Unstoppable Athlete - Mental Resilience for Teen Athletes

Develop the habit of goal setting. 

Start by writing them down. This will give you a map of where you want to go and also helps you keep your intention and motivations clear. You will build confidence as your stick to your plan, and can also notice when you might need some problem solving to get you back on track.

Start with performance goals - This is what you want to achieve, include both sport, school, relationships…

Then move to process goals - there are the efforts, habits and behaviours you...

Duration: 00:15:18

Habit of goal setting. 
Process vs performance goals.
Bounce back - the skill of recovering from a setback.
For perfectionism - focus on effort and know that change comes from stretching the edges, not staying safe in the middle. Fail fast so you can learn more and go further

Top 3 Take Aways

Be an example - lead your athlete by doing your own goal setting and tracking where they can observe your actionsKeep your language growth focused -define success as more about becoming and taking risks and less about outcomes. Create a st...

Duration: 00:22:48

Celebrating the journey and not just the final result. Sara and Michelle riff on the podcast and their volleyball seasons both club and high school. 

Highlights include - shining your light, focusing on the things we can control
 - redefining success - instead of winning we made it about trying new things and the success was in being brave and making the attempt to try something new (not the result!)

Our goals and intentions for the upcoming year. Doing more athlete interviews and improving our consistency (especially when life gets busy and th...

Duration: 00:33:46

#17 -  Importance of Self Talk - winning the mental game -

Our call to action for athletes - DON’T IGNORE THIS CONVERSATION! You have to do the mental work. Learn about self talk, recognize when what you tell yourself is not helping, RESET, and choose a different story. Become accountable to yourself and also to your teammates. If you notice them being hard on themselves, invite them to reset. "I can do this." Or "I don’t have this, YET." Do the mental preparation, visualize how you would like it to go. Then practice that. 

T...

Duration: 00:24:45

Michelle surprises Sara with a prompt about playing time philosophy which leads into a conversation about the different strategies coaches may take. They also touch on all the ways coaches are considering different perspectives and maybe where both parents and coaches can become aware that their beliefs colour their reality.

Top 3 Takeaways

There is no right answerConfirmation bias can cloud your perspective and its important to be aware that you may be filtering out facts that don’t support your opinionLearn and grow from your experience by analyzing and reflecting on the process

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Duration: 00:25:27

Check out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.ca

Parent Workshop and 12 week Unstoppable Athlete workshop waitlist open now!

Is not keeping score or giving MVP awards actually a good thing?

Are we allowing our girls to change, learn how to embody their competitive fire. Can we teach them to find their people who inspire and support excellence within them? You can be competitive and kind at the same time.

Top 3 Takeaways

Competition is not a dirty wordIf everyone gets a medal it doesn't mean anything Inspire e...

Duration: 00:22:03

Check out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.ca

Parent Workshop and 12 week Unstoppable Athlete workshop waitlist open now!

Michelle and Sara know what its like to watch athletes underperform, end up in tears and struggle to let go of perfectionist tendencies. Learn what this may mean and where you can go to learn how to support your athlete.

Top 3 Takeaways

1. Parents can embody a growth mindset

2. Emotional regulation happens when we can regulate our nervous systems and physiology

3. Embrace failures as opportunities, notice when...

Duration: 00:25:10

Sara and Michelle talk about a recent volleyball tournament their team was in and how the attitude of the players translates into playing opportunities.

Are you stuck in past mistakes? Is your attitude a detriment to the team?
Can you learn the skills to move on? Self awareness is a key to being able to say “next”, and control the things you can control, your attitude and energy.  Know your role and learn how to be the go to player that the coach will look to off the bench, be the best at it!

Top...

Duration: 00:14:18

How athletes need to take ownership for what they are learning from coaches or programs. Where does your fire from within come from and how does it motivate you to move towards your goals? Learning skills to take you to the next level and being motivated to apply them on a consistent basis will define your results.

Top 3 Take Aways

Be accountable to yourselfWhat am I willing to do to actually achieve my goals?How do I apply the learning and coaching I receive?

Check out www.unstoppableathlete.ca for our 12 week athlete mental...

Duration: 00:11:08

Sara and Michelle really dig in to the topic of when future aspirations might be a detriment to your team and your experience in the present. 

Top 3 Take Aways

How can you show up for your team? With willingness and enthusiasm for what the team needs right now.Don’t play for your highlight reel, play for your team.Sport is the experience you are having right now, not where it might take you. Doors open when you stay present and may be more exciting that what you thought you were working towards. 

Chec...

Duration: 00:18:23

#10 - Athlete Interview with Mona. Track athlete, pilates instructor and counsellor

Key Takeaways

Reasons we compete can be varied and unique to each of usThe body doesn't always speak to us in words, its important to listen to the whispers and trust the intuition.Its all okay! Learning to feel what's true and being okay that things can change. Your motivators of yesterday may not be right for you today. 

Check out our Unstoppable Athlete 8 week program for you or your team! www.unstoppableathlete.ca

Duration: 00:47:19

Recognize the perfectionist trap and reframe the inner dialogue. We are here to learn, not to be perfect or be the same as others, we are all on our own path. Keep it in perspective, it’s a game and it is supposed to be fun. Utilize strategies: pre-performance plan, post-game reflection and journal with a focus on gratitude. 

Duration: 00:24:18

After last week, Sara is taking a break but before leaving Michelle guides her on a few of the important questions behind why we coach.

Key Takeaways: 1. Seeing challenges as working for you

2.Coach for the relationships, with players, other coaches and the community

3. Growth and Life lessons from sport.

Duration: 00:22:59

Check out our Unstoppable Athlete 8 week program for your team! www.unstoppableathlete.ca
Sara shares about needing to listen to her own advice. Allowing life and expectations to build up, she is humbled that she was unable to show up as the coach she desires to be this past weekend. The conversation with Michelle and reflections around the process start to open big possibilities for showing up better for herself and her players in the future. 
Key takeaways: 1. Start with Gratitude and its amazing how many things pop up to be thankful for
2. Communication in relationship...

Duration: 00:36:04

Balance isn’t perfect. Prioritize the BIG 3: sleep, school, training. Prepare: what supports do you need, can you schedule school work so you are doing little bits everyday, pre-plan meals and more.

Duration: 00:16:58

Mindset shift required! What can I learn from this challenge? When coping with illness and injury its helpful to celebrate the small wins and what you can do. Then build resilience: work on your bounce back plan, who can help support you, keep in perspective what this bump may bring, and focus on the opportunity to work on the mental skills needed in your sport. 

Duration: 00:14:19

Versatility matters. Can you be the best you you can be? AND be whatever the team needs. Learning multiple positions makes you more adaptable and more desirable for future teams. Being open to opportunities can bring big payoffs. And you never know what lessons (or other gifts) can come from failure. You may meet your best friend being a role player on the bench.

Duration: 00:11:45

How you can change your mindset to see challenges as opportunities for growth. I’m still learning, I’m not there yet. Look for opportunities, even when things don’t seem to go the way you thought. Be the best you, you can be. Every team doesn’t need all the same type of player, what is your superpower and how can you use that to be indispensable for your team.

Duration: 00:10:23

We know it can be tough. Sara and Michelle chat about the ups and downs of playing sport, what they learned as “try hards” and also why sometimes the lesson learned from the struggle is the one that benefits you as you move on in life. Just know you are not alone! We have been there and want to help you navigate with a bit more kindness in your self talk.

Duration: 00:20:24

Hey girls! Are you a volleyball player who sometimes can't quite perform like you hope? Do you feel anxious under pressure? Are you having trouble balancing training, school, work and friends?

We've got you! Lets talk about the challenges and strategies you can learn from experienced coaches, athletes facing similar challenges, and ex-pros who have learned a thing or two they can't wait to share with you. Sara and Michelle are looking forward to being in the conversation. 

Duration: 00:14:15