In this episode of the Perform Happy Podcast, I sit down with 17 year old gymnastics entrepreneur Riley Lee to talk about creating change in gymnastics, building a better training environment, taking big risks, and believing that happy, healthy, high performing gymnastics is possible.

Riley shares how growing up training in Hong Kong and Singapore opened her eyes to the differences in equipment, coaching, athlete safety, and opportunities around the world. As she and her friends began feeling unsupported and afraid to make mistakes, Riley started wondering what could be done differently.

What started as a joke about opening a gym became a real business plan. Riley researched the industry, studied financials, sought out experienced mentors, traveled to observe gyms, and eventually built a vision for a gym centered around safety, quality coaching, and athlete well being.

We also talk about why having a clear vision matters, how growth often requires stepping outside your comfort zone, and why athletes should not have to choose between high performance and happiness. Riley explains how her passion pushed her beyond her comfort zone and helped her build something she truly believed was possible.

In this episode you will hear:

• Why athlete safety must include emotional safety
• How a clear vision can turn an idea into action
• Why growth requires getting uncomfortable
• How great coaching can support both performance and well being
• Why athletes deserve to enjoy the journey
• How one teenager is challenging the way gymnastics can be done

This conversation is a powerful reminder that we do not have to accept that gymnastics has always been done a certain way. Sometimes the biggest changes begin with one person willing to imagine something better and then figure out how to make it happen.

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 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

This episode of the Perform Happy Podcast is a reminder that even the athletes who look the most confident can struggle with anxiety, pressure, and self-doubt. I sit down with University of Utah gymnast Ella Zirbes to talk about finding joy in gymnastics again after anxiety took away the fun of competing on some of the biggest stages of her career.

Ella shares how the pressure to be perfect left her feeling overwhelmed during her sophomore season and what helped her make a complete mindset shift. Through sports psychology, gratitude, and learning to stop performing for other people's approval, she rediscovered what it means to compete for herself and her team.

We also talk about comparison, injuries, college recruiting pressure, and why athletes don't need to become someone else to succeed. Ella shares the lessons she learned from setbacks, why your sport should never define your worth, and how doing your own gymnastics is often the best thing you can do under pressure.

In this episode you will hear:

• How gratitude can help reframe anxiety before competition
• Why trying to be perfect often creates more pressure
• How to stop comparing yourself to other athletes
• Why your self-worth should never depend on your performance
• What parents and coaches can do to help athletes feel supported
• Why consistency and trusting your preparation matter most on competition day
• How finding joy in your sport can improve both performance and confidence

This conversation is a powerful reminder that anxiety doesn't mean you're not capable. Sometimes, the biggest breakthrough comes when you stop chasing perfection and start appreciating the opportunity to do what you love.

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 NCAA gymnast Abigayle Martin to talk about performing scared, overcoming mental blocks, trusting yourself under pressure, and finding what helps you compete with confidence. Abby shares how a mental block at 10 years old shaped the athlete she is today and why learning to work with fear, instead of waiting for it to disappear, changed everything.

Abby opens up about competing at the highest levels of college gymnastics while still feeling nervous before routines. She explains why fear is a normal part of performance, how she developed her own mental routines, and why young athletes should never feel like they have to do things exactly the way everyone else does. We also talk about the importance of communicating with coaches, advocating for yourself, and learning what helps you perform your best.

In this episode you will hear:

• Why it's okay to perform scared
• How mental blocks can become opportunities for growth
• The importance of finding a mental routine that works for you
• Why young athletes should learn to advocate for themselves
• How communication builds stronger relationships with coaches
• Why brushing off a bad meet and moving forward matters

This conversation is a powerful reminder that confidence isn't the absence of fear. It's learning to trust yourself, your preparation, and your ability to keep showing up. Young athletes don't need to feel fearless to succeed. They just need the tools to keep going, one routine 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