PerformHappy with Rebecca Smith

In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with Kat Zempolich, Vice President and Co-Founder of Morgan’s Message, to talk about the mental health struggles that can exist behind the strong, successful athlete.
Kat shares her journey as a collegiate lacrosse player at Duke, the impact of injuries on mental health, and how her friendship with Morgan led to the creation of Morgan’s Message. After Morgan’s death by suicide, Kat began asking what could have been different and how athletes could be given more opportunities to recognize their struggles and ask for help.
We talk about why mental health can be difficult to recognize in athletes, especially when someone appears happy, successful, and high-achieving. Kat shares why building strong relationships and checking in regularly can matter more than trying to identify one obvious warning sign.
We also discuss the gap between physical and mental health support in sports, the stigma around mental health, and why athletes, coaches, parents, and teammates need more education and open conversations around mental wellbeing.
In this episode you will hear:
Why strong athletes can still struggle mentally
How injuries can affect an athlete’s mental health
Why listening can be more helpful than giving advice
How to build stronger connections with young athletes
Why asking for help sooner can make a difference
How Morgan’s Message is creating peer-to-peer mental health conversations
This conversation is an important reminder that you never truly know what someone is carrying beneath the surface. Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is simply show up, listen, and make it easier for athletes to say, “I need help.” Kat also shares a powerful message for anyone who is struggling: you are not alone, and talking about what you’re going through can help.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with Illinois head gymnastics coach Josh Nilson to talk about building champions without breaking them, creating healthy team cultures, and helping young athletes perform at a high level while still loving their sport. Josh shares lessons from his coaching career and explains why being a successful coach is about so much more than winning.
Josh opens up about the importance of putting humans first, why an athlete’s value has nothing to do with gymnastics, and how coaches can challenge athletes without pushing them to a breaking point. We also talk about mental blocks, building confidence, communication, handling pressure, and why going back to the basics can help athletes overcome challenges.
For parents, Josh shares an important reminder about supporting a young gymnast’s dreams without pushing so hard that they forget why they love the sport. We also talk about the character traits that matter beyond talent, including determination, communication, work ethic, and being a good teammate.
In this episode you will hear
 Why an athlete’s worth is bigger than their gymnastics
 How to build high-performing athletes in a healthy environment
 Why parents should protect their child’s love for the sport
 The importance of communication and self-advocacy
 How coaches can challenge athletes without breaking them
 Why character and work ethic can matter more than talent
 How to help gymnasts handle pressure and nervous-system responses
This conversation is a powerful reminder that the goal isn't just to build great gymnasts. It's to help young athletes become confident, resilient people who can love the sport while they pursue big goals.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with college gymnast Chloe Cho to talk about mental blocks, grief, trusting your voice, and learning to make gymnastics a choice that belongs to you. Chloe shares her journey through elite gymnastics, the mental challenges she faced, and how losing her dad during her freshman year changed the way she thought about gymnastics and her own identity.
Chloe opens up about hearing people tell her she needed to keep doing gymnastics for her dad, and the moment she realized that she couldn't do the sport for someone else. She explains why choosing gymnastics for herself didn't mean shutting other people out, but instead meant understanding that the decision to keep going had to be hers.
We also talk about mental blocks, learning to accept difficult days, and shifting from asking “why do I feel this way?” to focusing on what you can give today. Chloe shares why protecting your love for gymnastics matters, why young athletes deserve to listen to themselves, and how learning to trust your own voice can carry far beyond the gym.
In this episode you will hear
Why gymnastics needs to be your choice
How grief can change your relationship with sport
Why mental blocks don't mean something is wrong with you
The importance of listening to your own voice
How athletes can protect their love for gymnastics
Why doing your best doesn't have to mean being perfect
This conversation is a powerful reminder that gymnastics can be something you share with the people who support you, while still being something you choose for yourself.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with college gymnast Cecilia Cooley to talk about mental blocks, rebuilding confidence, overcoming fear, and learning not to give up on yourself when gymnastics starts to feel impossible. Cecilia shares her unconventional journey from starting gymnastics later than most to becoming a college gymnast, captain, and scholarship athlete. She opens up about struggling with mental blocks across multiple events, feeling like her body and brain were no longer working together, and reaching a point where practice felt exhausting and she considered quitting.
Cecilia explains how working with a sports psychologist helped her put words to what she was experiencing and gave her practical tools to move forward. She shares the “billboard strategy,” which helped her learn that she could notice fearful thoughts without automatically believing them. We also talk about rebuilding skills from the basics, using keywords and visual cues, learning when to take a step back, and why listening to your brain can actually help you move forward faster.

In this episode you will hear
Why mental blocks do not mean you are broken
How to work with fearful thoughts instead of fighting them
Why taking a step back can help you move forward
How keywords and visual cues can help during skills
Why overcoming a mental block takes patience
How hard experiences can build confidence and perseverance
Why you should not give up before getting the right support
This conversation is a powerful reminder that a mental block does not have to be the end of your gymnastics journey. Sometimes the path forward starts with slowing down, getting help, and rebuilding your trust in yourself one small step at a time.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with Monica Packer, a habits and identity coach for moms, to talk about perfectionism, identity, and what it means to support your child's dreams without losing yourself in the process.
Many sport moms are doing everything they can to help their children succeed. But sometimes, without realizing it, we begin to tie our worth to our children's achievements. When their dreams become our identity, perfectionism, pressure, and burnout can quietly take over.
Monica shares why perfectionism is really a misplacement of identity and how placing our self-worth on outcomes can affect both parents and young athletes. She explains why progress is more sustainable than perfection and why being a good mom doesn't mean becoming the perfect mom.
We also talk about the messages we send our athletes through what we praise, what we post on social media, and how we respond to mistakes and setbacks. Monica reminds us that our children don't need us to be perfect. They need us to show up as ourselves.
In this episode, you will hear:
• Why perfectionism is a misplacement of identity
• How parents can unintentionally place their worth on their child's outcomes
• Why progress matters more than perfection
• How to support big dreams without losing yourself
• What young athletes learn from the way we talk about success and failure
• Why doing what is right and good for you is also good for your kids
This conversation is a powerful reminder that your worth is not determined by outcomes, yours or your child's. When we let go of perfection and embrace progress, we create space for both ourselves and our athletes to thrive.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com