Unlocking Leadership and Self-Awareness in Sports: Lessons from Savvy Simo and Human Design for Athletes
Jan 17, 2025
In this #FlashbackFriday episode of What I Meant to Say with Wendy Jones, Savvy Simo reflects on her journey as a UCLA indoor and beach volleyball player, her transition into professional beach volleyball, and the valuable lessons she’s learned about resilience, leadership, and authenticity. Athlete burnout, a complex condition resulting from emotional and physical stress, is also a critical aspect of resilience and leadership, highlighting the importance of recognizing and managing it effectively. Beyond the surface, Savvy’s experiences offer profound insights that align with the principles of Human Design—a tool that empowers athletes, parents, and coaches to unlock their unique strengths and foster healthier, more effective relationships.
Savvy Simo’s Journey: From UCLA to Professional Beach Volleyball as a Female Athlete
Savvy’s story is one of growth, humility, and finding balance. After an impressive collegiate career, her first year as a professional solidified her reputation as a tenacious competitor. Yet, it’s her ability to be transparent about challenges, including navigating anxiety, chronic stress, and setbacks, that makes her journey so relatable.
Here are some key takeaways from Savvy’s experiences:
- The Role of Parenting Styles (3:03): Parenting approaches often mirror how one was raised, shaping how athletes perceive and respond to pressure.
- Team Chemistry and Communication (3:53, 4:33, 5:36): The importance of building strong interpersonal relationships for optimal performance.
- Leadership Beyond the Spotlight (14:28, 14:50): Redefining leadership as effort and attitude rather than status or playing time.
- Mental Health and Self-Care (33:09): Treating mental health with the same care as physical health for long-term success. Sports anxiety is another significant challenge athletes like Savvy face, particularly in high-pressure situations. Recognizing its mental and physical signs and employing coping strategies, such as meditation, is crucial for maintaining sustainable high performance and mental health.
Understanding Sports Performance Anxiety
Sports performance anxiety, also known as competitive anxiety, is a common phenomenon experienced by athletes across various sports and levels of competition. It is characterized by feelings of nervousness, apprehension, and fear of failure, which can negatively impact an athlete’s performance. Understanding sports performance anxiety is crucial for athletes, coaches, and sports psychologists to develop effective strategies for managing and overcoming it.
Sports performance anxiety can manifest physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physical symptoms may include rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, and nausea. Mentally, athletes might experience negative self-talk, self-doubt, and an overwhelming fear of failure. Emotionally, this anxiety can lead to feelings of frustration, anger, and heightened anxiety. These symptoms can vary in intensity and impact an athlete’s performance differently.
Research has shown that sports performance anxiety can be influenced by various factors, including personality traits, past experiences, and situational factors. For instance, athletes with a perfectionistic personality may be more prone to sports performance anxiety. Additionally, those who have faced past failures or setbacks may find themselves more anxious in similar situations. Recognizing these triggers and symptoms is the first step towards managing sports performance anxiety effectively. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a tool that shows us some of these susceptibilities, as well as the tools to cope and overcome them? Human Design does this!
Top Quotes from Savvy Simo on Positive Self Talk
“I want to be the most flexible partner… emotionally and mentally I want to be able to communicate with them.”
“I think that when people imagine a leader, they imagine the captain… but you can lead by example in the weight room or on the bench.”
“There is more to life than sports, and if you’re not feeling it, you have to take time to heal.”
“Sports coaches play a crucial role in supporting athletes' mental health and leadership development. They not only serve as gatekeepers for their athletes' mental wellbeing but also face similar mental health challenges themselves.”
“As long as I have a good attitude and play because I love it, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
The Role of Self-Awareness in Sports Performance
Self-awareness is a critical component of sports performance, as it enables athletes to understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how they impact their performance. Self-awareness involves recognizing one’s strengths, weaknesses, values, and goals, as well as being aware of one’s emotions, motivations, and thought patterns.
By developing self-awareness, athletes can identify their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to focus on areas that need improvement. This understanding fosters a growth mindset, essential for overcoming obstacles and achieving success. Moreover, self-awareness helps athletes manage their emotions and thoughts, reducing anxiety and improving focus during competition.
Coaches and sports psychologists play a vital role in helping athletes develop self-awareness through techniques such as journaling, self-reflection, and feedback. Athletes can also enhance their self-awareness by paying close attention to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during both practice and competition. Additionally, we now have the Alchemy for Athletes and Coaches program that uses Human Design as a self-awareness tool for this level of growth and development. This ongoing process of self-discovery and reflection is key to achieving better performance and mental well-being.
Integrating Human Design into Coaching and Athletic Performance
Savvy’s experiences naturally align with the Human Design framework, which helps individuals understand their energy flow, decision-making process, and interpersonal dynamics. Here’s how Human Design insights can deepen the lessons shared in this episode:
Parenting and Athlete Support
- Human Design Insight #1: Parents and coaches can use Human Design to understand their own, as well as their athletes’, unique energy and authority, helping them provide personalized support that fosters growth and aligned decision-making, rather than stress. Understanding perceived stress in young athletes is crucial, as it can significantly impact their performance and overall well-being.
Team Dynamics and Communication
- Human Design Insight #2: Understanding energy types, profiles, and defined vs. undefined centers can enhance team chemistry. For example, a Projector’s natural ability to guide complements a Generator’s consistent energy.
Leadership Styles
- Human Design Insight #3: Leaders come in many forms. A Manifesting Generator may inspire through action, while a Reflector may lead by offering profound insights. Recognizing these differences helps cultivate diverse leadership styles within teams.
Balance and Self-Care
- Human Design Insight #4: Each energy type has distinct needs for rest and recovery. Coaches who honor these cycles are more successful and avoid burnout. They can model this to help their athletes also avoid burnout and perform at their best both on and off the court. It is especially important to address the specific needs of young athletes to prevent burnout and ensure healthy sports participation.
Authenticity and Alignment
- Human Design Insight #5: Playing from a place of authenticity aligns with one’s Design, enhancing performance and joy. This mirrors Savvy’s philosophy of playing for love rather than pressure.
Why Human Design Matters in Coaching and Sports Performance Anxiety
Human Design offers a unique roadmap for fostering self-awareness, resilience, and alignment. When applied to sports, it helps coaches and parents:
- Tailor training and communication to each athlete’s strengths. Understanding anxiety disorders can help tailor training and communication to better support athletes in high-stress scenarios.
- Create environments where athletes feel seen and valued. Recognizing the role of physical arousal in performance can help create environments that support mental health.
- Build team cultures that prioritize mental health and connection.
As Savvy’s journey demonstrates, success isn’t just about skill—it’s about embracing the process, leading authentically, and finding balance on and off the court.
Building Resilience and Confidence
Building resilience and confidence is essential for athletes to overcome sports performance anxiety and achieve success. Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from setbacks, failures, and adversity, while confidence refers to the belief in one’s abilities and potential.
Athletes can build resilience and confidence through various strategies, such as positive self-talk, visualization, and goal-setting. Positive self-talk involves using affirmations and positive statements to boost confidence and motivation. Visualization entails imagining oneself performing well and achieving success, creating a mental blueprint for actual performance. Goal-setting involves establishing specific, achievable goals that help build confidence and motivation.
Coaches and sports psychologists can also help athletes build resilience and confidence by providing feedback, support, and guidance. Athletes can further develop these qualities by learning from their mistakes, focusing on their strengths, and maintaining a growth mindset. By fostering resilience and confidence, athletes can better navigate the challenges of competition and achieve their full potential.
In conclusion, understanding sports performance anxiety, developing self-awareness, and building resilience and confidence are essential for athletes to overcome anxiety and achieve success. By recognizing the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of sports performance anxiety, athletes can develop effective strategies for managing and overcoming it. By developing self-awareness, athletes can better understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how they impact their performance. By building resilience and confidence, athletes can overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Final Thoughts
Savvy Simo’s story is a powerful reminder that sports are more than competition; they’re a journey of self-discovery and growth. By integrating Human Design into coaching practices, we can nurture not just better athletes but healthier, more fulfilled individuals. Understanding athletic performance can lead to healthier, more fulfilled athletes.
Ready to explore how Human Design can alchemize your approach to sports and life? Start your journey today with a free discovery call and specific insights tailored to your unique Design.
Interested in learning more about Human Design for athletes, parents, and coaches? Follow @coachashleyc on Instagram for this What I Meant to Say series and more!
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