Simply NO. That’s a common myth of mental toughness. Athletes who commit to mental fitness know that no one builds success alone. It takes courage and strength to reach out. No one was born in a log cabin they build themselves. In our work together, we’ll help you use your strengths, find areas for growth, and develop and apply the skills you need to be a consistently great performer.

Although it’s true that your coaches, family, and friends know you well and can talk through things, talking with someone who has professional knowledge and experience have an outside perspective that helps athletes gain different perspectives and insights.  Our athletes tell us it’s easy to talk with us because what we talk about stays with us and won't be shared. Your business stays that way. And they know that our outside view is not influenced by a selfish agenda. Our own experience is that when you talk out loud about whats going on in your own head and your life helps you to see things more clearly. Sometimes privacy may be exactly what we need to explore difficult emotions and find adjustments. Other times our friends, family, and coaches may not be equipped emotionally to help us especially if we need them to make adjustments in how they handle their relationships with you. When your work with us is done you will have put old experiences and emotions that go with them aside. Instead you will be able to respond to situations with the energy, effort and attitude you need to own the moment. 

It depends on your needs and how deep you want to dig in.  Our personal coaching sessions dig the deepest and require the most time. We meet one on one in person or over zoom. Before our meetings begin our athletes are fill out a series of questionnaires about yourself, your struggles, and your goals. The information serves a starting point to inform our direction. Some of the questions will be personal and ask you to disclose information that’s crucial to uncovering what you need to change. In the first meeting, we get to know each other, open our relationship, and educate you about the process. If there is time, we jump into the foundational concepts and skills that all athletes need to build mental fitness. We use power points and experiential activities.  We ask questions of each other as we open to new possiblities. Our expectations of you are simple. Show up. Be ready to learn. Be open and honest.  Have a growth mindset.  Be engaged and prepared to talk about difficult topics. That's how you do the work. If you need to change your meeting time, give us a heads up so we can offer the time to another athlete.

Unfortunately, we can't give you a simple answer. Everyone’s circumstances are unique to them and the length of time it can take to allow you to accomplish your goals depends on your desire for personal development, your commitment, and the factors that are driving you to change.As we move forward we add more concepts and skills. Homework will be assigned. You will be asked about your most stressful experiences in sports and life within the first 1 to 3 sessions. We will start applying the skills and concepts almost immediately. Typically by session 4 or 5 we have a better idea of how much more time we will need together but it's important to remember that the timeline for mental fitness training varies by an individual’s circumstances. Most of the time, we have found the best results come in 9-12 sessions. But don’t worry. You don’t have to commit to that many and have found that even one session can help you. It’s like weight training. If you meet with a trainer one time, you may learn a few new things but sustained consistent effort leads to consistent results. Many of our athletes complete their training, but come back as the move through their career. Sometimes things pop up in their lives that require them to come back for a refresher.  

I am so glad you are dedicated to getting the most out of your sessions. Your active participation and dedication will be crucial to your success. Our best athletes have notes filled with questions, and observations about what they have learned or what's happened since we last met. They also seek new knowldege by reading books, watching documentaries, and teaching others what they have learned.