Building Resilience in Young Athletes: A Guide for Hockey Parents

Hello! Welcome to the Monkey Mind Newsletter, where we provide you with the tools to be a more successful and resilient athlete and human. 

TOPIC
Building Resilience in Young Athletes: A Guide for Hockey Parents

We’re excited to spotlight an incredible piece featured in USA Hockey Magazine from two of Monkey Mind’s trusted providers: Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D. (clinical psychologist, parent of a college athlete, and co-founder of The CAP Project) and Maureen Breeze (executive coach, parent of a college athlete, and co-founder of The CAP Project). Their article, “Building Resilience in Young Athletes: A Guide for Hockey Parents,” offers practical, research-backed strategies to help parents better support their kids through the inevitable setbacks, frustrations, and emotional highs and lows of competitive sport.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Why failure and frustration are essential ingredients for athlete growth

• How to avoid unhelpful instincts like over-reassuring or rescuing

• Six proven strategies to build resilience (like skillful listening, emotional regulation, and seeing the big picture)

• How hockey parents can help raise confident, adaptable young adults—on and off the ice

“The long-term goal is to raise a resilient, adaptable young adult who can handle life’s inevitable challenges.”

Read the article here: http://touchpointmedia.uberflip.com/i/1535661-may-2025-digital-exclusive/19?

If you’re a coach or parent looking to create a healthier, more developmentally aligned hockey experience, this article is a must-read.

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To receive a copy of Playing the Long Game: A Handbook for Parenting Elite and College Athletes by Maureen Breeze (Author), Dr. Suzanne Schimmel (Author), click here: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Long-Game-Handbook-Parenting/dp/B0BGB8NCT4 

Learn more about The CAP Project and the work Sue & Maureen are doing at https://monkeymindathletes.com/capproject

CONTRIBUTORS
About Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D. & Maureen Breeze

Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D.

Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D. received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Yale University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University. She has a private practice in Denver, Colorado, working with athletes at the collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels. Within that domain, Sue focuses on mental health issues, retirement from sport and addictions treatment. She has been consulting to a Division I men’s sports team since 2017. More recently, she helped create programming for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee mental health team for the transition out of sport. Sue has produced informational videos on relationship issues for the health and wellness committee of the National Hockey League Players Association, and has provided therapy for athletes from the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer for over 15 years. Sue is also the parent of a college athlete.

Maureen Breeze

Maureen Breeze is the principal at Cultivage, an executive coaching and corporate training company, and the co-founder of Retreat Reinvent Recharge, an international organization that supports women’s career advancement. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s Center for Professional Development teaching business leaders some of the strategies discussed in this book. Prior to this work, Maureen served as the Senior V.P. for LifeBound, an education consulting firm, where she developed academic coaching programs to help universities and colleges support students’ success. She presented her methodology at conferences throughout the U.S. and in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, China, and Mexico. Maureen’s first career was as a dancer and choreographer, and she continues to coach dancers launching their professional careers. She received her undergraduate degree in International Management and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College, and studied dance performance & choreography in graduate school at U.C.L.A. Maureen is also the parent of a collegiate athlete.

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