A Talk for Parents, Educators, and Coaches

“This is stupid… I can’t do this… This isn’t fair… I quit.”
Does that sound like something you hear on the regular?
Yup. Some young people today are really struggling when dealing with challenges — and maybe they always have to some degree, but it definitely seems to be the case that the most recent challenges we have all faced have left a significant impression on the hearts and minds of the young ‘uns. 

What’s happened? Challenge fatigue? Learned helplessness? Coping strategies in short supply? There is no mystery to it, really. Our young people have been faced with challenges that no other living generation has ever experienced quite this way before, and they did it with their parents, teachers, and coaches unsure of what would be happening next as well. Not very comforting to say the least.

In this talk, I candidly discuss the impact that these challenges have had on young people and how to address them. And the news is not all bad. Yes, they have experienced challenges, but they have also developed some pretty incredible skills when it comes to communicating with others in real time using technology and some pretty spectacular ingenuity related to getting sh*t done. 

What is that? It’s called being resilient. Being gritty. And being resilient and having grit means you don’t quit when stuff goes sideways.

Participants in this interactive talk will come away with some straightforward, easy-to-implement, start right now nudges and tips that detail exactly what can be done to help support the continued development of resilience and grit in young people and how to help them harness their newfound skills to thrive, not just survive.

So.. how do we do that? Well, let’s just say for now it starts with you NOT doing their homework for them. 

“I’m not worried in the least about college or university” — said no one ever. In all the years I have been a prof, no one has ever said that they don’t get overwhelmed, worried, stressed, or doubt their abilities at some point. I’m not saying that no one like that exists out there, I’m just saying that I haven’t met them.

If there is anything young people need when they are preparing for, or transitioning into post-secondary school, it’s rock solid, relevant, up to date comprehensive info about how to navigate school, and life in their post-secondary years. During this dynamic and interactive session, I share my decades of experience as a professor and provide exactly that — from details about everything from researching programs and schools, to what to do once your feet actually land on campus.

Participants will experience a “live” university course, discover first-hand about workloads, methods of assessment, and about the services and supports in place for students should they face challenges once they arrive at college or university.

Parents will be provided with effective strategies they can put in place to help support the development of resiliency and grit in their young people.

Educators will be provided with recommendations that lay bare the specific skills young people must develop before they graduate from high school. 

Students will be provided with a detailed overview of what to expect as they transition to college/university, and why their mindset matters. The “What I Wished I Knew Before I Got Here” part of this talk highlights how to get the most out of the post-secondary experience — and has been generously provided by my own students who want to share their advice. Just as a quick peek, one of the big tips is “don’t expect your profs to re-weight your grades — that’s not going to happen”.

This topic has become increasingly significant given our awareness of the importance of supporting the mental health and wellness of our young people. Administrators, teachers, parents and students all benefit from participating.

Anyone who is an athlete understands that it’s not a matter of if you will lose or ever fail, it’s a question of when and how badly. Even the best prepared, highly motivated, trained to the t*ts athlete isn’t going to win every day, every time. And that’s a good thing... because no one learns very much through winning.

It’s through challenges that you can become better, stronger, faster.
 
This talk lays bare what to do about the doubts, the self-sabotaging behaviour, and the negative discouraged mindset of athletes — either mid-game/meet/match or afterwards when things didn’t go as planned. And it’s the same plan, no matter what level of play/performance you might be at.
 
One first bit of encouragement… grit matters more than “natural talent.”

Wait whaaaat? What is grit?

It’s a “never give up” attitude.
It’s a “sh*t — that didn’t work, I’m going to try this now” attitude.
It’s a “stay calm, focused, determined and confident” attitude.
And it’s more than twice as important as “natural talent”. I even have the data to prove it.
I’ll show you how to get “gritty” — because no matter what happened “last time”, the next race, game, meet, match you’re starting over.

You’re back on the starting line, back in the blocks, back on the ice, back to the first whistle.

Let’s get ready for that.

If there ever was a time that a true team effort was required to make the business world go ’round.. it would be now. The past few years of turmoil — in and out of the workplace, online, asynchronously remote, maybe back to the office, maybe not, over and over again — has left many of us feeling disconnected, disgruntled, unsettled and unsure of what the hell we’re doing.

It’s time for some resilience… some grit, some stretching, and growing and re-imagining what we could actually accomplish together.
 
During this talk, let’s sit together in an “all-hands” meeting to talk about ways to re-group, rekindle our feelings of enthusiasm and engagement, play with some ideas about being included at the table in true and authentic teamwork, and replenish our joy through (re)-activating a growth mindset.

What’s a growth mindset? It’s a way of thinking as in, what are the possibilities if we did this? Or this? What would happen if we worked together in a new way? Considered fresh ideas? What if we collaborated on innovative ways of accomplishing our goals, and how we could actually do this all through a freshly invigorated work/life balance.

Let’s celebrate our “wins,” let’s talk about what we can do about our challenges, and let’s shape a refreshed and strengthened workplace culture.
 
See you at the table.