Audric Warren MS, ATC, CAFS, AMNP, CES, PES, CPT

There is absolutely no one more dangerous to the AT profession than the Manager/Outreach Coordinator that's an AT that is out of touch with the profession AND will offer you 45k a year and a medbridge subscription like they are doing you a favor.

Athletic Trainers, a reminder, you are not a cheap alternative to healthcare. You are a value added.

Maybe you're tired because you're climbing the wrong mountain.

Getting athletes back from an injury faster is NOT the flex you think it is. It's a short-term victory that only serves to feed your ego. Your well fed ego starves your patients of their long-term potential.

"Juneteenth was never about celebrating a delayed proclamation but about celebrating a people's enduring spirit." -Annette Gordon-Reed #juneteenth #juneteenthcelebration #juneteenth2023

*a real conversation* Company: We observe every federal holiday by giving you PTO Me: I noticed Juneteenth isn't on that list Company: Oh yeah not that one Me: why not? Company: We decided against it Me: 🤨

Sports related trauma isn't as overt as "the coach raised his or her voice one time." Or "my parents were mad i didn't play well that game." It's the insidious nature of youth sports systematically denying children the opportunity to develop like a normal person.

Allyship shouldn't be performative. Authentic allyship demands you get uncomfortable. -Go to a protest -Have a tough conversation with a family member -Read an anti-racist book -Explore your biases towards marginalized groups. Don't go back to business as usual. Do the work.

For the AT on the verge of burnout or in an unhealthy work environment: "If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it" -Zora Neale Hurston

As a strength coach I've learned that if at the very least I created a space where my athletes have a healthy relationship with exercise, free from consequence and obsession, then I've still done my job.

For your athletes don't be the unsolicited advice they never asked for. Be the listening ear they've never had safety to speak to.

Never be the AT that denies the existence of someone's pain.

In nearly two decades as an AT I've learned no singular modality can replace: 1.) The ability to self reflect 2.) The willingness to become a better communicator 3.) Actively and consistently working towards being a safer person

Any ATs licensed in IL interested in weekend coverage here are the details:

99% of people on my Twitter are healthcare professionals, so it's fascinating to me when I lose followers any time I discuss topics of race, gender equity, or show any support for the LGBTQIA+ population. It speaks volumes to the lack of allyship that exists in the AT community.

For those of who think Andrew Lester shouldn't be prosecuted due to his age, as a frame of reference in his youth across the country public lynchings were happening with no arrests, no convictions, and no afterthought. (see images below)

One of the best things you can teach your athletes is to challenge the idea that handling everything without it affecting them emotionally will make them more acceptable as a person.