1:12

Welcome back to the raising unstoppable girl athletes podcast. I'm coach Bri and elite competitor coach for girl athletes. And I'm so happy that you are here, whether you are just getting started on this journey with your daughter. Or you have a lot of sports seasons under your belt, you're in the right place to help your daughter level up and play with confidence. I have the pleasure today to bring you an interview that I had with Katie, who is a soccer mom to Devon, who is a soccer player. And we chatted all about Devon's soccer journey. As an athlete who has big goals. Devon has been playing competitive soccer for a number of years, and while she is physically gifted, physically talented and a very good player. Like many athletes often struggled with some self doubt around that and was struggling with not believing she was as good as she was. And her mom, Katie. Recently went through the elite competitor program with Devon and we're talking about kind of what was key to Devon's development of confidence. As she went through the program, kind of what she was experiencing. What changed in her approach and Katie's approach, and also what strategies Devon found most useful to help her. Play with confidence and compete as the athlete that she knows she is. Now, before I get into the episode, I have a shout out for Devon because recently she sent me a text as after we recorded this episode. She sent me the text that said, Hey, I made the hire team that I wanted to make in soccer. And the highest level coach said that I did really good too. So Devon's work is definitely paying off, not just her physical work, but the work she is doing on the mental side of the game. So Devon, congratulations. I love to see that these strategies are still working for you. You are still committed to it and that it's paying off. So. Go ahead and enjoy this episode. This is going to be a great one. If you have an athlete really at any stage in the game, if she has goals of enjoying her sports of leveling up, potentially playing a little bit better than what she is right now, if your daughter has that goal for herself and you want to know how to help her, this episode will be very useful. So go ahead and enjoy this interview with Katie and Devon.

Breanne 3:44

Hello. Hello. Welcome Katie and Devon to the Raising Unstoppable Girl Athletes Podcast. How are you both

Katie 3:52

Good. Good.

Breanne 3:53

Thank you. I am so excited to dive into this interview because Katie and Devon have both kinda been sending me updates throughout their time, the Elite Competitor program, and I've heard some really cool stories and so I feel honored that I get to have you here in person. Talk about it all. So, Let's kick this off. Katie, I'll start with you. Can you just tell me where you're from, how many athletes you have under your roof right now and you know what sports they play? Devon, I'll have you kind of explain what sports, but Katie kick us off. Okay. I'm Katie. I'm originally from

Katie 4:26

New Jersey, Dallas resident for the last nine years and I have two daughters, Ashley, who just turned 16 and Devon 13 and we started the program cuz of Devon, who is our. Soccer player slash former elite competitive gymnast, and her sister Ashley is a top ranked archer in the state of Texas.

Breanne 4:50

Very cool. Devon, I didn't know you were a competitive gymnast, or maybe I did know that, but I'm being reminded.

Devon 4:54

I used to be like super competitive, but I still do tumbling, like the flipping part?

Breanne 4:58

Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Very cool. We were talking before we hit record about we were kinda debating like, is archery not really if it's a sport, but like is it an athletic sport? Devon says no.

Devon 5:10

Well, it just doesn't take like that much coordination, like ball and running.

Breanne 5:15

Right, right. Yeah. It's totally different ballgame. And I was sharing that I coached archery for four years. And I will say that it is tricky and it is challenging and it's not as easy as just like, okay, aim more to the right.

Devon 5:27

And yeah, it's hard, but like

Katie 5:29

but a lot of, a lot of mental. Like 99% mental progress and arm strength. Yes.

Breanne 5:35

Yeah. A little arm strength in there. Yeah. But you're not gonna like, you know, get your head right up. Well, you could get really nervous, I guess. Yeah.

Katie 5:42

That's about it.

Breanne 5:43

Yeah. Okay. Well, Devon your mom introduced a little bit about which, about what sports you play. But tell us in your own words, how old are you? What level are you playing

Devon 5:52

at? I'm 13 years old and I play competitive soccer. For the Dallas Texans. I have like my practicing on. I just joined this team this

Breanne 6:01

year. nice. Okay, so you just were on that team, but how long have you been playing soccer

Devon 6:04

in tour? Well, I played, I was like super little on like A Y M C A team. But like competitively like. About five years, five or six years, yeah.

Katie 6:13

Since she quit gymnastics.

Breanne 6:15

Yeah. Okay. So yeah, that was the switch. Very cool. Okay, well we're gonna get more into some of this story as we go along, but I recently received a little message that it came my way and it said something like, this time it's like, who, who's saying you that? So it, it said this Devon mentioned that things that helped her improve just overall in her soccer skills were. Number one, the elite competitor program, which I was super honored to this hear that private training soccer coach and her new team and coach. So there were, some significant things that have helped you improve Devon and the elite competitor program was one of them. Can you just tell us like, in what ways was the Elite competitor program so transformative for you? How did that contribute to your improvement?

Devon 7:03

Well, before I did it, I was like not confident. I'm a med fielder and you're supposed to pass, but also take some dribbling in shots. Every time I got the ball, I went to pass and I always thought, cause I'm like pretty short, like under five feet, I was always like, oh, everybody's too big. I just, I'm not gonna be able to beat them because they're so much bigger than me. But then I also couldn't recover from mistakes easily. Whenever I made one mistake, I was like, the whole game's over, dad, just take me off the field. But now, after I did that, I've been so much more confident and I learned a lot of techniques to help you like reset and snap back from mistakes, especially the snapback routine. And I'm not like a ball hog, but I take some opportunities for myself rather than just give them all away. Yeah. But yeah, it's helped me a lot.

Breanne 7:50

That's awesome. Yeah. We're gonna dive into more specifics too, but just what you said there was so great because first of all, Devon, like what you were describing is very normal. We always say that when you decide you're gonna be an athlete, whatever, I. Sport that you're interested in, whether that is competitive gymnastics or soccer, or archery, whatever it is, you also sign up to experience a variety of things, mistakes, public failure and humiliation. Like most adults aren't out there in front of like other adults, like trying to do something and then failing at it and then wondering what everyone's thinking, like, ooh. It's, it's kind of, it's hard. Setbacks, disappointments, like you will face these things. And so the fact that. You were recognizing that like I was facing these things, I wasn't handling them well. And hey, here's the thing. Most people don't teach athletes how to like go through those things. They don't. They don't teach that. And so that's all very normal. And the difference between athletes that are enjoying their sport and playing the potential and the ones that aren't, are the ones that actually know how to get through those things. And so it sounds like you learned tools to be able to handle that. So cool. Okay. Katie, what did you, and again, I, you know, I asked this, but we're not Devon, like, I'll say this again, nothing wrong with you, this is very normal, but we do wanna see kind of like, like paint us the picture of what it looked like before joining the Elite Competitor program. What were you seeing? Oh, about Devon? Yeah.

Katie 9:16

Yeah. Okay. Well, no, Devon has always been an incredible athlete from the time she was four and they asked her to be on the competitive gym team, like everywhere she has ever been. Coaches love her, she has all the talent in the world, and my husband also plays soccer, so he is very close to. The mentality of it, but she's always just kind of lacked that belief in herself, no matter how good she was. Like she still had doubts, and I do think a lot of it was from, she is petite and it's a rough game and the girls are big and you know, some people don't care and some do, but we just always kind of felt like, oh, there's like this missing piece where she's not. You know, whether it's, yeah, like there's just something missing that's holding her back from the most that she could be, and it's that sort of fearless belief in yourself that, you know, and kind of what we talked about, you're afraid to make mistakes. That's okay. You don't have to be perfect every time. And that was a big thing when you talked about perfectionism that I think really hit home for Devon is just. It's okay. You know, you don't get better if you just keep doing the safe thing every time. If you just pass the ball and then are done, you know? But yeah, if you try to be like, it's okay if I don't get it perfect, but I'm gonna take it further down or do whatever move, you're going to be a much better player.

Breanne 10:40

Yeah. Absolutely. And it's like logically, you probably said all of these things to Devon, right? Like before, during program Devon's like, yeah, you sound like, yes mom. Yes. I get it. Many years of that. Yeah. And so, you know, as, as a parent you know, what, what were you trying that just felt like, like it's just not clicking, it's not working. We need to, we need to get more support.

Katie 11:02

Well, I guess for me, I'm a very positive and like, I can do anything if I put my mind to it kind of person, and it was hard for me. Who is not a great natural athlete to be like, how are you not believing yourself when you're so good at something that doesn't make any sense. You don't even need like false confidence to push you through it. And I feel like my husband many times is kinda like, Ugh, I wish we could take her to like a sports psychologist, but she would never go for something like that. And then I kind of stumbled across ECP in my social media. And I think you were doing the training and I was like, all right, I'm just gonna watch by myself and see like what I think about this. Yeah. And I watched it. I took some notes. I was like, this. Kind of sounds like exactly what she could use. So I kind of mentioned it to her offhand and just sort of gauge her reaction. It wasn't negative like it wasn't like, yes, let's do this, but it wasn't negative, so I was like, I feel like that's enough. Sometimes Devon just has to leave the door a jar to let you push it through, you know? But so we signed up and did it. And for me and for Devon, I think the very first. The whole kind of first bit of it, the idea that this is not like a you specific problem because when you go out on the field, everybody's kind of seeming like they're confident and they got it. And if you're doubting yourself, it's like, oh, I'm the only person that feels this way. And then all of a sudden what's like, as they kind of explained to her, if there's a whole program of this, there must be a lot of people that feel this way. And I think for Devon, Kind of opened her mind like, okay, this is like a normal situation people have to learn to deal with. And as you described things in like the very first unit for the athlete lesson, it was just sort of like bells like ding, ding, ding, perfection mistake, like all the kind of buzzword. All of a sudden she was, I think like the wheels were turning, like I could get into this. This does seem like something that I'm open to and would be helpful for me.

Breanne 13:10

Yeah. That's awesome. Well, what about from your perspective, Devon, when, when you first heard about the program, can you talk about like, I mean, your mom said it was not like you were like, oh yes, let's all, let's go. And that's typical of most athletes too, but can you describe, you know, what you were thinking when your mom introduced it, and then as you got into it, what were you thinking?

Devon 13:30

At first I was like, kind of iffy about it. Like I wasn't really super enthusiastic cuz I was just I'll never be able to be confident or whatever. But then as we got into it, whenever I wasn't feeling myself, but whenever I wasn't energetic, I was like, no, I don't wanna do it because then it'll just be unfair impression because I'm not happy right now. But whenever I just didn't really get mood and I tried and I was like, oh, this seems like it could help. And then whenever I like fully gave my effort, it really worked and I realized that. So I always gave my effort, but it really helped.

Breanne 14:05

You're like the perfect example of what we always say. You really get out of the program, what you put into it. I know that's like a cliche thing, but it's like when you decide this can work and this will work, and like you said, I gave my full effort to it, that's when athletes get the best results. And so it's really no surprise to me that you were having good results, that you were experiencing, you know, the transformation that comes from having these skills because, You decided this is gonna work for me. And that's the power of your mind too, right? Like when you go in with that mindset, it really does pay off. I'm curious, what were your favorite parts of the program?

Devon 14:39

Snapback routine? Yeah. Cause that was like one of my main problems, not being confident, which it didn't necessarily exactly lead to me making mistakes, but it didn't help me whenever I made mistakes because everybody could do this like pass or dribble so much better than me and it just like wasn't helping. And so whenever I figured out how to do that and if I made like a bad pass or a bad shot or bad thrilling or whatever I did, I just like, okay. And I did my snap back routine and it reset me a lot. Yeah. And I also like all the visualization techniques, especially the whiteboard one and the brave one, cuz like the whiteboard one, I feel like I can really visualize it.

Breanne 15:20

Yeah. Those are like very, we call 'em really tangible things, it's not just we're talking about concepts. It's, these are things that you use every day in your training and your practice. If you're feeling like, okay, I'm feeling a little off, let's do a visualization. And the snapback routine really is based, I mean, it's very simple, but it's based in psychology on how our brain responds when we're in a, in a dysregulated state. I know that's kind of like a, these are big words, but you know, we utilize these techniques to help your body kinda get back to where you can perform best. So, Very cool. Katie, two questions first. Cuz I mean, you know this, but those that are listening that might not know the program is for athletes and for moms. So there's half of it for athletes, you know, and it's developing those foundational skills that athletes need to perform well on their sport without having to go to a sports psychologist, like you mentioned, sports psychologist. Like it's very intensive and Yeah. You know, it's kinda like, it seemed like a lot for a 13 year old. Yeah. Yeah. So, and this is like, This gives you the foundation that you need. And then the other half is for sports parents on how to support their athlete daughters. Like, what to say, not to say, kind of working on our own confidence. So first question is around what you noticed in Devon, and then I'm just curious, did you notice anything in yourself as you were going through the mom side? So let's start first with what you saw in Devon. Okay.

Katie 16:37

would say with Devon, I felt like she just was so much more aware of how her mind was affecting her and if it was going good and she was off the charts, then that was great. You know, everybody can do well on a good day, but when it was bad, like she knew, like she talked a lot about the ha HoCo breath, like she kind of had like things in place that she knew to do while she was on the field to like switch directions again, you know, if, if a mistake happens. So for me, I just felt like she was really just giving herself kind of the grace to make a mistake and like, Get back in it, you know, the game. You don't have to be like, you made a mistake. It was so terrible that the coach pulled you off onto the bench and then you just had to sit there and like, you know, no, like, hurry up, get the next play going good. And like, forget that that happened. So I feel like that was really a big, and when Devon would kind of doubt herself in things, if we were talking outside of. The field, you know, at home or something. As I mentioned to you, she would say like, that wasn't ECP Devon. Or I, I need to be ecp. You say that ECP Devon. I love it.

Breanne 17:49

Yes. That, no, that's so, cause we talk, Devon, I'm not sure if you've been on a live on one of our coaching calls where we talked about the alter ego technique. I don't think you have. I don't think so. Okay. But it's, it's that idea that. You kind of have, you get to decide how you wanna show up. I mean, it's very similar to the inner elite competitor, the idea that like the very beginning of the program. But it's you know, there's a whole kind of. Method around it that you get to decide like who you're gonna be on, on the field. So it's like, okay, today I'm gonna be ecp Devon, and whatever that means to you. Like confident coming back from mistakes, being aggressive and old Devon is like, oh, that's my, I'm go, my brain went back to old Devon for a second there I was beating myself up. And so like that's actually the fact that you did that is actually like, You know, whether you did or your mom was talking about it. Like it's, it's actually a really useful strategy that's rooted in research. So like being able to visualize and, and embody like, okay, this is ECP Devon, this is what ECP Devon does and that's how I'm gonna show up versus old Devon. So, yeah. Okay. And Katie, what about when you're kind of going through the mom side was there anything that stood out there for you? For

Katie 18:59

me, I think the most important, and we even forced her dad to watch this cuz he can be a very intense spectator and car ride home kind of person to put it lightly. But for me, I guess I felt really, especially the first few units where you taught how to support your daughter. Cause I know I do a lot of just all the cliche thingss, you got this, you know, and. Some of the things that you talked about, kind of where you said like, it's okay to be like, your nerves is like you are ready. Like just kind of reframe how you see your nerves, but not like you're not nervous, you're fine. You got the, you know, I kind of. Do that sort of stuff all the time and it really wasn't doing much. And now I just try to listen a little bit more and if we're in the car ride home, kind of take my cue from her how she feels, and so I guess trying to be, I. More and not coaching as much. Yeah. That's always a hot topic in our community. Trying to, to cool on that a little bit. Yeah.

Breanne 20:01

Yeah. Cool. Deon, did you notice that? Like how do you think that it impacted your relationship with, with your parents, the fact that they were doing their own work to help you?

Devon 20:10

My mom is, she was always like, Positive, even if I did bad. And my dad, he, he's gotten better. Cause he usually likes to like, give me advice during the game. But like my coach doesn't like it when he does that cuz he's like, I'm the coach. But he's gotten better about it.

Breanne 20:25

Yeah. Cool. Well I do wanna kind of hear a little bit about these stories. So Devon, there is like a pretty cool story that I want you to share and I know you got it. Katie, you can film in details from your perspective too, but it was a pretty big moment in your career so far. So you can fill in the details leading up to this, but the gist of it is that, from what I understand, your team that you're on currently, like your new team played your, you know, and that's always like, every athlete has been here, so that's why it's like, Really cool for you to, to talk about because every athlete has been in that situation where it's like, oh, this team I, that I was on before, now I'm on a new team and now we're playing the old team and there's just like all this stuff with it. Can you talk about what happened?

Devon 21:11

Yeah. Well first we had the game, it was supposed to be in the fall season, but then it got canceled cuz like rain or whatever. And they've been like rescheduling all the games that got canceled cuz like towards the end of the spring season. And then I was with my friend, my soccer teammate and her dad in the car one day and we were like, I don't even know what we were talking about. But then somehow the topic came up about like a game's coming up and, and then my friend Brie was like, oh, aren't we playing in new your old team Devon? I was like, oh, that, no, that game was in the fall, but it got canceled. And then her dad pulled the schedule. He was like, no, it's right here. April 4th. I was like, mom. Cause she decided to not tell me. And then she told me that she was gonna tell me at the last minute, which I was super glad I didn't find out. Cause then I'd be like freaking out. But I had time to like actually prepare myself. But then I went to the park with my dad. And so I got like some practice in there and like I got a little more confident. I was like, I just wanna put a and get over with. And so we got out there and like everybody, cause my teammates, I, some of them were like really tall and everybody's like, oh my gosh, they're so big. I was like, guys, stop getting psyched out by that. Doesn't mean they're good, but they are good. But like, I didn't want them to just already be losing mentally. And so I was like, come on guys. Like just don't worry about them and just do you and make good passes and stuff. And then. The coach like got onto some people. We went to Florida for a tournament and he didn't enjoy something that some people did. I forgot what it was, but I was like, this is not what you wanna be doing for the game, because it was like our best players, I guess. They, I think they were like mad about losing. I was too, but he like got onto them. I was like, we need to stop getting inside their heads because. We need them. But, and then we got on the field and the first half apparently was the best half I've ever played. I was super pumped up cause I wanted to win, but also the, I was on the left board and so, but I, she's the best one on the team for sure. But, and she's really big, but I already knew, she was like only left footed, so I knew to just cut off the left foot and make sure she could cut inside instead of like go down the line cuz that's where her left foot is. Mm-hmm. And. That gave me a lot of confidence knowing the team and where they were gonna go. And so that helped me stop a lot of passes and plays that were trying to be made. And the coach ended up moving her to the other side because she couldn't get past me. Yeah. And so that was pretty cool. It wasn't like she couldn't get past me physically, but like. I just kept kicking it out of her legs cuz I knew where she's going. Yeah. I'm not sure the program really helped with it, but I was really bad at throw ins. Like, it's not that I would always pick my foot up for like a foul throw, but I just, it would go like two feet. But now I can throw it super far and I had really good throw ins and everybody was like shocked. I was good at them finally. And I just like connected a bunch of passes. And we tied, but we were definitely stronger as a team and we were missing some of our really good players. But the wind also was really strong, so that wasn't very helpful.

Breanne 24:14

Yeah, yeah. But that was outta your control. It sounds like you controlled what you could control with your mindset and what you were doing. Yeah, basically. Yeah. That's cool. Katie, what did you see from the sideline watching all

Katie 24:25

this? Well, embarrassingly, I too felt very invested in this matchup. Oh yeah. I would too. It was just, her old team is also like our Devon's classmates and people that I know from our area. Yeah. And Devon, Devon left to move up to a more competitive team. She was the only one that left and did that. Mm-hmm. So, I felt the pressure for Devon of wanting to prove like she was that good and like, look how great she is now. And I didn't care about who won the game, but I, I knew she would not wanna be disappointed in how she played in front of all her old teammates. Yeah. And when, one of the things that she also has been improving a lot with, which I think is all tied into it, but it's just her physical game being not scared. Mm-hmm. You know, being aggressive and. That half my husband and I were like, oh my, I mean, she played amazing the whole game, but the first half especially where she, this one girl is. For sure, like the star of the team and everybody kind of supports her and Devon just shut her down. And if I said to her like, last year or before this program, you're gonna go against this girl and you're gonna like beat her. She would've been like, there's no way that's gonna happen. Like, I don't wanna play, I don't wanna come. I'd rather just not play and like, Not people think that I wasn't better than her. Mm-hmm. But she, I mean, even the coach we still keep in touch with, and he texted my husband after, was like, Devon was ridiculous. I had no idea what to do, but she just was like all over. There was nothing like that. Anyone could have said except, oh my God. She's like, incredible. We like, Whether she improved, whether we utilize her to the best ability. But she was like the most important player on the field according to her dad, who is very critical and does not give praise easily or like unmerited. And I

Devon 26:24

kind of helped my team, like, not study, but I gave them some pointers, like make sure to block the right side and go through the deep end because their offense is stronger and just like, Small pointers and like, how are, how are you gonna be set up? Mm-hmm. I was

Katie 26:41

gonna say, that's like another big ECP thing for her is on this particular game, again, she's new to the team. But she really took a leadership role, kind of what you talked about. Like you could only control what you can, you can't, you know, make everybody's move the way you want. But she, yeah, was giving these girls pointers ahead of time, putting in extra training herself and just really. This meant a lot to her and she didn't just like hope and wish that it worked out the way she wanted.

Breanne 27:10

Yeah. That's awesome. And can you imagine like, kind of, okay, like what you said, probably wouldn't have gone this way if you were so preoccupied with like, everyone's taller than me, or, you know, this girl is so much like you would not have the ability to be able to be a leader to play how you wanna play to get your, like it just clears the path for you to be able to like get your physical train, like have your physical training pay off. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool. I love that story. There's always those vested interests in like, it was great

Katie 27:41

those babies, it was embarrassingly wrapped up in this game.

Breanne 27:45

But also Devon, that's, I think I might have, I don't know if I responded with this in the email, but those are the types of games that you add to your highlight reel. So that visualization that you do, like top 10 playing moments, like definitely add that in there as a visualization, something that you see. Because it's in you, like you are a sum total of all your successes, and that is, that's definitely up there as one of your successes, so, very cool. Mm-hmm. Okay. Another story that I just wanna hear about and then I just have a couple of questions to wrap up. So, okay. Regardless of what we think about archery as being a sport or not, it sounds like there is some, some success with Devon's sister, Ashley and her competition. Can you. Just tell us about

Katie 28:28

that. So Ashley is a sophomore and she is the captain of the archery team and the president of the Archery Club. And it has grown a lot in our school and popularity over the last couple years and, I felt like this year that the pressure was definitely starting to get to her. Like when you start out and you're just really good at something, but no one's paying attention, it's not as challenging. But this year there was a lot of expectation on her. She's usually the top or second highest shooter, and it's a lot because like one or two wrong arrows is a whole different ballgame. Yeah. So she came home the night before her, the Texas State Archery Competition from practice, and she got in the car. And I could just tell right away, it just like as soon as her friend we dropped off, she was just bawling. It was terrible. Just the worst. And she is very much someone who, once it starts to go sideways, like. It's just not good. And you can just watch her like slumping over. Her eyes are welled up, like she's shooting as fast as a human could possibly shoot just to finish and like get out of the place. Yeah. So that night she, Devon is open minded. Ashley is very cynical. Like she doesn't really, she's not open for people's help. She's like, She doesn't think things are gonna work. She's negative sometimes. So that night I said, you know, I know you are a cynic, but why don't we try this snap back routine section of Devon's E C P? She's like, I don't need that. I, you know, and I was like, just try it. I said, right now, like, you're not in a good way to go to state. Just it. Like 40 minutes, whatever it is, just try this one section fine. So she kind of let me put it on and then as you started to talk and like bullet point, all the things that happened as you're spiraling downward, she just like couldn't help laughing cuz it was just literally like someone describing every single thing that she did. So that kind of melts at her resistance a little bit to take things in. And she too really liked the snap back routine. And the archery was two days, and the first day was the 3D target, which was more fun, less pressure, but she did amazing. And then the second day was the bullseye torn target competition. And she did awesome. She tied for the second highest girl in her school. No, she, I'm sorry. She tied for the top. Highest girl in her school and they were the second highest people in the team and I think she ended up, she got a 2 77, which is a really good score in archery, but it just was a great, I mean she went from like zero on the couch in tears to like totally pulling off the, and they for national, so she'll get to compete in Louisville next month. Oh, cool.

Breanne 31:16

That's so awesome.

Devon 31:18

And also in the car ride to school, I was like, why don't I like play one of the visualizations, like the category to you? She's like, no, I don't need it. And she's just like listening to her music and I was like, please, I promise it'll help. So I played the whiteboard one and I could tell, she was like, I'm closing her eyes. Like not actually trying. I was like, come on, just try one. It's like five minutes. And then she tried and then she told me that it really helped. Oh, like her performance.

Breanne 31:45

That's awesome. What a good little sister. You're like, I know that this is gonna help you. That's so awesome. Like this really, it really does. I mean, it's just amazing to hear as I was reading kind of your updates, I was like getting goosebumps and pretty awesome. Can

Devon 32:02

I say a warm story quickly? You would love

Breanne 32:04

that. Yes.

Devon 32:05

So we were supposed to have three games this weekend, but we only ended up playing two of them. But the first one was on Saturday and I went to Six Flags on Friday night and I got back late cuz it was like the family night and I went with friends and it was really fun, but I was just kind of tired and so I was like, Come on, Devon. You can't be tired. Wake up. Wake up. Cuz the game was in the morning. And so I got there and I wasn't like dizzy, I was just kind of not in the zone. And I was like, if you are like this throughout the whole game, you're definitely not gonna play good. And so I did like hot hook breasts and like, I didn't do a specific visualization but just like visualized me, like being energetic and stuff. Yeah. And so that really helped me. And then I got in the field. And we were doing really good and we won the game. And this one girl on our team usually takes the corner kick, so if it goes out of bounds by the other team and she takes the corner kicks and we've never scored off a one. So oh. It's like, ugh, whatever, gonna be another kick. But I've been, whenever we practice that on practice, my coach usually ask me like three or four people take them. And he asked me to take them and. So I was like, okay, I'll try. And so I told her, oh, I can take the corner and I've usually practiced the other side. And so this side, I was kinda scared to do. But I was like, okay, just focus on your technique and lean back and get your plan foot next to the ball. And I kicked it and then we scored off of it. Oh dang. And we, and we've never scored off of it. And it like got us a bunch of motivation. Cause I think it was like the first or second goal and we're like, come on guys, keep going. And everybody was high fiving me and telling me that I did really good cause that's never happened before. So I was really happy.

Breanne 33:45

Yeah. It sounds like your self-talk was really good and cause. You could have easily been like, this never works. We never score on this. I'm tired. You know, you could have had all of these excuses of like, why this is not gonna work out, but Yeah. Yeah. But you were very intentional with what you were telling yourself. And we talk about like, instructional, you know, like the four types of self-talk and instructional is one of 'em. So even saying like, just put your foot here, you know, like those cues really do help. So,

Devon 34:12

yeah. And we were tied 1 0 1. At the halftime of our game on Sunday and we were missing like our center back, our outside back, our center four, like three of the best people on our team. Yeah. And everybody was kinda again, not very motivated because we were missing such great players, but. We all started to like, get in the zone once we like got settled and, There was like a chance, and like I said, I used to be not very confident, but this helped me like dribble more and take more opportunities and so I got past the ball and then there was this girl, she was bigger than me, but I knew I was faster than her and so I kinda like jod my shoulder down and then I just pushed her down the line and I kept running. And I, Ryan, and then I beat her. And then this other girl came to me and I took a touch past her and then I crossed and it was a super across and then this girl balled it and then we scored and so we were winning. So the class like really motivated again, and everyone was like, great job Devon. Great goal. And then the person that scored. And so that was pretty good. So she got the assist on that. Yeah. Like I passed it and it went

Katie 35:13

in. Yeah.

Breanne 35:14

That's awesome. I can, that sounds like a really, like a really cool play that, yeah. And that's so like if you think about the, I'm sure you've heard this before, like the ripple effect, you know, and it really does only take one thought because I just love how you, you're like, I showed up to that game, could have gone all this way, but it didn't. You chose just one small thing. It started up here in your mind, and then that rippled into like other people being motivated and excited and then good things happening. And then that built into more motivation. And so it's just like, it literally just started with a tiny thought and a decision by you. To decide where you're gonna focus. And then it just expanded and expanded, so. Very cool. Well, okay. I have some logistical questions before we wrap up because a lot of athletes and moms are like, we wanna do this, this is great. Like kind of in the same position you are, where it's like, we don't need a sports psychologist. You know, we like, we're putting in a ton of time and investment in physical training and we just want to connect this mental piece, but. We're super busy and so I'm sure you are super busy too, so I like logistically, how did you prioritize this and make this

Katie 36:22

work in your schedule? Okay. I would say there are very few people as busy as Debra, like she has basically one day off a week. So if we can do it, anybody can do it.

Devon 36:34

Well, I have practice on Monday and I, I always think that it comes out on Monday, but I'm like, no, it comes on Tuesday and I usually have a private soccer lesson on Tuesdays, and it from like six to seven 30 that it starts. And so I know like the nighttime is not gonna work because I don't never have time getting night home or what time I start. And so I just wanna like plan ahead no matter what. And so I. Do it. Like I usually get home from school at like 3 45 ish. And so right when I get home, I get a snack, I like put all my stuff down and then I do ECP and my mom usually drop off my sister at the high school for archery. And so I sometimes have to start on my own, but I was like, just get this done. If you like fool around and watch tv, then you're never gonna get it done. It's not gonna be helpful. So I, I just make sure I do it cuz I know I'll forget if I don't do it like the first or second day. And then if I don't, if I forget that day, then I do it on Wednesday before Ley. Oh, okay. But I just like do it as close as I can when it comes out. Mm-hmm.

Breanne 37:33

Yeah. That's good. So it's like your trigger to do it. Yeah.

Katie 37:36

Mm-hmm. And I would just say too, that Devi as, as we got further and further into it too, and she started to see the benefits of it. She, it was like taking medicine, like she was like, I know if I do this, I will do better at the next 10 things. So she was pretty motivated to do it and like have the knowledge herself besides me being like, it's time. We gotta do it. We gotta do it.

Breanne 37:58

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, cuz that's always tricky. Yeah. Okay. And then what about, what about your side of it, Katie?

Katie 38:07

Well, mine is a little easier cause I'm an at-home mom, so, so I have more time. But I was, for me it was the opposite, just trying to kind of pace myself so I didn't like rush through it and then like it all just was jumbled up in the air, so I was kind of opposite, like forcing myself to go slow. Yeah, really sit down, pay attention and do it, which I'm kind of like a 10 people at once. Kind of person. So but I loved it. I thought it was, you know, very interesting. Mm-hmm. For her and for myself.

Breanne 38:39

Yeah. That's good. And in the athlete part of it, like you said, it's psych 30 to 40 minutes, the with, with all the work and everything. So it's not that long, you know, like for, for that. No. That amount of time per week. We

Katie 38:51

consider all the, it's like a TV show. Yeah. We all have time to watch AV show a week, so. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Or YouTubes or TikTok or,

Breanne 38:59

yes. So yeah, insert whatever we do. Waste time. Yeah. And yeah, the mom's side of it, I, I like that you were intentionally, you slow down. A lot of moms though do kind of just binge it. They listen to it like a podcast and Yeah. As they're driving around and stuff, but yeah. That's awesome. Okay, last question is, What would you tell other moms or athletes who are considering joining? So Devon, we'll start with you. What would you tell an athlete who's like, yeah, I'm thinking about doing this.

Devon 39:28

I would definitely do it because even if, like, like I said before, even if you don't think it's gonna help, it will if you like, actually try and like give it your full attention and stuff. Mm-hmm. And Yeah, I think that people should do it, even if they're just like, have the slightest bit of like recognition that I might help because it doesn't have to help, like super vague like it did me, but just like even like one thing, one area that was helped is better than none. And it gives really good advice too.

Breanne 39:58

Yeah. That's awesome and kind of a relief. I, I mean, I imagine for both moms and athletes actually, but for athletes to be like, Hey, there's actually things that can help. And I, I don't figure this out on my own and think I'm the only one ever dealing with

Devon 40:13

this. Yeah. You might as well try it cuz it's like, it doesn't help, it doesn't hurt you. It just, but it can definitely help you too.

Breanne 40:22

Oh, that's very well said. Katie, what about you for other, other moms that are considering jumping in?

Katie 40:28

I think the thing I really liked is it just helped you be less helpless. You know, we're all kind of trying not to get so involved, but it's really hard when you devote so much of your life to your kids and their pursuits. And just, it just kinda gave me like a. A framework and, and almost like someone in the middle with the program mm-hmm. To share your ideas. And they just seem more valid when it's not Jo's mom saying,

Breanne 40:55

right. So

Katie 40:58

I, you know, I just think it was amazing. Just, I can't say enough, you know, it just really, really changed my expectation maybe was like 5% and it was like 105% the difference that it's making.

Breanne 41:12

Oh my goodness. Oh, thank you. Well, this has been really awesome to hear. And just kinda just get a behind the scenes on, on the changes and, and what you're both experiencing. Thank you again. I cannot wait to continue to follow and hear how this all goes with soccer. Devon, I'm sure I'll see your name and like, I don't know on the US Women's Soccer team, Ross next decade. But yeah, thank you again. I really appreciate you taking the time to come on.

Katie 41:41

Thank

Devon 41:42

you. Thank you.