On June 9th, I shared the story of Lo, a then-Division I track and field athlete. I had the privilege of working with her over the course of three years as an Ivy League student-athlete. As I noted in my original story about Lo, I had the privilege of watching her evolve over the course […]
241001 Tuesday Testimonial Read More »
We all know January 1st is probably the most common day for people to start new habits. To be clear, I am NOT a New Year’s resolution guy. I believe that if you want to build a new habit then start when you are ready whether it’s January 1st or May 12th. However, I’m at
You want me to try WHAT in 2024? Read More »
Reflection is a skill that I believe all athletes should have in their toolbox. Learning from our experiences is critical to long-term development. However, many times we don’t want to reflect on our performance because things didn’t go exactly as planned. Reflecting makes us uncomfortable. Reflecting can even make us feel bad about ourselves. So,
My year-in-review: Reflecting on my 2023 Read More »
I am currently supporting a freshman high school basketball player that expects to have a significant role on his varsity basketball team this season. We are specifically working on developing techniques to build sustainable confidence given the challenges he’s expected to face in a new and highly competitive environment. In one of our recent sessions,
How can thinking you are in the spotlight hurt your performance? Read More »
A number of years ago, I took my daughter to a local art studio to have some daddy-daughter time. I can’t recall exactly how long ago it was, but my daughter was in grade school and it was likely before I returned to school for my master’s degree in sport psychology. It was certainly before
What’s the cost of pursuing a dream? Read More »
I am currently supporting a high school basketball player that expects to have a significant role on his varsity basketball team this season. We are specifically working on developing techniques to build sustainable confidence given the challenges he’s expected to face in a highly competitive and very new environment. In one of our recent sessions,
How can thinking you are in the spotlight hurt your performance? Read More »
“Too often, sport psychologists are asked to ‘fix’ struggling athletes with mental problems as they approach major competitions or rebound from poor performances. Although MST (mental skills training) programs may prove beneficial in the short run to develop skills and deal with specific problems, such approaches fail to address athletes’ long-term development goals” (Holliday et
Why should you join the mind gym this offseason? Read More »
My last blog post was on the topic of psychological safety and its role in an athlete’s experience. Now, I want to explore the concept of psychological flexibility (PF). Perhaps the primary difference between the two concepts is that psychological safety (PS) is “other referenced” meaning an athlete depends on factors outside his or her
Psychological Flexibility: What Is It? Why Do We Need It? How Do We Get It? Read More »
In Episode 53 of The Freshman Foundation® Podcast, my guest Bill Eckstrom and I discussed the concept of psychological safety in the context of athletics. Psychological safety has a number of different definitions in the sport psychology literature. One definition that has been shared is: “A social environment within which individuals take interpersonal risks by
Psychological Safety: What Is It, Why Do We Need It, and How Do We Get It? Read More »
As a mental performance coach, I advocate that my clients reflect on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to build self-awareness. However, my reflective practice has been lackluster this year whether it is reflecting on my client delivery work, my self-care, or the development of a relatively nascent business. I will show myself some self-compassion in
My Year-in-Review: 2022 Read More »
