Raising Elite Competitors

Latest Episodes:

Athlete Tip: Being Hard on Yourself Isn’t Making You Better Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Send this to your athlete if being hard on herself is wrecking her game. 🧠 Learn more here, mom → https://elitecompetitor.com/athlete
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
Athletes, if one mistake turns into "I'm terrible" and wrecks the rest of your day, this one's for you. Your high standards are a strength, but tearing yourself down after every error isn't what's making you better.
I'll walk you through the thought wheel and show you why the voice in your head after a mistake decides how you play the next rep. Then you'll learn how to keep your standards high and change that voice into something that helps you.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The difference between high standards and being mean to yourself- How to be a perfectionist about the process, not the outcome
✅ The thought wheel and how one thought turns a single mistake into a spiral
✅ What to say to yourself right after an error (it doesn't have to be super positive)
✅ The teammate test for talking to yourself after a bad play
💬 Moms, comment below: What does your daughter say about herself on the car ride home after a bad practice?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Self-talk training produced a moderate, positive boost in sport performance across 32 studies (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011)
👉Striving for high standards showed little to no link to burnout, while worrying about mistakes and others' judgment showed a medium-to-large link (Hill & Curran, Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2016)
👉Socially prescribed perfectionism, the feeling that others expect you to be perfect, rose 33% among young people from 1989 to 2016 (Curran & Hill, Psychological Bulletin, 2019)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #girlathletes #perfectionism #mentalperformance #athletementalhealth

The 2-Second Reset That Stops One Mistake From Turning Into Four Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

One mistake and she spirals. 'Shake it off' isn't helping. She needs a tool, not a pep talk. Learn more here, mom → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAM:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 The Mistake Spiral
00:36 Meet Coach Bre
01:36 What's Happening in Her Brain
02:47 Why 'Shake It Off' Fails
03:22 Three Steps to Bounce Back
05:05 The Snapback Routine
06:16 Mental Skills Take Practice
07:57 Free Training & Resources
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
You've watched it happen. One missed play turns into two, three, four, and no amount of "next play" from the stands seems to reach her. Those words aren't wrong, they're just the outcome you want. In this episode I'm breaking down the actual skill she needs to get there.
What You'll Learn:
✅ Why "shake it off" and "next play" don't stick when she's already spiraling
✅ What's often going on in her head after one mistake
✅ The Performance Traffic Light and how to catch the shift from green to yellow before she hits red
✅ The SnapBack Routine: a breath, a reset word, and a reset signal in two seconds or less
✅ Why mental skills need daily practice just like passing, shooting, or swimming
💬 Moms, comment below: What does her body language look like when one mistake starts turning into three?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Athletes who used a short routine before performing did measurably better, including under pressure, no matter how simple the routine was (Rupprecht, Tran & Gröpel, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)
👉Across 32 studies, self-talk training improved sport performance with a moderate effect (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011)
👉Self-critical female athletes who learned to treat themselves with more kindness showed less rumination and less concern over mistakes a month later (Mosewich et al., Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2013)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #girlathletes #mentalgame #volleyballmom #volleyball #girldad #soccer #basketball #tennis #golf #fencing #lacrosse #swimming #softball #track #gymnastics #cheerleading

The Mental Reset That Unlocked Maya's Gymnastics Skill After 5 Months Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

A mental reset helped Maya land a skill she chased for months. Help your daughter build hers. 🧠 Learn more here, mom → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome & Introduction
00:45 The Cody Story
02:38 Breaking Down the Practice
04:34 The Snapback Routine
05:23 Life Before Mental Training
07:08 Advice & What's Next
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.🏆
In this episode, Coach Saylor, a mental performance coach inside our Elite Competitor Academy, sits down with Maya, our August Athlete of the Month and a Level 7 trampoline and tumbling athlete.
Maya spent five months working on a skill she needed to move up a level. The missing piece showed up on a practice she walked into tired and doubtful, when she leaned on her mental reset and went for it.
She shares her exact Snapback Routine word and signal, plus what changed after one mistake used to end her whole practice.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The mental reset Maya used right before she landed her skill
✅ What a cue word and physical signal look like in a real routine
✅ Why a breakthrough doesn't wait for a good-feeling day
✅ How visualization helped her trust the skill before she landed it
✅ The advice Maya gives athletes who are stuck and losing hope
💬 Moms, comment below: What skill or moment has your daughter been stuck on the longest this season?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Pre-performance routines showed moderate-to-large performance benefits under pressure, across 15 sports and 800 athletes (Rupprecht, Tran & Gröpel, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)
👉Imagery combined with physical practice was more effective than physical practice alone (Simonsmeier et al., International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)
👉Self-talk interventions were more effective for new skills than for well-learned ones (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #girlathletes #athleteconfidence #gymnasticsmom #mentaltoughness #mentaltoughness #girlsports #sportsparents #basketball #soccer #highschoolsports #collegesports #fencing #gymnastics #competitivecheer #volleyball #drama #swimming #lacrosse #tennis #golf #athleteconfidence #girlconfidence #daughter #girldad

She Practices Every Skill But This One (Takes 30 Mins/Week Inside The Elite Competitor Academy) Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Her mental game needs reps too. See how the Elite Competitor Academy covers this gap in just 30 minutes a week, and how you help. Learn more here → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:22 What is the Elite Competitor Academy
01:48 Why Our Approach is Different
03:36 How It Works: Getting Started
05:01 The Trainings & Daily Routine
08:21 Live Coaching: Elite Competitor Premier
11:34 Real Family Results
13:32 Common Questions & Pricing
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
She goes to practice to build her physical skills and the weight room to get faster and stronger. Her mental game needs the same reps, and the mind gym takes about 30 minutes a week.I walk you through the Elite Competitor Academy, what happens in her first week, where you fit in, and the questions moms ask most before joining.
What You'll Learn:
✅ What 30 minutes a week in the "mind gym" looks like for her
✅ The SnapBack Routine she learns in week one to get over mistakes fast
✅ Why her 3-2-1 BRAVE daily routine gets repeated every new season
✅ How the welcome call gets your daughter bought in, so you don't have to do the convincing
✅ How the parent track gives you scripts for after a bad game, tough coaches, and politics
💬 Moms, comment below: Which skill gets the most practice time in her week right now?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Girls who drop out of sports report significantly more worries about messing up, not playing well, and losing than girls who keep playing (Women's Sports Foundation, 2020)
👉Pre-performance routines improved sport performance in a meta-analysis of 112 effect sizes, including under pressure (International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)-
👉Psychological skills training outperformed no training with moderate effects on athletic performance in a systematic review (Sports Medicine, 2024)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #girlathletes #mentaltraining #mentalgame #raisingelitecompetitors

How Elite Competitor Academy Families Fit Mental Training Into a Packed Week Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

Parents worry that mental training just feels like "one more thing." Here's how these moms and daughters actually fit it in. Learn more here → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Fitting Mental Training Into a Busy Schedule
02:52 How Parents Engage with the Program
03:48 Ella's Experience as a Swimmer
05:16 Individual vs. Team Sports
07:50 Why the Elite Competitor Academy Works
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
🎤 Joined by two Elite Competitor Academy families, Michelle and her daughter Elise, and Danyell and her daughter Ella, sharing what changed for them inside the program.
Elise shares exactly how she fits her mental training into car rides before and after games, and why it never felt like another huge commitment on top of school and practice. You'll also hear Ella break down how the mental game applies differently for a solo sport like swimming versus a team sport like soccer.
What You'll Learn:
How Elise fits her mental training into 15-minute car rides, before or after games
Why the program never felt like "more school" once she actually started
How Michelle and Danyell stayed involved as parents without micromanaging it
What changes for an individual-sport athlete versus a team-sport athlete
Why every athlete, solo or team, needs these skills for a different reason
💬 Moms — comment below: What's the one thing that makes you worry a new program will be "one more thing" for your athlete?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
Individual-sport athletes report anxiety or depression at nearly double the rate of team-sport athletes, 13% versus 7% (Pluhar et al., Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2019)
Self-talk and anxiety patterns differ meaningfully between individual and team versions of the same sport, tied to how responsibility is structured (Journal of Human Kinetics, 2025)
A meta-analysis of 86 studies and over 3,500 athletes found that about 10 minutes of imagery practice, three times a week, produced the strongest performance gains (Behavioral Sciences, 2025)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #mentalgame #girlathletes #sportsparenting #confidentathletes #visualizationforathletes #mentaltraining

How to Help Your Athlete Bounce Back From a Bad Play in Minutes Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Two moms share how they help their daughters bounce back from a bad play in minutes. Parents... Join me LIVE this week to learn more → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:39 Elise's Breakthrough on the Field
02:06 The Trust Yourself Trick
03:25 Ella's Pool Adaptation
05:10 Parents' New Playbook
07:45 Join the Elite Competitor Academy
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
🎤 Joined by two Elite Competitor Academy families, Michelle and her daughter Elise, and Danyell and her daughter Ella, sharing what changed for them inside the program.
Michelle shares the exact wristband trick she uses to remind Elise to trust herself mid-game, and Danyell describes how quickly Ella recovers between swims when she has a rough one.
Both moms also open up about how they changed the way they talk to their daughters after a game, swapping quick fixes for real support.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The exact wristband trick Michelle uses to remind Elise to trust her skills mid-game
✅ How Ella "knocks off" a bad swim and preps for the next one like it's brand new
✅ Why Elise's coach noticed a change before she said anything about it
✅ The shift from outcome praise to process praise, and why it reprograms self-talk
✅ What changed once both moms stopped focusing on what could've gone better
💬 Moms — comment below: What's one thing you say to your daughter right after a tough game or match?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Parents who give process-oriented feedback, focused on effort and strategy over outcome, support their young athlete's motivation more effectively (Motivation and Emotion, 2023)
👉A study of 46 NCAA Division I swimmers found that a structured pre-performance routine led to more helpful emotions and less intense negative emotions before racing (The Sport Psychologist, 2021)
👉A 2025 study of young elite athletes found that how quickly and constructively an athlete processes a mistake, not whether she dwells on it at all, was linked to better perceived performance (Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2025)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #mentalgame #girlathletes #confidentathletes #sportsparenting

The Wrong Way and the Right Way to Bring Up Mental Training With Her Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Your daughter doesn't need to love mental training to benefit from it. Here's why mental toughness for athletes starts before buy-in, and what actually happens on a Welcome Call. Learn more here, mom → elitecompetitor.com/emg
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:54 Community Shoutouts
02:03 She's Not Broken, Just Untrained
04:13 How to Get Her Bought In
05:59 Mental Training as a Skill
07:43 Proof It Works
09:12 How to Bring It Up
10:53 Closing Thoughts
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
You already believe mental training matters for your daughter. The hard part is actually bringing it up without making her feel like something's wrong with her.
What You'll Learn:
✅ Why your daughter isn't broken, she's simply untrained in one specific skill
✅ Why there's no perfect script, and what to focus on instead
✅ Why she doesn't have to be excited about this for it to be the right move
✅ The specific order kids move through before they actually buy in
✅ What happens on a Welcome Call, and why most skeptical athletes leave convinced
💬 Moms — comment below: What's the one thing that's made you hesitate to bring this up with her?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉A 3-week psychological skills program produced significant gains in young athletes' domain-specific self-esteem, including athletic competence (Merlin et al., Pediatric Exercise Science, 2024)
👉An 8-week psychological skills training program significantly reduced competitive anxiety in adolescent athletes, with the effect still holding 3 months later (Bai et al., Social Behavior and Personality, 2026)
👉Autonomy-supportive parenting was linked to greater persistence and better self-regulation in adolescents completing tasks they weren't initially enthusiastic about (Papa et al., School Mental Health, 2026)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#mentaltraining #sportsmom #girlathletes #mentalperformance #confidencecoaching

Athlete Tip: 77% of Athletes Freeze Under Pressure. Here's the Fix. Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

The science behind why you freeze under pressure. Athletes: take this quiz to find out your competitor style → https://elitecompetitor.com/athlete
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for sports parents:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Freezing Under Pressure
00:55 Mackenzie's Story
02:35 What Happens in Your Brain
04:10 Tip 1: Name It to Tame It
05:11 Tip 2: Anchor and Go
06:29 Tip 3: Bridge Practice and Games
08:41 Recap and Outro
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
🎙 This episode is hosted by Coach Saylor, our mental performance coach for competitive girl athletes inside the Elite Competitor Academy.
In this episode, Coach Saylor breaks down why athletes who look sharp in practice can suddenly freeze the moment a real competition is on the line. She shares the science behind it, plus three tools you can start using with your daughter today.
Coach Saylor also shares a real message from one of our Elite Competitor Academy athletes who used these exact tools to compete like she practices and post some of her best results yet.
What You'll Learn:
Why skills that feel automatic in practice can break down the moment pressure shows up
The "name it to tame it" step that takes the power out of a pressure spiral
A simple pre-play anchor routine (breath, cue word, physical signal) to reset instantly
How to build practice on purpose so game pressure stops feeling foreign
Why her past training is the strongest fuel for her present confidence
💬 Moms — comment below: When does your daughter's practice-brilliance disappear the most? Big tournaments, playoffs, or when a college coach is watching?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:-
77% of athletes experience choking under pressure at least once a year, averaging 18.25 times (Mesagno, Hammond & Goodyear, 2024)
A meta-analysis of 800 athletes across 15 sports found pre-performance routines produce moderate-to-large performance gains specifically under pressure (Rupprecht, Tran & Gröpel, 2021)
Competitive performance anxiety in young athletes is rising due to early specialization and year-round training, and it directly interferes with executing trained skills (McDuff, Garvin & Marsalis, 2025)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #mentalperformance #girlathletes #confidencecoach #athletemindset

2 Moms Share What Helped When Their Daughters Shut Down After Mistakes Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Two moms share what helped their daughters bounce back after a mistake. 🧠 Learn more here, mom → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:
👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Meet the Moms and Daughters
02:59 Why They Joined the Academy
03:18 Elyse's Struggle on the Field
04:19 Ella's Individual vs. Team Pressure
04:58 Danielle's Perspective on Building a Foundation
06:21 Overcoming Early Skepticism
09:14 Program Overview and How to Join
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
🎤 Joined by two Elite Competitor Academy families, Michelle and her daughter Elise, and Danyell and her daughter Ella, sharing what changed for them inside the program.
Michelle describes exactly what she saw from the sideline when Elise made a mistake, and the moment that changed how her daughter handled it. Danyell shares why she wanted her daughter to hear these same tools from someone other than her, before the pressure of competitive swimming caught up to them.
What You'll Learn:
✅ What Michelle saw from the sideline when Elise made a mistake, and what changed once she got support
✅ The specific moment Elise decided to trust her skills again mid-game
✅ Why Danyell wanted the message to come from someone other than her, even with a psychology background of her own
✅ The exact question Michelle asked Elise that opened the door to try mental training
✅ Why doubting this will work at first is a normal reaction, not a red flag
💬 Moms, comment below: What's the exact moment you realized your daughter's mental game needed more support than her physical training?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Parents' influence on youth athlete motivation has been found to surpass coaches' in some respects (Frontiers in Psychology, 2023)
👉A qualitative study of coaches, parents, and athletes found a consistent gap in know-how around mental skill development, meaning families are often the ones initiating outside resources (Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2025)
👉A network meta-analysis of 46 randomized controlled trials found psychological interventions meaningfully reduced competitive anxiety in athletes (Sports Medicine – Open, 2026)
The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #mentalgame #girlathletes #sportsparenting #confidentathletes

She Wins On Bad Days: A 14-Year-Old's Advice for Athletes & Parents (Maeryn's Story) Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

14-year-old, Maeryn, a nationally ranked tennis athlete, shares her advice for showing up on bad days. 🎾 Learn more about the Elite Competitor Academy program she uses to keep centered → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📌 Resources & Tools:
FREE for YOU:
🎓 Strengthen Your Athlete's Mental Game - Training for Parents → https://trainhergame.com/mom
📬 Join our weekly TIPS newsletter → https://sportsmom.fyi/yt-tips
💬 Use this Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to talk to your athlete about mental training → https://sportsmom.fyi/convo-guide
🎙 Listen to the Podcast: Raising Elite Competitors
FREE for Athletes:
🔹 Share with your athlete: What's Your Competitor Style Quiz → https://athlete.fyi/yt-quiz
🎥 YouTube Playlist for Athletes → https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAMS:👉 Join The Elite Mental Game for girl athletes → https://trainhergame.com/yt-emg
Connect with us!
IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/elitecompetitorcoach
Tik Tok: ➡︎ https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingelitecompetitors
YouTube: ➡︎ SUBSCRIBE 🙌🏼 and hang out in our community here with us!
⏰ Key Timestamps:
00:28 Intro
01:11 Meet Maeryn
02:41 Recent Tournament Wins & Mental Prep
05:09 Snapback Routine & Breathing Techniques
06:35 The Brain Dump Strategy
08:48 Positive Affirmations
10:25 Overcoming Past Struggles
12:00 Advice & Closing Thoughts
👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.
🎾 This week's guest is Maeryn, a 14-year-old nationally ranked tennis player and our July Athlete of the Month. She joins Coach Saylor to share her advice for athletes and parents on showing up and competing even on the hard days.
Maeryn walks through her Snapback Routine, box breathing, and the pre-match worry list she hands straight to her parents so she can't carry it onto the court. She also shares the four-line affirmation script she reads during changeovers.
This episode is for the athlete who's had a bad week and the parent trying to figure out what to say to her. Share it with your daughter, then come back and comment below.
What You'll Learn:
✅ How Maeryn shows up and competes even during a rough stretch
✅ The exact Snap Back Routine she uses to reset mid-match in under 20 seconds
✅ Why she writes down every worry before a tournament and hands it to her parents
✅ The four-line third-person affirmation script she reads during changeovers
✅ How she reframes a loss so it doesn't turn into a weeklong spiral
💬 Moms — comment below: What's the first thing you say to your daughter in the car after a tough loss?
P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
👉Third-person self-talk improves emotion regulation and self-control under pressure by creating psychological distance from the stressor. (Moser et al., Scientific Reports, 2017)
👉A meta-analysis found pre-performance routines meaningfully improve concentration and lower pre-competition anxiety. (Gröpel & Mesagno, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)
👉A brief writing exercise immediately before a high-stakes moment significantly boosted performance, especially for those who are habitually anxious. (Ramirez & Beilock, Science, 2011)
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The Raising Elite Competitors podcast and YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.
#sportsmom #mentaltraining #girlsintennis #confidencebuilding #athletemindset

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