The spring 2026 season has been one of the most rewarding I’ve witnessed in years.
Not simply because of podium finishes, PRs, championship qualifications, or breakthrough performances—although there have been many of those. What stood out most was watching athletes learn how to trust themselves, regulate pressure, simplify their thinking, and compete with greater freedom and confidence.
Across Division I programs, state championship contenders, conference-level competitors, nationally ranked swimmers, elite club athletes, and developing youth athletes, the pattern was remarkably consistent:
The athletes who committed to the process earned the right to perform with confidence.
What This Season Looked Like
This spring, I watched athletes:
- Win an ACC Championship in Track & Field
- Set personal records in the 400 m, 800 m, 200 m, mile, and 3200 m
- Break school and team recordsPreview (opens in a new tab)
- Qualify for and compete in championship meets and state-level competition
- Step into higher levels of competition and succeed against older, more experienced athletes
- Rebuild confidence after frustration, pressure, or disappointing performances
- Learn how to compete with calmer nervous systems and clearer focus
- Experience breakthroughs in both performance and enjoyment of sport
And perhaps most importantly, many of these athletes learned that confidence is not something you “find.” It’s something you build through preparation, repetition, recovery, awareness, and trust.
Moments That Defined Growth
One athlete trusted her body instead of overthinking and ran the best indoor mile of her career.
Another stepped into a major international swim meet feeling more free, relaxed, and resilient than ever before, even without hitting every time goal.
Another athlete learned how proper sleep, hydration, warm-up intensity, and emotional regulation translated directly into breakthrough race performances and PRs.
Another qualified for championship competition while simultaneously learning how to manage anxiety, simplify focus, and stay connected to the moment instead of getting pulled into perfectionism.
These are the wins that matter.
Learning to Compete With Confidence
This spring also brought meaningful success for athletes managing EILO and breathing-related performance challenges.
Several athletes made tremendous progress learning how to regulate breathing patterns, calm the nervous system, reduce panic around symptoms, and return to competing with greater confidence and control.
For athletes struggling with EILO, the challenge is rarely just physical. It often becomes emotional, mental, and deeply frustrating.
When athletes finally understand what is happening in their bodies, learn how to regulate their system, and reconnect and trust in themselves, performance can begin to unlock again.
Watching athletes move from fear and uncertainty back into confidence and freedom has been one of the most meaningful parts of this season.
What Actually Drives Performance Improvement
What continues to inspire me most is how willing these athletes are to do the work:
- The breathing work
- The recovery work
- The imagery
- The progressive relaxation
- The focus training
- The honest self-reflection
- The uncomfortable conversations
- The commitment to preparation long before the spotlight ever arrives
The results are earned there first.
“Working with Erika has been the single greatest improvement I’ve made in my athletic routine. Growing stronger on the track and in the weight room is one thing, but working on the mental side is just as important, if not more, especially in cross country and track. The mental training that I practiced with Erika has helped me focus on the process of reaching my goals and racing as the strongest version of myself.”
— Sophie Novak, Notre Dame University Track & Field Steeplechase ACC Champion
Mental Performance Coaching Isn’t Motivation
Mental performance coaching is not about “motivating” athletes. It’s about helping talented athletes remove interference so their preparation, skill, and training can show up consistently when it matters most.
Many athletes already have the physical tools. They have the talent. They have the work ethic.
But they are:
- Overwhelmed
- Overthinking
- Tight
- Frustrated
- Trying too hard
- Carrying pressure that slowly disconnects them from the joy and freedom that originally made them successful
That’s where the work changes things.
When athletes learn how to regulate pressure, trust preparation, simplify focus, and compete from a more connected state, performance often starts to rise naturally.
Not because they suddenly became more talented.
Because they became more available to the talent they already had.
Final Thoughts
To all of the athletes I’ve worked with this season: congratulations.
Your success belongs to you. You earned it through your preparation, your honesty, your resilience, and your willingness to stay engaged in the process even when progress wasn’t linear.
Thank you for trusting me to be part of your journey.
And for the athletes and families who may feel stuck right now despite the talent and effort being there: improvement is possible. Confidence can be rebuilt. Performance can change.
Sometimes the missing piece is not more effort but learning how to direct your energy, attention, recovery, and nervous system more effectively.
The goal is never perfection.
The goal is helping athletes become more prepared, more confident, more resilient, and more free to compete as themselves.
That’s where high performance begins.
