karissalynn.com

Karissa Lynn

Mental Performance Consulting

helping ambitious young women find balance in sport and life

Imagine a world where young women...

believe they are meant for greatness

trust their ability to be successful in pursuit of excellence

are able to be their own biggest fan (without fear of being cocky or arrogant)

The challenge is, young women...

are taught they have to be perfect to be valuable

to dim their light to keep others comfortable

and that being critical of themselves is the only way to pursue excellence

Overtime...

playing competitive sport becomes less enjoyable

they become hyperfocused on winning and downward spiral after making small mistakes

the pressure to be perfect makes them forget about the love of the game

Mental Performance for Young Women Athletes

mental performance is training athletes to take responsibility for their energy, to show up with confidence, and stay focused (even if things aren’t going to plan)

young women deserve access to mental performance resources tailored to their sport experiences

they deserve to work with other women who have been through it and who understand what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world (i.e., sport)

Hi, I am Karissa

I know, first hand, what it feels like to train countless hours, only to get frustrated, overwhelmed, and annoyed to fall short of unrealistic standards. I placed all of my worth in my performance and would downward spiral, overthinking small mistakes.

My coaches saw me struggle but they didn't know how to help.

So, I set out on a mission to learn as much as I could about the mind, young athletes, and what it takes to thrive in a competitive space.

My primary area of interest is in self-compassion, as it is connected to overall well-being (such as feeling confident, taking responsibility for actions, and moving towards goals), as well as performance.

Let’s work together

Mental Performance Training Opportunities

Digital Courses

Private 1:1 or Team Consult

Signature Program:

Ultimate Courage

an 8-week mindset program for young women athletes

Ultimate Courage is designed for young women athletes who are

ready to stop getting so frustrated over little things

know they are capable of more in sport

and want to compete to their potential

The program include lessons, ideas, and tools to help young women athletes become their own biggest fan (with confidence, rather than arrogance). Ultimate Courage is evidence informed, offering education, guided imagery, and discussion to integrate information and skills.

These are the life skills you want your athlete to learn through sport (but they probably won't).

This is not your average mental performance program

Ultimate Courage goes deep.

This 8-week series is built to help change the way young athletes think about themselves and their game.

What they have to say

This weekend was a great step for me in my confidence. Honestly could not have gotten here without your help!

College Volleyball, Setter, 20

Thank you for doing what you do! I don’t think you truly know what an impact you had on her. You coming into her life and working with her couldn’t have come at a better time. She had some struggles this year during her season and despite us trying to help her through them we very quickly realized that she needed more than supportive parenting. She needed you and your program. You’ve taught her so many helpful tools and she’s come such a long way, not only as an athlete but as a young lady! Thank you for being there for her lows and for the little wins along the way! Her learning to open up and ask us for what she needs has been huge for her (and us) It’s important to us as a parents to raise healthy young athletes and were so thankful to have you helping us with this!

She definitely wants to continue working with you in the future to maintain what she’s learned and to continue to work through more things with you as they arise!

Parent

Those 3 phrases we had come up with together I have written out on a sticky note that I posted in my locker so I could look at it before every training session and home game. I have also added this to my self-talk during our mental activation before games. I have noticed a difference when I implement those phrases in-game by allowing myself to make mistakes in game and recentereing my focus when saying "review later", it takes some pressure off myself and allows me to keep performing in these games. During my midseason meeting with [coach], he did say he has noticed I play more with a smile and I think it is because I am stressing myself out less to be perfect.

I think that will be a key idea to implement this weekend during playoffs especially since I am recovering from an injury, so I may not be at my best, but I am giving it 100% of my effort. I do appreciate the conversation we had early on in the season as it has definitely contributed to my success.

College Soccer, Midfielder, 22

Working with Karissa completely changed my view on being a competitive athlete and transformed me into a whole new athlete. Before Karissa I struggled with common issues that highly competitive athletes face like being a perfectionist and being hard on myself.

Working with Karissa helped me to realize I can use different tools and skills to feel better about my performance and prepare for inevitable “mistakes” better so I can recover more effectively and efficiently. Being mentally tough and having goals has not only helped me to feel better but it has shown in my performance and pushed me to a whole new level!

Div B Softball, Pitcher, 16

Karissa’s mental training and advice was extremely beneficial for the last half of my season, when I played in our high-pressure conference championship games. She found a technique that worked for me, and helped me take it from something I should be doing to something to something I was actually doing.

Because of her help, I ended my season feeling the most confident in myself that I had been all year, even though the games were the most intense we had played yet.