Remember algebra class? To balance an equation, you’d isolate the variable. Cross the bridge. Change the sign. Don’t worry it wasn’t my (Coach Brant's) favourite class either, but perhaps we can learn something here! It wasn’t just about math—it was about perspective. To get the right outcome, you had to move things around. Most athletes? They forget that. They get stuck in single-variable thinking: One missed shift = I’m useless. One blown rep = I’m not fit. One off game = I’ve lost it. But elite performance is never just one thing. It’s multi-variable. For example, one of my national team track athletes runs a few seconds off goal pace and panics. But when we zoom out, we find the full picture: Weather was brutal. Effort was spot-on. Pacing was smart. Sleep was off. Pressure was high—and they still competed. Similarly, I was recently working with a AAA hockey player who stormed off after a tough shift and muttered, “I’m blowing it today.” Except… he wasn’t. Not only did his analytics show he was winning puck battles, driving play, and creating chances. But his personal scorecard, a tool we use at CEP to score what matters most: mindset, effort, leadership and engagement were all off the charts! He was solving the wrong equation. So we trained him to zoom out—to scan the full game, not just the stat line or the single variable of did I score or not! Cross the bridge. Change the sign. Instead of judging his performance on one variable (goal = good, no goal = bad), he started reading the whole situation! And everything changed. Elite athletes don’t just train harder. They analyze smarter. Before you jump to judgment before, during or after a race, game, or play—ask yourself: Am I looking at and considering all the variables?

Imagine this: You’re a kid again, playing your favourite sport. No refs. No timers. No scoreboard glaring down at you. Just you and the game. What do you remember most? Maybe it’s zooming around, feeling unstoppable. Maybe it’s your friends cheering, or the goofy moments that make you crack up. Back then, you didn’t care about trophies or being number one. You played because it was awesome. Then out of nowhere, things got serious. Suddenly, it’s all about points, rankings, and who’s watching. The fun? It gets buried under stress and a “have to win” mindset. And that’s a bummer - because when all you think about is winning, the game stops feeling like a game and starts feeling like a job. To get you back to that early joy, I’ll (Coach Adam) ask you one question: If nobody was keeping score, would you still lace up and play? Think about it. Without a scoreboard, would you still love the game? Would you still hustle, sweat, and show up every day? Figuring out why you play - the stuff that lights you up inside - can make every second feel like a blast, win or lose. This isn’t about ignoring wins - it’s about seeing the bigger picture. The best players don’t just play for the W. They play because they love getting better, pushing harder, and soaking in the fun. What keeps you coming back?

A parent of one of our clients recently shared their experience on how their child went from struggling to manage their emotions to being more focused and confident. They explain the process so well, I put the entire review below: “My 10 year old son who is a goalie started working with Gabe from CEP back in January 2025. He was really struggling with confidence and negative emotions at times that resulted in him having a hard time letting go of what he felt was a bad goal or something he felt he should have done better. We would notice when he was like this that he would struggle to stay composed and his focus on the things in the game that he could control was getting outweighed by his emotions and his unwillingness to move off of what had happened. Since working with Gabe once a week, my son has found a new level of confidence and belief in himself and his abilities. He now has a pregame routine, he visualizes what he wants to achieve and has developed an alter ego when he steps on the ice, resulting in him unlocking his best self. He has learned to reset and refocus when things aren’t going his way. He has become more focused on the process and less focused on the pressure of results. Having a plan that he has developed together with Gabe has made a big difference in a short time and it’s exciting to think that he is still in the early stages of this process. My son’s confidence has grown both on and off the ice and we couldn’t thank Gabe enough. Gabe’s support, sincerity and his care for our son has made this one of the best things we could have done for our son on his journey through sports and life. Thank you Gabe.” As Mental Performance Coaches our primary goal is to deliver results like this to our clients. We primarily offer 1-on-1 coaching because it is the most powerful way to transform your mindset. So if you are interested in learning more about our services or working 1-on-1 with our great team of coaches then click here to book a free intro session.

I like to say I was born competitive—probably because I had a twin brother beside me from day one. Growing up, we were close but completely different. He was the chill, go-with-the-flow type, the kind of person things seemed to come naturally to. I was the emotional one. The stubborn one. The one who wanted to push. While he found music and fell in love with playing guitar, I found volleyball—and quickly, I was all in. Even though our interests couldn’t have been more different, I still felt like everything between us was a competition. Board games turned into feuds. Bowling nights felt more like competitions than just fun outings. Grades were always something I tracked, even if he wasn’t. I wasn’t just trying to keep up, I wanted to be better. I had to win. Looking back, it wasn’t just about beating my brother—it was about proving something to myself. And while that kind of drive led to a lot of success, it also built unhealthy habits that I didn’t recognize at the time. I was constantly striving. Constantly working harder. Pushing limits. Over time, that drive turned into a growing obsession with being “the best.” Becoming a Collegiate Volleyball Player By high school, volleyball had become more than just a sport. It was an identity. Every practice, every drill, every rep—I gave it everything. That work ethic earned me a spot on a college team, and I even became a starter my freshman year. On paper, I was doing everything right. But the pressure I put on myself kept rising. After games, while others celebrated, I’d fixate on the mistakes. A missed serve. A moment I hesitated. Even when people told me I played great, I couldn’t hear it over the reel of “should have’s” playing in my head. Despite things going well for me, I didn’t feel successful. I felt stuck in a loop of “not good enough.” All in all, my obsession with being “perfect” was killing my love for the game. It felt like a dark cloud of mistakes would overshadow even the brightest moments—mine and my team’s. The love I had for volleyball started slipping away, the mistakes always took center stage. In my 10 years of being a highly competitive volleyball player, I had the pleasure of playing at the collegiate level, being a four-year starter, earning the RMAC Summit Award (highest overall GPA in final competition), and even setting a school record for most career digs. Any logical person would say—that’s A LOT to be proud of. But the truth was, I couldn’t fully feel that pride at the time. I was too caught up in the pressure I put on myself. I was getting in my own way. Untangling Perfectionism & Competitiveness During my college volleyball career, I realized how much I wished I had more tools to handle what I was going through mentally—not just physically or technically. That’s what drew me to sport psychology. I [...]

Here is a writeup from CEP's newest member, coach Elaina.In elite sport and high performance, failure isn’t a question of if—it’s a matter of when. A race goes sideways. You miss the winning shot. You don’t perform to the standard you trained for. What separates the best from the rest isn’t the absence of failure—it’s the ability to reframe it. From Shame to Strategy Failure often feels personal. But high performers don’t see it as a reflection of who they are (aka feelings of shame)—they see it as valuable feedback (aka a strategy for growth). They ask: What did this teach me? Where’s the gap between my preparation and my execution? What do I know now that I didn’t before? This shift in mindset from seeing a tough performance as a lesson—not a loss—turns failure into fuel for future success. From Setback to Setup While setbacks might, at first glance, seem unfortunate, they’re also invaluable. The key is in how you interpret and respond to them. When we internalize failure and allow it to chip away at our confidence or question our ability, it stops our momentum in its tracks. But when we choose to see failure as a setup—a catalyst for growth—we create space for learning and adaptation. For example: A disappointing race might highlight the need for better pacing. A mental lapse in a big game might reveal a gap in your pre-performance routine. A performance plateau could be a signal that your training load or recovery needs adjusting. The setback becomes useful when you ask what it's here to teach you. But reframing doesn’t mean dismissing or sugar-coating disappointment. Sometimes it simply means using that disappointment to strengthen your motivation or sharpen your focus. That missed opportunity? It might reignite your drive and love for the game. That bad race? It might reveal a blind spot in your recovery or nutrition. That mental block you felt under pressure? It might highlight a gap in your mental preparation. Ask any great athlete or high performer about a breakthrough moment, and chances are, it followed a setback they leaned into instead of avoiding. The beauty is in the choices and changes we make following the setback. So remember, shift from shame to strategy and use your setbacks to help setup your future success!

A 12 year old AAA hockey player’s whole world has been flipped upside down. As a AAA player he has spent the last 4 years training, preparing, and dedicating himself because of his love of the game. But all of a sudden his belief in himself starts to waver because now he is sitting on the bench, watching his teammates play over him. Quickly, all the trust and belief he had built up disappears, and he is playing as his worst-self, what he calls The Bull Turtle (angry and slow). No matter what he tries each game the Bull Turtle keeps showing up and this trust in himself slips away more and more. He stops playing with instinct. Fear and doubt consume him, and now he has stopped trusting himself. Instead of carrying the puck with confidence, he passes it off as soon as it touches his stick - not because it is the right play, but because he was afraid of making a mistake. For the first time in four years, he did not want the puck. The thought of his coach calling him out in front of the team consumes him, and it prevents him from focusing on what he can control. He is not just losing ice time anymore, he is losing himself, the player he knew he could be and was. He is worried and has no idea how to stop the downward spiral. Something had to give, it would have to be his love for the game or his fear. He and his parents knew it wasn’t just about working hard, more ice sessions, or more private lessons. The real challenge was mental. That’s when, I (coach Sara), had the privilege of meeting him and helping him regain his love for the game and himself. Step 1: Facing the Mental Challenge When this particular client first started working with me, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He thought the solution would be simple—maybe a confidence trick, a breathing exercise, or some motivational talk. Instead, the first step was getting real about what was happening inside his head. By using the CEP assessment and encouraging him to be honest with himself, we were able to identify the following mental blocks: Fear of making mistakes and being criticized. Lack of confidence with the puck, leading to rushed decisions. Comparing himself to his teammates instead of focusing on his own growth. Letting frustration take over during games. Feeling like he didn’t have a voice or impact on the team. Instead of labeling these mental blocks as failures, we framed them as opportunities to grow. Step 2: Creating a Mental Game Plan Once we identified the root challenges, it was time to build a strategy. Together, we worked on key principles that would help him regain his confidence, play with purpose, and develop resilience. Here are the key mental tools that we worked on together in order for him to regain control of his mindset. ✅ [...]

How can an athlete play with full confidence every day? This is the million dollar question. The solution is generally a combination of breaking free from their fears, shifting their perspectives about confidence, & personalizing the fundamental CEP strategies to clarify and find their game. But in this blog I’m sharing a new simple mental model that I’ve used with high-level athletes, including NHL players, that has helped them make a clear distinction of what type of confidence they bring on game day. This has helped them unlock a stronger and more consistent level of confidence. The 3 Tiers of Confidence Every athlete falls somewhere on a confidence spectrum when they compete. You’re either in fear mode, have cautious confidence, or have full confidence. Fear Mode: You’re hesitant, second-guessing, and playing to avoid mistakes. Your mind is filled with doubts, and you’re playing with tension rather than trust — which is terrible for results. Cautious Confidence: You feel somewhat confident, but you’re still holding back. You make plays, but only when they feel safe. You’re stuck in the middle – not in fear mode, but not fully unleashed either. So your results are moderate at best. Full Confidence: This is where you trust your skills, commit to your decisions, and go after it every shift. You’re playing freely, fully engaged, and not afraid to make mistakes. It’s only here where you attack with complete certainty that you will perform consistently at your capabilities.   Where Most Athletes Get Stuck A lot of players make the mistake of thinking that cautious confidence is enough. They tell themselves, “I’ll go for it sometimes.” But that’s not how you maximize your impact. Cautious confidence is a mental comfort zone for many athletes. They feel they have confidence. They know they are not in full fear mode. And they are making some plays. The problem is they are not fully trusting themselves and, therefore, are not fully committed to playing their game. Full confidence does not mean to be reckless and take unnecessary risks. It means to play your game, attack with conviction, and fully trust your capabilities. So when we show players this diagram a light bulb often clicks and they realize they were not playing with full confidence but actually they have been in the caution confidence zone. This self-awareness is the key to making a shift. It enables you to finally make the clear choice to stop tip-toeing around confidence and, instead, fully commit to owning all your capabilities and playing your game without hesitation. How to Flip the Switch The goal is to be able to show up and attack the game with full confidence day-in and day-out. To do that, you need to have a mental process to flip the switch and get dialed in on game day. That’s what our four fundamental strategies are all about: Alter Ego — Get clarity and certainty on who you want to be and how you want [...]

Even the greatest athletes say that there is always chaos inside of them, pressure, expectations, and, more specifically, noise in their heads—it piles up fast. If you are an athlete, you have experienced this as well, whether you’re standing at the free-throw line, lining up for a faceoff, or getting ready for that big game. This pressure takes hold of you; you’re not thinking clearly, and it can spiral down fast. Your mind starts racing. Your heart pounds. Your breathing gets shallow, and doubt creeps in. Novak Djokovic, top 5 tennis player in the world, talked about "having a storm inside him". Every game day he has thoughts of doubt and worry. What allows him to succeed is having techniques to manage this inner storm. The trick is knowing HOW to manage this inner storm. The solution — a Reset Routine. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just hitting a reset button; there are 3 steps our athletes take to do a full reset. One of the crucial steps is to focus on your breathing. Typical breathing exercises include deep belly breathing and box breathing, but what if you could add powerful imagery to your breathing? The images we see in our minds can be extremely effective in downregulating our fight or flight, and that is what you want to be able to do when facing a high-pressure situation. This is where “Smell the Flowers, Blow the Bubbles” comes in. A simple yet powerful breathing technique I (Coach Sara) discovered while reading a book by Diane Alber. Smell the Flowers Inhale deeply through your nose, like you’re smelling a fresh flower. Imagine a scene from a cartoon where a character takes in the scent, their nostrils seeming to pull the flower in completely. Fill your lungs fully with this breath. As you inhale, picture the flower in your mind—its color, the softness of its petals, the fresh scent in the air. The simple act of visualizing this peaceful moment can help further calm your mind, grounding you in something familiar and joyful. Blow the Bubbles Exhale slowly through your mouth as if you’re gently blowing bubbles. Just as you filled your lungs completely, now focus on emptying them fully—but with control. Keep it smooth and steady, resisting the urge to rush. This step matters more than the inhale. Think back to blowing bubbles as a child. You wouldn’t blow too hard, or the bubble would pop before it could float away. Picture those bubbles drifting effortlessly into the air—light, free, and untethered. That imagery itself can help release stress, bringing you back to a calm, controlled state. By pairing breath with visualization, you’re not just controlling your body’s response to those big moments—you’re shifting your mindset to a place of calm, focus, and control. Simply put, deep breathing flips the script. Slows your heart rate – Shifting you from panic to control. Clears your mind – Making it easier to focus on what really matters. Puts [...]

Let’s go back to when I was 17 years old. I’m playing in the OHL and it’s my NHL draft season — as a young Canadian, it has always been my dream to play in the NHL and I’m now getting closer to that dream. So before the big season, I do what a lot of athletes do — I get a pen and paper and write down my goals: Put up a ton of points Get drafted to the NHL But I don’t stop there. I write down all the milestones and goals I want to achieve over the next 5 years and I create this perfect yellow-brick-road to achieving my dream. Well how did it go? The Downward Spiral The first couple steps were not bad — I was flying out there and feeling pretty good, but then, BAM — I fell off that yellow-brick-road pretty quick. I went from being on the starting line up for the home opener to barely playing. Just imagine, I’m 17 years old, and all I want is to be on the ice — chasing down my dream. But instead, I am getting healthy scratched, which means I’m not even on the bench. I’m stuck in the stands — forced to watch all my peers chase their dreams… On the other hand, I did get to eat lots of popcorn. Unfortunately, I did that 48 times that season — that was way too much popcorn! I clearly was not in a great mental state… but, even worse, I also became a poor teammate. I became jealous and envious of many of my teammates. I was not helping to create a healthy culture Instead, I was hurting it. I didn’t say it out loud, but I often hoped my teammates would fail so that I could selfishly get an opportunity. As a forward, I finished that season with zero points — a far cry from the goals that I set. In case it isn’t clear, you don’t get drafted to the NHL with zero points. Rock Bottom The worst part wasn’t failing miserably at my goals. Nor was it eating all that stale popcorn. What hurt the most was when the season ended and I went back to my hometown in Northern Ontario. At the time, I’m the only guy in my hometown playing in the OHL — so I am not a big deal but also I am kind of a big deal within a small town. And someone has the nerve to say “Hey, if I played 34 games in the OHL, I would have at least put up 1 point.” A massive gut punch… After all the failure and struggle throughout the season, getting called out and embarrassed by my peers in my hometown was the final straw. I hit rock bottom and I truly considered quitting. The Silver Lining But I decided I was not going to let this failure, which felt so embarrassing, to [...]

An 18 year-old elite soccer player steps on to the pitch for what seems like a routine summer training. There were the same coaches & teammates, the same field, and the same drills. However, for him - this day felt incredibly different. He feels a little nervous, but almost in a good way. He’s not consumed by the fear of failure. He’s present, focused, and grateful for the opportunity to train. Unsurprisingly, he goes out and crushes it. But how did he get here? A year ago, things looked much different. He was training harder than ever, chasing personal bests, and pushing his body to the limit. His entire identity was wrapped up in his sport. Every opportunity to perform felt like a measure of his worth. And then, in a split second, it all came to a halt - a torn hamstring took him out of competition for months. At first the injury felt devastating. The fear of falling behind, of losing his edge, of not knowing who he was without soccer - all weighed heavily on him. But in that time away, something unexpected happened. As he and I (coach Adam) started working together, he gained perspective about his identity. For the first time in years, he was forced to slow down. He spent time with family and friends. He pursued interests outside of training. He realized that, while soccer was a huge part of his life, it wasn’t the only thing that defined him. And instead of chasing perfection, he started appreciating the process. By the time he returned to the pitch, he was a different athlete - not physically, but mentally. He wasn’t playing to constantly prove himself anymore. He was playing because he loved it. The pressure had lifted and was replaced by a deep sense of purpose and gratitude. And on this particular training day, that shift made all the difference. Instead of being weighed down by expectations, he felt light, free, and ready to get to work. He performed loose, playing his game the way he wanted to play it, without any hesitation. This is the silver lining of injury. For many athletes, physical setbacks feel like the end of the world. But sometimes, those setbacks provide exactly what’s needed - a chance to step back, reassess, and transform your mindset.