Summer Sanders, Olympic gold medalist (swimming), said the following about her mental approach approach. "There was nothing you could do to your body that would make you stronger once you got on the blocks, because we felt like 90% of it was mental, and at that point, I didn't think you could take anything that would make you stronger mentally."

With the return of the school year, I'm back to working with teams and individuals in the fall sports. One point of emphasis for me this year is enhancing my work with coaches. Coaches are performers, and if we want kids to have successful experiences in sport, we need to prioritize those who lead them. Dr. Rick McGuire, retired professor of sport psychology at the University of Missouri, says, "Sport psychology is best delivered to and through the coach." Organizations that don't invest in their coaches are hoping that everything works out, and hope is not a strategy.

Cyclist Kristen Faulkner wasn't even supposed to compete in the Olympic road race. Slated to race in the women's team pursuit, a spot in the road race opened up just one month ago. The team pursuit remained her priority, as she said, "If I didn't believe that [I could win a medal], I was going to pull out of the [road] race." That confidence  paid off in a big way, as she won a stunning gold medal in the road race and then added the team pursuit gold medal 48 hours later.

Faulkner grew up as a multi-sport athlete in Homer, Alaska. Her parents instilled independence and a do-it-yourself, made-from-scratch mentality. Following high school, she rowed at Harvard while majoring in computer science. She moved to New York City to work as a venture capitalist. Looking to maintain a connection to the outdoors, she started cycling in Central Park before work. Success in local cycling races led to regional races, which led to quitting her job to cycle full-time four years ago. Just seven years after taking a beginner's cycling class, Kristen Faulkner is bringing two gold medals home from Paris.

Whereas many companies bring concepts from sport into the boardroom, Faulkner did the reverse. Experiences in the world of finance - researching, studying, and analyzing - paid off as she sought to condense her learning curve. As one who "loves learning [and] new challenges," she created innovative ways to study, even making flashcards to describe each of the top 100 riders on the circuit. She also conducted post-race analyses, which were analyzed by her coach, to identify successful racing strategies. Where she lacked knowledge, she hired consultants to accelerate her learning. All of this stems from a growth mindset that believes it's not a character flaw if you are bad at something; you're just not good, yet.

Faulkner's work as an early stage investor also served her well. Accustomed to taking calculated risks, she made similar calculations on the bike as she identified when to attack and when to follow. The balance of risk and reward (aka expected value calculation), was key to her victory in Paris. Finally, Faulkner credits her resilience to helping her overcome accidents and injuries. "It’s never a matter of if I’ll keep going, it’s just a matter of how,” Faulkner said. Kristen Faulkner bets on herself and her ability to figure things out. Where she goes next will surely be a fascinating ride.

The  face of an athlete during training or competition is typically one of intensity and/or pain. Research suggests, however, that smiling should be employed to enhance performance. Consider that smiling is associated with positive emotions. Further, smiling releases neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which makes us feel happier, and serotonin, which reduces stress. Smiling also lowers our blood pressure, strengthens our immune system, and eases our pain. From an athletic perspective, smiling enhances endurance, reduces oxygen consumption, and preserves energy. Even seeing others smile can have positive effects. While natural smiles are most effective, even induced smiles (e.g. holding a pen between your teeth without letting your lips touch the pen) can produce similar effects.

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