Begin Again

Since I was seven years old, I’ve been in one performance arena or another. I’ve spent time on stages and fields, in front of cameras and classrooms.

In the athletic realm, I wrestled and played both soccer and baseball; I coached soccer, baseball, and gymnastics; and I’ve been (and still am) the parent of a competitive soccer player.

In the performance realm, I’ve toured with live shows, done standup comedy, and worked for over 20 years as a stuntman & coordinator in the film/TV industry.

I love to stay busy by maintaining old skills as well as learning new ones. My daughter and I ride dirt bikes, skateboards, and regular bikes; rollerblade; and play soccer, basketball, and street hockey when the weather permits. I also like to write, read, and go to various games (hockey, baseball), shows (Broadway musicals), and game/show combinations (Harlem Globetrotters).

Along the way, I received a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s in Sport Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology. I am also a Certified Mental Performance Consultant ® through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and have spent the last 15 years helping athletes, performers, and U.S. Army soldiers develop the MENTAL STRENGTH resources necessary for them to perform to their potentials and navigate life’s challenges to the best of their abilities.

In addition to working with performers of all stripes, I am also on the faculty at Grand Canyon University and work as a Dissertation Chair for Ph.D. students in the Organizational Psychology, General Psychology, and Sport Psychology doctoral programs.

I developed a passion for performance psychology when I saw how it applied to every facet of my life. When first introduced to performance psychology, I was working as a stuntman and touring with a live show. The show went down for a couple of months, and in the interim, I coached competitive gymnasts.

I became fascinated by the fact that several of the gymnasts would, during practice, hit a routine 19 times out of 20 and yet fall consistently during the same routine at meets. It was clear that the problem wasn’t physical. The athletes could absolutely deliver on the skills necessary for success. The issue was mental. The athletes lacked MENTAL STRENGTH resources like Trust/Confidence, Attention/Focus, Self-Awareness/Self-Regulation, and Energy Management. After taking time to develop those resources, those same athletes became much more consistent, experienced greater success, and had a whole lot more fun at meets. MENTAL STRENGTH had shown itself to be the key.

Not long after that epiphany, I injured my ankle badly in the touring show. I wasn’t able to work, and it was starting to affect my income. I tried to rehab as quickly as I could, but the body only heals so fast. At various points along the path to recovery, I dealt with anxiety, doubt, waning motivation, and fear. However, I quickly discovered that using the MENTAL STRENGTH resources I’d developed enabled me to persevere through those challenges, heal my ankle, and return to the show three weeks earlier than was initially projected.

While coaching various sports, I also noticed the many similarities between my life as a stuntman and the lives of athletes in any given sport. Although good coaches and mentors are vital, it is ultimately up to each of us, individually, to consistently improve and to perform at our best. Nobody can do it for us. And, being at our best requires access to MENTAL STRENGTH resources. They are the key to combating the doubt, fear, and burnout that inevitably pop up along our paths.

My final comment is as a coach and parent. The MENTAL STRENGTH resources I have cultivated have proven invaluable in my parenting/coaching relationship with my daughter and with the other young people I have coached. Those resources have been the key to watching them successfully enter, enjoy, and continually strive for excellence in competitive environments.

Performance has been an integral part of my life for 40 years, and few things make me happier than helping people fully and consistently experience the joy of the activities they love to do. My role is to provide and develop the MENTAL STRENGTH tools which allow them to do just that. I truly enjoy helping people continually Begin Again