Have you been on the fence about investing in mental training for your athlete daughter? Mental training is an investment for the both of you, but it’s an investment that has significant payoff and impact throughout her sports journey, your journey with her, and for life after sports.

Today, we’re joined by two members of the Elite Competitor community, sports mom Kourtney and her volleyball player daughter, Danika. They share more about how the investment of mental training has paid off for them in both the short term and the long term.

Kourtney + Danika’s Backstory
Kourtney desires to be a cycle breaker. She describes that she was raised in a home where she felt like she could never do anything right. As a mom now herself, it’s important to her that her daughters aren’t raised in the same way.

Before starting the program, Danika describes that she struggled with her mindset. If she made a mistake, it would cause her mind to spiral into thoughts such as, “I can’t do anything right” or, “I’m never going to be good at this.”

Kourtney shares that from her perspective, she could tell Danika was struggling to get past mistakes. She saw Danika pouring her heart and soul into her sport, but she would get stuck. Kourtney shares that it was hard to watch her daughter go through this. She didn’t want to see Danika fall out of love with the sport.

What Kourtney + Danika Have Learned
After starting the program, Danika shares that she started to notice a difference in her mindset. She became more positive, and she told herself things like, “I’m a good player, I can do this.” Danika's favorite part about the program was learning helpful breathing methods and how to slow down when she starts to feel stuck in a spiral.

Kourtney shares that once they started the program, she noticed that Danika’s level of self confidence significantly grew. She even saw a difference in her stature and the way she played. She was more positive, she cheered on her teammates, and she kept her head up throughout the game.

Kourtney mentioned that even though they’ve completely gone through the program once already, they continue to talk about what they’ve learned and they go back to their ECP work frequently. Just like physical skills, mental training skills need practice and repetition too. If you don’t use it, you lose it!

Takeaways
Danika explains that going through the program with her mom has brought them much closer. She shares that when she would get frustrated while playing her sport, her mom would get upset, too. But after going through the program together, their approach to athletics is more calm and they encourage each other to remember and practice their mental training skills.

If Danika was talking to an athlete who was considering jumping into the program, she would tell them that they can trust the process. In the beginning, Danika didn’t understand how the program would help, but afterwards she was much more confident and her overall mentality was more positive.

And if Kourtney was talking to a parent who was on the fence about the program, she would encourage them to jump in sooner rather than later. She shares that she has previously spent so much time, money, and energy on her daughter’s physical training, but the investment in the mental side of the game isn’t always prioritized.

Kourtney + Danika, we're so grateful to have you both in the community! We’re so proud of you both for all the hard work you’ve put in, thank you for opening up and sharing your experience with us.

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Helpful Links:

• Visit our podcast website for more on this episode.
• Join our FREE Training for Sports Moms - How to Strengthen Your Athlete Daughter’s Mental Game so She Believes in Herself as Much as You