As Dr. Colleen Hacker explains, "The head and the heart are differentiators" when it comes to finding success in competition. Dr. Hacker, author of Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance, has built an accomplished career working with some of the top athletes in the world in the areas of sport psychology and mental performance. In this episode, she explains what it means to be a high achiever, and what it takes to tap into the mental side of competition to reach a higher level of success. 

Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life https://ecs.page.link/hsvJn

Colleen M. Hacker, PhD, FNAP, CMPC

Colleen Hacker has served on the United States coaching staff for six Olympic Games as a mental skills coach and performance psychology specialist. She has also served as the mental skills coach to professional, international, and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports including Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), PGA, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), LPGA, swimming, basketball, lacrosse, crew, speed skating, track and field, and tennis to name a few. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Pacific Lutheran University and is a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice, is listed on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry, and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC).

Dr. Hacker has published more than 45 articles, book chapters, and a book (Catch Them Being Good with Gold medal and World Cup Champion coach, Tony DiCicco), as well as delivered speeches and lectures on the national and international stage. She has worked with numerous Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporations as well as civic groups and organizations. Her work is regularly featured on national television outlets such as CNN and ESPN and also in high-profile publications including The New York Times and Washington Post.

Dr. Hacker was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Professional Practice Awared from the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She received the Honor Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sports, the Presidential Citation by the American Psychological Association, as well as the Letter of Commendation and the National Award of Excellence from the United Soccer Coaches (USC). ESPNW named Dr. Hacker as one of 30 women in the country who "change the way sports are played." She serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance and on the National Advisory Board for the EPIC Center (Education for Persistence and Innovation Center) at the Teachers College, Columbia University.

YouTube version of the interview https://ecs.page.link/74Jgv

Human Kinetics https://ecs.page.link/is5vj