More Than Skill

Sick of hearing about implementing a gratitude practice? Feeling in genuine when you do take the time to be thankful? Not sure where to start? In this episode, Kara shares how she FINALLY (accidentally) found a gratitude practice that works AND hold her accountable throughout the entire year. Tune in and share this mental strategy with your athletes! Mental Strategy Tidbit: Be open to receiving fe...

The pressure of competing is so real! How do we help our athletes cope with the jitters right before they take the stage or the field? What about those athletes that seem to lose control in the final moments before they compete? In this episode, Kara talk about 5 things you can do to help your athletes overcome the pressure they feel before competing. Mental Strategy Tidbit: Find the silver lining...

Do you ever find yourself giving up before you've even started? Or calling a loss or failure before it happens? Convincing yourself that something negative will happen feels better than getting your hopes up and getting let down. That's called defensive pessimism and its the topic of today's episode. Kara will talk about what it looks like, if its beneficial and how we can help our ath...

Happy Halloween! For athletes ready to take their game to the next level, Kara provides 10 tips to help you go above and beyond. From being aware of your thoughts to fueling your body correctly- it all matters when you want to take the next step. Mental Strategy Tidbit: Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.

Our athletes and children are under an insane amount of pressure. They feel it from school, from parents, coaches and themselves. Where do we draw the line between keeping them involved and keeping them healthy? Kara talks about what toxic achievement looks like and the one thing kids needs to feel to experience healthy levels of achievement. Mental Strategy Tidbit: Never Worry Alone.

Hide description In this episode, Kara discusses how to help athletes balance their confidence with humility. We teach confidence at More Than Skill! But it is time to talk about how to balance that with being humble. Kara talks about the discussion she had with her athletes as well as some strategies for keeping the balance. Mental Strategy Tidbit: Clearing limiting beliefs with shadow work

At some point, all of our athletes will deal with difficult situations; death, mental health concerns, breakups, sick relatives, etc. are inevitable, just like they are for us. So how do we help them cope? What is our role? Kara gives simple yet impactful advice for navigating tough times with your athletes.

In this episode, Kara talks about how to create a culture that encourages communication within your team or program. Mental Strategy Tidbit: Real vs. Perceived Value

You've heard the phrase, "use it or lose it", but did you know that also applies to synapses in the brain? In this episode, Kara talks about neuroplasticity and gives some easy exercises you can start today to create new neural pathways and keep your brain young!

In this episode, Kara reveals her history as a cancer survivor and how it shaped her coaching values.

It's human nature to dissect our problems and failures, but how often do we experience pride or happiness from accomplishing our goals? The very nature of practice is to learn from failing over and over. In today's episode, Kara talks about how to help yourself and your athletes celebrate success and why we need to make it a habit.

We all know that one person...(or maybe we ARE that person) who always plays the victim. They're always complaining about something. What happens when this is one of your youth athletes? Kara talks about victim mentality and how to help our athletes out of that mindset.

It's that time of year- back to school! Some of our athletes are excited, others are anxious and stressed. How do we deal? In this episode, Kara gives us six tips to help start the new school year off right

If you are wanting to start teaching mental strategy to your athletes but aren't sure where to start, this episode is for you! Kara gives you 5 action steps to get you going. Start giving your athletes the tools they need to succeed!

As parents of youth athletes, we want to see our kids succeed. But are we putting too much pressure on them? In this episode, Kara talks about how pressure can negatively impact performance and 4 ways to rethink how parents can navigate the youth sports experience .

In this episode, Kara talks about something that all athletes face: Getting nervous! Listen for a cool and easy hack to reframe these feelings.

It's that time of year...Valentine's Day. Usually a day we celebrate our love for others, Kara is flipping the script to loving yourself. Self care is more than just physically taking care of yourself. In this episode, Kara talks about the true meaning of self care and 3 steps to take to truly love yourself more. 

In this episode, Kara talks about 2 exercises to use with your athletes (or yourself) to get through seriously trying times. This is great for anyone who is going through a rough patch and simply does not know how to pull themselves up. We've all felt this way- like its hard to find joy- but these exercises change the perspective on your struggles and create a clear path for moving forward. 

In this episode, Kara teaches you how to use box breathing with your athletes to slow the heart rate, increase focus and induce a sense of calm before they compete. Adrenaline can be harnessed for physical ability, but it can also be the detriment to great performance. Box breathing helps settle the mind to stay in control of skills and training. 

Only 9% of people keep their New Year's Resolutions! On this episode, Kara shares 4 parameters that your goals should be adhering to in order to make you more successful. Plus one additional helpful tool that everyone always overlooks. Use this goal setting strategy with your athletes or for yourself! 

In this episode, Kara will teach you a quick breathing exercise to do with your athletes before a game or competition. It teaches focus and awareness and can be applied to their performance.

In this episode, Kara will give you 4 steps to increase the effectiveness of visualization. Use this exercise as you approach games, matches or competitions. 

Are you paying attention to the things your athletes are saying? Remember, "whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right". Kara will show you how and why to hold athletes accountable for the things they say regarding their physical ability level. 

Use this checklist to implement helpful mental strategies throughout your daily practices. Kara talks about how you can get your athletes to practice mindfulness, keep them focused and stay in abundance. Great tips for coaches to practice as well! Check out the More Than Skill Facebook page to see the checklist! 

On today's episode, Kara talks about mindfulness: What it means, why its important and she'll give you a couple ways to practice it! Learn how to stay present in the moment and help your athletes do the same.