BEHAVIOR CHANGE - Mental Performance for Coaches (1 of 2)
Aug 20, 2026 · 28 min · 8 segments
Aug 20, 2026 · 28 min · 8 segments
CeCe CraftGuest
Bernie HollidayGuestBilly AllenHostWell, so when we were brainstorming kinda what do we wanna explore, I think I was the one that maybe kind of tossed this out in, in some form initially, and I really liked the idea 'cause I was really curious to get all three of your perspective on it, and then I thought more about it and I was like, "Oh, this is a loaded topic." Especially to lead off.
I don't know if I'm the best lead off hitter for this one, but, uh, more like an, maybe a seven, eight hole hitter.
But the point being, um, I think it's a really pertinent topic because it, it shows up in, in so many aspects of our life, like not only in coaching and, and in mental performance work, but, like, as parents, as leaders in other spaces, and, um, in education, and, and just in many forms.
I think as I just reflected on this big idea of, like, how do you help individuals, in essence, take action? Like, how do you help move them and guide them really towards their goals, their dreams, the person that you know that they're capable of being? Um, initially the first two things that came to mind, um, one was a story.
So, um, you know, Pat Summitt was a legendary women's basketball coach, and she, um...
She, she gave an interview where, um, she shared that, um, one of the stories that was really meaningful for her as a mom was, um, her son came home, he was in high school, came home in tears one day because he got cut from the high school basketball team.
And her mom, like, mom instinct kind of was, like, the initial reaction because she was like, "What coach in Tennessee is gonna fire or, like, uh, cut my kid?" Like, she was like, "Do, do they know who, like, his mom is?" Which was awesome to, like, hear her describe this.
It was cool because not only did she, like, take the, kind of the, the hat of being mom, but also she put her coach hat on for a moment and she talked a little bit about, you know, asking him about what had happened and, you know, basically implying that, like, you know, you, you didn't work hard enough.
And it, but it led to this conversation of, like, "I'll do whatever you want to, like, help you.
But you gotta do the work." And the way she framed it for him is like, "You gotta be the one that starts it.
Like, I'm not gonna start your engine for you." And I thought that was a really cool kinda sentiment, and I think about this a lot with, like, behavior change or, like, when you're trying to help people that maybe don't have the same motivation level that you have to take action on something is, like, it's really difficult to, like, make somebody else change.
Um, but you can in essence, I think, create the conditions that hopefully invite them to change or to take action on something, um, or to shift in some form, um, on their own.
And so when I think about, like, behavior change, like, I think that's the lens that I've often thought about it through, is it's less about I've never had success, [chuckles] um, trying to, like, force someone to change or try to push something on someone in most instances.
Um, maybe from time to time, but I just don't know that that's a, a sustainable strategy.
And, um, so that was one thing that came to mind is, like, how do you create the conditions for it where somebody else is willing to start their own engine in order to do something? And then the other one too, um, uh, a sentiment that I've used a lot with teams, but I think this applies more with...
or in, with individuals too, is that, um, people in my experience are l- way more likely to support something or to commit to something when they help have a, a hand in shaping it or when they help create it.
And so, um- One term that I use a lot is, like, when I would do a lot of work with one-on-ones with athletes or even coaches, um, I always viewed it as like we're gonna co-create the plan.
We're gonna co-create the destination, where we're trying to get to, who you're trying to become, what you're trying to achieve.
We're gonna co-create kind of the process, in essence, that can hopefully help get you there and allow you to kinda have a stamp on it.
Well, so when we were brainstorming kinda what do we wanna explore, I think I was the one that maybe kind of tossed this out in, in some form initially, and I really liked the idea 'cause I was really curious to get all three of your perspective on it, and then I thought more about it and I was like, "Oh, this is a loaded topic." Especially to lead off.
I don't know if I'm the best lead off hitter for this one, but, uh, more like an, maybe a seven, eight hole hitter.
But the point being, um, I think it's a really pertinent topic because it, it shows up in, in so many aspects of our life, like not only in coaching and, and in mental performance work, but, like, as parents, as leaders in other spaces, and, um, in education, and, and just in many forms.
I think as I just reflected on this big idea of, like, how do you help individuals, in essence, take action? Like, how do you help move them and guide them really towards their goals, their dreams, the person that you know that they're capable of being? Um, initially the first two things that came to mind, um, one was a story.
So, um, you know, Pat Summitt was a legendary women's basketball coach, and she, um...
She, she gave an interview where, um, she shared that, um, one of the stories that was really meaningful for her as a mom was, um, her son came home, he was in high school, came home in tears one day because he got cut from the high school basketball team.
And her mom, like, mom instinct kind of was, like, the initial reaction because she was like, "What coach in Tennessee is gonna fire or, like, uh, cut my kid?" Like, she was like, "Do, do they know who, like, his mom is?" Which was awesome to, like, hear her describe this.
It was cool because not only did she, like, take the, kind of the, the hat of being mom, but also she put her coach hat on for a moment and she talked a little bit about, you know, asking him about what had happened and, you know, basically implying that, like, you know, you, you didn't work hard enough.
And it, but it led to this conversation of, like, "I'll do whatever you want to, like, help you.
But you gotta do the work." And the way she framed it for him is like, "You gotta be the one that starts it.
Like, I'm not gonna start your engine for you." And I thought that was a really cool kinda sentiment, and I think about this a lot with, like, behavior change or, like, when you're trying to help people that maybe don't have the same motivation level that you have to take action on something is, like, it's really difficult to, like, make somebody else change.
Um, but you can in essence, I think, create the conditions that hopefully invite them to change or to take action on something, um, or to shift in some form, um, on their own.
And so when I think about, like, behavior change, like, I think that's the lens that I've often thought about it through, is it's less about I've never had success, [chuckles] um, trying to, like, force someone to change or try to push something on someone in most instances.
Um, maybe from time to time, but I just don't know that that's a, a sustainable strategy.
And, um, so that was one thing that came to mind is, like, how do you create the conditions for it where somebody else is willing to start their own engine in order to do something? And then the other one too, um, uh, a sentiment that I've used a lot with teams, but I think this applies more with...
or in, with individuals too, is that, um, people in my experience are l- way more likely to support something or to commit to something when they help have a, a hand in shaping it or when they help create it.
And so, um- One term that I use a lot is, like, when I would do a lot of work with one-on-ones with athletes or even coaches, um, I always viewed it as like we're gonna co-create the plan.
We're gonna co-create the destination, where we're trying to get to, who you're trying to become, what you're trying to achieve.
We're gonna co-create kind of the process, in essence, that can hopefully help get you there and allow you to kinda have a stamp on it.
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