The Power Five: Performance Mindset

We all want to find ways to increase our mental game to compete our best on game day. And while we can’t always control outcomes, we can control how we prepare and what tools we use to get in the right mind space before and during competition.  Finding that sweet spot requires a performance mindset.  What is a Performance Mindset? A performance mindset is a way of seeing performance as a collection of small, controllable steps and skills, and prioritizing those which are necessary to succeed. Think of a performance mindset like putting gas in your car the night before a long drive.  The task of filling up the tank […]

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Does Your Child Have a Growth Mindset? (And Why It’s Important They Do)

Little League victories, Pee Wee hockey losses, high school soccer titles, and heartbreaking AAU basketball defeats.  Any of these sound familiar to you? The emotional roller coaster of youth sports teaches children lessons and values that span the spectrum; the joy of learning a new skill, the beauty of developing lifelong friendships, and the foundation of being part of something bigger than one’s self.  Those are all incredibly important, yet one of the most valuable growth opportunities to come from youth sports is the ability to deal with outcomes…both good and bad.  Youth sport teaches athletes to win with grace and lose with dignity; sportsmanship, something the world can always […]

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The Power Five: Growth Mindset

Wins and losses. Game-winning three-pointers and clanks off the rim. Picturesque pick-sixes and blown coverages that part the Red Sea.  Regardless of age, level, or skill, sport is a journey often determined by outcomes. The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Some of those outcomes result in perceived greatness; Stefon Diggs’ miraculous catch to send the Vikings to the NFC Championship in 2018, Maya Moore’s incredible 2013 campaign that led to Finals MVP accolades and a WNBA title for the Lynx, and Kirby Puckett’s legendary walk-off homer in game six of the 1991 World Series just to name a few.  Those are great..but many, if not most […]

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The Power Five: Five Pathways to Optimized Performance and Mental Wellness

Data-driven. Results-oriented. It’s no secret that the Venn diagram of sport and life has an overlapping middle section filled to the brim with values, lessons, and experiences. The complex relationship between performance on the field and wellness outside of athletic endeavors has been explored by athletes and professionals long before the days of NILs, Gold Gloves, and Super Bowl titles even existed. And while there have been many leads, advancements, and discoveries, the outcome has been simple (or anything but): far too much information; too much for an athlete to comprehend and translate to results on the field. An all-compassing smorgasbord of theories, ideas, and principles spanning the spectrum with […]

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Athletic Identity and Complex Health Concerns

I was sitting in my office a few years ago with a high level athlete as she described her recent experiences with continued health concerns.  She was facing another flare up of symptoms, which prompted feelings of isolation, uncertainty, and frustration regarding her season and the need to dial back her training.  “I feel like I’ve lost a huge part of myself,” she said, as she reflected back on the last decade of competition.  Her current reality no longer matched the trajectory she set for herself just a few years prior. I have seen several clients over the years who have faced complex and chronic health concerns: Diabetes, Ehlers Danlos […]

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Behind the Curtain: A Look Inside Premier Consulting and the AWPA

Last season, our Premier Team worked with a Division 3 Women’s Basketball team to pilot our new Athletic Wellness and Performance Assessment (AWPA).  The young team sought to kick-start their development, creating the perfect opportunity to introduce our new measure.  Their sole senior would be graduating after the season, and this would be the first collegiate season for the first and second year students due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The team and coach had goals for the season, though they weren’t sure where to start with respect to their mental game.  Like a lot of teams, the athletes wanted to target the areas that would make a difference in their […]

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