Trina watches my reaction with a small smile. “Still good?”
“Stunning,” I admit, in the best way possible.
“That is the point,” she says. “The Bears do not do cheap. They do thoughtful. And you are here because you bringsomething we cannot train. Instinct. Intuition. Lived experience. We invest in that.”
Trina taps her tablet. “Your Zoom call with your predecessor, Dr. Benetti should start in two minutes. She is wonderful. She respects boundaries, and she respects people. You will get along well.”
I nod.
“She asked to meet you herself,” Trina adds. “That does not happen often. Take that as a compliment.”
Trina steps back toward the door. “I will check in after your call. Settle in. Breathe. And remember, you are not alone in this building. We take care of our own.”
When she leaves, the room goes quiet.
I sit down at my desk in a leather chair that molds to my body, place the video monitor on the desk, and promise myself not to turn it on, to check in this soon. I run my fingers along the smooth walnut surface and breathe in the faint scent of new wood.
The monitor screen lights up.
Incoming Zoom Call: Dr. Mara Benetti
I click accept.
Her face appears, warm eyes, soft expression, slight smile. “Dr. Holloway, welcome. Are you ready to dive right in?”
“I am,” I say as I pull out my laptop.
“The top left drawer should have a tablet. That’s where you may want to keep notes of your sessions, none of this information on it syncs with the Bears organization. It’s protected. That’s all between you and them.”
“Perfect,” I say, hitting the power button and placing it on the desk, then pulling out a yellow legal pad and a notebook. “I’ll set that up later.”
“Let’s talk about what you are stepping into.” She leans back slightly, crossing her arms in a relaxed way. “I want to giveyou a realistic picture of this team. No confidential details, no diagnoses, nothing ethically questionable. Just patterns, group dynamics, what has worked, and what has failed spectacularly.”
I nod, ready to take notes.
“First,” she says, “your players are loyal to each other in a way that is beautiful but blinding. They will walk through fire for each other, but they will also hide everything painful if they think it might make them look weak or distract a teammate.”
I nod. I have already seen that in Deacon. He’s off the ice for this very reason.
“This team plays with heart. That is their strength. It is also their Achilles heel. Here are the big patterns I have observed.
“Your older players worry more than they admit. Not about themselves, but about the younger, newer players. They feel responsible for the rookies. They worry about the guys with young families. They worry about how their performance affects the contracts of everyone underneath them.”
She pauses, letting it sink in.
“When a veteran snaps, it is rarely anger. It is pressure. It is the fear of failing the people who look up to them.” She adds, “The most effective support for veterans is reminding them that leadership is not perfection. It is modeling humanity.” She sighs, “Rookies are all bravado. Jokes, loud voices, gym bravado. But underneath? Terrified. Afraid of failing. Afraid of disappointing people back home. Afraid of losing their contract before they ever get to prove themselves.”
I write faster.
“What does not work? Challenging their ego directly. They will crumble or get defensive. What does work?” she continues. “Asking curious questions. Not tough questions. Curious. Give them permission to be human.”
I wholeheartedly agree with her.
“Another thing of great importance, players from difficult backgrounds have patterned responses.”
The way she says it makes my spine straighten just slightly.
“You will see fight responses disguised as stubbornness. Freeze responses disguised as indifference. Fawn responses disguised as people pleasing.” She watches me closely as I do not write that down, I know this from personal experience. “When you see a player withdrawing, it is almost never disrespect. It is old survival wiring.” I nod, because I know this language all too well. “What works? Consistency. Warm tone. Predictability. What does not work? Surprises. Sudden meetings. Public correction.”
