Accountability is an essential pillar of high performance. But I disagree completely that leaders must choose between caring about your future or your emotional state, but they can’t do both. It isn’t a binary choice. The best can do both. Anything else is laziness.

Best-practice reframe for leaders/coaches: Every mistake that those we lead make is OUR fault/responsibility. If they didn’t perform it, we didn’t teach it (may have covered it) or we didn’t reach them. Own it, accept it, and get back to TEACHING/REACHING until they do.

Players, there is no environment/coach that will be perfect. Even a best-practices environment will challenge you. The modern athlete should be doing proactive mental skills training so that they can manage pressures, emotions, success, and setbacks. Be prepared and proactive.

Despite enduring a seemingly endless string of injuries/illness, forcing us to play 18 of 24 Nike Girls EYBL Champions League games with a max of 6 healthy girls, Honey Badgers Basketball finish our season as the highest ranked Nike 17U girls team in New England!!

Don’t know who needs to hear this but mental skills are not one way of being. High/low emotions are normal. Being always calm wouldn’t make sense or be “normal”. Mental work is about self-awareness, authenticity, and the ability to have choice/efficacy in the moment.

We’re not trying to rid ourselves of “butterflies”. They’re there for a reason - we have a big job to accomplish. We’re developing a new relationship with them. They’re not telling you you’re anxious. They’re telling you you’re determined to get this hard job done!

We need to expand our definition of wealth/success. Must include: ✅reaching goals/awards aligned w/ core-values ✅meaningful relationships ✅physical/mental wellness Success/wealth should be measured by a balance of achievement, inner purpose, love, health, and authenticity.

Do what you love. Love what you do!

Mental skills alone are NOT enough. We must do work developing self-awareness in order to gain clarity of our habitual thought patterns and internal story. Our story and thinking patterns are what trip us up in the first place. With this awareness we can apply the skills.

🙏!

Thank you for having me! Great group of parents!

In the performance world (athlete or leader) we should continually be moving more and more towards evaluation and moving further and further from criticism. They’re in the same area code but miles and miles apart in effectiveness.

The majority of all mental strength comes down to this: The acceptance that “all outcomes are possible”. Are you willing to commit consistently to do all the right things WITHOUT the certainty that you get the outcome you want? Strength is on the other side of this acceptance.

You are NOT the words in your head. YOU are the awareness of those words. This is where your power lives.

Peace is knowing when your work is meaningful, impactful, and aligned with the things you value most. Hearing from your former athletes/clients long after you’re done working together is the experience of fulfillment.

Congratulations!!

Great coaches “join” their athletes by understanding their perspectives—which doesn’t always mean agreeing. Connection isn’t about compliance; it’s about trust. When players feel heard, they’re more open to the feedback that leads to growth.

Congrats Winston Gandy! Well deserved!