OM DENNE EPISODE
When young athletes start measuring their worth by wins, rankings, and recruiting opportunities, the sport they once loved can become a source of pressure.
For young athletes, constant comparison, recruiting expectations, and the pressure to succeed can take the joy out of sports. Staying competitive without tying self-worth to performance takes more than physical training. Parents and coaches also play an important role in shaping how athletes respond to success, setbacks, and pressure.
Dr. Andrew Fix talks with Sydney Nolan, founder of Snap Mental Performance, about the psychology of athletic performance, the risks of early sports specialization, and why so many young athletes experience burnout. They discuss how comparison and negative self-talk affect confidence, how to handle setbacks, and why developing an identity beyond sports matters for long-term well-being.
The conversation extends beyond sports to the way adults define themselves through their careers and achievements. Whether you're an athlete, parent, or working professional, Sydney shares practical ways to manage pressure, reconnect with your priorities, and build an identity that extends beyond performance.
Quotes
- “Comparison ends up being just a measuring stick. It's about everything that I'm not. And it's about how other people's successes means that I'm a failure.” (08:53 | Sydney Nolan)
- “The challenge with that is we put our focus so externally with comparison that we forget to focus on ourselves in our process.” (13:39 | Sydney Nolan)
- “I think burnout also just comes from the comparison piece, the pressure, the fear, it's when we have all these psychological challenges as well, beyond just the physical time.” (42:49 | Sydney Nolan)
- “There's a difference between saying I'm angry and I'm feeling angry. When we say I'm angry, we're attaching to it and letting it take over. When I'm feeling angry, we're labeling an emotion and realizing that that's an experience we're having, but that's not us.” (53:43 | Sydney Nolan)
- “Taking the things that I loved about lacrosse, like I loved the challenge of it. I loved the community aspect of it. I loved the learning aspect of it. And like you can take those things and apply it to something else.” (59:04 | Sydney Nolan)
Connect with Sydney Nolan:
Sydney grew up in Colorado and earned her B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior while playing collegiate lacrosse. Many people find their way into sport psychology through their own experiences in sport, and Sydney is no exception — a career-ending knee injury and her fair share of ups and downs. But what truly led her to the field was a passion to break the stigma around seeking mental support. Rather than treating mental performance work as something you turn to when things go wrong, she wanted to build a culture where it's something to be proud of and excited about, creating FOMO around strengthening their mental game.
That mission led to Snap Mental Performance, where Sydney and her team of three work with athletes from youth through professional levels, as well as competitive and recreational adults. Snap approaches performance optimization by strengthening focus, awareness (internal and external), and psychological flexibility — the same skills that drive success on the physical side of sport.
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