Why The Human Matters More Than The Gymnast

Today on the podcast, I had a great chat with a former gymnast, and coach Rebecca Smith who asked me to come on an Instagram Live and talk about, creating cultures where people can feel progression towards high-level goals and also feel safe. A recovering perfectionist she struggled with mental blocks for years before they eventually destroyed her gymnastics career.

Founder and CEO of Complete Performance Coaching and PerformHappy, Rebecca helps high achievers thrive under pressure allowing kids to reach peak performance as well as maximum enjoyment.

We dive into the evolving culture around competitions and what valuable life lessons are we trying to teach kids today, pulling away from ‘it’s only about scores, medals and placements’ and ‘the highlights on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok’. And moving into a value-based success, how do we focus on what we can control and that it’s not only about the outcomes on a scorecard.

It doesn’t have to be, you can be healthy and happy or you can be successful. Not only can it be both, but there’s also ample evidence that suggests that the alternative is actually better for performance. We discuss:

The type of culture that allows athletes to be happy, be successful and what can coaches do to set their teams up for that in the postseason?
It’s great to set kids up for success but is it right that gyms send out level eights to compete at level five? Is winning at all costs worth it?
If you’re expecting that success will bring you happiness, then it never will.
Gymnasts that really make it in the world, are because of great supportive parents and coaches that are unconditional.
How to help kids communicate, develop a voice and empower them.
The Importance of choice and consent.
The ultimate values of sport, how do our actions create consequences?

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