WISDOM Coach® Traci is helping young dancers and athletes learn how to manage their mindset, so that they can manage their emotions and improve their performance.
As a chiropractor with pediatric patients who were athletes and dancers, Traci saw the impact that mindset struggles were having on children’s health and performance.
So, when she discovered “life coaching for kids”, Traci immediately knew this work was for athletes and dancers!
In this article you’ll see success stories for how Traci has helped athletes and dancers transform their performance.
You’ll also learn:
- How Traci helps kids mentally handle competition scores – the subjectiveness of judges in sports like dance, vs the objectivity of scoring in sports like baseball
- Tips for what kids can do on the sidelines when waiting to perform or play
- Skills that Traci teaches dancers – including how to work as a team, give and take a compliment, and prepare for competition
- How body language is contagious in team sport and why that’s an opportunity
- How Traci built her mindset coaching practice while still running her main business
Stress from Sports Affects Children’s Health and Wellbeing
As a chiropractor, Traci works with children. Within a short period of time, she saw two athletes who were making themselves sick due to stress from their sports.
She wanted to help.
When Traci saw a Facebook ad about “life coaching for kids”, she immediately knew she wanted it for athletes.
Her father had been a coach, she had always been an athlete, her daughters are athletes, so she wanted tools that would work.
Traci says that WISDOM Coaching has brought all of her worlds together!
Why Kids Need to Learn Confidence Skills BEFORE They Lose Confidence
Traci has seen how effective mindset work is for athletes, so it is her goal to help younger teams and athletes build confidence skills BEFORE they have confidence issues.
Self-confidence is a skill that can be learned, and that is what WISDOM Coaches help kids to develop – long before they need it.
From Anxiety Pre-season to State Softball Tournament
In this Facebook post, Traci shares how a high school Sophomore pitcher, who was struggling with anxiety, started working on her mindset before pre-season games and is now on the Iowa State Softball Tournament.
Subjective vs Objective Scoring (dance v baseball) – How Mindset Coaching Differs
Traci works with athletes who participate in sports that have both subjective scoring (like dancers) and objective scoring (like baseball).
In the video below, Traci explains that mindset coaching for different sports can be quite different depending on the type of scoring.
She shares that the mindset coaching happens at different times.
For a dancer, it’s about being mentally ready and being about to evaluate your finished performance for yourself, before somebody (like a judge) tells you how you did. Because a dancer can feel like their performance is better than a previous one, and receive a lower score. Or vice versa. So, she coaches them to be in the moment to evaluate how they did so they aren’t as affected by a subjective score.
For sports with objective scoring, she coaches kids to stay in the present moment and not start analyzing performance in the middle of a game because they must keep their head in the game! The time for evaluation is after the game.
Body Language is Contagious – How an Athlete Can “Put an Error in the Box”…
Another interesting insight that Traci shares is how she talks with athletes about body language.
She explains that you can look on the field and see who’s made a mistake by looking at their body language, and that an athlete’s body language can infect others’ – it’s contagious!
She teaches that a mistake can be evaluated, but not in the middle of the game! She teaches kids to put their mistake “in a box”* and move on so that they can keep their head in the game.
She coaches athletes to be aware of their body language and even to use their body language to shift their thoughts – “It’s easier to think better when you’re acting better.”
*Put it in a box is a skill from the Adventures in Wisdom Curriculum™ to help kids manage failure or mistakes.
Soft Skills – What Athletes and Dancers can do when Not Playing or Performing
Traci explains that there are so many things that a child can do when they are not playing or performing.
They can:
- Watch someone
- Listen to the corrections someone else gets
- Practice a combination or play in their head
- Stretch, etc.
She adds that what they should NOT do is they should not be NOT paying attention or talking to their friends.
She encourages kids to keep their head in the game or the practice so that they can improve by watching others and hearing their feedback if they make mistakes.
Mindset Programs that Work Great for Dancers
Traci offers a series of workshops to help dancers develop a “Power Mindset”.
Kids learn the foundation of how their mind works – that you can choose what you think and how the mind works – from the Adventures in Wisdom MindPower™ curriculum.
They learn how to:
- Power Shift from negative thinking to more positive or supportive thinking
- Honor themselves and their uniqueness
- Manage their self-talk
- Move past mistakes
- Use visualization, and so much more.
Traci works with dancers prior to auditions and performances.
She helps them work through their fears and how to mitigate them. And helps them to focus on what they can control instead of what they can’t. For example, they CAN control how prepared they are, how warmed up they are, how mentally prepared. But they CAN’T control the judges or scores.
Success Story: Young Dancer goes from Running off Stage to Winning Competitions
A young dancer was having episodes of panic before her solo and didn’t complete her routine for a couple of competitions.
Traci worked with her on her mindset and the girl developed the tools to manage her panic, so that she could complete her solo.
By the end of the season, she was winning competitions.
Some of the things she would say to herself included:
“I’m ready”
“I’m prepared”
“The music will help me.”
“My body remembers”
Success Story: Learning How to Meet with Her Soccer Coach Helped College Player Salvage her Confidence
Success Story
Traci worked with a young college soccer player who had been a super star in high school, but was struggling on her college team.
Traci helped the young player establish what was true and what wasn’t.
She also coached her on how to have a meeting with her coach to get feedback on how she was playing and what she could do to improve.
Tips for Athletes on How to Meet with their Coach
At the :57 minute of the success story video, Traci shares how she coaches athletes to have a meeting with their coach.
When meeting with their coach Tracie advises:
- To stay positive, focus on themselves and not others.
- Ask what they can do to improve.
- Use the skill of asking, “How can I?” instead of making excuses or placing blame.
How Traci Built Her Child Mindset Coaching Practice – Starting with Dance, then Sports
When Traci discovered the Adventures in Wisdom Mindset Curriculum, she immediately knew that all the dancers at her daughters’ dance studio could benefit from these skills.
So, that was her starting point.
Then she moved into helping kids of all ages in other sports. She has primarily found her clients through word of mouth and Facebook.
Traci’s “Car Ride Conversations” Download to Guide Parents on What to Say and Not Say!
Because every parent has been in the car with a child who is crying after practice, Traci has created a free download on what to say and what not to say.
It’s called Car Ride Conversations – https://powermindsetcoaching.com/car-convo
How to See the Curriculum that Traci is Using – Try a Coaching Story for FREE!
Simply download the free coaching story that teaches the essential mindset skill, Self-talk.
You’ll get both the Mentor’s Guide (with coaching notes for you) and the Children’s Guide (with the coaching story and child-friendly discussion questions).
Click here to download the 27 mindset skills that WISDOM Coaches help kids develop.
See how the STORY Coaching Process works in the video below:
How can Parents find a WISDOM Coach® to Work With?
Simple click below to:
- Use the “Connect with a Coach” form or
- Search the WISDOM Coach® Directory
How can YOU get Certified as a WISDOM Coach® to use the Curriculum Yourself?
Create more impact and income – working part time or full time – as a certified WISDOM Coach®.
Traci’s coaching is transforming the lives of young atheletes and dancers, and creating incremental income as well. You can too.
More Links
Read more about How School Counselors and Certified Life Coaches are Supporting Kids
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Adventure well, my friend!
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