Unstoppable Athlete - Mental Resilience for Teen Athletes
Sep 30, 2026 · 27 min · 10 segments
“I don’t have time.” But is time really the problem—or is learning how to manage it part of growing up? In this episode, Sara and Michelle tackle accountability, time management and the temptation we…
And this is where I think a lot of our athletes, we make a lot of excuses.
We don't hold them to a standard of like, no, like, this is called time management.
It's a skill.
Mm-hmm.
And when you get in a job you don't get to go, "Oh my God, I didn't get done my project, so now I can't take care of these things." Like, you actually have to learn how to manage them.
And so, yes, you have an athlete saying, "Oh, I don't think I can make this in the future." Well, what are you doing right now? I think there's a mindset piece of if you come up with a strategy and a schedule, show me how you're spending your time, we'll find time to schedule it in.
Okay.
And spending unlimited time on a project is not the way to be the most effective.
So she's thinking, "Oh, my God, I can't go, so I'm gonna have all weekend to work on this project." Do you really need all weekend to work on a project that's probably worth 5% of your grade? Or would it be more reasonable to say, "How many hours do you think it's reasonable that you put into this project? Now look at your week.
We do need to teach them, okay, school's your priority, but how do you fit your priority in around all of these other things?
Yeah.
I totally agree, and I think prioritizing how much time goes into a project, for instance, like you said, 5%, like, are you really gonna spend 30 hours on it? Is that actually what you should be doing? I like that.
But also this, "I'm gonna study all weekend." Actually, so you're gonna get home from school at 3:30.
You're gonna study for six hours, and then the next day you're gonna study for 12 hours and 12 hours.
Like, it, it's kind of that piece of if you just use the time you have, if you can study on the way to volleyball, we have a three-hour drive, if you can do some studying on the way, great.
Can you take some time in between games? We have a three-hour break.
Can you go f- sit for an hour and do an hour's worth of homework, and then spend two hours bonding with your team? I'm like you.
I'd never...
That was never friend time.
It was always, that was study time, and I'd go home or I'd go to the library, but it was like I was working.
Unless I was playing intramurals at lunch, I never-
Yeah
... hung out with my friends at lunch, 'cause I needed that time.
And this is where I think a lot of our athletes, we make a lot of excuses.
We don't hold them to a standard of like, no, like, this is called time management.
It's a skill.
Mm-hmm.
And when you get in a job you don't get to go, "Oh my God, I didn't get done my project, so now I can't take care of these things." Like, you actually have to learn how to manage them.
And so, yes, you have an athlete saying, "Oh, I don't think I can make this in the future." Well, what are you doing right now? I think there's a mindset piece of if you come up with a strategy and a schedule, show me how you're spending your time, we'll find time to schedule it in.
Okay.
And spending unlimited time on a project is not the way to be the most effective.
So she's thinking, "Oh, my God, I can't go, so I'm gonna have all weekend to work on this project." Do you really need all weekend to work on a project that's probably worth 5% of your grade? Or would it be more reasonable to say, "How many hours do you think it's reasonable that you put into this project? Now look at your week.
We do need to teach them, okay, school's your priority, but how do you fit your priority in around all of these other things?
Yeah.
I totally agree, and I think prioritizing how much time goes into a project, for instance, like you said, 5%, like, are you really gonna spend 30 hours on it? Is that actually what you should be doing? I like that.
But also this, "I'm gonna study all weekend." Actually, so you're gonna get home from school at 3:30.
You're gonna study for six hours, and then the next day you're gonna study for 12 hours and 12 hours.
Like, it, it's kind of that piece of if you just use the time you have, if you can study on the way to volleyball, we have a three-hour drive, if you can do some studying on the way, great.
Can you take some time in between games? We have a three-hour break.
Can you go f- sit for an hour and do an hour's worth of homework, and then spend two hours bonding with your team? I'm like you.
I'd never...
That was never friend time.
It was always, that was study time, and I'd go home or I'd go to the library, but it was like I was working.
Unless I was playing intramurals at lunch, I never-
Yeah
... hung out with my friends at lunch, 'cause I needed that time.
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