Sport Psychology Blog for Athletes, Coaches & Parents
Why I’m Hopeful About Woven: IRONMAN’s Plan for Women in Triathlon
IRONMAN's new women's initiative names time, space, and belonging as the problems to solve. Here's what I think they’re getting right, and what I'm hoping for.
The Science of Recovery: Why Rest Days Aren't Enough
You took the rest day, so why don't you feel recovered? Because rest and recovery aren't the same thing, and your nervous system knows the difference.
3 Signs of Performance Anxiety in Athletes (& What Helps)
When training looks great but race day unravels, the problem usually isn't fitness. Here are the three signs your athlete is struggling with performance anxiety, and what actually helps.
5 Daily Habits That Raise (or Wreck) Your HRV
Your HRV is a dashboard light for your nervous system. Here are five everyday habits that quietly raise it, or quietly wreck it.
Pre-Race Nerves? How to Regulate Your Pre-Competition Energy and Perform Under Pressure
Learn how to regulate your pre-competition energy to find your optimal performance zone. Evidence-based strategies for calming down when you're too hyped and firing up when you're too flat.
Diet Culture and Body Image in Female Athletes: Why I Hated My Race Photo (and What the Science Says)
I placed 2nd at my triathlon and qualified for nationals. But when I saw my finishing photo, all I could think was how big I looked. Here's what research says about diet culture, body image in athletes, and what actually helps when you hate your race photos.
Managing Parental Pressure in Youth Sports: A Parent's Guide
Your athlete's coach sees something you might not: how your well-meaning support can inadvertently add pressure. Discover what coaches wish they could tell you about post-game conversations, parental anxiety, and supporting your competitive athlete without sacrificing their love for the sport.
How to Help Athletes With Performance Anxiety: A Coach's Evidence-Based Guide
Reassurance often bounces right off anxious athletes. Here are six evidence-based strategies coaches can use to help youth athletes reinterpret anxiety and perform at their best.
HRV for Athletes: The Recovery Data Your Training Plan Is Missing
Your training plan tells you when to run and how hard—but it can't tell you if your nervous system is actually ready. Learn how HRV for athletes reveals the critical readiness data your plan is missing, so you can train smarter and recover better.
Athletic Identity and Mental Health: Why Being More Than an Athlete Protects You
Research shows athletes with exclusively athletic identity experience worse outcomes during transitions, injury, and retirement. Here's what 50 years of science reveals about building resilient, multidimensional identity.
Teen Athlete Nutrition: How to Fuel Performance, Recovery, and Growth
Exhausted after practice? Not hungry at dinner? Many teen athletes aren't fueling enough, and the consequences go far beyond performance. Learn what your body actually needs, why the advice you've heard might be wrong, and how to build a sustainable relationship with food that supports both performance and well-being.
How to Coach a Defensive Athlete: 6 Evidence-Based Strategies
If you have an athlete who argues with every piece of feedback, they're not resisting because they don't respect you—they're resisting because feedback feels like an attack. Here's what coaches need to know.
The Pain Cave: How Endurance Athletes Train Their Brains to Handle Pain
You're three miles into a threshold run when it hits. Your legs burn, your lungs tighten, your brain starts bargaining. Welcome to the pain cave. Here's the truth: it never gets easier, you just get better at dealing with it.
Teen Athlete Burnout: Signs, Causes, and How to Recover
Up to 30% of youth athletes experience burnout, but most don't know how to tell if they're actually burned out or just tired. Learn the warning signs, what causes teen athlete burnout, and the five strategies that research shows can help you recover your love for sport.
How to Build Self-Worth as an Athlete: 6 Research-Backed Steps
Your worth as an athlete isn't tied to your performance. Learn six research-backed steps to build genuine self-worth that doesn't crumble with every setback, complete with practices you can start using today.
Belonging in Sport: Finding Community as an Athlete
Belonging in sport shouldn't be conditional. Here's why finding genuine community as an athlete is so hard, and where to find people who actually get your lived experience.
Finding Your Why as an Athlete: Beyond Goals & Results
When training feels like checking boxes and you need external validation to feel good about workouts, your 'why' has gotten buried. Learn why athletes with clear values experience greater resilience and long-term adherence to sport.
Multi-Sport vs. Specialization: Why Being a "Mediocre" Athlete May Be the Smarter Strategy
Specialization isn't the only path to athletic success. Research shows that being "mediocre" across multiple sports builds longevity, prevents burnout, and protects against chronic overuse injuries—without sacrificing the joy of movement.
How Coaches and Parents Can Help Athletes Struggling with Self-Criticism | Evidence Based-Strategies
When athletes are harsh on themselves after mistakes, reassurance often fails. Sport psychology research reveals what actually helps, and it's not a pep talk.
Embodiment for Athletes: How Listening to Your Body Improves Performance and Recovery
Research shows that elite athletes who develop embodied awareness—the ability to interpret their body's internal signals—perform better under pressure, recover faster, and make smarter real-time decisions during competition.