Readiness to Change: A Mental Performance Coach’s Lesson “I should really stop gambling.” I never actually thought that sentence. Not until a panic attack scared the you-know-what out of me and forced my hand. That’s how readiness to change works. It rarely shows up on schedule. I always think about the process of change — […]
Readiness to Change: A Mental Performance Coach’s Lesson Read More »
3 things sports parents can do to improve their mental game “You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm.” I saw that quote a few weeks ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it. (Thank you, Anonymous, for the gem.) It landed hard because I’m a parent of two young athletes,
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A story of self-belief… or lack thereof I often work with clients that struggle with self-belief, but I recently found myself saying something to a client that I never expected to say. “I don’t feel very good at my job right now.” Not because the athlete wasn’t listening. Not because he didn’t care. Not because
Boosting Young Athletes’ Self-Belief: A Coach’s Insight Read More »
In the world of competitive sports, young athletes often face immense pressure to perform. This pressure comes from many places, including personal expectations, parental hopes, and the desire to impress coaches and scouts. Notably, the psychological aspect of sports is just as crucial as physical training. When young athletes stop trusting their ability, it can
When Young Athletes Stop Trusting Themselves: A Story Read More »
From the outside, it looked like burnout. Low energy. Frustration. A game he used to love… starting to feel heavy. But that wasn’t the real problem. The real problem was how he was thinking. I was working with a college-bound high school athlete who had started to spiral. Not because he wasn’t talented. Not because
Psychological Flexibility: The Skill Most Athletes Don’t Know They Need Read More »
From the outside, it looked like he was freezing up. Taking strikes. Falling behind. Pressing late in the count. But that wasn’t the real problem. The real problem started before he ever stepped in the box. He was paying attention to the wrong thing. Let’s rewind. I sent a check-in email to a client whose
Why Athletes Get Stuck: It’s Not What You Might Think Read More »
Last week, one of the young athletes I work with said something that stuck with me. Not about his swing. Not about a tournament. About his dad. He said: “Sometimes my dad doesn’t even say anything. He just gives me the eyes.” If you’ve spent time around youth sports, you know the look. The one
The Eyes: The Silent Pressure Every Young Athlete Feels Read More »
A first-year college baseball player said something to me this week that stopped me. “I’m actually having more fun now… and I’m not even playing.” That wasn’t the case a month ago when we first started working together. A few weeks earlier, baseball had started to feel heavy. So heavy that it led to a
Why is Having Fun a Secret Weapon for Athletes? Read More »
We talked about competing in a recent session. Not dominating. Not being perfect. Just competing. I’ve been working with him since 2023. Since I’ve known him, he has been dreaming of pitching in a college game. For much of that time, his dream came with high expectations. Self-criticism. Overthinking. A need to be perfect. When
One Walk Doesn’t Define an Inning (Unless You Let It) Read More »
“Find someone who knows what they’re talking about and cares about what they do.” That’s what the father of a college baseball player said to me on Thursday morning. The implication was that I check those boxes, which is humbling — especially coming from someone who runs a sports academy and coaches for a living.
When Trusting the Process Gets Hard: A College Baseball Transition Story Read More »
