Vanessa Atler, US National Champion, World Team member, and Goodwill Games gold medalist, is authentic, bubbly, and humble. She is also determined to follow her heart and care for the kids she coaches and teach them how to use self-compassion and mental health skills for life. 

Vanessa talks about her own healing process with self-compassion, seeing a dietician, and learning to overcome the big emotions she felt growing up in gymnastics. She is also inspired by her dad and how he influences her to keep learning new things and be the best person she can be. Finally, she discusses how she is using the Resilience curriculum (by Zen Tiger Mind) with her team - Vanessa says it's helping her too! They practice short exercises together to build inner strength, clarity, and self-awareness. Some of the kids are resisting, which is normal, and Vanessa is opening up to them with patience and teaching the kids patience. What she's most excited about is showing them how much she loves them and helping them to grow up to be happy adults. 

Vanessa is eager to do this good work for herself and the kids, and she encourages everyone to buy Resilience and practice mental health exercises for sports and life.

Follow Vanessa's weekly journey learning and teaching the Resilience program to the gymnasts on her team!

Preview!  2 Free Tutorials for the Resilience Curriculum

1.    Self-Compassion Practice
2.    Breathwork & Inner Calm - Butterfly Breathing

BIG DISCOUNT - If interested - get $80 off Zen Tiger Mind's Resilience Essential  Curriculum with 44 exercises. For a limited time, Use code: Vanessa80  You get a tracking sheet, instruction and best practices, free consulting and support from the author, Lisa Mitzel, plus 6 tutorials. Elevate your staff and change your life and the kids you coach. You can also promote your business with mental health education. Take deep breaths! We support you!

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

The world of coaching is shifting. We're in a new era. Athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have spoken up and drawn the line. Mental health matters. In gymnastics, there have also been many national team members who have spoken up about their elite experience, negative coaching, abuse, and how important mental health is. But Vanessa Atler may be the first former National Team member and US National champion to ever teach Mental Health skills to her gymnastics team. Vanesa is on a journey of her own, healing, and learning to accept herself and embrace herself. It's called self-love. 

And she's taking a stand - to follow her heart and care for the kids in a way that they can be mentally healthy and learn to love themselves. Vanessa talks about how she's coaching the whole child and shares some of her thoughts and practices. She's endorsing and using the Resilience curriculum (by Zen Tiger Mind) with her team and they are practicing short exercises to build inner strength, clarity, and self-awareness.  Her end goal has changed - as a young person it was all about pleasing people and winning, but now it's about loving the kids, taking a personal interest in who they are, and helping them grow up to be happy adults. Exactly what she wished for herself. Now, she’s nurturing the loving connection in sports that we all need in life  

Follow Vanessa's weekly journey learning and teaching the Resilience program to the gymnasts on her team!

BIG DISCOUNT - If interested - get $80 off Zen Tiger Mind's Resilience Essential  Curriculum with 44 exercises. Use code: Vanessa80  You get free consulting and support from the author, Lisa Mitzel. This can change your life and the kids you coach. You can also promote your business with mental health education. Way to go! We support you!

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Welcome to Season 2 of the podcast! We are calling it:  Build the Athlete Inside

and that will be our north star, INSIDE the mind and spirit. We can increase focus and motivation by practicing mindfulness, identifying and managing emotions. How an athlete experiences challenges on the inside, is a lesson for us adults and then together we can be better. 

This is the first episode of Season 2 - How To Practice Resilience. Isn’t that cool? Have you thought practicing resilience? Well you can! But some people think a child IS resilient or is not resilient. or a child IS confident or is not confident. but the fact is they are learning it. In the podcast, Lisa Mitzel and guest, Belisse Casey, do a couple exercises from Zen Tiger Mind’s new Resilience exercise program.

Belisse Casey is a former soccer player, now a student at University of California Berkeley, and a new intern with Zen Tiger Mind. We go into her experience as a soccer player, the challenges she faced and what helped her to be resilient. 

Here are 5 skills we will touch on to practice resilience: 

1. recognizing & validating feelings
2. emotional awareness 
3. creating feelings of safety & stability
4. self-regulation and self-compassion
5. positivity and self-kindness

What we hope for is that maybe we can open up some new thoughts and new perspectives to think about HOW you can teach resilience,  because expecting a child or teen to just be more resilient is not in alignment with their mental-emotional development - they need to learn and practice the skills -  and if you think about it, it’s really a gift to be able to help them. So let’s gooo!

Info 

BUY ZTM's  RESILIENCE e-Curriculum with 44 exercises for kids and coaches to do together - to reduce anxiety and stress and increase healthy brain development, emotional wellness and boost performance. Every child activity center benefits in business as you elevate your staff and create a mentally healthy environment.  Use code: RESILIENCE  at checkout to get $25 OFF

Follow Lisa Mitzel, the podcast, and Zen Tiger Mind on social media 

IG @mitzel_coach  FB LisaMitzel

IG @zentigermind  FB zentigermind

IG @conditionedtowinpodcast

GAC National Conference - Gymnastics Clubs of Australia

IACDP International Conference - International Association of Child Development Programs

Mosaic Diversity Consulting - Tiffany Mills offers services in Youth Sports

3rd Level Consulting - Business growth, professional education, and expansion

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Lisa Mitzel decided to add a bonus and do a Part 2  for this episode "Reduce Mental Blocks." You get to hear tips for parents, coaches, and a step-by-step story about Maddie with a mental block on her flyaway on bars, and Molly with a mental block on her RO BHS Back Tuck.

No matter the challenge, when you collaborate and open yourself up to working together - coach, athlete, and parent - the gymnast will feel more ease when everyone is on the same page. When the athlete is afraid and struggling, their voice is the guide. They are the pilot. Make sure the child feels safe, first.

When coaches learn more about psychology, they will be able to understand kids' emotions and guide the children much better.  Fear and mental blocks are just challenges. Normalize them and get the support you need.

For those seeking help with fear and mental blocks - feel free to reach Coach Lisa Mitzel at [email protected]
For more tips, follow Coach Lisa's instagram: @mitzel_coach

Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum!
Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz.
For the Mental Power Station ~ Check our online store HERE and you can follow ZTM on instagram.

Thank you for listening! 

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Mental Blocks and fear occur in practically every gymnastics club and in every sport that has flipping and twisting. Tumbling, trampoline, acro, cheer, dance, and more. In the 5th episode, you will learn it's easy to educate athletes and coaches on the signs of nervousness and fear - these early emotions and physical reactions (stomach aches, thoughts racing, feeling overwhelmed) are the heart of where mental blocks begin.

Talking about fear and mental blocks can normalize these challenges, and prepare kids to notice their thoughts and feelings. Catch it early. Be in tune with yourself, and learn how to FEEL SAFE and IN CONTROL. That's the key!

If a gymnast has positive support from their coaches and parents, anyone can overcome a mental block, you just need time, a good mental trainer, and lots of mental practice.

For those seeking help with fear and mental blocks - feel free to reach Coach Lisa Mitzel at [email protected]
For more tips, follow Coach Lisa's instagram: @mitzel_coach 

Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum!
Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz.
For the Mental Power Station ~ Check our online store HERE and you can follow ZTM on instagram.

Thank you for being here!

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Have you ever felt confused about staying at a gym, or been afraid to leave a gym?
Lisa Mitzel reviews how kids, parents and coaches get attached to each other, they may perceive that they are family, or that there should be loyalty.  But gymnastics clubs are businesses that provide a kind service. If there is ever a question about a child's health, then take a step back and evaluate. Is this gym the right place?
 
Lisa discusses different aspects of the parent's experience and the gymnasts' experience. She gives suggestions on how to think about honoring yourself and your child, and to express gratitude for the gym teaching your child and for they gym's service. And most of all, when your child has signs of depression, anxiety and fear - inform the gym that your child's mental health is a priority. If they don't promote mental health in the gym, or support your child in a kind way, and they don't make changes, it's likely better to choose a healthier training environment.

This show gives parents a view through the lens of a child's mind and specific thoughts to consider when you are thinking of leaving a gym. Always put your child's mental health first. You are a role model, you are inspiring, you are brave. Thank you!

Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum!
Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz.
Check our online store HERE

Thank you for being here. 

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Such an awesome show!  Listen to the 2nd half of my interview with the amazing Yuka Sugiura, and my thoughts on Women's Gymnastics NCAA National Championships, LSU winning, and student-athlete advocates for college athletes. This is powerful stuff, people!

In part 2 of BRAIN MAPS FOR GYMNASTS - Yuka talks about being a neuroperformance coach, the athletes' experiences improving flexibility, going straighter in tumbling and much more! She is breaking into the forefront of sports science for high performance and recovery and creating positive change in our sport!

We talk about Yuka’s focus on coaching coaches, autonomy supportive language, and how the brain NEEDS safety, safety, safety, and predictability.
I'm so grateful to Yuka, she is waking people up and truly making a difference. 

This is Part 2 of a 2-part show.
See Yuka's instagram @levelupneuro and website https://levelupneuro.io/

Learn MORE about the practice of Reiki and contemporary medicine HERE

Learn about the Student-Athlete Advocate at the University of Utah
HERE
Read and watch how LSU captured the women's gymnastics NCAA National Title
HERE
Read how the Stanford men's gymnastics team won Nationals, again!
HERE
Follow Coach and Host Lisa Mitzel on Instagram HERE

Thanks to Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum!
Check out our online store HERE

Thank you for being here. 

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

We are brainwashed. Society rewards the best students, musicians and athletes, so  kids need to work hard, be tough, and achieve. Hurry, don't miss anything, try harder, go faster, do better!  We want winners!
It's too much... It causes children all kinds of pain, injury and fear.  Kids are suffering. It's time we look closer and examine ourselves, because we are stressing kids' minds and bodies. 

And GUESS WHAT! There 's another way. It's called Neuroperformance Training and Yuka Sugiura is the genie in the bottle in gymnastics. Today she is teaching us Brain Mapping for Gymnasts. Yuka describes eye movements and small exercises to release tension and guarding, and like magic, gymnasts tumble straighter, jump higher, and become more flexible. The brain's map of the body becomes clearer and sharper and suddenly gymnasts perform better! Neuroperformance Training is an approach to injury prevention, rehab and performance that activates the brain and nervous system to change the body. Listen and follow because this is a healthier, smarter path with your kids to feel better and achieve their goals.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part show. 
Check out Yuka's instagram @levelupneuro and website https://levelupneuro.io/
She's got the tricks!

Thank you for being here. 

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Today’s show is entitled Fully Awake NCAA Gymnastics. I’m flying solo and digging into the systems, struggles, and young women’s experiences in NCAA Gymnastics. This is largely a story and contemplation as I zoom in on the culture of the University of Utah gymnastics team, Kara Eaker’s horrible experience on the team, and the new Utah State resolution that condemns abusive coaching.

Hold on and jump in - if you want to understand what's happening in college gymnastics and college sports, the mental and emotional side is not simple, it's complex.  The rate of suicide for U.S. college athletes has doubled in the last 20 years. It's up to 15% and that is scary and deeply concerning.
*Note - there are sensitive issues about abuse and sudden end of life.

I'm so proud of Kara Eaker and Kim Tessen for speaking up about the abuse they experienced at Utah and fighting to help other athletes who've been abused. There are so many emotions on all sides of this issue and I  have a heart for every single college gymnast. At Conditioned to Win, we want healing for each gymnast and coach at Utah and for all the people who've been affected.

Coaches and parents, look for advice at the end of the show - ensure your gymnast or daughter's mental health and wellness as she ventures into tough training, competition and looks to college sports. No one should ever make you or your daughter feel scared or anxious. Your athlete's thoughts, feelings, and voice matter.

Websites and organizations on safety:
https://endabusivecoaching.org/
https://spotaspider.com/
Utah State Legislature, Joint Resolution to condemn abusive coaching
   CLICK HERE
Sponsor Zen Tiger Mind
Contact Host Lisa Mitzel - [email protected]

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

Lisa Terry is the Owner, CEO and Head Coach at East Bay Gymnastics in Concord, CA.
In Part 2, we discuss a difficult situation with an abusive coach that was at their gym in 2023.  Though he started out friendly, he took a turn and created confusion, anxiety, and fear in the gymnasts...and everyone. Listen to how Lisa Terry admits her mistakes and takes responsibility, especially taking the time and energy away from gymnastics in order to help her gymnasts process their pain and heal together.

Host Lisa Mitzel also reflects on her "why" for doing this podcast. She opens up about a wake-up call last year and unfolds her thoughts about the Utah Gymnastics investigation,  her experiences in being verbally and emotionally abused as a gymnast, and her time coaching at Stanford University. She reveals that she caused emotional pain in some gymnasts that she coached at Stanford, and talks with one of her former Stanford gymnasts to help her heal from the pain.

This podcast is for all of us to rethink high performance and young athletes, to advocate for them and to integrate mental health and wellness in gymnastics and all sports.

Dr. Amy Saltzman and the Spot a Spider safety education program can be found here: https://spotaspider.com/
The Conditioned to Win podcast is sponsored by Zen Tiger Mind - mental training and mental health programs, equipment and products - check us out!
To see the home for Conditioned to Win podcast - click HERE.

Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast
Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind

Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast
Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music

This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.