Mindset Mentors: Young, elite sportspeople helping students be their very best

Available for face to face or live and interactive online delivery

Please note you are currently on our Secondary Schools Page. Details on our Primary Schools Mindset Mentors Junior programs will be available soon.

About Mindset Mentors

At Felstead Education we are committed to helping students become the very best they can be.

We believe that with a positive attitude, the right mindset and a willingness to grow through challenges, students can achieve anything!

That’s why we created our Mindset Mentors program.

To help students build the life skills, growth mindset, mental strength and character they need to become the very best version of themselves they can be.

And who better to teach these skills than young elite athletes – people who have benefited from the very best mental and physical training, have unique personal stories to tell, who are looked up to and respected by students, and who are keen to give back, and share their learnings.

Why choose Mindset Mentors?

Our Mindset Mentors programs combine Felstead Education’s 30 years of experience in program delivery for students with the latest pedagogy around growth mindset and student wellbeing with the vibrancy and appeal of young professional athletes. Our seminars and resources can help students to: 

  • Choose the right attitude in any given situation

  • Learn to respond rather than react to problems and challenges

  • Build a growth mindset

  • Cope with stress and perform at their best under exam pressure

  • See failure, mistakes and challenges as opportunities for learning

  • Build character through gratitude, persistence and kindness

  • Set and achieve meaningful goals

  • And much more

What programs are available?

We offer five separate programs, each approximately 50 minutes in duration. They can be taken as individual stand alone sessions, or as a complete package delivered across multiple sessions. The programs include:

  • Attitude is Everything: Building a Growth Mindset as a key to success and personal development

  • The Well Trained Mind: Meditation and Mindfulness focusing on the needs of high school students

  • Thank You: Harnessing the power of gratitude in everyday life

  • Being Your Very Best: The importance of setting meaningful personal goals and maintaining quality nutrition, exercise and sleep to help students be their best

  • Towards the Finals: Exam success and beyond

All programs include follow on resources and / or support material to help students embed their learning and put that learning into practice.

Further details on each program can be found below:

Program One: Attitude is Everything

Having a positive attitude, self belief, resilience and the capacity to grow from setbacks, challenges and failures are essential characteristics for  successful athletes. They are also essential character traits for successful students.

During this program students will learn how to:

  • Build a positive, resilient mental attitude

  • Choose how to respond, rather than react, to challenges and setbacks

  • Focus on effort and work rate, rather than fixed perceptions about ability

  • Become persistent, life long learners

  • See mistakes and failures as opportunities for growth

  • Cope better with exams and high pressure situations

Program Two: The Well Trained Mind: Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation and Mindfulness are powerful tools used by an ever increasing number of professional athletes to help them manage stress while also propelling them towards achieving on field success.

These same skills can be readily learned and utilised by students to help them stay calm, boost academic performance and be kind while striving for their personal best.

During this program students will learn:

  • The basic principles of meditation and mindfulness

  • A range of mindfulness techniques that are easy to learn and simple to practice

  • How mindfulness can be used to deal with the challenges of school life including interpersonal relationships, high stress levels and exam anxiety

  • The neuroscience behind how mindfulness and meditation can boost academic performance

  • How to use meditation and mindfulness practice on an ongoing basis

Program Three: Thank You: The power of gratitude.

No matter what stage of life you are at, or what field of endeavour you are pursuing, developing a sense of gratitude and appreciation for all of the good in your life can help you to be a happier, calmer and kinder person.

Gratitude is a key ingredient that can help athletes and students alike to be better versions of themselves as they navigate the journeys of their lives.

During this program students will learn:

  • The importance and power of gratitude

  • How to focus on gratitude and choose grateful responses

  • How gratitude can help keep perspective during difficult times

  • How to use journaling techniques to help build and enhance gratitude

Program Four: Being Your Very Best

Elite sportspeople know that to achieve the success they want, they need to have clear and meaningful goals, a sense of purpose and the ability to manage precious time efficiently and effectively.

The also know the importance of quality nutrition, sleep and of course physical conditioning to their ultimate success.

The parallels for students are strong – having a personal mission statement and a commitment to physical health will provide enormous benefits to students during senior school and beyond.

During this program students will learn:

  • How to develop a personal mission statement including clear and achievable goals

  • Time and energy management skills

  • Understand the vital role sleep plays in boosting academic performance and protecting mental health

  • Understand the impact of nutritional choices on academic performance, energy levels and their ability to cope with stress

  • Understand how aerobic exercise can improve academic performance and protect their mental health

  • Develop a personal health plan that they can easily maintain amidst the rigours and demands of their busy schedules.

Program Five: Towards the Finals: Exam success and beyond

There are strong parallels between the challenges students face in dealing with exams and the challenges that athletes face in performing at their best during their ‘finals’.

Be it a grand final, an Olympic final, or simply trying to achieve a Personal Best athletes train hard, make sacrifices, and are taught how to perform by expert coaches. They then have to deliver their best performances in high pressure, high stakes situations – just like students do when it comes to exams.

During this program students will learn:

  • To focus on the process, rather than the outcome, during exams

  • How to stay calm and relaxed in high pressure situations

  • How to deliver peak performance when it matters most

  • To see exams as part of a journey, rather than an end point

  • How to persist and succeed if things don’t turn out as planned

Practical information

These programs are designed for high school students.

Tailored versions are available for different year levels, including our specialised Year 11 and 12 programs.

They are suitable for a whole year level cohort, but can also be run in small groups.

Each program runs for approximately 50 minutes (one lesson period) and is supported by follow on resources to embed learning.

We prefer face to face delivery, but with ongoing COVID restrictions have online versions available.

Our programs can be taken individually, or as part of a multi session program run over multiple days.

The sessions are a perfect way to start the year, make a great keynote address or are ideal for school camps and retreats.

We are happy to tailor a program to your needs  and we also offer parent and staff sessions to further share the learning. 

Contact us today to discuss your needs and see how Mindset Mentors can make a powerful positive difference in the lives of your students.