Scott Ellis Coaching

As the regular season for the Kane County Cougars wraps up this weekend, there's been a lot of bus time to reflect on my crazy summer and new life out in Chicago. I've spent the last 14 years in clinical PT roles and suffered a lot of burnout and funks in recent years. However when we moved out to Chicago I decided to try a few new roles by going back to professional baseball which has been a God-send for my mental health and enjoyment. Like they always say "it's hard not to be romantic about baseball". Then while I was loving life working in baseball, the opportunity arose to try something else new professionally and I was given the chance to become a full time professor at North Central College in a Naperville and it has been more fulfilling than I ever thought. Even though I am working twice as many hours a week with these two jobs and haven't had a day off since May, it's amazing to see the fact that there is not a single drop of burnout. Following my passion, even with 100 hours a week, has made me feel more fulfilled and excited to work than I have been in years. So take this as your reminder that burnout doesn't come from hours worked- it comes from not following your heart. I cannot thank for letting me be a part of their team this season, and special thank you to my coworkers at for taking a chance on this old work horse to trust teaching their students clinically, as well as in the classroom. Hopefully I can continue to grow their program that makes them, and all my other educational mentors proud as well. In the words of the great Tom McPoil, one of my first educational role models,.... "Life is good, huh"

Who wants to road trip for some summer climbs?

The 20 Toughest Cycling Ascents in America Plan a trip to one of these cycling hotspots. With a range of locations, challenges, and intensities, you can challenge your fitness and get some scenic views.

"The deleterious effects of social media on mental health, body image, harassment, and democracy are well documented and discussed at length. But my immediate thought proceeding news of Musk’s acquisition got me thinking: Might there also be a significant brain drain? Data from Statista shows that the average internet user spent two-and-a-half hours per day on social media in 2021, up nearly sixty-five percent since 2012.

In 2021, when researchers asked internet users ages sixteen to sixty-four why they use social media, the prompt that garnered the second most responses, behind only “keeping in touch with family and friends,” was “filling spare time.” This is troubling since research shows that idleness and mind-wandering are crucial for creativity; particularly the kind of breakthrough, “aha” insights that are integral to innovation and progress.

“One of the skills we’re losing is the ability to tolerate boredom. As soon as we’re bored, even for a few seconds, we unlock our phones and resume the script of jumping from one social media feed to the next,” says Adam Alter, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and author of the book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.

I think the best metaphor for social media is a giant cocktail party. You can meet people, exchange ideas, poke jabs, and have fun. If you go to a cocktail party once a week for an hour or so and have a drink or two, it can be energizing. But if you go to a cocktail party every day for multiple hours and have multiple drinks, you’ve got yourself a real problem. Perhaps we are spending too much time at the social media cocktail party, to our individual and societal detriments?"

This is an excerpt from Brad Stulberg's post on The Growth Equation's newsletter.