Centering connection in hockey and taking an inside look at what has defined success beyond the ice.

Linda Massie is an educator, coach, and hockey mom with a passion for developing the person behind the player. With a B.P.E. and B.Ed from Memorial University and over a decade of teaching experience, she is also a Hockey Canada High Performance 1 certified coach, skills coach, and MasterCoach Developer.

As the founder of Mental Strides, Linda helps athletes and coaches build confidence, strengthen mindset, and create positive, high-performing team cultures. Across her career, Linda coached at national competitions, led skills programs, mentored women coaches through national equity initiatives, and developed progressive, athlete-centered training systems for players ages 4–elite.

Linda's work is rooted in transformational leadership—prioritizing connection, culture, and whole-athlete development, building programs and a business that reflects her core belief: when we invest in people first, performance follows.

Linda is passionate about empowering athletes and coaches to reach their potential by combining technical excellence with mindset training and by creating spaces for them to be curious and courageous about their development.

Beyond the Ice is a podcast by Cape Breton University Researchers exploring coaches training and approaches in relationship building, effective communication practices, and leadership skills to improve confidence, enhance motivation and collective performance. Having conversations with coaches, players, parents, and hockey operation staff – taking an inside look at what has defined success, beyond the ice.

Hosts:

Dr. Lynn LeVatte (lynn_levatte@cbu.ca) (Lead Researcher) (Education Department, Cape Breton University)

Sarah MacRae (sarah_macrae@cbu.ca) (Department of Communication and Languages, Cape Breton University)

Dr. Kristin O'Rourke (kristin_orourke@cbu.ca) (Education Department, Cape Breton University)

Shaun Ranni (shaun_ranni@cbu.ca) (Department of Experiential Studies in Community and Sport)