevitably,
you also help your students withit, because yeah, you're you're
I think you're also set anexample then without saying it,
(19:46):
that you're doing it, you know?
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (19:48):
Absolutely.
And you are a truly authenticrole model. I think, you know,
that these days, we hear a lotabout role models, and it's
important to develop role modelsand find them by How to find
authentic ones is is tougher. Soyou know, I can already see the
authenticity coming out, whichis, which is lovely. Could you
speak a little bit to yourbackground as a golfer? Just
(20:12):
just to kind of let the audienceknow a little bit about, you
know, there? You know, some maybe aware, but but we would love
to hear about your, your kind ofpast and current role was a
golfer?
Liesbeth Pauwels (20:29):
Absolutely.
Well, let me begin my, thecurrent state of my golf game,
it's, it's pretty non existent.
Because, yeah, the matter of thefact is that I'm out on the
course quite often, but I enjoycoaching way more than maybe
playing at this moment in time.
And that's just really where allmy focus goes. But yeah, I tried
(20:52):
to play now I would, I would saymaybe three times a year. That's
like, hardly anything, but everytime I play, I'm like, Oh, I am
gonna, you know, I'm now I'mgonna practice and I'm really
gonna go again and set this upin my calendar, and I'm not
(21:13):
going to miss it. But then, youknow, I'm also very ambitious
and then work comes and not ayear passes. And, yeah, so
that's the state of my currentgame. I'd like to mention that
the state of my future game,hopefully, we'll be looking much
more existent. And I'll be ableto, yeah, play more often.
(21:40):
It's really one of the long termgoals that I have for me to be
able to, yeah, enjoy playingrounds myself again. Because
when I, you know, when I'm outon the course I can, I'm like,
literally, they're in the roleof a coach. And it's, I find it
(22:00):
challenging to switch them to bea player. But that's kind of
what I say to my players aswell, when I'm out there with
them. I'm not playing but I'mthere as a coach. And if I play
then, I always mentioned look,I'm here, I'm not here as a
coach, I'm just a player.
Because to me, these are twoYeah, these roles, I can't seem
to merge, not just Yes. So yeah.
(22:27):
And then in the past, I, youknow, took up the game. When I
was around 13. I, I wascompetitive in other sports, and
I thought Golf was very boring.
And it wasn't for me until mydad really made me go to take
lessons. And luckily, my coachat the time, he was from
(22:52):
Iceland, and he was this reallytall. Yeah, big guy who had this
long blonde hair was like aViking looking, got high,
really, really tall. And the wayhe approached the game at that
time was quite, you know, uniquein a way that he also was
(23:15):
already doing strength andconditioning exercises, he was
looking into nutrition and hewas very into the mindset of the
game. And for me, that kind ofresonated, not kind of it
resonated a lot and and thenfrom there I Yeah, got very
passionate about training andtraining and training until I
(23:39):
got injured realizing now that Iyou know, didn't train the right
way and that's also kind ofwhere my drive stems from, from
my early days of being injuredof not really good taking good
care of my body doing too muchtoo soon. Not having the good
(24:00):
practices in place and golfmovement routines there to help
me support to the dream that Ihad at that time to be LPGA
player. So yeah, and then I forme, organically. My my journey
(24:22):
organically shifted from playingto coaching that was a very
natural transition. And yeah, Iwas Yeah,
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (24:37):
Wonderful.
It's so interesting what you sayabout the transition, you know,
the moving back and forthbetween between coach and player
but I'm sure that if you were togo out and play with me, I would
be wowed by your by your innateexpertise and ability to because
my husband and I joke that we weplay all the time and we don't
(24:57):
see To get any better but, butmaybe it's because we're not
working with you so. So it'samazing when you do play with
someone who we're always, youknow, just wowed when we play
with someone who has a past as acompetitive golfer and how it's
just in them, you know? So I'm,I'm sure, you know, it's
(25:19):
wonderful that you have the goalof getting it getting back out
there a lot and having that timeto do so. So I guess you did
mention diet nutrition in thatlast answer and, and sort of
exercise and so I'm wondering ifyou could speak a little bit to
the importance of healthyeating, for golfers, and to what
(25:39):
extent at all do you work withor collaborate in the work that
you do with dietitians,nutritionists, exercise
specialists, that kind of thing.
Liesbeth Pauwels (25:54):
So nutrition, just like strength and
conditioning is an aspect of theperformance that is so
overlooked by so many golfers.
Golfers just really tend tofocus on everything other than
their diet and their strengthand conditioning to improve
(26:19):
their performance. Like they caneasily invest in gadgets and new
clubs and new gear. And whilethat's all going to help,
there's really a disconnectbetween the nutrition and that
also applies to strengthenconditioning and the impact that
it has on the course. So theproper eating habits really help
(26:41):
improve energy, they enhancefocus and concentration, they
help produce pain andinflammation, and it helps for
the recovery time and increases.
Yeah, I mean, it can helpincrease some strength and power
as well. Because to eat well, isto play well. And that's also
(27:06):
how I feel about movement. Howto move well is to play well.
Right?
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (27:11):
Absolutely.
And do you think that thinkinghas changed? It's obviously hard
to generalize, but just in termsof how the game has evolved, you
know, in the last really like 20years, with just more of a focus
on fitness and a sort ofawareness about nutrition and
diet and just overall health.
Liesbeth Pauwels (27:35):
It definitely has just shifted, but we're not
there yet.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (27:39):
Right.
Right. So that's interesting.
Interesting.
Liesbeth Pauwels (27:43):
Yeah, yeah, we've still got a long, long way
to go. And but I mean, I, I havenoticed this this shift as well.
I mean, we all have, and it'sout there at the professionals,
you know, you can't go out andcompete any longer at the
highest level, if you're nottaking really good care of your
(28:08):
nutrition and your strength andconditioning, because it's all
there in the the parameters, youknow, and the speed and the
stamina that the players need tohave on the PGA and LPGA level
is really high. And there it'sit's that the transition that
shift there, I think it's verypresent already. And everyone's
(28:32):
very aware and are already veryactive. But on the kind of
recreational and more. Yeah, theother levels of professional
goals and in the teaching realmof goals there. There's still
(28:54):
such a huge opportunity.
Absolutely take Yeah,absolutely. Oh, well.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (29:03):
Well, thank you. We're going to this
is so invigorating, I don't wantto stop but we are going to take
a very short break and we willbe back with more from Liesbeth
Pauwels.
Welcome back, everyone. We arehere with Liesbeth Pauwels, the
(31:15):
founder and creator of LP golfperformance, and we were just
talking a little bit about leadslips, expertise as golfer as
coach her the extensive,wonderful work that she does
with amateurs, with LPGA, LPGAplayers, as well as
(31:36):
professionals. And so I wantedto transition and shift gears a
little bit to talk about thepandemic, which I know is still
on the minds of so many and inour worlds. And so it's
interesting to me how golfreally thrived under COVID-19.
Personally, it saved my husbandand and me from going nuts in
(31:57):
our house, we were able to just,you know, in between zoom
meetings, sneak out sometimeswhile zoom meetings were going
on, we snuck out onto thecourse. And at the same time, it
was it's been interesting to meto see like a lot of virtual
exercise programs really growlike peloton, which which did
really well under lockdown, andI think continues to do to do
(32:20):
okay, so Liesbeth what made yourprogram beneficial to players
during COVID-19? And how has LPGolf Performance enabled amateur
athletes to thrive today?
Liesbeth Pauwels (32:32):
Well, first of all, I love how much the game
has grown since 2020. And like Ihave noticed that people are now
more eager than ever to begintheir own golf yoga or golf
fitness journey or training. Andyeah, this makes me very happy
(32:54):
and super excited for thefuture. Because like we've
mentioned before, there is ashift. But we're still a long
way to go. And yeah, so I'mreally excited for that. And
yeah, I'm also very grateful tobe able to to kind of share all
of these movement practices andthe expertise. And so since
(33:14):
2020, maybe a little bit ofbackstory, I was able to
transition my full coachingbusiness into both online
training plans and remotecoaching. And with remote
coaching, it really refers tothe real time private coaching,
but done online. So via zoom.
And it this way has actuallyshown that it's much easier to
(33:37):
commit to when you're not boundto a location. And I think I was
able to make this transitionbecause I felt confident from
the decade of experience ofbeing on the floor and being in
the trenches as a coach fromassisting so many TPI levels and
(34:00):
courses and doing 1000s ofassessments. And I didn't
realize that until I firststarted doing zoom sessions.
Yeah, I didn't realize that Iactually had a very, I had
(34:21):
developed an important skillthat I'm able to observe and
define the situation and themovement on camera and was able
to communicate that in a supereffective way in a way that I
would also do in real life. Soto me in the way that I was able
to bring out my energy because Ithink to me that's very
(34:44):
important. And the way that Ifelt it in a way that my
students felt that it was yeah,it was so close to that it
within being realized and yeah,I could you know, I think I then
only realize that my work ethicfrom working really, really hard
(35:08):
over all the years kind offinally paid off. But yeah, so
from the perspective of mystudents, we actually never
stopped training and improvingour physical and mental states
throughout 2020 and 21.
And I think that on its own, isalready an accomplishment, like
(35:30):
to be able to provide thestructure and the systems and
the support that enables us tostay committed, committed, like
no matter what the circumstancesare, that's so crucial. And I
think many people think, ormaybe believe that making it to
the higher and to the elitelevels of the sport, you have to
(35:50):
have talent, and you need tohave the latest exercises and
the best equipment. But in fact,it's really more about
consistency. And within myprogram, which is remote, it
gives my students theopportunity to also receive
(36:12):
continuous support and mentoringwherever they are in the world.
So whether they're, you know, ontournaments, or at home, and
we're pretty much in constantcommunication, and I'm making
sure, and that enables me toobserve and to monitor.
(36:33):
And, yeah, make sure we'regetting ahead of any obstacles
that may occur, or thechallenges that are there. We
have check ins that arerequired, so I can evaluate and
deliver my personal feedback. Soprogress is just monitored in a
(36:54):
way that enables them tocontinue even in between the
Zoom sessions. And I think it'sreally important, rather than
just having a session and thennot seeing each other again, for
the next, you know, whateverweek or two or three weeks, and
then another session. And Ithink that's one of the main
(37:17):
differences that I have in myprogram as to kind of pre
lockdown situation is that I, Iwould touch base and there would
be communication, but now, yeah,I have optimized everything, and
there is sheets that they canfill out. So their progress is
(37:40):
tracked as well.
And, yeah, I think it's, it's,you know, for anyone thinking
that you need to have all thelatest gear, it's hopefully
maybe a little bit of hope andmotivation that, you know, it's
it's about not mastering thefundamentals about being
(38:00):
consistent with them abouthaving a support team, and not
rushing any of that progress.
And, you know, when it comes totraining, it's all about quality
over quantity and consistencyover intensity. And it's, it's,
you know, common common, I wouldsay maybe, challenge when
(38:22):
golfers are very excited in thebeginning to get started, they
come out the gates reallyintense, but then they don't
stay consistent. So you know,that's, I think the whole
message message here isconsistency and support that
understands and enables a safespace for you to grow and
(38:44):
flourish.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (38:46):
Liesbeth this is wonderful. And I'm sort
of thinking about something Iwrite quite a bit about in the
World of Golf, my World of Golfblog, but also on my own is
making sports like golf moreaccessible to, you know, a wider
variety of people and so I'msort of thinking now about how
that's exactly what you'redoing, you know, you are meeting
(39:06):
people where they're at, youknow, you are using sort of the
realities of our world today,which is increasingly digital
to, to not only maintain, butit's at times enrich the
coaching experience. So I'mthinking of those golfers for
example, who can't get to acourse or can't pick up a club
(39:28):
for a while and you know, theycan continue with the momentum
and the joy of the game and theflourishing of the game by by
working with you and by thrivingthrough your program. So, So you
really are meeting golfers wherethey're at. You're fostering
wellness and also making thegame more accessible to to wider
variety of people. So that'sthat's wonderful. And I . . .
Liesbeth Pauwels (39:52):
Yeah, because I want to add like I didn't
mention this, but yeah, Ilaunched two Full Body holistic
movement plans, and once calledFundamental Routines, and my
other second plan is called FullBody Freedom. And yeah, these
(40:15):
are the plans that are really ondemand available anywhere,
anytime. And it's really I putmy heart and my soul into it for
so that people can really notjust get the exercises that are
helpful, but really get theexperience and continue to.
(40:40):
Yeah, go back to the movementand to the, to the to these
classes again and again and helpthem to stay injury free. And in
you know, get get, get morestability, get more mobility.
And yeah, so these are my twoplans that were launched during
(41:01):
this whole this whole time.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (41:03):
Wow, wow, phenomenal. And I guess
this brings us I mean, I couldstay here all day, but I know we
will have to, we will have tosadly close at some point. But I
This brings me to my finalquestion. So I began with a
quotation. So I have to concludewith one as an English professor
and a writer. In my writing onwellness, I've incorporated some
(41:26):
words of wisdom from GregNorman, quote, "happiness is a
long walk with a putter" endquote, although I'm going to
revise that just a little bit,because the way I was putting me
the other day, it was not ahappy scene, but that's okay.
Still, happiness is a long walkwith a putter. So how important
is joy to the game? And how doesyour program and philosophy help
(41:46):
players to discover and orsustain it?
Liesbeth Pauwels (41:50):
It's a very beautiful question. Also, you
know, let me let me start bysaying joy is so important, you
know, happiness, and joy, youknow, whatever your motivation
(42:11):
is, I hope that it comes fromthat place, if it comes from, or
it stems from fear, or having todo something, you will never
sustain doing it, or you willnever, you know, it'll be more
challenging to fully get thebenefit of what the game has to
(42:35):
offer. I like to think with withjoy, also, in the same way as
passion and engagement andcourage and inspiration and
exhilaration. And these are all,you know, states that are
available to all of us. Andthey're they're helping not only
(43:02):
for us to have a happy mood orto feel good, but they also
influence our body. And that'swhere I, you know, have worked a
lot on on that body mindconnection, in the way that we
can influence the body by howwe're thinking, or how we're
(43:26):
feeling. But also the other wayaround, we can start to feel
differently and therefore startto think differently.
And this this, like, one of theways that I would work on this
for with one of my players wouldbe, for example, to start by
(43:47):
taking, and anyone can do thisreally, to take a few breaths,
and then really focusing onthose long exhales before each
shot. Really long exhales, fullexhales before you release that
takeaway. And when you do thattakeaway, see if you can tap
(44:10):
into a sense of joy. Or maybe atthe end of your swing, however,
the outcome is, feel that senseof joy. I also would like to add
this beautiful exercise was whenyou're out on the course many
golfers were tempted to look atour good shots and then feel
(44:35):
happy and then feel prior andfeel excited. Because yeah, I
mean, we worked a ton for it.
And now it's finally going inthe hole or we finally get that
nice clean shot and it feels allgood. And then we're happy and
smiling and but the practicethen again is can you also feel
the appreciation whenever theresult isn't as you wanted it or
(44:58):
hoped for it. And if you can dothat, if you can practice that,
I think you will really start tounlock and enable more of that
joy into your game and into yourjourney.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (45:16):
That is just beautiful. I mean, I'm
just, I'm thinking of somefamily members and friends who
could have used and myself couldhave used some wisdom the other
day when we were, you know,throwing our clubs, out of
frustration, but, but having asense of humor is so important
as well. So we do have to closebut before we do Liesbeth.
Liesbeth is accepting the LPGolf Performance is accepting
(45:40):
applications. So if you couldjust tell us a little bit about
where to find you, and so thatour listeners can know because
we've been so enlightened today.
Liesbeth Pauwels (45:51):
Yeah, well, I hope this has been valuable for,
for anyone who's listened. Andyeah, you can always hop on to
my Instagram, go over to myInstagram, and anyone is welcome
to always send me a DM if youhave any questions, or if
anything resonated or ifsomething didn't resonate. I am
(46:12):
all ears in any case, but that'sat LP.golf.performance. So
that's my instagram handle.
And my website is justwww.lpgolfperformance.nl. That's
really the most easiest andsimplest way that that you can,
(46:34):
can find a ton a ton of theinformation out there and some
of the blogs and articles that Iwrote, and yeah, maybe take take
on this kind of mid seasonopportunity to elevate your game
and start creating your futurereality now with me together as
(46:55):
your coach and not wait untilthe season's done or until Yeah,
you you run out of your time oryou run out of questions. And
yeah, if anyone, if anything ofthis resonated and yeah, please
reach out. And I'm more thanhappy to connect and look
(47:16):
forward to to hearing fromanyone.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (47:19):
Thank you, Lisa. It's been an honor, a
pleasure and a joy. And we hopethat you can kind of discover
some of the joy in your game byworking with Lizbeth Powell. So
thank you so much and have awonderful afternoon, everyone.
Have a great evening. Take care.
Bye.
Amy (Studio) (47:37):
You have been listening to our podcast show.
We're talking golf, produced bythe world of golf. This episode
was recorded on Wednesday, June22, 2022. If you have an idea
for a future show, please sendus an email to:
info@worldofgolf.org Pleaseinclude podcast show in the
(47:57):
subject line. This show is thecopyright of the World of Golf.
Thank you for joining us
Hello, and good afternoon. Welcome to our show.
We're talking golf. My name isDouglas Maida, and I'm the host
(00:35):
of this show. Now today we'regoing to have a show that
focuses on health, wellness andgolf. Golf is one of those few
sports in life where you canplay it for a lifetime. Whether
you pick it up as a youngster,or carry through into your
earlier adult years youth years,are right into your retirement
(00:57):
years. It truly is a game thatcan facilitate all sorts of
players of different ages anddifferent skills.
In today's episode, we're goingto have a special guest host.
Her name is Cara Kilgallen andshe's a professor at Sacred
Heart University in Connecticut.
She is going to be speaking witha special guest Liesbeth Pauwels
from LP Golf Performance. Nowmany of you will recognize
(01:20):
Liesbeth from having been afrequent guest on our show. Over
the last three seasons. BothLiesbeth and Cara are very
passionate about golf, healthand wellness. Now, if you've
listened to this program overthe past couple of years, you'll
know that Liesbeth is a verystrong proponent and advocate of
all things health, wellness andgolf. Liesbeth is one of them
(01:41):
for most leading edge proponentsfor this type of approach to
golf. Her holistic methods haveformed the basis of several of
her programs that she shares andworks with, with her
international students and herprofessional students in Holland
and elsewhere.
(02:02):
Now before we get to this, we'dlike to take a short break so we
can get to some short messagesbefore we come back and you get
introduced to our special guesthost Cara Kilgallen. So thank
you for joining us, and pleasestay with us.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (04:17):
Good morning. Good afternoon. My name
is Cara Erdheim Kilgallen and Iam an English professor at
Sacred Heart University inFairfield, Connecticut. I'm from
(04:37):
New York City which is where Iam currently and I am just
really really thrilled to behere today. I am a longtime
recreational golfer andpassionate golfer golf
enthusiast and so we are heretoday with Liesbeth Pauwels Who
has created the LP GolfPerformance.
(04:59):
I'm and she's going to talk tous today about golf and
wellness. Today is the currentday we It's a time when we're
all, I think searching for somesort of physical, mental,
spiritual, emotional wellness inmany areas of our lives. And
(05:19):
many of us find it on the golfcourse. And I think that
Liesbeth today will tell us alittle bit about what she does.
And I just wanted to introduceher and she's going to enlighten
us on health, wellness, and thegolfing adventure.
(05:40):
So, Liesbeth, thank you. We'rethrilled to have you.
Liesbeth Pauwels (05:44):
Well, thank you for having me on the show
once again.
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (05:50):
Absolutely.
Absolutely. Before I launch intomy questions, I just wanted to
give a little bit morebackground on Liesbeth is a
graduate of the University ofBritish Columbia, with a degree
in kinesiology. So she brings tothe table a very rich science
background, as well as a loveand a passion for the game of
golf. She is based in Amsterdam,she works extensively with the
(06:13):
National Golf Federation. Andshe works closely in terms of
coaching with aspiring and adultaspiring golfers, professional
golfers and adult recreationalplayers as well. So Liesbeth has
a lot to offer. And I justwanted to maybe begin with a
question. And is there anythingleast but before I launch into
(06:40):
my question that you want tojust add about your your
background?
Liesbeth Pauwels (06:47):
Oh, no, this is, this was perfect. Yeah, this
was summarized it really, reallywell. Because there's, I mean,
there's a ton a ton more goingon. But I think this was such a
great summary, I couldn't havedone it myself. So
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (07:03):
Well, you know, it's easy, you have so
much wonderful material outthere. And I just I loved
learning about all that you do.
And you know that the wonderfulwork that you do with golfers,
you know, not only in terms ofthe technical side of the game,
but also the the spiritual andthe and the mental side of the
game too. So really, reallyterrific.
(07:25):
So my first question is, as . .
. I'm a professor, an Englishprofessor, so I'm a professor of
literature. And I'm also awriter, interested in wellness
and golf and overall health. SoI'd like to begin our
conversation with some of yourown words of wisdom, which,
which is a quote I found by you.
And that is, "the end goal ofeverything that I do is to help
golfers to a better health andvitality." So how does this
(07:49):
philosophy inform and inspireyour work as a golf movement
specialist and a performancecoach,
Liesbeth Pauwels (07:57):
it's it really boils down to kind of my belief
of helping people to move betterand increase their movement
capacity and live healthier thatthis will inevitably help them
to play better goals for longerand with greater joy and
fulfillment. And, yeah, so kindof, although my, my work is very
(08:20):
niched, it's very specific, itreally enables anyone who kind
of has the benefit of maybedoing my method, or even the
fitness or yoga in general ortailored towards schools, to
enjoy the vitality and wellbeing way beyond the golf
(08:40):
course, and or within the golfperformance parameters.
And in the end, my mission is astrong, healthy golf community
to be able to create that, tosupport that and to grow that
and I'm also about performance,but without health, there's no
(09:04):
performance. There's nodurability in performance, and
there's definitely no highperformance. So that's the
fundament, really.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (09:14):
Wow. And it seems like you really take a
holistic approach to health,which is what we're seeing a lot
more I know, at least in the inthe US with with our health
care, which, you know, certainlycertainly needs a lot of work,
you know, just everywhere. Imean, it's it's unfortunate to
see so many unwell people outthere, but I think that there's
a move at least to try in the USto create more of a holistic
(09:37):
approach to health, thinking notjust about health in certain
compartments, but and not justas physical but also as
emotional, spiritual,psychological, and I think
that's a that's a positive move.
So it seems like you take aholistic approach to health and
golf as well.
Liesbeth Pauwels (09:56):
Definitely, my method is very holistic.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (10:07):
Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you. Thank you.
And golf is so mental. youknow, I play often with my
husband who took up the gameI've been playing since I was
like about 10. But my husbandtook it up at 40. And he was an
athlete, and I don't think herealized, you know, other sports
(10:28):
are mental, but not in quite thesame way that golf is.
So that leads me into mynexKBong × t question, which
has to do with the mind bodyconnection, and also perhaps the
spirit or the soul or call itwhat you like a heart? So what
extent do you see golf as a gamethat combines not only the
physical and mental but alsopotentially, the spiritual or if
(10:51):
someone may not, you know, bespiritual, perhaps the
emotional, right? Getting tothat sort of deeper beyond the
mind. So I'm thinking here aboutthe golf yoga retreat that
you've created and founded.
Liesbeth Pauwels (11:07):
Spirituality really, for me doesn't evolve
around, kind of sitting on thecushion all day long, or that
being more spiritual than doingthe dishes. And as far as I'm
concerned, this is spiritual,like you said, well, however you
want to call it in a way thatresonates with you. It's, it's
(11:33):
to me about are you beingidentified by your thoughts? Or
are you observing them? Kind of,are you identified by your
behavior? Or are you observingit? are you reacting? Or are you
(11:53):
acting? And are you identified?
Or maybe ruled by your emotions?
Or are you also the observer?
Hmm. And, in my opinion, golf isan excellent way to practice all
of this, because we arecontinually challenged in these
in these ways.
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (12:17):
Absolutely.
Absolutely. And to kind offollow up on that question, to
what extent I mean, you are astudent of science. And, you
know, you have an expertise inKinesiology. So I'm sort of
curious to what extent do youcombine like Western practices
with Eastern? Because I'mthinking of the science
background on the one hand, butalso the yoga on the other?
Liesbeth Pauwels (12:42):
Um, yeah, I kind of follow my intuition in
that. I don't, for me, there's,there's no, like, it's not
either or, like, it's both. Anddepending on the subject, or on
(13:08):
the matter that we're talking.
I'm, I'm then more lean towardsfinding the resources from the
science or more from kind of theEastern sides. But definitely
Eastern philosophy inspires meand really, personally. brings
me a lot of hope and faith andinspiration. Yeah.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (13:39):
Wonderful.
Wonderful. Thank you. Thank youso much. So I guess my third
question, which is a little bitof connection to to the previous
one, and this is how does youracademic math background and
kinesiology inform your programon movement and golf?
Liesbeth Pauwels (13:57):
Um, well, really, what's actually what's
been the most valuable to kindof my program is the fact that I
was a student at the Universityof British Columbia and that I
was there and enjoyed thislifetime experience as an
(14:18):
international student, whichenabled me to create the program
I the programs I can create tothis day and to be the coach
that I am today. And, yeah, Ilearned the fundamentals of the
sports physiology, anatomy,sociology, and the psychology
and these are all absolutelyfundamental like. However, my
(14:44):
specialization really stems fromthe TPI, that's the Titleist
Performance Institute.
And I think that my expertisereally got elevated from working
with tons and tons of golfersfrom all ages and all levels and
yeah, I, I was fortunate to, toalready assisting the varsity
(15:11):
golf themes while I was at thestudying at UBC. And I loved it
so much that I was also mentoredby Jason Glass. Who was the head
coach for the strength andconditioning teams? And yeah, so
it's it's really that wholeexperience and kind of, indeed,
(15:31):
the fundamentals and the scienceknowledge that helps me to
create, really, yeah, theprograms that I have right now,
and but I think the really, thepart of being becoming a golf
movement expert only began aftermy degree. That's, I think
(15:54):
we're, we're begins, right,that's where you actually have
to go out and seek out theopportunities for yourself and
no one's going to hand that toyou like both in finding out the
certifications that match yourgoals and that match your Yeah,
what you what you like to do aswell, what you enjoy doing.
(16:16):
So for me, that was TPI, andthen yoga, and then some
additional, more specialized,like the FMS and the SuperSpeed.
But yeah, I kinda, I kind ofwent all in in there. Also, in
(16:36):
the experience of coaching,golfers like, there were days
that I would wake up at 5amstart coaching at seven until
nine, and then I was drivingaround the whole country, to
either coach or givepresentation or clinics and even
(16:57):
to, you know, try to sell myclasses to new courses or new
clubs. And through that, Iactually go to work with so many
golfers and learn more abouttheir problems, their what
they're longing for their, theircommon challenges, and I think I
have benefit. That was like,Yeah, another level to add it
(17:22):
to, to how I structure andinform my programs to these
days.
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (17:29):
Wonderful.
I'm already thinking of thewheels are turning, because I'm,
as I said, I'm a professor atSacred Heart University in
Fairfield, Connecticut, but wehave, we have a golf course. And
we have a growing sort of GolfManagement Program. So my wheels
are turning, I'm thinking,collaboration connections, I'm
always I'd love it, we'd be Wewould be honored. So we can we
can chat. But um,
Liesbeth Pauwels (17:53):
yeah, I think I also want to add, because
it's, this is something that I'mvery passionate about, like, you
know, for maybe aspiring coachesas well, or anyone who ever
wants to achieve a goal in lifeand has a big dream, like I
have, and like I had, it's, youknow, you have to go out there.
(18:18):
The, in terms of coaching, likepeople won't come to you for the
certifications, or, I mean,they're necessary, but the
people will reach out to you,because they want to feel a
connection. And I think also, sodeliberately working on yourself
(18:39):
is really important as a coach,and that's where I get a lot of
value. Coming back to yourearlier question. From the kind
of more of the eastern side, Iget a lot. Yeah, I do a lot of
work in that for myself, becausemy value is to always kind of
practice what I preach. And if Iasked my students to invest in
(19:03):
themselves, or to be coachable,or to look in the mirror, or to
go outside their comfort zones,or even to rest and recover and
take a break, that's, you know,exactly what I'm also asking of
myself, and as a coach, I thinkit's a very necessary aspect
(19:24):
that you should have, because,yeah, if you do the work
yourself, it enables you toexperience it. But inevitably,
you also help your students withit, because yeah, you're you're
I think you're also set anexample then without saying it,
(19:46):
that you're doing it, you know?
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (19:48):
Absolutely.
And you are a truly authenticrole model. I think, you know,
that these days, we hear a lotabout role models, and it's
important to develop role modelsand find them by How to find
authentic ones is is tougher. Soyou know, I can already see the
authenticity coming out, whichis, which is lovely. Could you
speak a little bit to yourbackground as a golfer? Just
(20:12):
just to kind of let the audienceknow a little bit about, you
know, there? You know, some maybe aware, but but we would love
to hear about your, your kind ofpast and current role was a
golfer?
Liesbeth Pauwels (20:29):
Absolutely.
Well, let me begin my, thecurrent state of my golf game,
it's, it's pretty non existent.
Because, yeah, the matter of thefact is that I'm out on the
course quite often, but I enjoycoaching way more than maybe
playing at this moment in time.
And that's just really where allmy focus goes. But yeah, I tried
(20:52):
to play now I would, I would saymaybe three times a year. That's
like, hardly anything, but everytime I play, I'm like, Oh, I am
gonna, you know, I'm now I'mgonna practice and I'm really
gonna go again and set this upin my calendar, and I'm not
(21:13):
going to miss it. But then, youknow, I'm also very ambitious
and then work comes and not ayear passes. And, yeah, so
that's the state of my currentgame. I'd like to mention that
the state of my future game,hopefully, we'll be looking much
more existent. And I'll be ableto, yeah, play more often.
(21:40):
It's really one of the long termgoals that I have for me to be
able to, yeah, enjoy playingrounds myself again. Because
when I, you know, when I'm outon the course I can, I'm like,
literally, they're in the roleof a coach. And it's, I find it
(22:00):
challenging to switch them to bea player. But that's kind of
what I say to my players aswell, when I'm out there with
them. I'm not playing but I'mthere as a coach. And if I play
then, I always mentioned look,I'm here, I'm not here as a
coach, I'm just a player.
Because to me, these are twoYeah, these roles, I can't seem
to merge, not just Yes. So yeah.
(22:27):
And then in the past, I, youknow, took up the game. When I
was around 13. I, I wascompetitive in other sports, and
I thought Golf was very boring.
And it wasn't for me until mydad really made me go to take
lessons. And luckily, my coachat the time, he was from
(22:52):
Iceland, and he was this reallytall. Yeah, big guy who had this
long blonde hair was like aViking looking, got high,
really, really tall. And the wayhe approached the game at that
time was quite, you know, uniquein a way that he also was
(23:15):
already doing strength andconditioning exercises, he was
looking into nutrition and hewas very into the mindset of the
game. And for me, that kind ofresonated, not kind of it
resonated a lot and and thenfrom there I Yeah, got very
passionate about training andtraining and training until I
(23:39):
got injured realizing now that Iyou know, didn't train the right
way and that's also kind ofwhere my drive stems from, from
my early days of being injuredof not really good taking good
care of my body doing too muchtoo soon. Not having the good
(24:00):
practices in place and golfmovement routines there to help
me support to the dream that Ihad at that time to be LPGA
player. So yeah, and then I forme, organically. My my journey
(24:22):
organically shifted from playingto coaching that was a very
natural transition. And yeah, Iwas Yeah,
Cara Erdheim Kilgall (24:37):
Wonderful.
It's so interesting what you sayabout the transition, you know,
the moving back and forthbetween between coach and player
but I'm sure that if you were togo out and play with me, I would
be wowed by your by your innateexpertise and ability to because
my husband and I joke that we weplay all the time and we don't
(24:57):
see To get any better but, butmaybe it's because we're not
working with you so. So it'samazing when you do play with
someone who we're always, youknow, just wowed when we play
with someone who has a past as acompetitive golfer and how it's
just in them, you know? So I'm,I'm sure, you know, it's
(25:19):
wonderful that you have the goalof getting it getting back out
there a lot and having that timeto do so. So I guess you did
mention diet nutrition in thatlast answer and, and sort of
exercise and so I'm wondering ifyou could speak a little bit to
the importance of healthyeating, for golfers, and to what
(25:39):
extent at all do you work withor collaborate in the work that
you do with dietitians,nutritionists, exercise
specialists, that kind of thing.
Liesbeth Pauwels (25:54):
So nutrition, just like strength and
conditioning is an aspect of theperformance that is so
overlooked by so many golfers.
Golfers just really tend tofocus on everything other than
their diet and their strengthand conditioning to improve
(26:19):
their performance. Like they caneasily invest in gadgets and new
clubs and new gear. And whilethat's all going to help,
there's really a disconnectbetween the nutrition and that
also applies to strengthenconditioning and the impact that
it has on the course. So theproper eating habits really help
(26:41):
improve energy, they enhancefocus and concentration, they
help produce pain andinflammation, and it helps for
the recovery time and increases.
Yeah, I mean, it can helpincrease some strength and power
as well. Because to eat well, isto play well. And that's also
(27:06):
how I feel about movement. Howto move well is to play well.
Right?
Cara Erdheim Kilgal (27:11):
Absolutely.
And do you think that thinkinghas changed? It's obviously hard
to generalize, but just in termsof how the game has evolved, you
know, in the last really like 20years, with just more of a focus
on fitness and a sort ofawareness about nutrition and
diet and just overall health.
Liesbeth Pauwels (27:35):
It definitely has just shifted, but we're not
there yet.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (27:39):
Right.
Right. So that's interesting.
Interesting.
Liesbeth Pauwels (27:43):
Yeah, yeah, we've still got a long, long way
to go. And but I mean, I, I havenoticed this this shift as well.
I mean, we all have, and it'sout there at the professionals,
you know, you can't go out andcompete any longer at the
highest level, if you're nottaking really good care of your
(28:08):
nutrition and your strength andconditioning, because it's all
there in the the parameters, youknow, and the speed and the
stamina that the players need tohave on the PGA and LPGA level
is really high. And there it'sit's that the transition that
shift there, I think it's verypresent already. And everyone's
(28:32):
very aware and are already veryactive. But on the kind of
recreational and more. Yeah, theother levels of professional
goals and in the teaching realmof goals there. There's still
(28:54):
such a huge opportunity.
Absolutely take Yeah,absolutely. Oh, well.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (29:03):
Well, thank you. We're going to this
is so invigorating, I don't wantto stop but we are going to take
a very short break and we willbe back with more from Liesbeth
Pauwels.
Welcome back, everyone. We arehere with Liesbeth Pauwels, the
(31:15):
founder and creator of LP golfperformance, and we were just
talking a little bit about leadslips, expertise as golfer as
coach her the extensive,wonderful work that she does
with amateurs, with LPGA, LPGAplayers, as well as
(31:36):
professionals. And so I wantedto transition and shift gears a
little bit to talk about thepandemic, which I know is still
on the minds of so many and inour worlds. And so it's
interesting to me how golfreally thrived under COVID-19.
Personally, it saved my husbandand and me from going nuts in
(31:57):
our house, we were able to just,you know, in between zoom
meetings, sneak out sometimeswhile zoom meetings were going
on, we snuck out onto thecourse. And at the same time, it
was it's been interesting to meto see like a lot of virtual
exercise programs really growlike peloton, which which did
really well under lockdown, andI think continues to do to do
(32:20):
okay, so Liesbeth what made yourprogram beneficial to players
during COVID-19? And how has LPGolf Performance enabled amateur
athletes to thrive today?
Liesbeth Pauwels (32:32):
Well, first of all, I love how much the game
has grown since 2020. And like Ihave noticed that people are now
more eager than ever to begintheir own golf yoga or golf
fitness journey or training. Andyeah, this makes me very happy
(32:54):
and super excited for thefuture. Because like we've
mentioned before, there is ashift. But we're still a long
way to go. And yeah, so I'mreally excited for that. And
yeah, I'm also very grateful tobe able to to kind of share all
of these movement practices andthe expertise. And so since
(33:14):
2020, maybe a little bit ofbackstory, I was able to
transition my full coachingbusiness into both online
training plans and remotecoaching. And with remote
coaching, it really refers tothe real time private coaching,
but done online. So via zoom.
And it this way has actuallyshown that it's much easier to
(33:37):
commit to when you're not boundto a location. And I think I was
able to make this transitionbecause I felt confident from
the decade of experience ofbeing on the floor and being in
the trenches as a coach fromassisting so many TPI levels and
(34:00):
courses and doing 1000s ofassessments. And I didn't
realize that until I firststarted doing zoom sessions.
Yeah, I didn't realize that Iactually had a very, I had
(34:21):
developed an important skillthat I'm able to observe and
define the situation and themovement on camera and was able
to communicate that in a supereffective way in a way that I
would also do in real life. Soto me in the way that I was able
to bring out my energy because Ithink to me that's very
(34:44):
important. And the way that Ifelt it in a way that my
students felt that it was yeah,it was so close to that it
within being realized and yeah,I could you know, I think I then
only realize that my work ethicfrom working really, really hard
(35:08):
over all the years kind offinally paid off. But yeah, so
from the perspective of mystudents, we actually never
stopped training and improvingour physical and mental states
throughout 2020 and 21.
And I think that on its own, isalready an accomplishment, like
(35:30):
to be able to provide thestructure and the systems and
the support that enables us tostay committed, committed, like
no matter what the circumstancesare, that's so crucial. And I
think many people think, ormaybe believe that making it to
the higher and to the elitelevels of the sport, you have to
(35:50):
have talent, and you need tohave the latest exercises and
the best equipment. But in fact,it's really more about
consistency. And within myprogram, which is remote, it
gives my students theopportunity to also receive
(36:12):
continuous support and mentoringwherever they are in the world.
So whether they're, you know, ontournaments, or at home, and
we're pretty much in constantcommunication, and I'm making
sure, and that enables me toobserve and to monitor.
(36:33):
And, yeah, make sure we'regetting ahead of any obstacles
that may occur, or thechallenges that are there. We
have check ins that arerequired, so I can evaluate and
deliver my personal feedback. Soprogress is just monitored in a
(36:54):
way that enables them tocontinue even in between the
Zoom sessions. And I think it'sreally important, rather than
just having a session and thennot seeing each other again, for
the next, you know, whateverweek or two or three weeks, and
then another session. And Ithink that's one of the main
(37:17):
differences that I have in myprogram as to kind of pre
lockdown situation is that I, Iwould touch base and there would
be communication, but now, yeah,I have optimized everything, and
there is sheets that they canfill out. So their progress is
(37:40):
tracked as well.
And, yeah, I think it's, it's,you know, for anyone thinking
that you need to have all thelatest gear, it's hopefully
maybe a little bit of hope andmotivation that, you know, it's
it's about not mastering thefundamentals about being
(38:00):
consistent with them abouthaving a support team, and not
rushing any of that progress.
And, you know, when it comes totraining, it's all about quality
over quantity and consistencyover intensity. And it's, it's,
you know, common common, I wouldsay maybe, challenge when
(38:22):
golfers are very excited in thebeginning to get started, they
come out the gates reallyintense, but then they don't
stay consistent. So you know,that's, I think the whole
message message here isconsistency and support that
understands and enables a safespace for you to grow and
(38:44):
flourish.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (38:46):
Liesbeth this is wonderful. And I'm sort
of thinking about something Iwrite quite a bit about in the
World of Golf, my World of Golfblog, but also on my own is
making sports like golf moreaccessible to, you know, a wider
variety of people and so I'msort of thinking now about how
that's exactly what you'redoing, you know, you are meeting
(39:06):
people where they're at, youknow, you are using sort of the
realities of our world today,which is increasingly digital
to, to not only maintain, butit's at times enrich the
coaching experience. So I'mthinking of those golfers for
example, who can't get to acourse or can't pick up a club
(39:28):
for a while and you know, theycan continue with the momentum
and the joy of the game and theflourishing of the game by by
working with you and by thrivingthrough your program. So, So you
really are meeting golfers wherethey're at. You're fostering
wellness and also making thegame more accessible to to wider
variety of people. So that'sthat's wonderful. And I . . .
Liesbeth Pauwels (39:52):
Yeah, because I want to add like I didn't
mention this, but yeah, Ilaunched two Full Body holistic
movement plans, and once calledFundamental Routines, and my
other second plan is called FullBody Freedom. And yeah, these
(40:15):
are the plans that are really ondemand available anywhere,
anytime. And it's really I putmy heart and my soul into it for
so that people can really notjust get the exercises that are
helpful, but really get theexperience and continue to.
(40:40):
Yeah, go back to the movementand to the, to the to these
classes again and again and helpthem to stay injury free. And in
you know, get get, get morestability, get more mobility.
And yeah, so these are my twoplans that were launched during
(41:01):
this whole this whole time.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (41:03):
Wow, wow, phenomenal. And I guess
this brings us I mean, I couldstay here all day, but I know we
will have to, we will have tosadly close at some point. But I
This brings me to my finalquestion. So I began with a
quotation. So I have to concludewith one as an English professor
and a writer. In my writing onwellness, I've incorporated some
(41:26):
words of wisdom from GregNorman, quote, "happiness is a
long walk with a putter" endquote, although I'm going to
revise that just a little bit,because the way I was putting me
the other day, it was not ahappy scene, but that's okay.
Still, happiness is a long walkwith a putter. So how important
is joy to the game? And how doesyour program and philosophy help
(41:46):
players to discover and orsustain it?
Liesbeth Pauwels (41:50):
It's a very beautiful question. Also, you
know, let me let me start bysaying joy is so important, you
know, happiness, and joy, youknow, whatever your motivation
(42:11):
is, I hope that it comes fromthat place, if it comes from, or
it stems from fear, or having todo something, you will never
sustain doing it, or you willnever, you know, it'll be more
challenging to fully get thebenefit of what the game has to
(42:35):
offer. I like to think with withjoy, also, in the same way as
passion and engagement andcourage and inspiration and
exhilaration. And these are all,you know, states that are
available to all of us. Andthey're they're helping not only
(43:02):
for us to have a happy mood orto feel good, but they also
influence our body. And that'swhere I, you know, have worked a
lot on on that body mindconnection, in the way that we
can influence the body by howwe're thinking, or how we're
(43:26):
feeling. But also the other wayaround, we can start to feel
differently and therefore startto think differently.
And this this, like, one of theways that I would work on this
for with one of my players wouldbe, for example, to start by
(43:47):
taking, and anyone can do thisreally, to take a few breaths,
and then really focusing onthose long exhales before each
shot. Really long exhales, fullexhales before you release that
takeaway. And when you do thattakeaway, see if you can tap
(44:10):
into a sense of joy. Or maybe atthe end of your swing, however,
the outcome is, feel that senseof joy. I also would like to add
this beautiful exercise was whenyou're out on the course many
golfers were tempted to look atour good shots and then feel
(44:35):
happy and then feel prior andfeel excited. Because yeah, I
mean, we worked a ton for it.
And now it's finally going inthe hole or we finally get that
nice clean shot and it feels allgood. And then we're happy and
smiling and but the practicethen again is can you also feel
the appreciation whenever theresult isn't as you wanted it or
(44:58):
hoped for it. And if you can dothat, if you can practice that,
I think you will really start tounlock and enable more of that
joy into your game and into yourjourney.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (45:16):
That is just beautiful. I mean, I'm
just, I'm thinking of somefamily members and friends who
could have used and myself couldhave used some wisdom the other
day when we were, you know,throwing our clubs, out of
frustration, but, but having asense of humor is so important
as well. So we do have to closebut before we do Liesbeth.
Liesbeth is accepting the LPGolf Performance is accepting
(45:40):
applications. So if you couldjust tell us a little bit about
where to find you, and so thatour listeners can know because
we've been so enlightened today.
Liesbeth Pauwels (45:51):
Yeah, well, I hope this has been valuable for,
for anyone who's listened. Andyeah, you can always hop on to
my Instagram, go over to myInstagram, and anyone is welcome
to always send me a DM if youhave any questions, or if
anything resonated or ifsomething didn't resonate. I am
(46:12):
all ears in any case, but that'sat LP.golf.performance. So
that's my instagram handle.
And my website is justwww.lpgolfperformance.nl. That's
really the most easiest andsimplest way that that you can,
(46:34):
can find a ton a ton of theinformation out there and some
of the blogs and articles that Iwrote, and yeah, maybe take take
on this kind of mid seasonopportunity to elevate your game
and start creating your futurereality now with me together as
(46:55):
your coach and not wait untilthe season's done or until Yeah,
you you run out of your time oryou run out of questions. And
yeah, if anyone, if anything ofthis resonated and yeah, please
reach out. And I'm more thanhappy to connect and look
(47:16):
forward to to hearing fromanyone.
Cara Erdheim Kilgallen (47:19):
Thank you, Lisa. It's been an honor, a
pleasure and a joy. And we hopethat you can kind of discover
some of the joy in your game byworking with Lizbeth Powell. So
thank you so much and have awonderful afternoon, everyone.
Have a great evening. Take care.
Bye.
Amy (Studio) (47:37):
You have been listening to our podcast show.
We're talking golf, produced bythe world of golf. This episode
was recorded on Wednesday, June22, 2022. If you have an idea
for a future show, please sendus an email to:
info@worldofgolf.org Pleaseinclude podcast show in the
(47:57):
subject line. This show is thecopyright of the World of Golf.
Thank you for joining us
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