Unstoppable Athlete - Mental Resilience for Teen Athletes

Sara’s long time friend, and former teammate, Kim is the mom of Sadie and shares about the experience of allowing her daughter to figure it out through her challenges. Key learnings of doing your due diligence, but also to allow them to figure it out while continuing an ongoing conversation of what is in your childs control. The family moto of maintaining - PMA -positive mental attitude was essential. As a former college volleyball player herself, Kim also reminded Sadie she could control her attitude and her serve. Mom’s pride was evident as Kim shared that Sadies work ethic was the key for creating the opportunity to play beyond high school and that she was a “Swiss Army Knife”, able to fill any role the team needed.Finally, parents can support their athletes by creating ongoing conversation and safety at home when athletes need to fall apart a little in order to put themselves back together and show up for their team as a leader. 

Sara has a chat with Sadie about a pretty bumpy first two years playing US college volleyball. When a coach turns “bad” how to do you stick it out or decide to change plans. Learning who you are without volleyball. And staying optimistic to move schools and bring your lessons from the challenge to your teammates as this new team struggles to find a few wins.Sadie maintained grateful for the struggle as she knew she could keep a positive outlook and reinforced that she can handle hard things. Her mindset was the big deal as  focused on what she could control - her Attitude and Effort!

As a parent we can rush to protective mode, but can we get curious first?Asking our athletes questions to help them self-reflect.What is the coaching looking for from you? Skill or effort wise?Are you clear where  you might not be meeting expectations?Are there things the coach has communicated that you are working on? And if not can you approach the coach to ask?Where did you show up in support of your teammate? What was the play that you did that allowed your teammate to be successful?Michelle and Sara also discuss how coaches can have a bias? Sometimes positive and sometimes in ways that don’t support the athlete. When athletes take responsibility for their growth, it can help address these and help the coach become aware where they may be unintentionally missing in how to create a supportive environment that fits this athletes needs.Confidence is a skill that comes from within. Having courage to try and make mistakes in order to learn while feeling support. What happens when a player is feeling that “the coach doesn’t like me!” Girls often look for the support externally first instead of internally and dwell on mistakes. Michelle recommends this book on confidence - The Confidence Code by Katty Kay Be willing to make mistakes and grow from there. It is okay to be a beginner! And not everyone is the best player on the team, every role is important. Be the best you that you can be. Understand that there is strategy that you not playing may not be about you at all, more about team flow or someone else having a great game.Socializing that failure as the place you need to go if you want to improve. Staying safe and not making mistakes will not lead you to grow. Also “saying I’m no good” is an excuse to not be vulnerable, or to be willing to try and maybe get it wrong. Be a problem solved instead of attention seeker.Top 3 Take AwaysAthletes - be solution focused! Approach your coach with curiosity and ask “What do I need to work on?” Watch game tape and find wins to celebrate but also something specific you can work on. If you don’t know - ASK!Have self-compassion. Be kind and forgiving (like you would be with a friend). Having courage to develop confidence requires that you give yourself a chance. Use the tool of Self- reflection. Review game tape with a mission to find your successes and also pick one thing to work on from a positive light. Not "I wasn't good at that” but what was I missing to allow me to succeed?Before believing that you aren’t good enough, ask is that true? (From Byron Katie https://thework.com/2017/10/four-liberating-questions/)Is it true?Can you absolutely know that it’s true?How do you react when you believe that thought?Who would you be without the thought?Visit ⁠www.skool.com/unstoppable2026⁠ to join our community, watch the Parent Intro Video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings.  

Sara and Michelle turn their camera on while they debrief from the past weekend. A few themes came up around team dynamics and the potential appearance of mean girl behaviour. What can parents and coaches do about it and what can an athlete recognize as her own responsibility in team relationships?Attitude and Energy are what you are in control of. Connecting with teammates doesn’t mean you need to be besties with everyone but it does mean leading with kindness and respect. Team culture of playing for each other and making the people around you better, vs playing for yourself will payoff on and off the court. Giving shout outs!Parents - be aware if it might be your daughter engaging in mean girl behaviour. - Ask the coach how to help with bonding; mixing up who drives with who, team dinners, crafting clips or bag tags- ask questions and be curious if they are complaining about anotherHelp them reflect and look deeper, how is it for the other personWhat part can they own?Top 3 Take AwaysTeam culture - a focus on kindness and respect on and OFF the courtParents - recognize your role and ask questions. Also create situations for all to mingle.Players - self reflection, how are you showing up?Visit ⁠www.skool.com/unstoppable2026⁠ to join our community, watch the Parent Intro Video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings.  

Sara has a question for Michelle about when players choose to quit playing. What can we do as coaches, and what part can the athletes take responsibility for?Top 3 Take AwaysCoaches care a lot but we can’t be everything to everyone. Parents are biased in their expectations and coaches can have a strong boundary to not take on coaching advice from these parents.Find your support with others who are on the field (or the court). Mastermind with coaches support - coming soon to our Skool community!Communicate our plans and expectations to the athletes often. And athletes if you are uncertain about your role - ASK! Visit ⁠www.skool.com/unstoppable2026⁠ to join our community, watch the Parent Intro Video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings. 

Michelle shares her key takeaways from the Empower Her Sport Summit she attended in Calgary, Canada this past weekend. https://www.empowerhersportsummit.com/Visit www.skool.com/unstoppable2026 to join our community, watch the Parent Intro Video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings. 

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 can control and need to engage in on a daily basis to move you towards you goals. Make them measurable. Find an accountability buddy who can support you. And each night do a quick reflection of how today went, maybe a score from 1-10, or a celebration of something you did, or an area you can dial up tomorrow. Top 3 Take AwaysProcess AND performance goalsReflection - follow up each day with how things wentAccountability - enroll someone in the version of yourself that you want to beVisit skool.com/unstoppable2026 to join our community, watch the Parent Intro Video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings. 

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 furtherTop 3 Take AwaysBe 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 structure - have a vision board session, use prompt questions in the carWhat did you learn?What felt good More on www.skool.com/unstoppable2026Visit skool.com/unstoppable2026 to join our community, watch the parent intro video, join a workshop or have your athlete on our waitlist for upcoming Unstoppable Athlete Program offerings. 

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 throws us curveballs)We invite feedback! Please leave a comment or send us a message to share what is insightful and maybe what you’d like to hear less of.Check all our programming out at www.skool.com/unstoppable2026 and join our community to be part of the conversations.

#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. Top 3 Takeaways 1. Awareness of 1st thought, in control of our 2nd thought and choose to make it affirmative 2. Notice the opportunity to practice. Hold yourself and your teammates accountable. Don’t say that to yourself, choose positive self talk. 3. Speak kindly, show up as our best selves. Parents be the model for this behaviour!Check out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.caParent Intro Video, Workshop and 12 week Unstoppable Athlete workshop waitlist open now at www.skool.com/unstoppable2026

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 TakeawaysThere 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 processCheck out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.caParent Workshop and 12 week Unstoppable Athlete workshop waitlist open now!

Check out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.caParent 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 TakeawaysCompetition is not a dirty wordIf everyone gets a medal it doesn't mean anything Inspire excellency versus mediocrity

Check out our upcoming dates at www.unstoppableathlete.caParent 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 Takeaways1. Parents can embody a growth mindset2. Emotional regulation happens when we can regulate our nervous systems and physiology3. Embrace failures as opportunities, notice when perfectionism is creeping in and help your athlete reframe

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 3 Take AwaysAttitude is a choiceFind an expression that allows you to shift your attitude. What levers can you pull to make the attitude and energy you want to have happen?Be the best you can be at your role and show the coach you own it.Check out www.unstoppableathlete.ca for our 12 week athlete mental resilience program upcoming dates and times for a parent information session that interested parents should definitely check out. 

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 AwaysBe 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 resilience program upcoming dates and times for a parent information session that interested parents should definitely check out. 

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 AwaysHow 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. Check out www.unstoppableathlete.ca for our 12 week athlete mental resilience program upcoming dates and times for a parent information session that interested parents should definitely check out. 

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

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. 

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 you2.Coach for the relationships, with players, other coaches and the community3. Growth and Life lessons from sport.

Check out our Unstoppable Athlete 8 week program for your team! www.unstoppableathlete.caSara 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 for2. Communication in relationship - be vulnerable and ask for help3. Fail fast - growth comes from making mistakes and learning (especially when you are able to check your ego)