Generation Z represents human beings born between 1996 and 2012. Gen Z is any person ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old. Gen Z is my target audience as a mental performance coach and likely your area of interest as a parent, coach, or athlete yourself. I recently had a conversation with my ..read more

Read THIS before you hire a mental performance coach for your young athlete I’ve spent a number of months in this space sharing primarily about my success stories working with young athletes and their families. In a couple of instances, I’ve admitted that I’m not always as successful as I would like to be. Objectively ..read more

“Mike completely changed the trajectory of my college career both athletically and mentally. His focus on all aspects of life rather than just athletics is paramount. By personalizing the tools I needed and had access to, he helpfed me navigate my way through four years of running Dl track and field. I can say with ..read more

I’ve learned that most parents seek out my services when they don’t know how to help their young athlete anymore. Parents who seek out mental performance coaching for their children often feel compelled to “fix” a problem that they cannot solve. This comes with stress and anxiety that can cloud the decision-making process.  Entering into ..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, of course, we avoid reflecting. Being that I’m human, I too have a natural instinct to avoid reflection, especially when things don’t go as I planned. I find this kind of ironic given that I advocate that young athletes develop a reflective practice ..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, we watched a YouTube video created by a former Division I college basketball player reflecting on how he built his confidence over time. I’ll often use these types of videos as a way to help my young clients better relate to the concepts that I ..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 I started my mental performance coaching practice. I’m a kid at heart. When I take my kids to do kids stuff, I generally participate. I don’t like to just watch them. I don’t like to stare at my phone (I do that enough). I like to do stuff. On this particular day, I felt compelled to be creative because we ..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, we watched a YouTube video created by a former Division I college basketball player reflecting on how he built his confidence over time. I’ll often use these types of videos as a way to help my young clients better relate to the concepts that I’m te ..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 al., 2008, p. 205). I love this quote because it encapsulates my work as a mental performance coach.  I can’t tell you how many texts, emails, or phone calls I get from a distraught parent whose young athlete is ..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 self to get it. PF is wholly a “self referenced” concept. It is up to the individual to develop the skill of PF. As I did with PS, I will first define PF to frame the conversation. One definition of PF is, “the ability to contact the present moment more fully a ..read more