IMG_0376.jpg

Addie Bracy

My beliefs about the importance of the mental side of performance comes from my lifetime involvement in sports at many levels and in many different roles. I earned my Master’s Degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from one of the country’s most respected programs at the University of Denver where I was trained and mentored by some of the best consultants in the field. During my time there and through my work with the Center for Performance Excellence, I consulted with many athletes at the elite, recreational, and youth level in swimming, softball, soccer, and volleyball. I also had the privilege of accepting an externship at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs where I learned from some of the lead consultants working with Olympic teams. Each different consulting experience gave me a unique and valuable perspective and more insight into the mental habits of the most high performing athletes. I am a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) as designated by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology .

Most aspects of my theory of performance excellence were developed during my last 20 years as both an athlete and a coach. In college, I went from a walk-on athlete to a team captain, school record holder, and multiple time individual NCAA DI National Qualifier on the cross country and track and field teams at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I attribute the majority of that success to the work that my coach did on helping me to develop the resilience and confidence to handle the demanding and challenging nature of being a three sport athlete at a major university. Since graduating from college in 2009, I’ve qualified for three Olympic Trials (twice in the marathon and once in the 10,000m), won three USATF National Championships, and been selected to compete internationally on 10 USA teams. In 2017, I was a scoring member of Team USA’s Gold Medal team at the World Championships for mountain running. I’ve experienced first-hand the pressures of competing at both the national and international level, and fallen victim to letting anxiousness, nerves, and “imposter syndrome” affect my ability to perform at the level I had trained to. I currently still compete professionally for Nike Trail in mountain and ultra running, and use my competitions as opportunities to never stop learning firsthand about the mental and emotional challenges of striving for your best performance.

As a coach over the last 10 years, I’ve worked with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and post collegiate level. It was only after a decade of coaching cross country and track and field that I begin to recognize the patterns of poor or disappointing performances. There were certainly times in which falling short of a goal could be attributed to injury or limited training and preparation. However, I started to recognize that more often than not, it was the mental side of performance that was standing in the way of my athletes performing at their best. This realization was the catalyst that sparked my desire to seek the training and education necessary to become a specialist in mental performance; An area that is frequently overlooked, but undeniably often the missing piece.


 

Katie Pagel

IMG_6452.jpg

My passion for sport and curiosity toward the pursuit of personal excellence has been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember. Growing up the youngest of three, competition was in my blood. From day one, I was hustling; whether it was in school, sport, or music, I wanted to be the best. What I loved about sport, particularly, was that it provided me a space where I could be my loud, fiery, competitive self without apology; it demanded I work hard and push myself to my limit, and gave me glimpses of what I could do and who I could be. I just loved the game.

As I got older, though, there were times when my relationship with sport (and school) got a bit strained. Despite experiencing a fair amount of athletic and academic success (three-sport varsity athlete and captain, valedictorian, academic scholarship, etc.), I was unable to feel fully satisfied by my achievements. I became hyper-focused on how I was stacking up to those around me, struggled with anxiety and perfectionism, and became afraid to fail. I quickly became familiar with the incredibly positive and potentially harmful aspects of sport. 

After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in Health & Disease Biology, I worked as a rehabilitation technician at an outpatient physical therapy clinic outside of Seattle. It was there that I recognized a puzzling disconnect; while an exhaustive team of doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists, strength coaches, acupuncturists, and the like tended to performers’ bodies, nobody was tending to their minds. Given how often I talked with my patients about fear, confidence, anxiety, motivation, etc., I knew I had found a gap in the system I was eager to fill. This realization, coupled with my own complex relationship with high performance, led me to the University of Denver, where I earned my Master's in Sport & Performance Psychology.


In the past few years, I have been lucky to work with a range of clients - from recreational youth athletes, to Olympic hopefuls, to MLB prospects, to Special Forces Green Berets. Working within these different environments has shown me firsthand the positive power of healthy competitive environments. By collaborating with clubs, coaches, and caregivers to build psychologically safe, growth-oriented, and high performing competitive environments, and working with performers to develop the mental skills and strategies required to optimally and consistently perform within them, sport becomes so much more than a game. It becomes a stage for exploration and self-discovery, and the development of hard-working, collaborative, and resilient members of society. A laboratory where we can expand our personal potential, see what we’re made of, achieve great feats, and ultimately become who we are striving to be.