Psychology

Panzer’s desire to explore a career in psychology developed when he received psychological help to enhance his performance on the tennis court.

Understanding the mental side of performance led to his decision to study psychology while at Quinnipiac University. The courses taken covered a variety of psychological elements and situations, all of which combined to form a stronger degree of understanding of individual behavior. After taking a particular interest in Dr. Thomas Pruzinsky’s Positive Psychology class, Erik completed a thesis on: “Purpose in Life, Gratitude and Well Being”.

Mentoring:

Panzer’s passion for helping others has developed strongly over the years. From his studies in psychology, matched with his experiences working with young children in South Africa, along with guiding first year University students as they adapted to university life, he has found himself continually offering advice to others as they go on their own journey. Understanding concepts such as gratitude and positivity and the impact this can have in ones life, Erik assists many people; friends, colleagues or strangers in understanding the concepts themselves and encourages them to apply it to their life in whatever way they see best fit for their current situation as they take on their own journeys.

Public Speaking:

Over the past few years, Erik has continued to build his public speaking repertoire. He has been invited to various schools and organisations to deliver speeches and workshops. Below shows the different engagements he has had in recent years:

2014: Sport Tasman – Guest Speaker

2017: Garin College (Colors Awards) – Keynote speaker (watch segment of speech here)

2019: Otago Secondary School Sports Association – Keynote speaker

2019: Kings High School – Mental Skills workshop facilitator

2019: Kavanagh College – Keynote Speaker

The topics of his speeches are often about personal experiences chasing football around the world, the challenges he has faced with the many successes and failures along the way.

Writing:

During his journey, Erik has continually written down his experiences and what he has learned. This can all be found on his blog.
In addition to this, after a challenging 12-month period, he published an article about ‘The 12 Lessons Learned While Chasing My Dreams‘
It is his hope that for anyone who reads the article resonates with at least one lesson and that helps them persevere through the challenges they are currently facing.

Future:

Erik plans to continue his study at a later stage as he looks to pursue a career in Mental Skills/Performance Psychology and Personal Development to enable him to work within various industries and organizations, impacting people from different walks of life.