The Olympics, as captivating as they are, never fail to remind me how even my greatest performances in work, sport and life pale in comparison to those of our Canadian superathletes. And yet, our top runners, jumpers and throwers cannot take all the credit for the dazzling spectacle; behind each nine-second sprint performance and graceful, splashless dive is a coach: someone who transforms talented athletes into world-class performers for a living.
While most of us do not have the right physiological makeup to make it to the 100-metre final, we all stand to benefit from the wisdom of these masterminds of performance when it comes to excelling in our own hobbies, jobs and relationships. The Globe asked three Olympic-level coaches how everyday people can manage adversity, maintain composure in stressful situations and become the best versions of themselves.
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Bob Westman
Westman, a para athletics coach at Athletics Canada, has been a part of the coaching staff for more than 12 national teams during his 11-year international career. He has coached Olympic finalists and semi-finalists and is heading to Paris this year for the Paralympic Games.
Managing stress: Our training group can sometimes obsess over being perfect, but we can get in our own way like that, because the fear of screwing up can prevent us from moving at all. It’s good to know what perfect looks like for us, but it’s better to focus on improving, even incrementally, than on being perfect.
Avoiding burnout: Short term, instill little nuggets in your day. For example, the last thing on my to-do list today is to grab a scone from a nearby bakery that I like. To avoid burnout in the longer term, have people with whom you can share your wins and struggles. I have a WhatsApp group with a bunch of other coaches where we talk shop and support each other.
Recovering after doing something hard: Like a sporting performance, big milestones at work or in life can come with a joy hangover, or a “now what?” moment. People should anticipate it: Plan a dinner with friends or family to celebrate the milestone, and then expect a comedown. Digest the win, but do not stay in that mindset for too long: Set a new goal.
A good daily habit: Physical activity is great, but it’s crucial to find a hobby that you enjoy, whether that’s swimming, hiking or climbing. Prescribed workout plans don’t last nearly as long as chosen ones.
Managing emotions: I try to stay at five out of 10 all the time, and remind myself that consistency is much better than bursts of elation and despair. It also helps to put your work into context: For the majority of us, our daily decisions and performances are not a matter of life or death.
Handling disappointment and failure: First, allow yourself a timeline to be upset, and to reflect on what went wrong: Maybe that’s a few hours, or a full week. Then, take steps forward – remember that one day you will harvest again, and the more good days you stack onto each other, the better that harvest stands to be.
How I chill out: I am in a fantasy football league with a group of friends, and during COVID played Fortnite regularly with those coaches in my WhatsApp group.
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Tim Irvine
Irvine has more than 25 years of experience as a personal trainer, and is the founder and president of Totum Life Science, a fitness and lifestyle coaching hub in downtown Toronto for Olympians and recreational athletes alike. There, Irvine leads a team of performance coaches, physiotherapists and personal trainers.
Managing stress: Stress is a good thing – it helps us to become better – but too much stress can hurt our performance and happiness. What athletes know, and the corporate world doesn’t realize, is how deeply food and stress are intertwined, whether that’s drinking a lot of alcohol, or stressing to avoid certain foods. Pay attention to how you feel around your meals, and let that inform your eating habits.
Avoiding burnout: If you get a charge from doing more than everybody else, you’re probably more prone to burnout. In that case, travel to a place away from the rat race a few times per year; ideally, for a week at a time, or until that hustle mentality fades into the background.
A good daily habit: The big one for me is sleep: Try going to bed a half-hour earlier, and see if you notice positive effects.
Managing emotions: If you feel yourself getting worked up, either at someone else, or at your own thoughts, pause and take a few deep breaths. I think people these days deal with a lot of fear or imposter syndrome. Learn to recognize the little doubting voice in your head when it comes, and remember that you can negotiate with it, and even counter it.
Handling disappointment and failure: Expose yourself to failure and become comfortable with it, because it makes you stronger psychologically. And remember that everybody fails; I loved Roger Federer’s recent commencement speech at Dartmouth because he listed all the ways in which he failed in his life, and he’s the second-most successful tennis player of all time. So, when you fail, find the small wins inside of it, and use them to get stronger.
How I chill out: After long, hard mental tasks, I like doing a physical burst of something like 90 seconds of wall sitting, or an intense set of burpees. It wakes up my brain, and takes the edge off better than any cocktail might.
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Vickie Croley
Coach of Western Mustangs, Croley has 30 years of experience at the varsity and international level. She has guided teams to two women’s and men’s U Sports titles and served as a personal coach at the 1996 and 2016 Olympics. This year, she is heading to the Paris Olympics as one of the personal coaches of reigning Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner.
Managing stress and pressure: I like reframing pressure as a positive thing. There is a saying that I love: Pressure is often a privilege – it comes only to those who earn it. Aside from that, keeping a to-do list is still undefeated.
Avoiding burnout: When you finish something hard, give yourself a transition phase where you do something you love, instead of immediately hopping into the next thing. For me, that’s a few days at a cottage.
A good daily habit: Find something you enjoy and make deliberate time for it. I book classes like spin and pilates because it gives me a prescribed time to do it, and forces me to commit to it. I’m also curious about cold plunging: I’ve done it once and my Whoop band told me that my recovery was off the charts after it.
Managing emotions: Take some deep breaths and differentiate between what you can control and what you can’t. Being upset will not change the weather, a false start or a difficult boss.
Handling disappointment and failure: I’m a believer that things happen for a reason, but it’s also important not to be complacent. When something does not go your way, ask yourself, “What happened? How can I get a different outcome?”
How I chill out: I love to unwind in the evening by putting my phone away and watching a good TV show. Lately, that’s Presumed Innocent on Apple TV.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.