My name is Steve Miller and I worked as an NHL Linesman for 21 seasons. I suffered a serious injury that required surgery, months of rehab, and lots of time to think and wonder about my future in the game. It also tested my passion for the game of hockey as an on-ice official. As I was recovering I knew I had great care for the physical side of my injury but there is also the mental side of recovering/performing, which is why I reached out for support (trust me, it took me a long time to send the email to ask for help with the mental side). In my mind it's always been "do everything on your own" and "just plug away". In sport, the perception of an athlete asking for help is often seen as showing weakness, so it was hard for me to reach out. Also, not knowing what to expect from a mental health consultant was always in the back of my mind. Saying that, I was connected with a Mental Performance Consultant and it was the best choice I made with my recovery and mental performance. I was given the mental tools to allow me to manage and focus on my recovery to get back to the NHL level as an official and consider my future goals; having guidance made my path more clear. This was an important step in my recovery and even though it was hard for me to reach out, I was made to feel comfortable from the first conversation. Over time we have built trust with each other during our discussions. As as person that has been involved with professional sports I would highly recommend reaching out for support to help guide any athlete with the mental side of sport.

I sought out mental performance support as a result of a series of inconsistent performances during my university and early post-collegiate career. I wasn't able to replicate the results I was seeing in training and I felt like I was consistently underperforming. I was reluctant to seek out help despite many of my coaches, teammates, friends and family suggesting that I might be "too much in my own head" or that I might have "competition anxiety". However, these conversations only added to my struggles and the pressure to perform; I felt like there was something wrong with me as an athlete and that I had something to prove. It took me a long time to finally accept mental performance support as the next step in my athletic career, but it truly was the missing piece of the puzzle. I've been working with a Mental Performance Consultant and Counsellor for just over a year now and I feel like I am finally in control of my mindset. I am an entirely different athlete in the circle during training and competitions. Our work together has taught me many things, but most notably it has taught me how to channel nervous energies and utilize the excitement of high-pressure environments through visualization as opposed to pushing this free energy away and trying to dull it. The MPC's unique approach to mental performance training allows all of the tools, techniques and discussions to be molded by the athlete and into something that is personal to them. This style of mental performance support has really allowed me to buy into the work and get the most out of each session.

When I sought out mental performance support, I was struggling to believe in my abilities and to stop the negative self-talk that went on in my head almost every time I stepped on a starting line. So, when I originally started working with my Mental Performance Consultant, my biggest focus was being able to make it through a race without my mind taking over and telling me I could not. It did not even cross my mind that through mental performance counselling, running races could actually be fun and enjoyable, not just part of the sport that I had to get through. By working with my MPC, I have been able to learn and develop skills to improve my mental abilities in sport, but I have also been able to apply these skills to many other areas of life and to improve my overall mindset. Since learning these skills, which have become the framework of my mental performance work, I have been able to bring any situation I am dealing with to my session with my MPC and use the various skills I have learned to work through the situation. Of course, there are still bad races and bad seasons, but through all the challenges of being an athlete I no longer let a time on a result sheet define who I am as an athlete or as a person. Track and field is widely considered to be a very mental sport, yet I believe a very small portion of the track and field community actually puts a lot of weight on improving their mental performance, or sees the tremendous benefits in doing so. You do not have to need help to see an MPC. Just like physical performance, everyone can work on and improve their mental performance. Through mental performance support, I regained my passion for track and eliminated the pressure I used to put on myself. If I had not sought out support, I do not think I would have accomplished as much in sport as I have now, but more importantly, I do not think I would have been able to come back stronger after tough times that inevitably occur in sport.

This is not the client story I thought I would write about performance counselling. I believe that physical conditioning can bring athletes to a similar level of ability and that the mental aspect (think 'flow') is what ultimately differentiates them. I ended up seeking counselling not to put the cherry on top but rather to cope with overwhelming thoughts of giving up my sport after several failed attempts over a few years to come back following a stress fracture. In the first session I was guided towards having a better understanding of myself as an athlete and as a person. The next few sessions guided me to a point where I was able to begin to recognize the thought patterns associated with a fixed mindset; eventually I began to foster a whole new attitude/approach that has re-energized me to the point where I am training harder and more mentally effortlessly than ever before. Little did I know that 2020 would bring a whole new level of setbacks, which for me included the cancellation of a goal race and then a series of injuries from freak accidents. I believe that the work I did on my mental game is the reason that I did not get completely derailed by the uncertainty in the early days of COVID and the subsequent series of unfortunate setbacks. Guided through sport-informed counselling, I have been able to be strategic in my adaptation to the evolving circumstances and I am certain that I will be a stronger, more complete athlete than ever before when I return to competition. Performance counselling helped me process where I was at and where I wanted to go. Having a professional assess what was going on for me and what I needed to keep moving forward was invaluable, and having specific things to work on between sessions was also quite helpful. As my mental game has evolved, I've focused on more ambitious long-term goals. I have reconnected with the excitement I once had and I know that the mental performance work has helped me to be fully prepared to perform at my best.

Even when it felt like everything was lining up in training, our 10-year-old daughter realized that her technical and tactical game was not transferring into competition. Although she could not put it into words exactly, Cosmina knew there was something missing from her game. This is when, as parents, we considered reaching out to a mental performance consultant. This was the brightest idea we have ever had because it was, and continues to be, game changing and life changing for our daughter. It is quite extraordinary for Cosmina to be able to talk openly to the MPC on a regular basis and discover all the many aspects of an athlete's life and how to harmoniously combine them to create successful outcomes. People around us thought we were a bit "overboard" thinking a 10-year-old needed to work with a mental performance coach in order to perform; they could not have been more wrong. It is phenomenal to have access to this type of support at any age, and the earlier the better to allow a young athlete to develop the good habits early in life.

Over the last few years, working with a mental performance counsellor on my mental game has made such a difference in the way I prepare and view competition in sport. My counsellor's professionalism, knowledge and experience have supported me as an athlete as well as an individual. In my sessions we'd isolate an issue I might be having, and applied a direct strategic solution to aid in my development. Working with someone who is approachable and who understands sport truly makes you feel like you've got someone on your side. Working on my mental game and mental well-being made a huge impact on my life, and for that, I am very grateful.

I have been a life-long athlete, competing in an abundance of different sports, from figure skating, to martial arts, to flat water kayaking to triathlon. However, when I found Olympic Weightlifting six years ago, I never looked back. I embraced the challenge of learning a new sport as a masters athlete, and revelled in the constant opportunity for self-improvement that this sport provides. I learned the physical skills of the sport quickly, and with my competitive background found success at the local, provincial, and national level. Even though I had found success, I felt as though I could achieve more. I had my eyes set on improving my numbers and qualifying to compete at the Master's World Championships. I knew I could physically lift heavier numbers, but my belief in myself wasn't keeping pace. Consequently, I sought mental performance support. I was excited to be able to explore the mental side of sport, and better understand why I was afraid, hesitant and lacking confidence in certain areas. I was able to embrace several mental performance strategies which made an enormous difference to my performance. While it was work, and took time and discipline to incorporate into my athletic routine, it was worth every bit of effort. My confidence grew, my self-talk changed and the perception of my emotions was altered into something that promoted my ability to perform instead of holding me back. For example, I no longer approached near maximal lifts feeling "nervous", but rather, I was "excited" to have the opportunity to lift heavy. This subtle shift had a tremendous impact on my performance! Another strategy that has had a phenomenal impact is the ABCs and 123s. This strategy has allowed me to focus specifically on the things I need to do to achieve my best, while at the same time guiding me about where I want to make improvements next. Taking the time to work on my mental performance has had a significant impact on my competitive results! Since adding the focus of mental performance to my training routine, I have broken through a two-year training plateau, qualified for the Canadian Master's World Championship team, and stood on the podium in second place at the 2021 World Master's Weightlifting Championships (setting new personal records in both of my lifts when it mattered the most). I whole heartedly believe that this success is due to the integration of mental training into my regular training program. I look forward to continuing to explore the mental side of sport and where it will take me next!

Working with a mental performance coach has helped me understand how to manage my brain and my emotions. I feel that I can now come back when I am down in a set or a match instead of burying myself with negative thoughts and uncomfortable emotions. Working on my mental game completely changed my perspective and I feel more in control of my thoughts, my emotions and my game. It almost feels like my body and mind are now communicating better and they DO get along. The sessions with my MPC are helping me connect with my brain and understand it. Her explanations and analogies opened up a whole new world for me: the world of "optimal performance". Every session opens up a new way on how to get there. It is not an easy road to travel but I am enjoying the journey and not obsessing about the destination. I have learned many tools and strategies that have been very useful and give me the confidence I need to put it all together when I am under pressure and when it really matters. For example: knowing my Ideal Performance States, breathing techniques and benefits, the importance of sleep rest and recovery, understanding anxiety, the pillars of performance, emotional management, ways to measure success, practice mindset vs playing mindset, pre-performance preparation and post-performance reflection. Every tennis player most likely learns the same strokes, same technique, similar tactics, as most coaches are on the same page and teach the same things, but eventually it all boils down to playing my best under pressure and not giving up when I am down because the best point in tennis is the next point. Learning how to be mentally stable and strong is the best way to approach competition.

I was struggling with confidence and self-belief, and I wasn't playing at my optimal; I knew I had more in me and I wanted to be the best I could be. If I made just one mistake I would lose my focus and struggle to recover. My coach suggested I look into working on my mental game and that's when I reached out for support. Working with a Mental Performance Consultant helped me increase my confidence level so that I was able to relax and play to my potential while coaches and scouts were watching. I learned to use imagery and to go through all the possible scenarios in my mind before performances, which helped me perform at the highest level possible. I didn't realize how much I was holding myself back until I was taught techniques to erase errors from my mind and move on to the next play. The biggest benefit of all was that I was able to transfer the mental skills I developed for my sport into my everyday life. I learned relaxation techniques to help me calm down before tests and to not get so anxious, and I used imagery to prepare for exams.

I know that my best practices and races are the ones where I can smile behind the blocks and focus on going as fast as I can. After a series of swim meets where I was preoccupied with my results, meeting expectations, and fear of failure, I felt disappointed in both myself and my less-than-desirable performance. I was worried that seeking out support for my 'mental game' would confirm that I had failed as an athlete because I couldn't overcome this on my own. Working with a Mental Performance Consultant over the past couple years has helped me restructure both my mental and physical preparation so that I can race with a smile and a more open mindset.

When I was in grade 2 I got special permission to stay back from a field trip to a science center because it was on the same day as track and field at school. I'm not sure how I could have been that passionate about track and field at such a young age, but maybe I just hated science that much! I competed with the kids a year older than me and I was so nervous, but I loved the feeling and that's how I think I got hooked. I literally felt sick to my stomach with nerves but it was a feeling that I looked forward to each spring when track and field rolled around. I started training competitively when I was 11 but back then I had dreams of being a long distance runner. When I was in grade 8 I broke a school board record for triple jump and since then I have been training competitively for jumping. Mental game is important to my performance because my sport is very mentally demanding and often what separates the successful athletes from everyone else is who can stay composed, relaxed, and more than anything, patient. I was very successful at a very young age and as I grew older it was very hard for me to accept that I wasn't going to keep jumping further and further by huge margins every single time I stepped on the runway. More than anything mental training gave me tools for dealing with adversity. It helped me deal with disappointment and even success. It really just kept me going forward in the right direction and get the most out of every situation. I had planned to compete in the NCAA but the coach I was going to work with quit his job so I ended up going to Western University. During that first year of university I struggled with accepting the change of plans. That's when I started working on my mental game and it really helped me come to terms with things and from there the improvements just kept coming. We talked about a lot of underlying things that I didn't even know were holding me back as an athlete. It was really great just having someone to talk things through and make sense of everything that was going on in my head. Working on my mental game helped me learn to be patient, and I understood that I was moving in the right direction even when it felt like I was plateauing. I learned to find the good in all things I experienced so that nothing was a 'waste', and learned relaxation techniques.

I've been involved in sports, mainly basketball, my whole life. When I sustained a serious concussion my life changed immediately and completely: my sports medicine doctor told me I would never play again and I lost my sense of identity as an athlete. It was a really challenging time in my life. My concussion symptoms lasted more than 2 years and every aspect of my life was affected including school, personal, social and sports. As suggested by my sports medicine doctor I started working with a mental performance consultant and counsellor where I learned the tools and skills to deal with all the changes in my life. The process gave me a better understanding of myself and my life, and even though I can no longer play sports I've been able to transfer all of the skills, tools and strategies from counselling to other aspects of my life. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this journey and now I am in a better place mentally and emotionally.

My daughter was a competitive gymnast and spent many hours each week training in the gym. As much as my daughter trained to meet the physical demands of the sport, she needed to be equally trained mentally. This is where working on her mental skills through professional counselling helped her out a great deal. My daughter developed mindset skills and tools, such as imagery, self-talk and breathing techniques, in order to perform the harder skills, as well as perform after an injury. My daughter really enjoyed her regular sessions, which included some mindset skills training as well as opportunities for open discussions about the mindset of sport. But more importantly, the mindset training and counselling gave my daughter the tools to cope with situations far beyond her sport, as well as tools she can use for life.

As the coach of a competitive girls soccer team, in which most players were new to competitive soccer, it was important for our coaching staff to follow Soccer Canada's LTAD model to help our players grow in the Technical, Physical, Social-Emotional and Psychological categories. We lacked the resources and structure to help our athletes develop their psychological and mental preparation skills, and thus we brought on board a Mental Performance Consultant to help support us in this area. Through the process, our athletes were able to do a lot of 'growing' in a short period of time and be competitive in our league. It was important for us to have someone work with the team who understood sport from personal experience and who had the required academic training to bring a comprehensive knowledge of athlete development. Working with a Mental Performance Consultant provided mentoring and development for both the athletes and the coaching staff. We were able to reach our athletes in a fun and informative way, while also enabling the team to develop transferable life skills. Through mental skills training and counselling, the young women grew into confident, resilient, and capable athletes who thrived in our environment. It was such a positive experience that we made this part of our program for over four years. Bringing on a mental health professional with experience in sport helped our athletes grow and reach another level of performance on and off the pitch.

The first time I was introduced to the benefits of working with a Mental Performance Coach (MPC) in a meaningful way was through my involvement with Canada Basketball. The MPC helped athletes deal with the perceived pressure and anxiety of National Team camps and introduced the athletes to national team culture while setting the expectations for work in between formal camps. With this first-hand experience, I knew that when I had the opportunity to run my own USPORTS program I would include a Mental Performance Coach as a major part of our Integrated Support team. Some of the observed benefits I have found from having a MPC as an integral part of our team are: (1) Improved safety net for players when/if they are struggling. Inevitably in competitive sports, especially when it is combined with top-notch academics, people are going to need assistance. (2) Improved communication between players and coaching staff, especially in times of conflict. There are times (as a man in my early 40s) that I can empathize but not fully relate to the players, which can create breakdowns in communication. Working with a MPC can often help bridge the gap and mend fences when things go wrong. (3) Greater overall connection to team culture and themes. By involving our MPC while building and reinforcing our team culture has helped make messages 'stickier' in addition to providing creative ways to make abstract concepts more understandable and achievable. (4) Improved on-court performance related to confidence and motivation. So much of sport surrounds the idea of self-belief and self-discipline, and by having a MPC we can better develop Self-Discipline. It also helps us develop Self-Belief even when the player is not getting the reward of playing time, scholarship money or public recognition of performance. Overall, by working with a professional MPC, we can structure our Mental Performance training based on what the players need and include it in our periodized yearly plan. Rather than teaching only what we feel comfortable with, we can lean on the MPC's expertise and structure our training in a meaningful way. Some of the areas that have been a big success with our team have been receiving coaching, developing a growth mindset, reframing situations, imagery, developing healthy habits, team building, self-compassion and so many more. The reason why we continue to invest in having a team MPC is because our athletes have shown that when they are equipped with the proper mental skills they get more enjoyment from the student-athlete experience and perform better on and off-court. Dealing with the pressures and anxiety that, by nature, come from competitive situations allows our athletes to better achieve their potential and enjoy the experience.

In my mid-sixties, I began to ride in local and international dressage shows. I had mixed success in the show ring and my coach told me that my skills and those of my horses are good enough to get high marks, but somehow when I began a dressage test in a show, I would lose my mind and stop riding effectively. Anxiety, lack of concentration and poor focus really got in my way. When I started working on my mental game and sharing my story, I was thankful to have someone comprehend all of the concerns that I had about my show performances and who could offer concrete suggestions about how to deal with them. In only five meetings I was able to probe more deeply into the barriers to my success and obtain solutions. I realized that all competing athletes have the same issues to face and having someone to talk to with wide sport experience made it easy. In my last show of that season I rode a test that was about half way up the scale of difficulty in international dressage and had been my personal goal for many years. My horse and I attained a very good score that was definitely a personal best!! Training my mind in the show ring was a huge contribution to our success that year. I struggled in competition but that changed with mental training and support.

When I was competing leading up to the 2014 Winter Paralympics, I knew that I wanted to have someone in my corner to help me get through the challenging days where I wanted to quit, despite how close I was getting towards my ultimate goal. The journey to the Olympics/Paralympics is a long one, and you can't get there on your own. You need help from an expert, and that is why I knew in addition to my physical performance, I wanted support in my mental performance. When I sought out support from sports psychologists before, I found they were helpful but what ultimately helped me the most is building a long term relationship with someone that I vetted myself, that I knew, liked, and trusted. It was a game changer for me to take control of this into my own hands, versus relying on what my team's program provided. For me, the benefits were: - Consistency in support, despite changes in our team's program - I also found we could go deeper in conversations since our relationship was long term - I had more confidence in my abilities through visualization strategies I was provided - Having the ability to talk through my problems with someone that understood my specific scenario - Learning how to better manage my emotions and look at the big picture of my life and sporting experience One of the most beneficial tools I learned was to "Take things 0.1 step at a time". Mentally painting a picture of how to break things down into smaller, micro, simpler steps gave me insight in how to become more resilient in pursuit of my goals. This type of work is important for athletes because it doesn't matter how good your equipment is or how good of physical shape you are in, if you mental operating system isn't performing at it's peak then you're not going to get the results you are looking for. At the end of the day, working with a Mental Performance Coach comes down to you having a practical and real conversation with an expert to help provide you with tools and guidance to shortcut your own obstacles that we can tend to put in our way, and deal with those that are external an presented before us. By making an investment of your time, money, and application of the practices provided, you will see results. It's worth the investment.

I reached out for mental performance coaching when I was given the opportunity to participate in a Team Building challenge for work. It was a 6-day challenge in Africa that included a combination of running, hiking and mountain biking. In preparation for this challenge I started listening to endurance/ultra training related podcasts and realized the importance of seeking mental performance support, or else I probably would have never considered it. After my first session, I knew this kind of support was exactly what I needed. I look forward to every session with my Mental Performance Coach as I know I will always receive a new and different perspective. When I have doubts about myself and my abilities to accomplish my goal, I am reminded to trust my training and "box of tools", which helps me release self-doubt and regain/boost my confidence. My Mental Performance Coach is always able to show me that "I can", and that I do have a "formula/method" for success. Working on my mental game has helped with my adventure training as well as with my confidence at work and in my personal life. I have especially benefited from being coached on how to use imagery/visualization effectively.

Before working on my mental game, I was battling a serious mental block in competition. I was putting in the work and was consistently successful in the practice pen, but when it came to performing at an actual rodeo, I just couldn't put it together. Once I started working on my mental game, it didn't take long before I got to the pay window. Mental Performance sessions are an invaluable contribution to the development of my mental game in competition, which has led to increasing success over the last two years. I've learned first hand, that if you're wanting to perform at a high level, investing into your mental training is just as important as the physical conditioning of any sport and I'm eternally grateful for finding expertise in this field.

I worked with my Mental Performance Consultant for over 5 years, and during this time she has taught me mental skills to reduce my anxiety level when I competed and helped me boost my confidence level. Before I started working with a MPC my boccia career was going down, but with the help of my MPC I was able to pick things up and represent Canada at the 2012 London Paralympic Games! After achieving numerous world class performances, going to several Paralympic Games, and doing all that I can do in my sport, recently I retired from boccia and now take into coaching my athletes the lessons I learned through my personal mental skills training; it's been a full circle.