What's really going on in your head when you freeze up in big moments? Why are you so much harder on yourself than you'd ever be on a teammate? And how do you actually build confidence instead of just faking it?

This week I sat down with Alison Gorrell, a mental performance coach who played D1 basketball, went pro overseas for seven years, and got her masters in sport and exercise psychology while still playing professionally. She's worked with athletes from youth to Olympic level—including the Scotland National Beach Volleyball team at the Commonwealth Games—and she breaks down the mental side of sports in a way that just clicks.

We get into confidence, self-talk, how to reset after mistakes, what coaches and parents can do to actually help, and why your brain is literally wired to work against you sometimes. Alison shares what it was like balancing pro basketball with building her business, how her parents (a psychologist and a philosopher) shaped the way she thinks about performance, and why she believes failure is part of the equation for success.

One thing she said that I can't stop thinking about: "You're too valuable to be stuck in the past."

This one's for athletes, parents, and coaches—and honestly, anyone who's ever been in their own head a little too much.

Follow Mental Performance Coach Alison Gorrell: @coachgorrell

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