Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Detling.
Hi Nicole, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As a college athlete, I was double-majoring in sports science and psychology. I loved parts of both fields, but couldn’t decide which one to focus on. In my junior year, my dad called and said, “Did you know there is a field called sports psychology?” I had no idea. I spent a lot of time in the library after that and learned as much as I could. Through that research, I realized I was my own biggest enemy. I was the reason I wasn’t playing to my potential. So, I changed the way I was thinking on the basketball court and on the track.
The athletic difference between my junior and senior years was phenomenal (I was not a phenomenal athlete, but the difference in how I played was significant). I was hooked. So I went on to get my master’s and subsequently my Ph.D. I began my business in 1998 and have been going strong since then. My focus is on helping people think right so they can become the best version of themselves. Our minds are incredibly powerful and can propel us to higher levels of performance or hold us back from achieving our goals. Now, 25 years into my career, I’ve been blessed to have worked with so many athletes, businesses, and professionals from many industries.
I’ve been to multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games as part of Team USA and have now worked with 41 different athletes who have come home from those Games as medalists. I’ve worked with Real Salt Lake (MLS; 1st team, 2nd team), the Utah Royals (NWSL), and the Utah Warriors (MLR). I spent 7 years working with all the teams at the University of Utah. Throughout. my career, I have worked with athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, and MMA as well as professional rock climbers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and musicians. I have even had the pleasure of working with dancers at Ballet West. And I have loved every minute of working with high school kids.
My company, HeadStrong Consulting, now has 9 coaches who work with athletes and performers all over the world. I currently work with a cybersecurity company, ReliaQuest, and am contracted with several federal government agencies to equip leaders with the mindset skills to perform at their best.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We all want a smooth road, but it never works out that way. What we do is seen as desirable so many people want to do what we do. That means there is always someone (and sometimes multiple people) out there trying to take your job. Also, because we are in sports, there isn’t much (if any) security. The team we are with can win the championship and everyone gets fired the next day.
Or a new administration comes in and they want to bring their own people, which leaves us out of a job. The pandemic was also interesting. It had never occurred to me that we wouldn’t have clients – because sports weren’t happening. So we pivoted quickly and were able to get through fairly well. Building and sustaining a business is very challenging, but we certainly have the right mindset to get it done!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Many people mistakenly think we provide mental health services for athletes. What we ACTUALLY do, is teach mental toughness skills. So think of anything mental that might impact your performance (e.g., confidence, composure, concentration, dealing with adversity, managing failure) and that is what we teach. Our philosophy is “meet them where they are, take them where they want to be”. Our whole goal is to work ourselves out of a job. We want you to become so mentally tough that you do not need us. As such, we do not have a “one size fits all”; rather, we personalize and individualize for each person or team that we see.
We also offer a free first session so you can determine if we are the right fit for you. Also, we charge per session, not per hour. If your session goes over the typical 50 minutes, you are not charged extra. We want you to get what you came for. Finally, we do not charge for quick communications between sessions. You can always text your coach between sessions to get more details or clarification on what you might be working on. We truly want to help you achieve your goals! If you’re curious and want to hear more, you can check out our podcast: Becoming HeadStrong.
What are your plans for the future?
We look forward to having an impact on as many people as we can; in any and every performance endeavor. We do have some pretty exciting plans for our future. We will be providing courses on select topics that you can purchase and work through at your own pace.
Our first course on “Mental Toughness with Injury” was launched in September 2023. We also provide VIP programs where you can get additional content. We announce all of our exciting plans on our social media platforms. You can follow us @headstrongteam on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (Twitter), and Threads; we are under HeadStrong Consulting on Facebook.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HeadStrongConsulting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/headstrongteam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadStrongConsulting/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/headstrongteam
- Other: https://becomingheadstrong.libsyn.com/
