Achieving Excellence

Colleen M. Hacker, PhD, FNAP, has served on the United States coaching staff for six Olympic Games as a mental skills coach and performance psychology specialist. She has also served as the mental skills coach to professional, international, and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports including Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), PGA, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), LPGA, swimming, basketball, lacrosse, crew, speed skating, track and field, and tennis to name a few. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Pacific Lutheran University and is a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice, is listed on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry, and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®). Dr. Hacker has published more than 45 articles, book chapters, and a book (Catch Them Being Good with Gold medal and World Cup Champion coach, Tony DiCicco), as well as delivered speeches and lectures on the national and international stage. She has worked with numerous Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 corporations as well as civic groups and organizations. Her work is regularly featured on national television outlets such CNN and ESPN and also in high-profile publications including The New York Times and Washington Post. Dr. Hacker was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Professional Practice Award from the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She received the Honor Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sports, the Presidential Citation by the American Psychological Association, as well as the Letter of Commendation and the National Award of Excellence from the United Soccer Coaches (USC). ESPNW named Dr. Hacker as one of 30 women in the country who “change the way sports are played.” She serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance and on the National Advisory Board for the EPIC Center (Education for Persistence and Innovation Center) at the Teachers College, Columbia University. Mallory E. Mann, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Pacific Lutheran University. Her educational background and training is situated between the cultural studies of sport and sport psychology. Dr. Mann’s scholarship focuses on gender issues in sport as well as coaching effectiveness. She previously coached at both the NCAA Division I and Division III level and Dr. Mann served as a mental skills coach for individual athletes and a college sport team. Her applied work continues to focus in areas related to coaching education and gender equity in sport.

Chapter 1. Getting to the Starting Line
Chapter 2. Believing You Can
Chapter 3. Chatter Matters
Chapter 4. Being in the Moment
Chapter 5. Harnessing Imagination
Chapter 6. Energy Management
Chapter 7. Control of Calm
Chapter 8. Revving the Engine
Chapter 9. The Three Cs of Performance Success
Chapter 10. Creating an Action Plan
Chapter 11. Focusing on the Right Things at the Right Time
Chapter 12. Preperformance Routines
Chapter 13. Prioritizing Self-Reflection
Chapter 14. Growing Through Adversity
Chapter 15. Bouncing Back
Chapter 16. Highlighting We Before Me
Chapter 17. Inclusive Excellence
Chapter 18. Career and Life Transition

Appendix. Learning More