Cait Leavitt,
Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Canada
In 2015 I broke every bone in my leg, a few in my foot and severed ligaments in my ankle…
The rehab was long and arduous, but thankfully I was told I would be able to play sports again. Three years later I was skiing with friends, but my ankle was in severe pain, making it difficult to keep up. I used to always be the first one down the mountain, and as I sat there crying in what used to be one of my favourite sports, I was determined to find a way to enjoy skiing again.
I devoured psychology, neuroscience and spirituality podcasts, and what felt like within the blink of an eye, I started my Masters in Psychology. I loved it. Until I didn’t….
Four months in, I sustained a concussion that went undiagnosed for a week. This led me to chronic headaches & migraines, cognitive and oculomotor dysfunction (aka. I couldn’t read more than a couple of paragraphs without triggering a migraine). I had to temporarily quit work and drop out of school. I was devastated. With a strong support system, I returned to my studies, attended numerous appointments weekly, and dedicated my thesis to understanding the psychological recovery from concussions in elite athletes.
I wouldn’t change my injuries for anything (except maybe getting proper concussion treatment…)
I have the privilege of connecting with athletes on how they can develop psychological skills, enabling them to move through difficult things and focus on the activities that make them feel alive.
My approach to working with clients.
As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), I work with athletes, coaches and organizations on the mental side of performance. Think of this work as personal training for your brain.
It’s no longer a “secret” that peak performance is more than just a physical endeavour. Top performers understand that mindset matters. A lot. Through integrating psychological skills, neuroscience and sports science, I provide tools and strategies needed to excel in sport and in life.
I’ve tried the
“push through pain” approach
If you’re looking for lasting, optimal performance
It does. not. work.
I, along with many other athletes, tried the mind over matter approach. I would push through pain, force myself to carry on, ignore obvious factors that were holding me back, only to make marginal progress or come to a dead end.
From my personal and professional experiences (and a whole heap of recent research), I have learned that working against your body and/or the situation you are in (aka the “matter”) may work in the short term, but does not usually lead to long-term improvement, success or fulfillment.
Working with our body, within our environment may be a ‘new’ approach, but my oh my, the benefits are exponential.
Through my ongoing interest in why we do the things we do (psychology), the workings of our brain (neuroscience), and the mind-body connection, I now under why this integrated approach is most likely to improve your performance and your fulfillment from the process.
I created mindwithmatter to help teach athletes, coaches and organizations how exactly to do this. I use science-back, tangible techniques. The aim of mwm is to provide accessible and applicable psychological skills to enhance the sporting environment and the experiences of athletes within it.