by Heather Cribbin, Mental Toughness Coach I know, you’ve heard it many times before, but it’s hard to believe right? I mean, how can you, as a competitive athlete, or a high performer of any kind, actually take on the old adage that “Failure is the best teacher”. Reeeeally? I was a typical 14-year-old girl, … Continue reading Why Do We Preach that Failure is Necessary? →

Being a competitive athlete sure sounds fun, and cool, and all that….but what friends, family, teachers and coaches don’t get is how *^¥+\~** (insert your expletive here) stressful it can be. The good news is that by training your brain (as diligently as you train your body), you can create superhighways that link your response … Continue reading Resilience equals results →

By Ayanna Sealey, MTI Mental Toughness Coach As I watched this year’s Toronto Blue Jays Home Opener, I was struck by the fact that we were able to win both the New York Yankees’ and the Baltimore Orioles’ home openers. As it turned out, we lost our own home opener at the Rogers Center. Now, … Continue reading Do you have the nerve? →

As the snow is melting for those of us in Northern climates and as the days are growing longer, it’s time to come out of hibernation mode and kick it to the next gear of training (like the bear in this photo, lol!).  Even the most serious athletes can find it more challenging to get … Continue reading How to Up Your Performance this Spring →

Recently, a reporter asked me the following questions for an article she was writing.  I thought I’d give you a sneak peak into my take on anxiety and what you can do about it. What does anxiety mean? What happens to our body when we experience it? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anxiety as: “An abnormal … Continue reading How to harness anxiety for success →

For Ella Douglas, winning silver on beam was not predictable or to be expected, especially not at Gymnix, Canada’s premier international gymnastics competition.  Over the last 2 years Ella has undergone two different surgeries: one on her shoulder about two years ago and another on her foot/ankle last summer.

What an exciting week it’s been for MTI athlete Maddie Radvanyi!  One week ago she was just a student at school at Acadia University in Nova Scotia and now she’s the Canada Games GS Snowboarding Silver Medalist.  This is only the 2nd Canada Winter Games medal for Nova Scotia. I spoke with Maddie today and … Continue reading MTI Athlete Maddie Radvanyi wins Silver at Canada Games →

For those of you who watched the Super Bowl in 2015, I’m sure you noticed that the theme  was definitely Mental Toughness.  In the post game celebrations, it seemed like all Patriot interviewees brought up the subject of Mental Toughness as being a determining factor in their narrow win over the Seahawks. In an interview … Continue reading Mental Toughness at the Super Bowl in 2015 →

Pride is an important part of optimal performance and, at the same time, it makes all the hard work worthwhile. As I high performer, you need to have a certain amount of pride for getting the job done right, for representing your ‘team’, your country, your family, yourself to the best of your ability.   … Continue reading Pride a motivator and result of a job well done →

It’s time to Get Tough!  Not like forcing something or making something happen, but rather being in a place to respond to whatever the game, whatever your surroundings throw at you and be able to handle it with ease. Who doesn’t want that? So this month’s Get Psyched Game-Plan of the Month will include 3 … Continue reading Get Psyched Game-Plan: Get Tough! →

What are your goals this year?  So often people focus on ‘resolutions’ and often fall short for another year in a row because these resolutions are based on what they don’t want anymore versus what they actually want to achieve. When you focus on what you don’t want, your brain gets confused as it tends to … Continue reading Why resolutions don’t work . . . →

This awesome photo is of Amanda, one of my super dedicated NCAA college athletes.  When I started working with Amanda, she was going into her first season in college . . . she did not see the court much that season, and her marks were not as high as she wanted them to be.  Yet … Continue reading Most improved player . . way to go! →