Please take a moment to read through how our process works, what type of appointments we offer, who we work with, and details we often get asked. We’ve taken great pride in making sure our website is thorough. To ask us a question directly, find our voice message button below.
Great question, we hear this one often. We partner with orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors across Houston because they know physical rehab alone doesn’t guarantee a confident return. After injury, athletes often say they’re fine, but underneath they’re anxious, frustrated, or protecting themselves without realizing it. They may baby the injured area, overcompensate with the healthy side, or hesitate when taking risks – making re-injury more likely. Doctors send athletes to us because mental performance training closes that gap.
We teach athletes how to rebuild trust in their body, reset the memory of the injury, and return to playing assertively, not cautiously. Without this mental piece, many athletes wonder why they “don’t feel like themselves” even after being cleared physically. Mental training ensures recovery is complete – body and mind – so athletes come back confident, aggressive, and ready to perform at their true level.
Email is the fastest way to get a response. Please email [email protected] to ask any questions about our services that you feel aren’t listed in our FAQ. You may also reach out to your individual practitioner: Ashley at [email protected]. Dalton at [email protected] Christa at [email protected] or Aja at [email protected] Keep in mind, we are with clients typically back to back all day and may only have a few minutes between sessions, so an email is the quickest way to get back to someone when we don’t have adequate time for a phone call. Emails are best because everything can be documented and referred back to for sessions. This also allows us to provide information any time of day as well.
Mental Performance sessions are not covered by insurance, as we’re not diagnosing, or coding so insurance doesn’t cover it directly. We accept all major credit cards & often can accept Health Savings Account/flex pay cards. It does fall under a medical umbrella to accept HSA type payment. HSA type payment is for healthcare related expenses & are savings accounts that allow individuals to set money aside tax free that can be used exclusively for medical expenses NOT covered by insurance. I want to be clear, you won’t qualify for reimbursement from insurance or be able to use a co-pay & we can’t promise your company would recognize our practice appropriate for your HSA card since we aren’t a medical service provider, administrators have the right to decline transactions & that’s completely out of our control. However, a ton of our clients use this each time they see us.
Sport Psychology involves how the mind influences you as an athlete and can hinder you or help you perform to your potential. An athlete often spends so much time training the physical components of the game then neglects training the mental aspect of competing. When athletes get to the elite level, most competitors have the same talent, the ones who excel are the ones who are mentally tough, can manage distractions, and are mindful of what they focus on.
Sport psychology draws on the knowledge from many related fields including biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology, and psychology. Sport psychology coaches teach athletes skills and techniques to use during high pressure situations that involve how the brain connects with the body. There are so many coping strategies that can be learned, and these tactics help athletes have a stronger mental game.
Could you be better if you knew how to react differently when things go wrong? What if you developed stronger confidence? What if you competed consistently in front of recruiters? What if you became more coachable and because of that got the opportunity to compete at the next level?
Ashley, owner of Maximize the Mind here, and I know what this feels like because I still compete. I competed in multiple sports growing up, took time off and then found triathlon. I have had many injuries and wondered if I’d be able to come back. I have felt like I had to prove myself. I have been frustrated with the thought of not being good enough. I have held back. I too, I was skeptical if sport psychology strategies really worked. I wish I had someone like me when I was younger. Once I learned what to do and started applying them, I became mentally stronger. I performed better. One of my favorite things is hearing athlete’s success stories. I have never worked with someone that I couldn’t help in some way.
You should look forward to competing. It should be fun. No one should feel tight or stiff or tense. No one should be afraid of getting embarrassed so they quit. You only have one shot at being a starter, getting a scholarship, or seeing if you can reach your potential. Will you get passed by competition?
The average competitor quits when it gets tough, but after you learn sport psychology tools, no more emotionally exhaustive competing. You’ll be in control and have authority that will improve your performance. You will have learned the skills that used to only be taught to elite athletes. Get back to where competing was fun and you can actually trust your talent. You could be mentally resilient, assertive, and have an overall better mindset.
The fastest way is through our online scheduler – it’s updated in real time and lets you grab an appointment 24/7 without waiting on replies. That said, the system does cap the number of clients per day, so sometimes it looks full when we may still have wiggle room.
We’d never tell you to email if we didn’t mean it: please do! We often get last-minute cancellations or can shift things around, and the only way we know you need help is if you reach out. We don’t have a receptionist – our email goes directly to your coach, who is invested in serving you. So start with the scheduler, but don’t hesitate to ask. You’re not “bothering us” this is how we make sure athletes get the support they need.
How to book:
-Go to our Booking page: https://maximizethemind.com/contact/
-Click “Book Appointment” with your chosen coach.
-Select in-office or virtual, set your time zone, and pick a date/time.
-Enter the athlete/client name (not the parent’s).
-Add credit card info (not charged until after the session).
-You’ll get reminders 14, 7, and 3 days out, plus a text 24 hours before.
-You may cancel/reschedule anytime through the email reminder link.
You may email your practitioner if you’d like to be added to the waitlist for cancellations.
While teenagers have many reasons to seek this mental edge, remind them if they want to bolster their athletic record to impress college admissions officers, this is one more advantage. I think more athletes are realizing this more & more, seeking help is not just for people who are struggling, but for those who want to gain an edge or perform more consistently, be more confident. Usually this helps ease the idea of talking to someone. I teach researched based scientific tools & concepts. I don’t believe in the “positive thinking” strategy, I teach my clients actual tools they can implement.
Talking about sport psychology with a resistant athlete may be tough, but here are a few tips that will make it easier for you and your athlete:
It’s the office policy to provide at least a 48 hour notice of cancellation. If 48 hours is not given, a $50 cancellation fee is required. Emergency situations (deaths, illness, accidents) will be handled on an individual basis. If a client “no shows” an appointment, they will be charged the full amount of the appointment. Please be considerate of the long cancellation waitlist for others trying to get in.
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Master Card, Discover, Amex), or Health Care/Flex Spending accounts (HSA cards). We don’t have change in the office to accept cash as it’s not safe when practitioners are often alone. We can securely store your financial information on file as well, so you or your youth athlete don’t have to worry about payment after each session.
Our thoughts, our focus, our energy determines how we tap into our physical ability… hence dumpster fire/inconsistencies when you know you’re better than what you’re producing. We work with athletes primarily because our practice is rooted & trained in sport psychology but we do work with sales professionals, public speakers, attorneys & other CEO’s on presence, confidence, time management, decision making, & focus. We truly feel mental training allows you to be the best version of yourself in all areas of your life & lets face it everything is all connected. So while we do give strategies to be calmer & reset, we like to work on your identity & the source of what’s behind the frustration to really problem solve. We help professionals become the high performer they envision but haven’t been able to get those habits to stick. If you need to take things less personally, conquer limiting beliefs, or communicate with more authority, we’d love to coach you.
Why not? We work with athletes from youth through professionals. We have also worked with adult weekend warriors who are triathletes, runners, tennis players or golfers wanting to see if they can improve or make their sport more enjoyable. Once you learn what’s in your sub-conscious and your conscious part of your brain, you become empowered. You learn how to not force movement and how to relax your body. You can do so much more than you ever thought attainable.
From Ashley: I think a common misconception is that sport psychology is just for top athletes, but the truth is, learning mental skill strategies helps everyone is all areas of life. I find that a lot of my clients have a hard time learning how to deal with emotions & compartmentalizing; we all have weaknesses- we just need to learn how to not let them define us. I’ve had a lot of success teaching coping mechanisms, understanding coaching comments, how to make decisions quicker & be more assertive & getting used to new expectations that they haven’t been used to before. It’s important to teach people how to balance stress, manage emotions, learn how to trust training & ease tension if they want to get more out of their sport. The voices in our head tend to be loud when we don’t know how to handle them, but we can work on that.
We’ve worked with athletes in gymnastics, golf, swimming, figure skating, football, soccer, baseball, softball, race car driving, fencing, clay shooting, rifle shooting, equestrian, horse polo, water polo, dancers, tennis, pickle ball, cross country, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, hockey, triathlons, cycling, running, trampoline, track, rodeo, karate, jujitsu, cheerleading, tumbling, parkour, ninja warrior, wrestling, artistic roller skating, archery, and rock climbing. Based on our experience over the years, we’ve found youth through professional athletes deal with a lot of the same issues no matter what the sport or level may be.
If things are going well – you still want to come in so we can capture what’s going right for you. We want to lock in what’s going well and understand how you got there. Every performer goes up and down in their career, so you may start to struggle again, and we want to remember everything you’re doing now that’s working for you. This session might cover what all you have changed, how to keep it up, review what we’ve covered, evaluation, setting future goals, and how to maintain this over time. That might be the last session you have, but it’s so valuable to have so that you create proper habits to stay there.
Yes, the online scheduler is CORRECT and updates in real time.
Our online scheduler is designed for convenience so you can grab a session at 11pm on a Saturday or 5am before work without waiting on us to reply. But if a date looks grayed out, that doesn’t always mean we can’t take you. The scheduler caps the number of sessions each day so we’re not overloaded, but sometimes we do have wiggle room. We may have a mid-day gap, the ability to come in earlier or stay later, or offer extra virtual slots outside office hours.
Bottom line: don’t assume the scheduler is the final word. If you’re heading into playoffs, need a cancellation spot, or just can’t find a time that works, email your practitioner directly. We wouldn’t encourage it if we didn’t mean it. We’re passionate about what we do, and while we can’t always make miracles happen, we’ll do everything we can to accommodate athletes when it matters. Use the scheduler first for ease, then reach out if you need flexibility—that’s exactly how we designed the system to work best for you. We truly are invested in our client’s success, please ask for appointment options so we can best serve you!
We appreciate your patience in getting on our schedule; we know it’s frustrating not to be able to problem solve immediately, but we hope that tells you we’re good at what we do and our clients have seen great results with the amount of referrals we receive : ) We also continue to have doctors and coaches refer to us, so although the wait time is often not ideal, we believe it’s worth the wait : )
We don’t list a phone number because we don’t have a receptionist or a central line – each of our practitioners are working directly with athletes all day. If we took unscheduled calls between sessions, we’d end up pushing back appointment times and serving fewer athletes. Plus, let’s be honest: there’s no such thing as a “five-minute” phone call. We want to give you our full attention, and phone tag just doesn’t work with packed schedules.
Instead, email is the most efficient and reliable way to reach us. It allows us to keep everything documented in your athlete’s file so we can reference details later (instead of relying on memory or sticky notes). We love connecting with families — that’s our job! — but keeping communication in writing ensures we don’t miss anything important and lets us respond faster. We allow extra time in the initial session to share stories and get the full picture. Anyone who wants to come to the initial session can share what’s going on. We are fully invested in every client we see, but we need to have our notes documented. Please don’t hesitate to email us and ask questions, we’re happy to schedule a call if necessary; we just need to set aside time.
If private lessons were the magic fix, your athlete would already be unstoppable. Mechanics matter, but here’s the truth: talent alone won’t hold up under pressure. If your athlete knows what to do in practice but can’t repeat it in games, the problem isn’t skill—it’s the mental game. More reps won’t teach them how to manage nerves, reset after mistakes, block out distractions, or stay confident when the plan blows up. That’s where mental training comes in. We teach the skills no coach at practice is covering—how to regulate emotions, direct focus, and thrive in high-pressure moments. When athletes learn this, their hours of physical training actually show up in competition. And the bonus? These aren’t just sport tools. They’re life skills that help athletes handle school, relationships, and challenges outside of sports. Private lessons teach mechanics. Mental training teaches resilience. Put them together, and that’s when performance takes off.
This is more common than most parents realize. A lack of motivation doesn’t usually mean an athlete is lazy—it often means they’re burned out, overwhelmed, or struggling with pressure. Sometimes the joy gets lost when everything feels like constant correction, expectations, or comparison. Other times, athletes are scared to fail, so it’s easier not to try than to risk falling short.
We help athletes uncover what’s really behind the “I don’t care” attitude and give them tools to reframe it. That might mean setting meaningful goals, learning how to handle pressure, or rebuilding confidence so effort feels worth it again. Motivation isn’t about endless pep talks—it’s about helping athletes connect to their “why” and giving them strategies to push through when it’s tough. Once they see progress and feel in control, drive follows naturally. And here’s the key: you can’t lecture them into motivation. That only makes them shut down. Let us help them develop that motivation muscle in a way that sticks.
We invite parents into the first session – whether virtual or in-office – for the first 20–30 minutes. That’s your chance to share your perspective, paint the bigger picture, and help break the ice. We make that first session longer on purpose so there’s time for you to share, and for us to start building rapport with your athlete.
After that, we ask parents to step out so the athlete can take ownership. We’re clear with athletes: “Your parent has their version, you have yours, and the truth is probably in the middle.” From there, we honor privacy by not repeating exact conversations but keeping parents updated on what we’re working on – like perfectionism, nerves, or time management – and how you can support it. We’ve found athletes buy in more when they feel it’s their process, not just something mom or dad signed them up for. Parents are part of the team, but the real work happens between athlete and coach after session one. We highly suggest using Parenting Performers podcast to supplement your athlete’s sessions to guide you as well.
Every session is part conversation, part training ground. We don’t just “talk about feelings,” and we’re definitely not about telling athletes to “just think positive.” We teach tangible tools they’ll actually want to use—strategies that make sense to teens and fit into their sport.
Think of it like a mental gym: drills for confidence, focus, composure, and resilience. One session might target overthinking and negative self-talk; another might build routines to reset after mistakes or handle pressure from coaches and teammates. Everything is practical, science-backed, and designed to be used right away in practice or competition. Athletes don’t just learn concepts—they practice them until they stick. That’s how mental reps build better habits, just like physical reps. Over time, “I hope I play well” turns into “I know how to bring my best, no matter what.”
Yes—we work with burnout all the time. Lack of motivation, loss of joy, or talk of quitting doesn’t always mean an athlete is “done” with their sport. Often it’s not the sport itself—it’s the environment, pressure, or tough coaching dynamic wearing them down.
Once athletes feel empowered to manage nerves, set boundaries, or even explore a new team or approach, they often rediscover why they loved their sport in the first place. We help athletes separate frustration from true desire so they can make decisions with clarity, not exhaustion. Sometimes they realize, “I don’t actually want to quit, I just need to handle this situation differently.” And that’s powerful. Before pulling the plug on years of training, it helps to process burnout with an outside resource—someone who isn’t mom or dad. We give athletes tools to reset mentally, rebuild energy, and reconnect with the joy that got them started in the first place.
We think a common misconception is that sport psychology is just for elite athletes, but the truth is, developing mental skills and having the right mindset helps everyone in school, eventually work, and just how they interact with others. You’re investing in bettering yourself and learning how to problem solve. Of course, you want your child to do well in their sport, but ultimately you want them to learn how to navigate through life easier.
We spend so much time training the physical aspect, then when it comes time to compete, we haven’t practiced how to avoid hesitating, or calming our nerves, or address that fear will occur, or how to work through high pressure situations. When athletes are so worried about things going wrong or playing the “what if this happens” game, they can’t unleash their physical potential.
Yes, mental training goes far beyond the field. We focus on athletes because that’s their world, but the tools we teach apply everywhere. Learning how to manage emotions, reset after setbacks, and block out distractions helps in the classroom, with friends, and later in careers. We teach athletes how to stop constant comparisons, set boundaries, and find their voice—whether that’s speaking up with a coach, answering in class, or leading a team. Leadership, assertiveness, and confidence aren’t just “sport skills,” they’re life skills. We intentionally connect examples from school and friendships so athletes can see how to use the tools beyond practice. When they realize these strategies work in more than one area, they actually use them consistently.
Bottom line: we’re not just building better athletes, we’re building resilient humans who can handle challenges anywhere.
This field can feel like alphabet soup. All of our practitioners are trained in sports psychology, but a sports psychologist may also focus on diagnosing mental health issues. A mental performance coach is laser-focused on competing better: confidence, nerves, motivation, bouncing back after mistakes.
We rebranded years ago from “sports psychology” to “mental performance coaching” because athletes connect better with that term, even though parents often Google “sports psychologist.” We don’t sit you on a couch and dig into childhood feelings – we give practical, science-backed tools. A mindset coach is more like a life coach; helpful for some, but athletes don’t need hype, they need skills.
That’s why we teach drills that develop coping strategies athletes actually use. We’re the gap between traditional counseling and what athletes crave: proven mental skills, tailored to sport, delivered in a way they’ll buy into. It’s the missing training most athletes never get – the key to making physical training consistent under pressure.
Yes! Mental blocks can be overcome, but not with more private lessons or tougher coaching. Since the block is rooted in the brain’s protection system, it requires reprogramming, not just repetition. We use proven tools to help athletes release the fear memory, rewire the subconscious, and re-establish trust in their skills. Think of it as resetting the brain-body connection so movement feels fluid again instead of forced.
Athletes learn specific exercises to process what triggered the block, let go of the “stuck” response, and rebuild confidence. Once the brain stops interpreting the skill as danger, performance flows naturally. Parents often tell us their athlete finally feels like themselves again – training is fun, progress picks back up, and they stop dreading practice. Mental blocks aren’t made up, and they don’t have to be permanent – with the right tools, athletes can move past them and compete freely again. You can schedule one-on-one sessions or grab Release & Reclaim, which is our mental block and yips program that has helped hundreds of athletes conquer mental blocks.
Off-season is actually one of the best times for mental training. When athletes only come in after a tough game, emotions are high and it’s harder to absorb new tools. But in the off-season, they can practice without pressure and build habits that stick. Just like you wouldn’t wait until the playoffs to start strength training—or skip stretching until you’re already injured—you don’t want to delay mental training until crunch time.
The brain needs reps to make strategies automatic, and “I forgot in the moment” usually means they didn’t have enough time to practice. Off-season work gives us the chance to teach your athlete enough to make a real impact, so when the season rolls around, they can reset faster, compete looser, and recall strategies under pressure instead of scrambling to learn on the fly.
We’ll never promise scholarships—but yes, mental training makes athletes more appealing to coaches. At the next level, talent is assumed. What stands out is confidence, composure, and presence.
We teach athletes how to handle visibility, communicate with authority, and carry themselves with body language that says “I belong here.” That includes managing nerves, recovering from mistakes, and showing resilience when things don’t go as planned.
Ashley, the owner of Maximize the Mind is a former coach and has college coaches in her circle. She knows one of the first things coaches notice isn’t just skill, it’s how an athlete responds after a poor performance. Do they look into the stands? Throw a fit? Or reset and move forward? Parents can say this too, but athletes often tune it out. Having an outside coach train these habits not only boosts confidence but makes athletes stand out in exactly the ways recruiters are watching. And even beyond sports, those same skills shine in interviews, jobs, and life.
Yes. Overthinking usually starts with good intentions—athletes replay every correction they’ve ever been given, hoping not to mess up. But here’s the science: the brain can’t process a negative. When athletes tell themselves “don’t miss” or “don’t screw up,” the brain first pictures the mistake.
Coaches and parents mean well with advice like “just stop overthinking” or “get out of your head,” but that doesn’t tell athletes what to do instead. Without direction, they spiral and freeze. We fix that by teaching athletes exactly where to put their focus—what to think about in the right moments—so their brain has a useful job under pressure. It’s not about shutting thoughts off; it’s about aiming them. Once athletes learn how to reset and redirect their attention, they stop spiraling, play looser, and actually trust their training instead of fighting it. That’s how we break the overthinking cycle.
The first session is about 70 – 90 minutes. We build in extra time so athletes and parents can share their perspective, we can dig into the full story, and the athlete leaves with a personalized plan, not just generic advice. That longer session also lets us break the ice, answer questions, and start building trust so athletes feel comfortable from the start. After that, follow-up sessions are 50 minutes. We like having that extra buffer so athletes aren’t rushed, and if we’re in the middle of a breakthrough, we might take the full hour. The goal isn’t to watch the clock, it’s to make sure athletes leave each session with something practical to apply right away. That balance of structured time and flexibility is what helps athletes stay consistent and see progress.
Mental skills training is not a quick fix. It’s a process to train your brain to think differently to improve performance & build better habits. It all depends on what’s going on, but please know 1 or 2 sessions will never cover the material needed to make a significant impact, it’s just not enough time to teach multiple tools needed & you should expect at least a few sessions to be successful.
On average, clients benefit talking to us 6-7 times. This allows us enough time to teach several exercises, tools, & concepts that offer solutions for what you’re dealing with, while also collecting feedback & tweaking what we’ve learned together. Then this allows the athlete to learn how to transfer what we talked about in hitting perhaps to school situations or friendships. However, some clients come to us with more than one concern & end up seeing us 9-10 times to be able to present multiple solutions & receive feedback as their situation changes. Then others come on a consistent basis once a month or quarterly to ensure they are held accountable as they age through their sport. This allows them to constantly learn new strategies & prep for big tournaments or tryouts for example.
Yes, while all our coaches are trained to work across sports, each has specific areas where they have extra experience. Ashley works most often with swimming, diving, golf, running, track & field, triathlon, soccer, softball, and baseball. Aja has a strong background with gymnastics, tumbling, cheerleading, dance, figure skating, bowling, and basketball. Dalton connects well with athletes in wrestling, football, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, tumbling, and diving.
If your sport isn’t listed, don’t worry – we all teach powerful mental performance tools that work across every sport and competitive level. Picking a coach familiar with your sport can help athletes feel understood faster, but the strategies transfer anywhere.
Absolutely. You don’t need something “wrong” to benefit from mental training. In fact, when athletes are proactive, results come faster. Too often, people wait until things feel like crisis mode—panic, stress, frustration, or a tough team environment—before they get help. By then, we’re repairing bad habits instead of building ahead. Think of it like equipment: you don’t only buy new gear when something breaks, you buy it to gain an edge. Mental training works the same way. Learning to manage emotions, focus better, and trust your training gives athletes consistency long before pressure hits.
And at the high school, college, and elite levels, everyone’s talented. What separates athletes is composure, confidence, and the ability to compete free. That’s the edge mental training creates. It’s not weakness or repair—it’s performance fuel for standing out when everyone else is just “good.”
This is our foundational program that we believe every single athlete needs to know!
If you’re in your head, overthinking, or stuck replaying what went wrong, you need this. Every athlete doesn’t need the same deep dive, but every athlete needs the right foundation. Reframe & Refocus teaches athletes how their brain responds to pressure, why fear and doubt show up, and how thoughts, identity, and perception affect performance. It’s the clearest first step for athletes who want their tools, coaching, and future training to actually stick.
We teach: Why your brain spirals and how to start counteracting that, how to conquer limiting beliefs, why labeling and certain self talk changes your physiology affecting your performance, how to shift from being so hard on yourself to being neutral and prepared.
All the tools inside our other programs will land stronger and be easier to implement after you complete this foundation al program.
This is intentionally short, clear, and powerful – and designed to be completed before choosing a Lab.
Before we regulate, rewire, or release anything… you must first recognize what’s happening.
Athletes get better results faster when they understand how their brain works first.
This foundation is where we teach the mental concepts we normally cover in the first two to three private sessions.
Once athletes understand what’s actually happening in their brain, they stop fighting it and start working with it.
Think of It Like This: You wouldn’t change an athlete’s mechanics without teaching them proper form first. You wouldn’t expect skills to hold under pressure without repetition.
Reframe & Refocus is the mental form check.
Everything else, including 1:1 sessions builds on it.
From here, athletes can confidently choose the lab that fits what they need most right now – emotional regulation, identity and confidence work, or breaking through mental blocks.
Reframe & Refocus is only $49 and we recommend all athletes start here then choose their most immediate concern. It’s not completely necessary if you don’t do Reframe & Refocus first, so you may dive into this course, but that’s our suggestion.
You may also jump around inside this program and do lessons out of order. There are lessons you can do at home in here and lessons to reset during competition.
You will benefit massively just from one lesson in this program, so it’s okay if you don’t finish all of them, but understand the more you complete the more resilience you build and the stronger you become at letting go of stuff that doesn’t go as planned.
Pocket Pep Talks is a private audio library of 55 short mental game reminders designed for athletes who overthink or forget what to do under pressure. These 3–5 minute episodes give athletes practical focus points and reset tools they can use before practice, competition, or anytime nerves show up. These aren’t motivational speeches – every episode gives athletes one action step they can apply immediately to reset, refocus, and compete with more confidence.
A lot of athletes don’t struggle to implement everything we teach because they don’t understand this stuff, they struggle because they haven’t heard it enough yet.
Pocket Pep Talks helps reinforce what we’re teaching so it becomes automatic.
If coming in often isn’t realistic right now, Pocket Pep Talks is a really good way to keep momentum between sessions. It keeps the mental reps going so each session builds instead of feeling like a restart.
When athletes don’t apply a tool in competition, it’s almost never because they don’t care or aren’t trying. Their brain is just moving faster under pressure.
That’s why repetition matters – hearing concepts once a month in early mental game development isn’t enough for most athletes to recall them automatically.
Pocket Pep Talks helps bridge that gap. It lets athletes hear the same ideas in different ways, at different times, so their brain recognizes them when it matters.
It’s not more work – it’s better exposure. When sessions are spaced out, mental skills fade faster.Not because athletes aren’t trying… But because pressure demands instant recall. Think of it as mental training insurance
Athletes can listen on the drive to practice or a game, during warm ups, on long runs, in airports or on flights or bus rides, when nerves, frustration, or overthinking happen.
We’re so excited to offer this to current clients, past clients, & potential clients because I know how valuable these concepts are for consistent performances – without homework, screens, or nagging.
The goal is to work ourselves out of a job. We’re teaching skills your athlete owns for life, not creating a crutch. Most athletes see a real impact in a handful of sessions, and many reach a point where they’ve got their toolbox and only check in occasionally – before a big tryout or tournament, or once a quarter to stay sharp as they age up in their sport.
Some choose to keep coming because, like any coach, we help them keep leveling up. But dependency isn’t the model. Once athletes understand how their brain works and have tools that actually hold up under pressure, they carry that with them into the next season, the next level, and life after sports. However, we do ask that you allow us the time to resolve what you came to us for. Sometimes that’s 6 sessions, sometimes it’s 12, sometimes, is 18, it all depends on what’s going on.
Yes on both counts. Pre-competition nerves that show up in the body – nausea, shaking, tears, a racing heart, or going blank – are incredibly common, especially in athletes who care a lot. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with them; it means their nervous system is firing and no one has taught them what to do with it.
We teach athletes how to recognize what’s happening, calm their body on demand, and channel that energy into performance instead of being hijacked by it. The goal isn’t to make nerves disappear – every competitor feels them – it’s to keep them from taking over. We will show them how to regulate their nervous system, not assign too much meaning to symptoms where they are tempted to always overreact, and teach them to compartmentalize tough comments or mistakes.
If the anxiety is affecting daily life, and goes beyond performance anxiety and excessive nerves, and looks more like an anxiety disorder, we’ll be honest that a medical professional such as a psychiatrist may be the better fit.
This might be the most important question a sports parent can ask. The biggest thing: separate your love from their results. After a game, try “I love watching you play” instead of a breakdown of what went wrong – the ride home is almost never the time for coaching.
Let them lead the conversation. Some athletes want to talk it out, others need to decompress first. Avoid comparing them to teammates or siblings, and watch that your own nerves in the stands don’t become one more thing they have to manage. Ask questions instead of lecturing (“What did you think out there?” beats “You needed to be more aggressive”), and model the mindset you want them to have about mistakes and pressure.
We coach athletes on all of this, but you’re with them far more than we are – so we love giving parents specific language and strategies for your athlete, too. Just ask.
Kind of – but not the kind that feels like homework. Mental skills work like physical skills: they stick through reps. So between sessions we’ll usually give your athlete one specific tool or focus to try in practice or competition, like a reset routine after a mistake or where to aim their focus under pressure.
It’s not like drivers ed where they loathe doing the work. These drills help them compete stronger, they want to apply them. For athletes who want to keep momentum going without adding “work,” we often suggest Pocket Pep Talks – short 3-to-5-minute audio reminders they can listen to on the drive to practice or during warm-ups. This keeps the information top of mind without logging into lessons or pulling out notes.
The athletes who apply tools between sessions progress the fastest, but we design everything to fit into what they’re already doing, not pile more onto their plate.
The first session is longer – about 70 to 90 minutes – on purpose. Parents are invited in for the first 30 minutes to share the bigger picture and break the ice, then we ask you to step out so your athlete can take ownership.
From there it’s part conversation, part training. We get the full story, figure out what’s really going on under the surface, and your athlete leaves with a personalized plan and a tool or two they can use right away – not generic advice.
There’s nothing to prepare or bring, and your athlete doesn’t need the “right” answers or even to know exactly what’s wrong; that’s our job to uncover. It helps if they come willing to be honest, but even a skeptical, arms-crossed teen usually loosens up once they realize we’re not there to analyze them – we’re there to help them compete better.
Yes – the yips are one of the most common reasons athletes find us. Whether it’s a gymnast who suddenly can’t throw a skill, a baseball or softball player who can’t make a routine throw, struggles with bunt coverages all the sudden, is spiking the ball, or a golfer who freezes over a putt, a shooter who misses the most routine shot from flinching, or a pitcher who’s lost the strike zone, the yips aren’t typically a mechanics problem.
And they’re not “in your head” in the dismissive way people usually mean it. The yips are a real, physical response: the brain has flagged a skill as threatening and is protecting the athlete by interrupting it. More reps and tougher coaching almost always make it worse.
We use proven tools to release that fear response, rewire the subconscious pattern, and rebuild trust in the movement so it feels automatic again instead of forced. Parents often tell us their athlete finally feels like themselves. The yips are real, but they don’t have to be permanent.
This is incredibly common, especially with athletes who care deeply and want to do well. When an athlete takes coaching personally, they hear “you did that wrong” as “you’re not good enough,” so instead of adjusting, they shut down, get defensive, or spiral. The feedback that was meant to help them ends up hurting them.
We teach athletes how to separate the correction from their identity – to hear coaching as information, not a verdict on their worth. That one shift makes them dramatically more coachable, which coaches and recruiters notice right away. We also help them build a filter so a teammate’s comment, a bad call, or a look from a coach doesn’t derail the whole game.
At home, you can model this by keeping your own feedback about the choice, not the child (“that pass was rushed” instead of “what is wrong with you”). Learning not to take things personally is one of the most valuable skills we teach and it pays off long after sports.
First, take a breath – hearing your athlete say “I suck” or “I’m the worst” is more common than most parents realize, especially in competitive kids who hold themselves to a high standard. In the moment it’s usually frustration talking, not a settled belief about who they are. But here’s why it still matters: the brain listens. Repeated negative self-talk actually changes how the body performs – it creates tension, hesitation, and more of the very mistakes they’re afraid of.
We don’t fix this by telling athletes to “just think positive” – that never sticks, and they know it’s fake. Instead we teach them to catch the spiral, get neutral, and redirect their focus to something useful for the next play. Neutral and prepared beats forced positivity every time. As a parent, try not to argue them out of it (“no you’re not!”) – that usually makes them dig in. Just acknowledge it and let us hand them the tools.
This is one parents wrestle with a lot. When an athlete keeps glancing to the stands – or straight at you – after every play, they’re usually looking for reassurance: Was that okay? Are you mad? Am I doing enough? It comes from a good place, but it pulls their attention off the game and hands their confidence to whoever’s watching. It also puts you in an impossible spot, because now your face is part of their performance.
We help athletes build internal feedback so they can trust their own read of the game instead of scanning for approval. The goal is an athlete who resets on their own after a mistake, not one who needs a thumbs-up first.
Your part is powerful here: keep your reactions calm and steady so a glance up never delivers panic or disappointment. A simple “I love watching you play” beforehand – with no coaching from the stands – tells them they’re free to just compete. That freedom is where their best performances live. Download our free Sideline Survival Guide to help you handle this.
Normal, but frustrating, we get it! Comparison is the fastest way to steal an athlete’s confidence, and in the age of stat apps, highlight reels, and group chats, it’s everywhere. When your athlete is constantly measuring themselves against a teammate – who’s starting, who scored more, who got the college look – their focus shifts from their own game to someone else’s, and their confidence rises and falls on things they can’t control.
We help athletes get back in their own lane: define success by their own growth and effort, not the person next to them. That doesn’t kill their competitiveness – it sharpens it, because now their energy goes into their development instead of resentment or self-doubt. We also teach them that someone else’s success doesn’t subtract from theirs.
As a parent, be mindful of comparisons at home too (even “why can’t you hustle like she does” lands hard), and celebrate your athlete’s individual progress. The athlete who competes against their own potential, instead of the kid beside them, almost always goes further.
Perfectionism looks like a strength – until it isn’t, ugh! The same athlete who’s driven and detail-oriented can become so afraid of anything less than perfect that they play tight, beat themselves up over tiny errors, and can’t enjoy even a great performance because they’re fixated on the one thing that went wrong. Left unchecked, perfectionism doesn’t create high performers; it creates anxious, burned-out ones.
We help athletes trade perfect for prepared and present. That means setting standards they can actually control, letting go of mistakes quickly, and understanding that chasing flawless usually produces tension, not excellence. We’re not lowering the bar – trust us, we’re not fans of handing out trophies to everyone, we want athletes to earn playing time, but we’re good at getting their brain out of its own way so their talent can flow. We show them how to have high standards but understand that there will be a learning curve as you level up.
As a parent, pay attention to how you talk about mistakes and results at home; perfectionists are often scanning the room for the tiniest sign of disappointment. Helping them see that growth beats perfect is a gift that pays off in school, work, and life – not just sport.
An athlete who slams equipment, melts down, or loses their temper isn’t a bad kid – they’re an athlete who cares a lot and doesn’t yet have the tools to manage big emotions under pressure. The frustration is usually a sign they hold high expectations for themselves. The problem is that once emotion takes over, focus and performance go with it, and the meltdown becomes its own snowball.
We teach athletes how to recognize the build-up before it boils over, calm their body on demand, and channel that intensity into the next play instead of letting it explode. Emotional control is a skill – one that’s trainable, and one coaches and recruiters watch closely.
At home, the most helpful move is staying calm yourself when it happens (matching their heat makes it worse), and letting us give them concrete tools rather than “you need to control your temper,” which tells them what not to do without telling them how. Learning to regulate emotions is one of the biggest life skills we teach, on the field and off.
There’s almost nothing harder to watch than an athlete who used to compete freely suddenly second-guessing everything, playing scared, and looking like a shadow of themselves. Confidence isn’t a personality trait you either have or don’t – it’s built on evidence and trust, and both can get shaken by a slump, a tough coach, an injury, a growth spurt, or one embarrassing moment that stuck.
We help athletes rebuild confidence the real way – not with hype or “just believe in yourself,” but by rewiring the self-talk and focus that’s keeping them stuck, and rebuilding trust in the training they’ve already put in. Often the talent never left; it’s buried under fear and doubt, and once we clear that, athletes are shocked how fast it comes back.
As a parent, resist the urge to fix it with more lessons or more pressure right now – that usually deepens the hole. What they need is to feel safe to fail again. That’s exactly the environment we create, and it’s usually where their old self starts showing back up.
Goodness do we see this daily! Some athletes are great all week in practice and then shrink when it counts – the big game, the tryout, the moment with recruiters watching. It’s not a talent problem, and it’s definitely not that they “don’t want it enough.” Under pressure, the brain treats the moment as a threat, floods the body with nerves, and narrows their thinking, so the skills that feel automatic in practice suddenly feel foreign. Unfortunately, they are taught how to navigate loss, obstacles, and stuff that doesn’t go as planned in school – we just assume they’ll figure it out. Yikes!
We teach athletes how to keep their body calm on demand, aim their focus where it belongs, and treat the big moment like just another rep instead of a referendum on their whole career. Pressure never fully disappears – every competitor feels it – but they can learn to perform with it instead of being run by it. This is honestly where mental training shines brightest, because no amount of extra physical reps fixes a pressure problem; the reps are already there. It’s so important to teach your athlete how to handle stressful situations so they respond appropriately.
As a parent, try to keep big moments feeling normal and low-stakes in how you talk about them beforehand – your calm becomes their calm.
If your athlete gets distracted easily – by the crowd, the scoreboard, a bad call, a chirping opponent, or their own thoughts – it’s rarely a discipline problem. Focus is a skill, and most athletes have never been taught where to put their attention under pressure, so it drifts to whatever’s loudest in the moment.
We teach athletes exactly what to focus on and when – a specific, trainable job for their attention on each play, so their mind has somewhere useful to go instead of wandering. We also teach them how to refocus fast after a distraction, because the goal isn’t to never get distracted (impossible), it’s to come back quickly. Athletes who learn this look “locked in,” and it carries straight into the classroom too.
At home, you can help by limiting the play-by-play critiques during competition, which – even when well-meant – become one more thing pulling their focus off the game. Check out our FREE Sideline Survival Guide to see if you’re a distraction or support system for them.
Age 10 and up is usually the sweet spot. At that stage, athletes are mature enough to understand the tools, apply them, and stay engaged. We’ve had success with motivated 8–9 year olds, but the key is that the athlete has to want to do the work. If they’re not invested, it’s not that the tools don’t work – it’s that they weren’t ready to apply them. Junior high and high school athletes typically get the most out of training because they see the direct connection between mental skills and competing under pressure. That said, if an athlete is old enough to train seriously in their sport, they’re old enough to benefit from learning coping strategies and productive thinking. The earlier they start, the faster progress happens – because we’re not undoing years of poor habits. And it’s not just for kids – we’ve also worked with adult athletes well into their 70s who want to stay sharp, confident, and competitive.
Ashley’s rate for the initial session is $195 & returning client sessions (all follow ups) are $175.00 per session. Aja’s rate for the initial session is $185 & returning client sessions (all follow ups) are $165. Dalton’s rate for the initial session is $170 & returning client sessions (all follow ups) are $150. You enter a credit card number to make the appointment, but that card does not get charged unless you fail to meet cancellation requirements. Payment is due upon the completion of each session.
After we have been working together for awhile and have taught multiple concepts, we may offer a 30 minute session; these sessions are $90.
When working on gaining mental strength, wanting to improve performance, and developing a stronger mindset, it’s crucial to meet multiple times to see an impact. Please know 1 or 2 sessions will never cover the material needed to make a significant impact, it’s just not enough time to teach multiple tools needed to create new habits. It often takes multiple visits to grasp a concept and be guided through change. We respect your financial commitment and time, therefore we will try to fit as much as possible into each session.
It’s difficult to expect results if your visits are inconsistent. Then it’s reasonable to taper off and potentially come every quarter or when you have a big tournament coming up, try outs, or your situation changes. We’ve seen so much client success when following the suggested timeline and allowing adequate time to problem solve.
We call ourselves mental performance coaches because athletes connect with that term. If they don’t buy in, nothing sticks – so we meet them where they are. Traditional therapy often focuses on repairing the past, while mental performance coaching is about building skills for the future. Both are valuable, but most athletes resist the idea of “therapy.”
Coaching gives them a practical, forward-focused path they’re excited to apply in their sport. We’ve found that trust and relatability are key – athletes need to feel comfortable if they’re going to use what we teach. A more clinical approach can feel sterile, and that’s the opposite of what works for teens who want to compete with freedom and confidence. Therapy heals wounds; coaching grows opportunity.
For competitive athletes, this is the missing training that takes their physical skills and makes them consistent when it counts.
Mental Performance Coaching is teaching sport and performance psychology concepts and research to individuals. The main difference between sport psychology and mental performance coaching is who you work with. The word sport psychology tends to appeal to athletes, but the tools learned can be applied to any situation. The phrase mental performance tends to appeal to all types of competitors. Think musicians, public speakers, actors, comedians, and professions like that. If you’re performing, you’ve probably experienced excessive nerves, questioning your talent, or worried about what others will think.
We’re trained specifically in sport psychology, but we like using the phrase mental performance coaching in our work because it sounds less judgmental or scary to most. We teach mental skills training to develop an effective mindset for success. We help clients mentally prepare for adversity.
This may apply to youth athletes, high school athletes, collegiate athletes, professionals, weekend warriors, business executives, sales people, attorneys, musicians, actors, speakers, or any other type of performer.
You would most likely hire a hitting coach, a strength coach, a nutritionist, a college recruiting specialist, or a tutor. You would also consider seeing a physician for pain, perhaps an orthopedist, or physical therapist for a specific injury or rehab. You may even contemplate seeing a psychiatrist for medication to concentrate or ease anxiety.
However, seeing a mental performance coach often wouldn’t occur to people. Hiring a specialist in the field of sport and performance psychology could give you the very edge you’re looking for. In education, students are taught core subjects, and in corporate training employees are taught the objectives of the position.
What doesn’t get addressed is the “how to be better, how to have an advantage, how to move up, how to cope, how to relate to others, how to communicate, how be more assertive, how to channel nerves, or how to handle stress” – isn’t that what we all need? The difference between the average individual and the one who becomes a starter or moves to the next level is grit, motivation, energy, and courage – all of which are gained in mental skills training.
You’re not “crazy” for coming to talk to someone like us, in fact, you’re among the select athletes that acknowledge they want to be stronger. We’re not trying to ‘fix’ you. We’ll teach you tools to enjoy competing. Nothing has to be wrong – talking to a mental performance coach means you want to get the competitive edge.
We’ve helped athletes and performers as young as 8 years old up to clients in their 70’s. Our imagination is our greatest tool and no competitor can truly know what we are thinking– so ask yourself, is it being used to ready your focus or is it sabotaging your performance? We believe we are successful based on how much energy is going into our performance – we can’t be great if we’re so worried about other things going wrong, constant comparisons, or playing the “what if this happens” game. We teach clients to compartmentalize more effectively and the result is astonishing.
Who wouldn’t want to be more confident and comfortable?
We offer in person sessions at our Cypress office located at Hwy 290 and Fry Rd. We also work with individuals all over the country and internationally through virtual sessions via Zoom or Face Time. We really like the video calls so we can see body language, build rapport, see the client thinking, writing, or demonstrate things to do. Some clients only do virtual sessions but some who typically see us in office can also take advantage of this, for example, if an athlete is traveling for a competition or can’t fit in the travel time to the office that week, we can still connect and stay consistent with our work.
We also teach performance psychology and mental skills concepts in these formats:
It depends on what we’re tackling and how long it’s been around. If an athlete comes in for nerves or tension, they usually feel a shift in just 3–4 sessions because we can give immediate tools to help them stay calmer and looser. We have clients tell us they notice a difference after the very first session—sometimes just feeling relief knowing what to focus on instead of spiraling. But deeper habits—like perfectionism, second guessing, or mental blocks that have been reinforced for months—take longer. Think of it like training a muscle: the more reps you’ve had of an unhelpful habit, the more work it takes to rewire it. On average, when athletes are working through several challenges at once, it can take 8–10 sessions to see lasting changes.
Just like you wouldn’t expect one hitting lesson to change a season, mental training is a process. Quick wins are common, but real transformation is about making the changes stick.
Private sessions aren’t the only way to train with us. We’ve created programs that fit different needs, budgets, and schedules. Mental Game Camp is a comprehensive training that covers the core mental skills athletes need – resetting after mistakes, handling frustration, building confidence, conquering limiting beliefs, and learning to focus under pressure. It’s digestible, but packed with 30+ tools athletes can start using right away. We also offer on-demand programs like Channel Confidence, Negativity Neutralizer, Regulate & Reset, Reframe & Refocus, Release & Reclaim (our mental block and coming back from injury program). Think of these as affordable ways to access the same tools we use in sessions. Not sure which one’s best? Tell us your athlete’s biggest struggle and we’ll point you to the right fit.
We work with individuals all over the country and internationally. We can do a phone call or virtual sessions via Zoom or Face Time. We really like the video calls so we can see body language, build rapport, see the client thinking, writing, or demonstrate things to do. Some clients only do sessions through video conferencing, but some who typically see us in office can also take advantage of this, for example, if an athlete is traveling for a competition or can’t fit in the travel time to the office that week, we can still connect and stay consistent with our work.
Yes! We love working with teams, schools, and even corporate groups to bring mental performance training to a larger audience. We offer workshops, keynotes, and custom trainings on topics like stress managment, effective communication, team culture, building confidence, composure, leadership, and handling pressure. Because we see athletes one-on-one every day, our speaking calendar fills up quickly—we typically book months in advance.
Please note: while we donate our time to a limited number of nonprofit or charity events each year, those slots are very limited and first come, first served. Most engagements are paid and can be funded through booster clubs, sponsors, or team contributions. To request us for your group, visit our speaking page: https://maximizethemind.com/services/speaking/ and complete the form. This helps us learn about your needs so we can provide a proper quote and proposal. The earlier you reach out, the better chance we can reserve your date.
16718 House Haul Rd. Suite K Cypress, Texas 77433
We are in the northwest side of Houston, in the Cypress Sports Complex behind Black Horse Golf Course, in the general vicinity of Hwy 290/Fry Rd and The Grand Parkway. In our complex, there is Cypress Academy Gymnastics, Inspire Rock Climbing, Fins Swim Academy, Louetta Automotive Basketball & Volleyball Facility, Ollin Athletics & Sports Medicine, and other smaller businesses. We are on the backside side of the shopping center with large ‘Maximize the Mind Performance Coaching’ letters above our space directly across from Cypress Academy Gymnastics.
This is a popular question. We like to honor confidentiality, we choose not to say who we’ve worked with unless the client chooses to tell people they have worked with us. We feel it’s their story to tell. We all give examples or tell stories to clients all the time of others we’ve worked with, but we won’t use a name, unless the client openly shares they work with us. Sometimes it’s nice to know others experience the same situations we go through or to be able to understand how a tool could work for you, so we might give you ideas of what has worked for previous clients. We can say that we’ve worked with Olympic athletes, professionals, kids, high schoolers, collegiate athletes and people that are probably just like you.
When we first get started, we like to see people about 2 weeks apart when we’re working on something specific, so they can absorb the information & start to apply it a little bit at a time. If we need to do 3-4 weeks apart from each session because of time & financial commitment, that’s okay too, but the more consistent we are, the faster you’ll see progression & continue using the tools. It’s difficult to expect results if your visits are inconsistent. This appointment schedule is temporary while we’re laying a foundation & problem solving; it’s reasonable to taper off & potentially come every quarter or when you have a big event coming up or be completely done. Please allow us the time to teach what we know works. We have built an incredible proven system over the years & we know the importance of repetition in the mental game as well as physical practice.
That’s exactly why we created the Parenting Performers Program – an audio course designed just for parents. Think of it as coaching for you, so you can support your athlete without becoming a source of pressure. Delivered in podcast form, it’s easy to listen to in the car or on the go. Each episode gives practical tools for real situations: what to say after a tough practice, how to handle the car ride home, how to motivate without nagging, what feedback actually gets heard, and when to push vs. back off. Parents often ask, “Am I helping or just causing arguments?”
This program answers that with proven strategies to change how feedback lands – so your athlete actually listens and applies it. Affordable, convenient, and packed with bite-sized tips, it’s your playbook for becoming a source of support, not stress.
We offer school excused absence notes. You might have to schedule a few during the school day. We suggest coming during lunch, an elective, or leaving a little early. This process is crucial to be consistent at the beginning, but then we taper off. After you get started, you can plan ahead to get those highly sought after evening appointments.
Due to our current client volume, we recommend you schedule out at least 2 sessions about 1-2 weeks apart BEFORE you come to your initial session. By the time you come to your initial session, our schedule can be booked up several weeks out. It’s not ideal to then have to wait several more weeks to continue our work. We need to go back over previous content too much and our time isn’t used effeciently. We want to make sure you stay on track and learn as much as you can to apply immediately. The closer your sessions are together, the faster you’ll see results, which creates more buy in for younger atheletes as well! When you schedule follow up sessions, choose the next appointments about 2 weeks apart and select ‘existing client session.’ We know this requires planning and is often difficult to do, but it’s the only way to ensure your investment is most effective. You can always cancel it, but this way you get something that works better for your schedule as well. We highly suggest working through Reframe & Refocus, which is our mental game foundation program, it’s shorter than our other programs but what’s inside is what we believe every single athlete needs to know to compete stronger. (It’s what you weren’t taught in school, but trust us, it’s trainable)
This varies by practitioner. Please email who you are working with directly to ask for options. Of course, the earliest and latest go the fastest. Planning ahead is crucial. For in office sessions, we often start at 9am, and our last in office session is at 5:30pm. However, we do offer virtual sessions outside of business hours at times and are happy to accomodate our clients when we can. Please ask and don’t just rely on our online scheduler.
Regulate & Reset our shortcut for athletes who need quick, effective tools before competition. It’s 30 of our best second guessing busting strategies, the same ones we teach 1-on-1 – packaged into bite-sized lessons. Perfect if playoffs or state are right around the corner and private sessions aren’t an option. The tools cover performance anxiety, nervous system regulation, excessive worry, overthinking, stomach jitters, resetting after mistakes, fear of messing up, how to relax your body and dissolve tension, and how to block out distractions.
Instead of vague “just relax” advice, athletes learn concrete games and resets their brain actually likes – because the brain loves problem-solving. These aren’t cheesy tricks; they’re proven techniques that athletes of all ages can use to feel calmer, looser, and more in control before they compete. While it doesn’t replace deeper coaching for the root causes, it’s the fastest way to lower nerves and overthinking in the moment. And with our 14-day money-back guarantee, you can try it risk-free.
Some nerves are normal – especially for teens juggling hormones, social media comparisons, and high expectations. Feeling butterflies before competition shows they care and want to succeed. But when nerves turn into constant worry, stomachaches, or “I don’t like how this feels,” that’s a red flag.
Left unchecked, nerves can push athletes toward burnout or quitting. The brain interprets pressure as a threat unless it’s trained otherwise. We don’t try to eliminate nerves or turn athletes into robots, we teach them how to channel that energy into focus.
Athletes learn how to compartmentalize, reset, and reframe pressure as a privilege: if you’re nervous, it usually means you’re good and want to repeat success. With just a few sessions, athletes can pick up practical tools to feel calmer, manage big emotions, and compete with confidence instead of fear. Don’t wait for them to “grow out of it” – help them learn to use nerves as fuel, not friction. Regulate & Reset is a powerful proven program for excessvies nerves and performance anxiety.
A mental block isn’t an athlete being stubborn—it’s the brain protecting itself. Sometimes it’s triggered by a fall, watching a teammate get hurt, or even being yelled at across the gym. To a parent or coach, it may not look like “trauma,” but to the athlete’s brain, it’s a threat.
When that memory goes unprocessed, the brain hits the brakes, creating a motor-skill disruption that makes the athlete freeze, hesitate, or feel paralyzed. Coaches may say, “just go,” but it’s not that simple. It’s not about wanting it badly enough—the brain is literally disrupting the body’s ability to execute.
That’s why mental blocks often resurface even if they seem to go away for one skill. Until the root is addressed, the fear stays wired in. Understanding this isn’t weakness—it’s neuroscience—and it’s the first step to helping athletes break through blocks.
Most athletes think they know what mental training is, but they don’t. We hear it all the time: “This is way better than I thought. Nothing like I imagined.” Parents often say, “I wish I’d brought them years ago instead of waiting until things got really bad.” Honestly, your athlete doesn’t have to be on board to start. We’ve had plenty show up saying, “My mom made me come, I don’t want to be here.” My response? “Cool. You don’t have to come back. I want to work with athletes who want to get better.”
That usually surprises them, but once we dive in, it flips fast. By the end of the first session, we ask, “So, do you want to come back?” and the answer is always the same: “Yes, when’s the next one?” The truth is, they don’t know what they don’t know. Mental training with us isn’t cheesy hype. It’s practical, sport-specific tools athletes actually want to use. Just get them in the door. We’ll take it from there.
Mental Game Camp is our most comprehensive program and the best place to start if you want a full overview of mental toughness training. We’ve run it live for years, and now you can access it on-demand—so you can begin right away instead of waiting for an opening in our schedule. Don’t confuse “on-demand” with second-rate. This is the same teaching we use with our 1-on-1 clients, designed to be easy to consume and packed with real tools athletes can actually use. You can binge it in five days or spread it over a month—whatever fits your schedule. Inside Camp, we cover everything athletes need to compete with confidence: handling nerves, blocking distractions, upgrading self-talk, resetting after mistakes, and building consistency. With examples from many different sports, athletes see how to apply it directly to their game. It’s the most powerful, well-rounded starting point for athletes who want to transform their mental game. The cost is $149. See FAQ “what’s included in mental game camp” next.
Mental Game Camp is a 5-day training that athletes can complete in five days or spread over a month, doing one lesson a day for 30 days. Each day focuses on a different cornerstone of the mental game:
Day 1: Redefine what’s possible – rewire how your brain stores memories, practice detachment, and shift from “feelings” to ability.
Day 2: Calm nerves + block distractions – vagus nerve resets, grounding, power poses, and rhythmic breathing.
Day 3: Vocabulary hacks – reframe self-talk, build cue cards, control emotions, and set competitive gauges.
Day 4: Reset after mistakes – mistake budgets, release routines, describing + detaching, PMR relaxation.
Day 5: Quiet the inner critic – evaluate yourself productively, build habits, and strengthen motivation.
Bonuses include: Parenting Playbook scripts (what to say in tough moments), a Mental Skills Drill Checklist (quick reference tools), and the Pocket Pep Talks Playlist (30 short audios for right-before-competition confidence). It’s everything athletes need to build confidence, reset faster, and compete consistently.
Yes, emotional control is a big part of what we do. Not every athlete comes in lacking confidence. In fact, many are confident but struggle with frustration, anger, or quick tempers in competition. It’s especially common in individual sports like golf and tennis, where athletes fixate on each mistake, or in baseball where players slam helmets and let a strikeout derail the rest of the game. Anger doesn’t mean an athlete is weak—it just means the emotions are running the show.
Our goal isn’t to take away passion or make athletes robotic. It’s to teach them how to channel intensity so it fuels performance instead of wrecking it. Athletes learn when to turn it up, when to calm it down, and how to reset quickly after mistakes. The result? They stay aggressive, competitive, and powerful—without letting one bad play control the rest of the performance.
The best way to get your questions answered quickly is by email. That way, we can review your situation, point you to resources, and make sure you’re connected with the right coach or program. We can also answer emails outside business hours and aren’t playing phone tag. We offer convenient online scheduling that updates in real time, so you can grab a session without waiting on a call back.
We know parents often want to explain the whole story on the phone, and we promise — we’ll make plenty of time for that in the first session. We intentionally schedule longer initial appointments so there’s room for you to share background, context, and concerns. That’s when we can dive deep and personalize a plan for your athlete.
Email just helps us cut the back-and-forth so we can get to the part you really care about: helping your athlete thrive. In our industry, it’s imperative to have everything documented so we can refer back to it when serving our clients.
Yes – this is one of the biggest reasons athletes come to us. The athletes we see are usually very talented; talent isn’t the problem. The real gap is composure – being able to reset quickly after mistakes and handle pressure without freezing. In practice, athletes feel comfortable. In games, nerves, fear of failure, or worrying what others think hijack their focus. The brain slips into survival mode, and the skills they’ve trained don’t transfer. We teach athletes how to stay composed under pressure, manage nerves, and compete with the same freedom they have in practice. That means practical reset tools, strategies for confidence, and routines that keep attention locked on the right things.
When athletes learn to direct their focus instead of letting emotions run the show, their physical training can come out consistently in competition.
Yes—this is a huge part of what we do. Many athletes don’t even realize their perfectionism is crippling them. At the root of perfection is fear—fear of failure, fear of disappointment. Athletes sometimes think working on it means lowering standards or being “okay with messing up,” but that’s not it. We show them how to desensitize to mistakes so they don’t spiral when the inevitable happens. High standards are great—what hurts performance is the meltdown that follows a mistake. We teach practical tools to reset faster, refocus, and keep confidence intact instead of beating themselves up. That doesn’t mean settling—it means bouncing back and competing freely without fear running the show. And the best part? These reset strategies don’t just help in sports—they also carry over into school, relationships, and future jobs, so athletes learn how to handle setbacks without crumbling.
Yes, this is a huge part of our work. Many Houston orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors refer athletes to us because they know recovery isn’t just physical. Fixing the knee, shoulder, or ankle is only half the battle. After injury, athletes often feel left out, stressed about falling behind, and eager to return – but underneath, they’re hesitant. They protect the injured area or even overcompensate with the healthy side, which actually raises the risk of re-injury. Instead of moving fluidly, they play stiff, calculated, and timid. We help athletes reprogram the brain so the memory of the injury doesn’t control their performance. Through targeted mental exercises, they relearn how to compete assertively, trust their body, and play freely again.
Physical rehab repairs the body, but mental training restores confidence – so athletes come back strong, aggressive, and without hesitation. If you don’t have the time to commit to one-on-one sessions after being injured, consider Release & Reclaim, it’s a great option for athletes coming back from injury who are hesitating, fear getting hurt again even though they don’t admit that, and still aren’t competing like their old selves.
The Negativity Neutralizer is designed for athletes stuck in self-criticism, second-guessing, and replaying mistakes. Being “hard on yourself” might look like rejecting compliments, bristling at feedback, or repeating phrases like “don’t mess up.” The problem is, the brain focuses on what you’re trying to avoid instead of what you want – keeping athletes stuck. This course teaches how to quiet the inner critic and redirect thoughts in a neutral, productive way using neuroscience – not fake positivity.
It’s built for athletes (and adults) who overanalyze, worry what others think, or struggle to bounce back after mistakes. In about two hours, athletes learn practical strategies to reset perspective and build healthier mental habits. It’s the same proven tools we use in 1-on-1 sessions, just self-paced and more affordable.
While it doesn’t cover everything we teach on mindset, it’s a powerful starting point and it comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
You can Google “mental toughness tips” or watch YouTube videos, but here’s the problem—you don’t always know if the source is credible. A lot of advice online is generic or AI-generated, and while some of it sounds good, it’s not tailored to your athlete or backed by proven methods. Books can be fantastic (we read them constantly to stay sharp), but let’s be honest—most teens won’t finish them.
And even if they do, a book can’t give feedback in real time, hold them accountable, or adjust strategies to their sport and personality. Research shows athletes retain less than 10% of lecture-style advice without applied practice. That’s where coaching is different. We personalize tools, make sure athletes actually use them, and provide accountability so skills stick. Motivational talks or reading might inspire for a day, but our sessions build habits that transfer into competition.
Athletes need to know nothing is wrong with them for working with a mental performance coach. We always encourage parents to share this with their children before an appointment: we help athletes improve performance, make it more fun to compete, stress less & have the advantage over competition by learning to be more assertive.
Think of us like a brain coach helping athletes develop mental toughness. It’s like seeing a physical therapist, nutritionist, hitting coach, or SAT prep coach – We’re experts on the mental part of competing & my job is to help you enjoy your sport & be less frustrated. We wholeheartedly believe in teaching actual tools to build mental strength without relying on just positive thinking. While not everyone “wants to come see us,” we’re privileged to say they always leave that first session saying things like, “this was way different than I thought,” or “this was cool, I didn’t know that stuff.”
No Positive Thinking Challenge is a FREE, 7 day introduction to mental training that shows athletes what mindset work actually looks like. The FREE Challenge isn’t about affirmations or “just believe in yourself.” It’s a practical, on demand introduction to the mental game – built for athletes who want real tools, not fluff. In 7 focused lessons, athletes learn how to manage nerves, recover faster after mistakes, quiet overthinking, and access their training under pressure. It’s the ideal first step for skeptical athletes, supportive parents, or teams ready to strengthen their mental approach without a big commitment.
Understand what mental training actually is.
→ Learn what’s really causing overthinking, hesitation, and performance anxiety.
→ Discover why most athletes struggle under pressure.
Best For: Anyone new to mental training
Day 1: Nerves and Anxiety
Day 2: Spiraling After Mistakes
Day 3: Stop Getting Caught Up In Comparisons
Day 4: Letting Go of Perfection & Fear of Messing Up
Day 5: What Causes Mental Blocks & Hesitation
Day 6: What You Need to Know Coming Back From Injury
Day 7: How Your Self Talk Affects Your Performance
Start the challenge here:
Free Challenge
You do NOT have to start with 1:1 coaching to get real mental game help.
For years, most people have known us for one-on-one sessions. Still a powerful option, but not every athlete is ready to book a private session & not every schedule or budget makes that the best first step.
We’ve officially built out MORE WAYS TO WORK WITH US so athletes can get support whether they want…
-free starting point
-lower-cost option
-tool to reinforce what they’re already learning
-deeper dive into a specific struggle.
Because hearing something once in a session and then trying to remember it in the middle of pressure? That doesn’t work out real well…
Repetition matters. Application matters.
Here is a simple breakdown of selecting what’s right for you:
One-On-One Sessions – You choose a coach you want to work with & schedule an appointment through our online scheduler. The first session is around 70-90 minutes & existing client sessions are 50 minutes. Creating proper mental game and developing new habits takes multiple sessions to grasp concepts and learn strategies that build upon one another, so you should expect at least 5-7 sessions to be guided through change, and to be fully transparent we often discover more needs as we dive deeper, so it’s typical to need 10-15 sessions to resolve a concern. We create a detailed individualized plan after our initial session based on what you want to solve. We want you to have the opportunity to learn enough material to see an impact!
New & skeptical?
Start with the FREE 7-Day No Positive Thinking Challenge. It’s the perfect intro for athletes or parents who want to understand our style before committing. No, it’s not “just believe in yourself” nonsense.
Need a strong foundation?
Reframe & Refocus is the best place to start. It teaches athletes how pressure affects the brain, why spiraling happens, & how to build a stronger mental foundation so tools actually stick.
Already working with us & want it to stick?
Pocket Pep Talks is such an easy add-on. Short, practical audio episodes athletes can listen to in the car, at the gym, on a run, before practice, or on the way to competition.
Want the most comprehensive on-demand option?
Mental Game Camp is our staple. It covers so many of the issues athletes come to us for: nerves, mistakes, confidence, overthinking, self-talk, comparison, frustration, & pressure.
Need help with something specific? We also have focused labs for athletes who need support around:
These are not boring online lectures that feel like driver’s ed for your brain.
These are practical, high-energy, athlete-friendly trainings built to help athletes actually use what they’re learning when it counts.
For athletes who are tired of shrinking, second-guessing, overthinking, and waiting to feel “ready” before they trust themselves. This lab teaches athletes how to build real confidence that actually holds up under pressure, not the fake kind that disappears after one bad game, awkward conversation, or mistake. Inside, they’ll learn how to stop being so hard on themselves, quit living in comparison mode, speak up, communicate better with coaches and parents, trust their training, make stronger decisions, and compete with more freedom, courage, and edge. It’s for athletes in any sport who want to believe in themselves more, handle fear better, take healthy risks, and stop letting people-pleasing, perfectionism, or self-doubt run the show. And honestly? These are bigger-than-sports skills they’ll use for the rest of their life, which is exactly why this lab is so powerful & we recommend it for non athletes as well. Channel Confidence will help athletes and students advocate for themselves – it teaches all the communication strategies schools overlook!
For athletes who suddenly can’t do what they used to do with ease, even though the ability is still there. Whether they’re battling a mental block, the yips, fear of getting hurt, or coming back from a serious injury, this program teaches them how to release the fear response, quiet the mental chaos, and rebuild trust in their body so they can compete freely again. It’s practical, athlete-friendly mental training with real tools, not cheesy motivation or more pressure to “just push through.” If your athlete is frustrated, embarrassed, or starting to believe they’ve lost it, this is the kind of help that can change everything. If your athlete keeps saying, “I know I can do it, but I just can’t,” Release & Reclaim was built for them, and the sooner they learn the right tools, the sooner they can stop reinforcing the fear and start feeling like themselves again.
Here is what we suggest:
The FREE 7 Day No Positive Thinking Challenge – get a taste of what sports psychology and mental game training really looks like…not what you assume it’s like.
Yes, and honestly, some of our biggest breakthroughs come with the quiet ones. Our sessions aren’t a therapy couch where an athlete is expected to pour their heart out. They’re interactive, high-energy, and built around doing, not just talking.
We use activities, examples from their sport, and tools they can actually try, so a shy athlete doesn’t have to be a big talker to get value. We’re also good at meeting kids where they are, and we don’t force it. Most guarded athletes warm up once they realize we’re not there to judge them or dig into their feelings – we’re there to help them compete better and have more fun.
And because everything is confidential, they often end up sharing more with us than they would with a parent or coach. Quiet doesn’t mean closed off – it just means we go at their pace. Parents are always surprised when we share that their athlete wasn’t quiet at all with us and open up completely. They really benefit from having an outside resource to confide in.
Progress in mental training is real, but it doesn’t always look like a straight line. Of course we all want progress to happen quickly and this to be a short term process. Early on, you’ll usually notice small shifts first: your athlete recovers faster after a bad play instead of unraveling, they’re less tense before competition, they talk about their sport differently, or they stop dreading practice.
Performance results tend to follow the mindset changes, not the other way around. Because every athlete comes in with different goals, we help define what “better” looks like for yours up front – fewer meltdowns, more consistency between practice and games, or handling pressure at tryouts – so we have something concrete to measure against.
We also collect feedback along the way and adjust. And remember, these are skills: like any skill, they get stronger with reps, so the changes tend to compound the longer an athlete stays consistent. What we ask parents to remember is we typically start to see what else needs developing versus what they originally came to us for, which is good because their athlete is unpacking what’s been holding them back and we’re teaching them how to handle any obstacle that comes their way, not just their sport.
Yes. We’ve coached athletes both ways for years, and the tools work the same on a screen as they do in the office. So much of this work is conversation, teaching, and practicing mental reps – none of which requires being in the same room.
Virtual is often the better choice for families outside Houston, athletes with packed schedules, or kids who actually open up more from the comfort of their own space. We keep sessions high-energy and interactive either way.
The one thing that matters more than location is consistency. An athlete who shows up regularly online will get far more out of this than one who only comes in occasionally in person. Pick whichever makes it easiest to stay consistent.
We don’t coach mechanics, so there’s nothing for us to contradict. We teach the mental side your athlete’s coach usually doesn’t have time to cover, which makes the two work together, not against each other. In fact, athletes often become more coachable because they learn how to take feedback without spiraling.
We generally don’t communicate directly with team coaches unless you specifically ask us to and everyone’s on board, because we want to protect your athlete’s privacy and trust. We also typically see 5-7 athletes a day a piece, and just don’t have the time to do this for each athlete. We want to teach the athlete how to advocate for themselves by improving their ability to communicate with their coach.
If a coaching relationship itself is part of the stress – a tough dynamic, mixed messages, feeling picked on – we’ll absolutely help your athlete learn to navigate it. Our whole job is to make everything their coaches are teaching actually show up under pressure.
This is one of the most caring questions a parent can ask, and we’ll always be honest about it. Mental performance coaching is for competing better – confidence, nerves, focus, bouncing back after mistakes, mental blocks, motivation, and pressure. If that’s what’s going on, we’re a great fit.
But if your athlete is struggling with something bigger – depression, severe panic attacks, disordered eating, trauma, or thoughts of self-harm – that’s the work of a licensed therapist or counselor, not a performance coach. Sometimes it’s both, and the two can absolutely work alongside each other.
We’re trained to recognize the difference, and if we ever feel your athlete would be better served by a clinical professional, we’ll say so and help you find the right support. We’d rather point you in the right direction than pretend we’re something we’re not. We do not diagnose medically, and some prefer that, but we want to be very clear what our boundaries are.
Fair question – you’re trusting us with your athlete. Every practitioner on our team is educated and trained in sport and performance psychology, and we’ve spent years working with athletes from youth through professional across dozens of sports. We all also hold multiple certifications as well as degrees.
Here’s an important distinction: we call ourselves mental performance coaches, because that is appealing to most athletes. We’re not therapists. We don’t diagnose or treat mental illness – we teach practical, science-backed mental skills for competing. Think of us like a hitting coach or a strength coach, but for the mind.
If what your athlete really needs is clinical mental health treatment, we’ll tell you honestly and help point you toward the right professional. But for building confidence, focus, composure, and resilience in sport and school, that’s exactly what we’re trained to do.
Yes – what your athlete shares in session stays between them and their coach. That privacy is one of the biggest reasons athletes open up with us when they won’t with mom or dad, and it’s what makes the work real.
We’re clear with parents: we’ll keep you updated on the themes we’re working on – perfectionism, nerves, confidence, focus, social anxiety – and exactly how you can support at home. But we don’t repeat conversations word-for-word. Teens buy in when they know it’s their space, not a report card being sent home. We really value building trust and have seen this work bring incredible results when they have ownership over the process.
The one exception is safety: if we ever became concerned an athlete could be harmed or harm themselves, we’d involve you right away. Short of that, trust us to protect their trust – because that trust is what gets them talking, and opening up is where the progress happens.
If your athlete is constantly worried about what teammates, coaches, or people in the stands think, they’re not weak or overly sensitive – they’re wired like a lot of high-caring competitors. The trouble is that when their attention is pointed outward (Who’s watching? What will they think if I mess up?), there’s nothing left for the actual play in front of them. Performance drops, which invites more judgment, which feeds the worry. It becomes a loop.
We teach athletes how to pull focus back to what they can control – their job on the next play – instead of the imagined scoreboard in other people’s heads. Part of it is simply realizing most people are far more focused on themselves than on your athlete’s last mistake. Once athletes stop performing for approval and start competing for themselves, they loosen up and play noticeably better. We teach them how to have difficult conversations, how to handle toxic teammates, how to approach recruiters, how to stand out without being arrogant, and how to focus on their strengths realistically.
As a parent, the most helpful thing is to praise effort and decisions, not just outcomes, so your athlete learns their worth isn’t riding on the result. We want them to be competitive, but we don’t want them to burnout.
This is one of the most frustrating things to watch – an athlete who’s clearly talented but plays tight, tentative, and a step slow because they’re terrified of messing up. Here’s the science: when the brain is focused on not making a mistake, it actually rehearses the mistake, because the brain can’t process a negative. “Don’t miss” makes the body brace. So the very fear of the error makes it more likely, and makes them play small.
We teach athletes how to shift from playing not to lose to playing to compete: where to aim their focus, how to reset after a mistake so it doesn’t snowball, and how to give themselves permission to go for it. Cautious athletes usually aren’t lacking talent or effort – they’re protecting themselves from failure. Once we take the fear out of failing, that talent finally gets to show up aggressive and free.
As a parent, celebrate the bold attempt even when it doesn’t work, so your athlete learns mistakes are part of competing, not something to hide from.
This one runs deep, and we hear it constantly – the athlete who isn’t really afraid of losing, they’re afraid of letting people down: you, their coach, their team. It usually shows up in kids who are responsible and love hard, but it turns every competition into a test they can’t afford to fail. That weight makes them tight, hesitant, and quick to unravel after a mistake, because a mistake feels like disappointing someone they care about.
We help athletes untangle their performance from their worth, so a bad game is just a bad game, not proof they’ve failed the people they love. We teach them to compete for themselves first – which sounds counterintuitive, but actually frees them to play better for everyone.
If you’re a parent reading this, know that athletes often put this pressure on themselves even when you’d never dream of being disappointed in them. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is simply: “There is nothing you could do out there that would make me love or respect you less.” We’ll handle the rest. We highly suggest checking out Parenting Performers, our audio training that teaches parents and coaches how to be a source of support and not an unintentional source of pressure.
You’ve probably watched it happen: one bad play, or one ugly race, or one fall and your athlete is done – the error follows them the rest of their performance, and now one mistake has become five. This is one of the most common and most fixable issues we see. The problem isn’t that they make mistakes (everyone does); it’s that they don’t have a way to reset, so the frustration piles up and hijacks the next play.
We teach athletes several concrete reset routines – a way to flush the last play, get neutral, and lock back into the only thing that matters, which is what’s next. It’s a skill, not a personality trait, and it’s trainable with reps just like anything physical. The athletes who learn it stop spiraling and start stringing good plays together even on off days.
At home, resist the urge to rehash the mistake on the ride home – that keeps them stuck in it. The faster they can let go, the better they compete, and honestly, the more they enjoy it. If one-on-one sessions aren’t in your budget, we suggest our program: Regulate & Reset, it teaches athletes how bounce back quicker, not let frustration take over, and maintain composure. It’s our most frequently purchased program!
When an athlete stops trying after a bad start – body language drops, effort fades, they mentally check out – it’s easy to read as not caring. Almost always, it’s the opposite. Checking out is a protection strategy: if they don’t really try, then a bad result doesn’t “count,” and that feels safer than giving full effort and still falling short. We know you want to correct their lack of effort and we don’t think not trying is excusable, but they aren’t doing it on purpose a lot of the time. We teach how to recognize this so they can be all in.
We help athletes see this pattern for what it is and give them tools to stay in the fight when things go sideways – how to reset after a rough start, compete one play at a time, and separate a bad moment from a lost cause. Once failure feels less threatening, they stop hiding and start competing all the way through.
As a parent, praising effort and resilience over results (especially after losses) helps them learn that fighting back matters more than the scoreboard. Learning to keep going when it’s not going your way is a life skill that outlasts every season.
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Many athletes and performers struggle with anxiety, mental blocks, stress, nerves, pressure, and perfectionism. They spend hours only training the physical component and often overthinking with a “what if” mindset. We reach our performance potential, not by talent alone, but by training the mind to manage our emotions. At Maximize the Mind, we believe that developing the mental game and learning to think productively empowers people. We coach athletes, performers, and individuals to build confidence, comeback from injury, improve focus, communicate stronger, and be assertive.
Train Your Brain • Develop Mental Game • Unleash Your Potential
