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?
Blair has over 13 years of experience as a Professional Dancer, Assistant Dance Captain & Cast Manager, as well as an additional 17 years of training. Over the last 3 decades, she has lived and experienced first hand the highest of highs & lowest of lows that come with pursuing a career in the Performing Arts.
Alexis Woloschuk is a name synonymous with mental fortitude in the world of professional hockey. Throughout her career originating playing boys hockey, going to an academy away from home, playing her four years at Boston University and 7+ years in pro hockey she’s learned the importance of resilience, confidence, and dismissing both fear and other’s opinions. With a blend of relatability, confidence, and an acute understanding of playing to one’s potential, Alexis helps athletes reshape the way they perceive and harness the power of their minds.
Sean Mahoney is a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), and a Master’s candidate in the Sport and Performance Psychology program at the University of Denver. For as long as he can remember, Sean has been fascinated by human performance and how to gain an edge over the competition. For most of his athletic career, he focused on the physical aspect of performance but neglected the mental. Because of this, he struggled with performance anxiety, focus issues, and limiting beliefs pertaining to confidence and self-doubt. His lack of focus on optimizing his mental game prevented him from reaching his full potential.
Louie is a mental performance coach from Toronto, Canada with a professional hockey career spanning over 14 years. Being a standout player at the University of Michigan, Louie was a Hobey Baker finalist and a 1st team All-American, which led him to getting drafted by the Ottawa Senators and playing in renowned leagues across the globe, including the DEL, SHL, and AHL.
As a former member of McMaster University’s women’s soccer team, Emilie intimately understands the demands and challenges athletes face on and off the field. Although she encountered many challenges as a high-level athlete, particularly struggling with self-doubt and overthinking, Emilie was able to make a remarkable transformation when she began to embrace the principles of sports psychology.
Max is currently attending William James College, where he is earning a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Masters Degree in Professional Psychology. During his time as an undergraduate student, Max was inducted into the International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi), and played on the Quinnipiac University men’s club ice hockey team.
Danielle Hanus, MA
Monica Russell, MA
