Beyond The Pep Talk: Helping Parents know when to step in and when to step back.

Free online training for parents of athletes

  • Saturday, November 14, 2026

  • 5pm Vancouver/Pacific

  • 45-minute training plus Q&A

  • Online via Zoom

  • Can’t attend live? Register and we’ll email you the replay.

In this free online training, you’ll learn what’s happening in your kid’s brain and how to build steady confidence, emotional durability, and resilience under pressure.

When Your Athlete Gets in Their Head, How Can You Help?

A free webinar for parents

You know what your athlete can do. You’ve seen it in practice. But when the pressure is on, they second-guess themselves, hesitate or carry one mistake into the rest of the game.

You want to help. So you encourage, offer advice or remind them how good they are. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes you get an eye roll. And “just relax” tends to go about as well as you might expect.

Join me to understand what’s happening under pressure and learn practical ways to support your athlete at practice, during competition and on the car ride home.

You’ll leave knowing:

  • Why pressure changes how athletes perform, and why confidence can dip even when they’re working hard.

  • How to help them notice the thoughts that keep them stuck, so they can begin to shift their attention.

  • A simple reset to practice: a deep breath, a cue word and an action to bring them back to the next play.

  • What to say, when to step in and when to give them space, so your support doesn’t become one more thing to think about.

Whether your athlete is struggling or ready to level up, these are skills they can build. They don’t have to feel perfectly confident to perform well.

Meet Margaret

I’m Margaret Butler, founder of LEAP Mental Performance, a Certified Mental Performance Coach, educator, former Canadian national-team runner and sport parent. I know how much we want to help our athletes, and how hard it can be to figure out what they need when nerves, frustration or self-doubt show up.

I work with athletes to build practical skills for managing pressure, recovering from mistakes and trusting themselves in competition. In this training, I’ll help you understand what’s happening in those moments and give you useful ways to support your athlete, even when you can’t fix it for them.

  • “Before LEAP, pressure felt overwhelming and one mistake could throw everything off. Now she can manage her nerves, reset, and compete with a calmer, more confident mindset. She’s also much kinder to herself.”

    — Jenni, Parent of a 12-year-old free skier

  • “She’s enjoying her sport again and not as hard on herself. She moves through mistakes without everything falling apart and feels more like herself.”

    - Mum of 14 year old multi-sport athlete

  • “I’ve seen a real shift in how she handles tough moments. In games that weren’t going well, she stayed focused and kept going until the final buzzer. A few months earlier, she would have shut down. Seeing her stay in it has meant a lot.”

    Parent. of female Basketball athlete