PERFORMANCE & RESILIENCE COACHING | Navigate the New Year Like an Elite Athlete

MentorMeet Stories is a mentorship podcast for business leaders and professionals seeking inspirational mentorship on thriving under pressure. This mindset mentor podcast features mentors and coaches sharing practical insights from elite environments.

Episode: What business leaders can learn from Olympic athletes about building lasting resilience, managing high-pressure performance, and sustainable excellence.

Dawn Sanders, performance and well-being coach who spent 20+ years supporting GB Olympic and Paralympic athletes, shares insights from elite sport now applied to business leadership. Works with Google and UK Sports Institute.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

This business mentorship conversation explores the person behind the performance—why defining yourself solely by achievements creates vulnerability, and how broader identity builds sustainable success.

Key topics:

- Identity beyond your job: the "cogs of performance" model

- Resilience built on well-being foundations, not burnout

- Vulnerability in leadership and psychologically safe teams

- Strength-based coaching vs constantly fixing weaknesses

- Support systems: why elite performers can't go alone

- Change vs transition: psychological response to restructure

- Kübler-Ross change curve: three phases leaders must support

- Why New Year's resolutions fail and how to set goals that stick

- Myths about resilience: it's developable, not just grit

- Why business leaders resist rest and recovery more than athletes

- Accountability: achieving goals with others vs alone

- Process goals vs outcomes: celebrating incremental wins

For business leaders managing pressure, professionals navigating change, entrepreneurs balancing growth with well-being, managers building resilient teams, athletes transitioning from sport, and anyone wanting sustainable high performance.

GUEST: Dawn Sanders

Performance and well-being coach, 20+ years supporting GB Olympic/Paralympic athletes. Now works with business leaders on resilience and sustainable performance. Google, UK Sports Institute, England Women's Football.

https://mentormeet.com/profiles/dawn-sanders/

HOST: Alpa Wagjiani

https://mentormeet.com/profiles/alpa-wagjiani/

EPISODE LENGTH: 45 minutes

THREE TAKEAWAYS FOR 2026:

1. Be kind to yourself with New Year's goals—change is hard. Ask: How important is this goal (1-10)? How much energy do I have (1-10)? If not 7+, explore blocks.

2. Seek accountability—you achieve more with others. Find a coach, partner, or team.

3. Celebrate small wins—not every goal ends in gold, but you're successful if you've learned about yourself.

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ABOUT THIS MENTORSHIP PODCAST:

MentorMeet Stories features mentors and coaches across industries. Episodes explore performance, resilience, leadership, and well-being through real conversations. Inspirational mentorship and educational mentorship grounded in lived experience—not theory.

New episodes every first Monday of the month.

Subscribe for mentorship on leadership, resilience, performance, and professional development.

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