Elle' Nelson

Elle' Nelson Mental Performance Coach 🧠
Top Athletes, Executives, Performers & Teams 🤝

The best coaching relationships are more than just tactics—they’re partnerships 🤝The Coach-Athlete Relationship (CAR) mo...
30/10/2025

The best coaching relationships are more than just tactics—they’re partnerships 🤝

The Coach-Athlete Relationship (CAR) model, considering the 3C’s +1 (Closeness, Commitment, Complementarity, Co-orientation) reminds us that how we connect with our athletes makes all the difference.

So what can coaches (and managers) actually do to apply this model? A few of my recommendations 👇

➡️ Keep communication open and honest—ask questions and listen, don’t just direct

➡️ Make your care visible: support your athletes both in and out of competition

➡️ Set goals together. When everyone’s invested, everyone’s motivated

➡️ Shape your coaching style to fit each athlete and welcome their feedback

➡️ Check in on how things are going (and be quick to fix/find clarity on misalignments)

What would you add?

Tag your Coach Friends 🙌

Jowett & Slade 2022

Great experience last week as our ColumbusCrew 2 traveled to England for pre-season training and got a few matches in a...
05/03/2025

Great experience last week as our ColumbusCrew 2 traveled to England for pre-season training and got a few matches in against some top-clubs. I caught the end of the trip but I was SO proud to see the boys rise and compete bravely at every occasion, grow as a team (and staff), embrace and adapt every uncertainty of the trip overseas, and ultimately play some REALLY good football that did us Americans (very) proud 😉😮‍💨🔥





▪️The last few years I’ve done a lot of work to be clear on my values and ensure that my behaviors and choices are refle...
27/02/2025

▪️The last few years I’ve done a lot of work to be clear on my values and ensure that my behaviors and choices are reflecting those as consistently as possible.

▪️The decision to join Columbus Crew was one that I didn’t take lightly. I mean heck, It meant stepping away from a life and career built in England, and choosing to do long-distance relationship with my husband for the foreseeable future.

▪️Throughout the process, I did my due-diligence to ensure that there was an alignment in values, behaviors, standards, role expectations, etc etc… and my appreciation deepened when leaders at the Crew approached it in the same way..

▪️At the end of the day, I took all the information I had, but mostly trusted my gut that the people and the club were genuine and authentic and good people doing brilliant things, and getting on board would be worth the sacrifices required.

▪️Pre-season, and my experience so far has taught me.. that it couldn’t be more true and a better fit. Good people doing brilliant work. A great club that WANTS Mental Performance and KNOWS that it’s a competitive advantage and essential for performance and wellbeing. 🏆

▪️I am so grateful to be in this environment and have no doubt this season is going to be one for the books.

🏆 Allez Columbus! 🏆

💛🖤💛

Let's make this the most valuable post on Facebook and learn/grow together, shall we? 🤝I'm going to post a favorite quot...
18/11/2024

Let's make this the most valuable post on Facebook and learn/grow together, shall we? 🤝

I'm going to post a favorite quote or piece of advice I've been given ✍️

I'll then tag 3 people, and I'm hoping those 3 people will do the same 🙂

➡️ Comment a quote or piece of advice the community can learn from
➡️ Pass it on by tagging 3 people and writing 'tag you're it!'

What if creating a meaningful environment in sport could elevate both performance and well-being? Recent research in spo...
14/11/2024

What if creating a meaningful environment in sport could elevate both performance and well-being?

Recent research in sport psychology suggests that fostering a culture of meaningful work isn’t just about enhancing individual fulfillment—it’s about balancing personal and organizational values in a way that fuels sustainable success. Here are four key insights for coaches:

1. Balancing Subjective and Normative Meaning: Meaningfulness is not just a personal journey; it’s shaped by broader organizational values. Coaches play a key role in finding this balance, creating an environment that supports both performance and well-being.

2. Navigating Shifting Contexts: Just like sports, societal attitudes are always changing! Coaches can really benefit from staying aware of these changes and adapting to important issues like mental health and ethics that affect how athletes find meaning in their sport.

3. Encouraging Reflection Without Prescribing Meaning: Helping athletes find their purpose should be about allowing them to discover what matters to them personally. If we try to prescribe meaning, we might lose that authentic connection. Coaches should focus on supporting reflection and exploration instead!

4. Creating Reflective Spaces: Decompression sessions are a great way for athletes to process their experiences and connect with their purpose. Coaches can help facilitate these moments, encouraging athletes to look beyond immediate results and reflect on the bigger picture of their sports journey.

By embracing these ideas and working with wider support staff, coaches can make a real difference in creating meaningful, high-performance cultures that celebrate both achievement and personal growth 📈

Information used from Ronkainen, N., & McDougall, M. (2024).

For many, opening up isn’t an easy thing to doIt requires time, trust and consistency❌ MISCONCEPTION: sport psychology i...
13/11/2024

For many, opening up isn’t an easy thing to do

It requires time, trust and consistency

❌ MISCONCEPTION: sport psychology is a 1 session problem-solved type of thing

Although it would be nice if we could all mimic the whole Dani Rojas (Ted Lasso) Sport Psych moment.. out the door and FOOTBALL IS LIFE 🤸

It’s important for parents and coaches (AND athletes) to know that to make a lasting impact, it may take several sessions alone to build that rapport where free-flowing communication takes place.. and that’s EXPECTED. Because it means the trust and relationship is real..

That’s the foundation where transformation can truly take flight 📈

For some, that financial investment isn’t one worth making because we may not see immediate results… but without we would certainly see repeating patterns of mental blocks 🌋

But for those who would prefer and understand the power of incremental steps towards long term success… they know the investment is one worth making because it can..

Quite certainly

Change the trajectory of your life, much like it has mine.

🌋➡️🗻➡️📈

Hey 👋 I’m Elle’, your Mental Performance Coach. I help individuals and teams close the gap between where they are currently, and what their potential is.. all by training the mental side of the game 🧠💪 something that we know is one of the greatest influencers in performance. Comment MIND to find out more ✉️



(photo/athlete not a representation of post)

Hey Coaches! Elevate Team Resilience by Shaping How Athletes Manage Emotions Under Pressure ⬇️ Keep reading...When the ...
12/11/2024

Hey Coaches!

Elevate Team Resilience by Shaping How Athletes Manage Emotions Under Pressure ⬇️ Keep reading...

When the stakes are high, how athletes handle emotions can make or break team performance. A recent study highlights the contrasting approaches athletes use in two critical situations: team collapse and performance recovery. Understanding these can empower you as a coach to guide your team through challenges.

💥 In team collapse moments: Athletes often instinctively suppress emotions, vent frustration, or shift blame—all of which can drain mental energy and team cohesion. While it may seem like a natural reaction, this approach usually deepens the team’s struggle.

🏆 In performance recovery situations: Athletes who embrace mistakes, redirect focus, and support each other tend to turn momentum in their favor. Techniques like humor, positive role modeling, and perspective-taking help athletes bounce back, boosting both individual confidence and team strength.

TAKEAWAYS FOR COACHES

⭐️Teach Emotional Awareness: Model ways for athletes to notice and name their emotions under pressure without judgment

⭐️Encourage Positive Focus Shifts: After a mistake, help players redirect their focus to the next action, rather than dwelling on the past

⭐️Use Humor: Intentional humor can relieve tension and shift the team’s emotional tone after setbacks

⭐️Reframe Setbacks: Prompt athletes to look at challenges from different perspectives, which can help reduce stress and build resilience

By training your team in these effective regulation strategies, you’ll help them transform emotional responses, stay focused, and maximize performance—even in the toughest moments.

Information summarized from
Wergin, V. V., Wolf, S. A., Schwender, J. T., & Mallett, C. J. (2024).

80% of employees admitted to procrastinating between 1-4 hours daily 👀According to a Meta-Analysis by Psychological Bull...
08/11/2024

80% of employees admitted to procrastinating between 1-4 hours daily 👀
According to a Meta-Analysis by Psychological Bulletin Journals

Did you know that businesses are investing in sport psychology?

It's true. Performance driven organizations (like sales & recruitment) are investing in Mental Training because they see the difference in productivity, morale, and results 📈👀 Limitless Minds

Here's a few mind blowing statistics on how much our focus can hinder us if we let it (blue)... and how we can leverage our focus if we invest in mental training (green) 🤯

These are a few slides from an interactive workshop I had the pleasure of facilitating with an amazing team at Johnson & Johnson A team who was hungry to get better 📈 This workshop was about how to harness the power of mindfullness and how we can train our brain to get into FLOW STATE.

What is flow state? When a person is completely absorbed in the task or activity at hand, they are hyper-focused and productive but in a free-flowing way.

If you're a business professional and you're interested in Mental Training for yourself and/or for your team.. message me 'I'M READY' to find out more 🧠🏆

07/11/2024

⚽️ Messi as a leader is a demonstration of

➡️ Humbleness
➡️ Connectivity
➡️ Ambition
➡️ Excellence
➡️ Example

Love this interview with DB 👏 So so good.

05/11/2024

SPEND MONEY ON THINGS THAT CAN PROVIDE VALUE FOR YOUR FUTURE 🎤

Can we say it a little louder for the people in the back?!

Cesc Fabregas brilliantly emphasizes the importance of prioritizing investments that yield long-term value, such as hiring nutritionists, mental coaches, and other professionals who enhance performance and well-being. 👏

In a world often focused on instant gratification, it’s crucial to shift our mindset towards long-term success. Every dollar spent on personal development is an investment in our future potential, not just a fleeting expense.

By choosing to invest in ourselves, we position ourselves for sustained growth and excellence. Be different. Choose the investment that pays dividends in your career and personal life. 🤝


I wasn't Mentally ready to compete until I did these 3 things... 🧠 Trained how I wanted to compete➡️Not just for the bod...
05/11/2024

I wasn't Mentally ready to compete until I did these 3 things...

🧠 Trained how I wanted to compete

➡️Not just for the body, but for the mind. I need to mimic the intensity, focus and thoughts I want to have during competition. Those things don’t just 🪄appear🪄 on match day

🧠 Embraced discomfort

➡️ Challenge is the pre-requisite of growth, and if I’m after my potential, it’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be comfortable. It’s important to embrace that ‘hit a wall, this sucks, I don’t know I can push anymore, this is painful’ type of feeling. You need to know how it feels, and you need to talk yourself FORWARD THROUGH IT.

🧠 Accepted what I could not control

➡️ If I’m thinking about the coaches decisions, outcomes or the opposition more than I’m thinking about myself… I’m in trouble. Energy (thoughts) need to go towards
-what I can do
-how I can prepare
-how I can respond

These are things that took me YEARS to learn, and they still take practice. They used to be there very things I couldn’t (or chose not to do) and my performances suffered for it..

But now… they are my non-negotiables. 📈

Hey I’m Elle’ 👋 your Mental Performance Coach. I help individuals and teams close the gap between where they’re at now, and what their potential is. This is all by training for the mental game.. the most important game 🧠💪 behind the game ⚽️🎾⚾️🏈🏉

Comment TEAM to find out more ✉️

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