This presentation covers seven core tenets for life in a practical, performance-focused framework for coaches, physical educators, and health professionals. Grounded in psychological research, the session explores how emotional resilience, motivation, and personal growth directly influence athlete behavior, team culture, and overall performance. It challenges the misconception that struggle reflects weakness, emphasizing instead that emotional discomfort is a natural and necessary component of growth. Participants will examine how suppressing emotions can increase stress and negatively impact performance, while intentional emotional processing fosters resilience and well-being. The session also addresses the inconsistency of motivation, highlighting the importance of connecting effort to a deeper sense of purpose or “why.” Additional strategies include identifying effective recovery practices, managing stress in high-pressure environments, and learning to tolerate discomfort as part of development. By reframing stress and embracing intentional responses, attendees will gain practical tools to model mindset, effort, and energy, ultimately creating stronger, more confident individuals and more cohesive, high-performing teams.
An introduction to the National Academy of Health and Physical Literacy (The Academy). Who is a diverse, inclusive, member-driven organization advancing the dimensions of health and physical literacy through professional development, advocacy, mentoring, and applied research.
During this session, attendees with leave with strategies to address some of the tougher to teach topics such as mental health, stigmas and positive outlooks. Many of these topics 6-8 and 9-12 graders struggle with. Leave with lessons ready to teach on Monday.
When given multiple tools to assess health, people tend to choose the one that is most familiar, fastest, or easiest to interpret. Relying solely on weight can overshadow other important indicators of health, such as body composition, cardiovascular function, and muscular development. Understanding this preference, even when other tools are available, matters for both educators and fitness professionals. This study used naturalistic observation to assess gym-goers' usage of health and anthropometric assessment tools. Results indicated that while gym-goers initially showed interest in less commonly used assessment tools, they overwhelmingly used the scale. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
This presentation, Builders and Bulldozers, uses a simple elementary physical education game as a powerful metaphor to explore human behavior across personal, professional, and organizational contexts. The discussion examines how individuals alternate between “building” others up and “bulldozing” them, often influenced by stress, environment, and learned behavior. Drawing from performance and organizational psychology, the presenters highlight that bulldozing is not a reflection of character but a response to internal overload, unmet emotional needs, or reactive leadership patterns. In contrast, builders demonstrate emotional regulation, intentionality, and the ability to foster psychological safety, trust, and collaboration. The presentation further emphasizes the impact of internal dialogue, suggesting that self-bulldozing often precedes negative interactions with others, whereas self-building promotes resilience and growth. Practical strategies are provided to help individuals shift toward builder behaviors, including pausing before reacting, regulating emotions, validating others, and repairing interactions quickly. Through reflective prompts, listeners are encouraged to evaluate their own tendencies and consider how their actions influence others. Ultimately, the presentation underscores the power of choice in shaping environments and relationships, challenging individuals to intentionally build others up rather than tear them down.
