Raising Elite Competitors

🎙️ I've been the one asking questions for years. This week, Emily took over the mic and flipped the script. Check out this interview where the athlete runs the show!

I said yes to a 14-year-old lacrosse player who wanted to interview me for a school project about mental training. And honestly? She asked things I wasn't fully prepared for.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre - a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a former head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

Emily is one of our Elite Mental Game athletes. She came in with real questions, real experiences, and zero filter. What came out of this conversation is one of the most genuine episodes I've ever recorded.

❓She asked me why I started all of this (I told her the story I don't always tell) 
❓ She shared what it actually felt like to use the Snapback Routine at her championships 
❓ We talked about what parents do that quietly makes things harder 
❓ She told me what makes a coach feel safe - straight from an athlete's mouth 

I asked her questions back, and her answers are worth every second

💛 If you want to know what your daughter is actually thinking, this one is for you.

Emily was one of the most prepared guests I've had on the podcast and delivered a fantastic episode! Great job, Emily!!

What You'll Learn:
✅ What an athlete genuinely wants from her parents on the sideline and after games
✅ The real reason Coach Bre almost never played college volleyball (and why she's glad it happened)
✅ What athletes think when they see a coach who only focuses on physical performance
✅ How one 14-year-old describes using mental training tools in real competition
✅ What creates safety for athletes to actually open up to coaches and parents

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Meet Emily: A 14-Year-Old Athlete Takes Over
01:33 Bretagne's Athletic Journey & Struggles with Perfectionism
03:23 The Walk-On Comeback & Discovering Mental Training
05:10 Building The Elite Mental Game Program
06:47 The Unique Pressures Girl Athletes Face
10:12 Why Athletes Don't Ask for Help (And How to Change That)
13:41 What Parents & Coaches Can Do Differently
21:54 What Happens When Teams Don't Train Mentally
31:54 Practical Tools: Joy, Process, and Resetting Your Mindset
39:32 Emily's Experience in the Elite Mental Game

⬇️ New here? Start with the free training for sports moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom

💛 Already inside The Elite Mental Game? Head to members.elitecompetitor.com for your next steps.

📩 Want to connect? Email us at hello@elitecompetitor.com

📌 Resources & Tools
🙌 What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (to send your athlete!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
💜 Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to Bring Up Mental Training: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/sites/144031/downloads/66e16c-6886-4a62-b8db-c43a1ae18fbd_The_Elite_Mental_Game_Conversation_Starter.pdf%20
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🎓 The Elite Mental Game (our self-paced mental training program): https://elitecompetitor.com/emg

🔔Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes ⬇️  Raising Elite Competitors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingEliteCompetitors     

P.S. A few things worth knowing:  
⚡️Athletes who use mental skills training show measurably better performance consistency under pressure, particularly in high-stakes competition moments. (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)
⚡️ Visualization activates the same neural pathways as physical practice, giving athletes measurable performance gains without additional physical training load. (University of Chicago, Blaslotto research on visualization and performance)
⚡️Only 9% of high school athletes go on to play college sports. The mental game is often what determines who breaks through. (NCAA Research)

The Raising Elite Competitors channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.          

#girlssports #mentalperformance #sportsparenting #girlathlete #youthsports
Register for the Summer Strong Mental Game Bootcamp! We kick-off June 24th (registration closes June 19th). The earlier you register, the better price you get! https://elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/

Summer is when athletes either separate themselves or fall behind. Here's what the best ones do differently. Free training for sports moms → https://trainhergame.com/mom

Most athletes treat summer like an extended break and then walk into tryouts wondering why nothing changed.

In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly what separates average athletes from great ones this summer, and it's not just showing up to open gyms.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a a Certified Mental Performance Coach, a 14-year head volleyball coach, and a 4x state championship winner. I'm also the founder of The Elite Competitor, a mental performance program built exclusively for girl athletes ages 11-18 and their moms. 

You'll learn:
✅ Why motivation is the worst training partner you can have
✅ How to build a real physical training plan that you'll actually stick to
✅ What mental training is and why it matters more than most athletes realize
✅ How visualization gives you mental reps without extra wear on your body
✅ Why the athlete you were last season is what shows up under pressure - and how to change that

⬇️ I've been a head volleyball coach for 14 years and we've won four consecutive state championships. The athletes who separate themselves every single summer do these things.

If your daughter has goals to play at the next level or compete for a championship, this one is for her.

Don't miss our SUMMER STRONG MENTAL GAME BOOTCAMP
Six weeks of live mental training for athletes. Starts June 24th.Register here → elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/

🕓 Key Moments: 
00:00 Introduction: Summer Separates Athletes
00:58 Have a Plan
01:51 Physical Training: Show Up & Work Hard
02:50 Creating Your Own Training Schedule
04:26 Why Mental Training Matters
06:35 Mental Training Tools: Snapback & Visualization
08:19 Summer Strong Mental Game Boot Camp
09:30 Identity: Who You Are Under Pressure

⬇️ New here? Start with the free training for sports moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom

💛 Already inside The Elite Mental Game? Head to members.elitecompetitor.com for your next steps.

📩 Want to connect? Email us at hello@elitecompetitor.com

📌 Resources & Tools🙌 
What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (to send your athlete!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
💜 Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to Bring Up Mental Training: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/sites/144031/downloads/66e16c-6886-4a62-b8db-c43a1ae18fbd_The_Elite_Mental_Game_Conversation_Starter.pdf%20
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🎓 The Elite Mental Game (our self-paced mental training program): https://elitecompetitor.com/emg

🔔Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes ⬇️  Raising Elite Competitors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingEliteCompetitors     

P.S. A few things worth knowing:  
⚡️Athletes who use mental skills training show measurably better performance consistency under pressure, particularly in high-stakes competition moments. (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)
⚡️ Visualization activates the same neural pathways as physical practice, giving athletes measurable performance gains without additional physical training load. (University of Chicago, Blaslotto research on visualization and performance)
⚡️Only 9% of high school athletes go on to play college sports. The mental game is often what determines who breaks through. (NCAA Research)

The Raising Elite Competitors channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.          

#girlssports #mentalperformance #sportsparenting #girlathlete #youthsports
Register for the Summer Strong Mental Game Bootcamp! We kick-off June 24th (registration closes June 19th). The earlier you register, the better price you get! https://elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/

The hardest part of playing D1 volleyball wasn't the early workouts, the travel, or the competition. It was the mental side...and nobody warned her. Grab our free training for sports moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom

Sydney Dreves went from four-time state champion in high school to a starting outside hitter at Boise State. She's sharing what actually separated athletes at the next level - and it wasn't physical skills.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a a Certified Mental Performance Coach, a 14-year head volleyball coach, and a 4x state championship winner. I'm also the founder of The Elite Competitor, a mental performance program built exclusively for girl athletes ages 11-18 and their moms.

You'll learn:
✅ Why comparison is the fastest way to lose your edge at any level
✅ What Sydney wishes she'd been taught before her freshman year
✅ How "freely playing" disappeared the moment she hit college, and what brought it back
✅ The mindset shift that helped her stop spiraling after bad practices
✅ What college coaches actually notice when they're recruiting

Your daughter doesn't have to figure this out alone. The mental skills Sydney used are inside our program - built specifically for girl athletes and their moms.

🕓 Key Moments: 
00:00 Introduction
02:52 About the Host: Bre's Story
07:10 The Mental Game: Why It Matters
09:14 Meet Sydney Dreves
10:40 Sydney's First Year at Boise State
12:14 What Surprised Her Most About D1
13:59 Overcoming Mental Blocks & Self-Doubt
17:16 Dealing with Teammates & Coaches
20:12 Lessons & What She'd Do Differently
24:10 Advice for Athletes & Wrap-Up

💬 Parents - comment below: What's one thing you've tried to help your daughter that didn't land the way you hoped?

⬇️ New here? Start with the free training for sports moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom

💛 Already inside The Elite Mental Game? Head to members.elitecompetitor.com for your next steps.

📩 Want to connect? Email us at hello@elitecompetitor.com

📌 Resources & Tools
🙌 What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (to send your athlete!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
💜 Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to Bring Up Mental Training: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/sites/144031/downloads/66e16c-6886-4a62-b8db-c43a1ae18fbd_The_Elite_Mental_Game_Conversation_Starter.pdf%20
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🎓 The Elite Mental Game (our self-paced mental training program): https://elitecompetitor.com/emg

🔔Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes 
⬇️  Raising Elite Competitors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingEliteCompetitors   

P.S. A few things worth knowing: 
⚡️Nearly 1 in 4 college athletes (22.3%) are at risk for depression - and most are never taught mental skills to cope. (PMC / Peer-Reviewed Study, 2023)
⚡️ Extreme upward social comparison in athletes is directly linked to drops in motivation and increased disengagement from their sport. (Diel et al., Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2021)
⚡️A 2025 study found coaches universally agree mental skill development is essential - but most report they don't know how to teach it. The researchers called it: "Everybody wants to coach it, but fewer know how to do it." (Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2025)

The Raising Elite Competitors channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.        

#girlssports #mentalperformance #sportsparenting #girlathlete #youthsports
Register for the Summer Strong Mental Game Bootcamp! We kick-off June 24th (registration closes June 19th). The earlier you register, the better price you get! https://elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/

A teen setter used a mental reset tool at nationals and helped her team come back from 6 down to win. Grab the same system she used → https://trainhergame.com/mom

💛 Olivia is our April athlete of the month, and her story is one every sports mom needs to hear. She started EMG after a tough high school season left her doubting herself. A few months later, she was on the biggest stage of her season using what she learned.

In this episode, Coach Saylor sits down with Olivia to break down exactly what changed and how.

🧐 What You'll Learn:
✅ What the Snapback Routine looks like under real pressure (and why Olivia used it 4 times in a single set)
✅ The one mindset her team committed to before every match at the national qualifier
✅ How Olivia leads teammates through pressure moments without calling them out
✅ What she'd tell any athlete who is hesitant about mental training
✅ The moment she realized her mental game was directly affecting her performance

👉 Olivia said it best: "Everybody talks about being mentally tough but they never tell you how to do it." That's exactly why we built this program.

The full story is in this episode. Watch it.

💬 Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Meet Olivia
03:34 What Brought Olivia to Mental Training
06:27 The Big South National Qualifier
09:07 The Championship Match
11:29 The Snapback Routine
14:42 Team Leadership & Mindset
16:38 Growth Since Starting EMG
19:08 Advice & Goals

Athlete of the month episodes are hosted by REC Coach Saylor, a mental performance coach for girl athletes. I empower girl athletes with tools to build confidence and manage pressure so they can compete freely and passionately. New AOTM episodes every month!

📌 Free Tools & Next Steps
🙌 What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (to send your athlete!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
💜 Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to Bring Up Mental Training: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/sites/144031/downloads/66e16c-6886-4a62-b8db-c43a1ae18fbd_The_Elite_Mental_Game_Conversation_Starter.pdf%20
🎯 FREE Training for Sports Moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🎓 The Elite Mental Game (our self-paced mental training program): https://elitecompetitor.com/emg 

🔔 Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes. 
Raising Elite Competitors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingEliteCompetitors

P.S. A few stats worth saving if you've ever wondered whether the mental game really matters that much:
70% of youth athletes quit organized sports by age 13, with loss of enjoyment tied to pressure and confidence challenges (Aspen Institute, Project Play)
Girls are significantly more likely than boys to internalize mistakes and experience decreased confidence after errors during competition (Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, University of Minnesota)
Athletes who use consistent pre-performance routines outperform those who don't in high-pressure situations (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology)

The Raising Elite Competitors YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.  

#mentalperformance #girlathlete #sportsparenting #athleteofthemonth
Register for the Summer Strong Mental Game Bootcamp! We kick-off June 24th (registration closes June 19th). The earlier you register, the better price you get! https://elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/

Your pep talks come from love. But two real sports parents found out they weren't enough. 👇 https://trainhergame.com/mom

Chris has six kids and still felt like she was failing her youngest. Carlos's daughter looked at him and said, "Dad, please stop. What you're doing is not working." Both of them knew their daughters had the talent. They just couldn't figure out how to actually equip them.

In this episode, you'll hear directly from both of them - unfiltered and real..
✅ What they noticed in their daughters within the first 4 days
✅ How they introduced mental tools to a resistant teen without it turning into a fight
✅ The moment they realized their own behavior was part of the equation
✅ What "no meltdowns all season" actually looks like in real life
✅ Why the 14-day guarantee was the thing that got their athletes to say yes

💛 If your daughter has the talent but something keeps blocking her from playing her best, this one's for you.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

⏱️ Key Moments
00:00 Introduction: When Joy Goes Missing
01:40 Meet Chris & Carlos: Two Parents, One Problem
01:59 Chris's Story: Being Proactive Before the Season
04:27 Carlos's Story: When Your Daughter Says "Stop"
11:12 How to Present the Program to a Resistant Teen
19:28 Changes Parents Started to Notice
23:02 From Quitting to "I Love My Sport Again"
28:44 Logistics: Fitting Mental Training Into a Busy Schedule
33:46 Live Calls, Texting Support & How It All Works
41:03 Favorite Tools & What Sets This Program Apart
45:48 Comparing to Other Options: Therapists, Psychologists & More
49:02 Final Thoughts & Getting Started

💬 Parents - comment below: What's one thing you've tried to help your daughter that didn't land the way you hoped?

⬇️ New here? Start with the free training for sports moms: https://trainhergame.com/mom

💛 Already inside The Elite Mental Game? Head to members.elitecompetitor.com for your next steps.
📩 Want to connect? Email us at hello@elitecompetitor.com

📌 Resources & Tools
🙌 What's Your Competitor Style Quiz (to send your athlete!): https://www.videoask.com/fnbmhduxy
💜 Conversation Guide w/ Scripts to Bring Up Mental Training: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/sites/144031/downloads/66e16c-6886-4a62-b8db-c43a1ae18fbd_The_Elite_Mental_Game_Conversation_Starter.pdf%20
📺 YouTube Playlist for Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteMentalEdge
🎓 The Elite Mental Game (our self-paced mental training program): https://elitecompetitor.com/emg

🔔Subscribe for more mental training tips for girl athletes ⬇️  Raising Elite Competitors YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingEliteCompetitors   

P.S. A few things worth knowing as a sports mom: 
⚡️ 70% of youth athletes quit organized sports by age 13, with "it's not fun anymore" as the top reason cited (National Alliance for Youth Sports)
⚡️ Girls are 2x more likely than boys to drop out of sports by age 14, often due to confidence issues and loss of enjoyment (Women's Sports Foundation)
⚡️Athletes who receive mental skills training show a 20-30% improvement in performance consistency compared to physical training alone (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)    

The Raising Elite Competitors channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping sports moms strengthen their daughter's mental game and confidence in order to help her perform her best when it matters most.        

#girlssports #mentalperformance #sportsparenting #girlathlete #youthsports
Register for the Summer Strong Mental Game Bootcamp! We kick-off June 24th (registration closes June 19th). The earlier you register, the better price you get! https://elitecompetitor.com/summer-strong-bootcamp/