After being injured and out for four months, former Olympic fencer Laurence Halstead was unsure if he would be able to qualify. A sports psychologist helped him see that if he was giving his best effort in a performance, he didn't need to beat himself up if he made mistakes.
This was a breakthrough for Laurence, who had always been incredibly hard on himself and struggled to get over a bad loss or mistake. He had thought that being hard on himself was what had helped him get to the elite level, but the psychologist helped him shift to a more self-compassionate mindset, so he could find more joy and freedom in his performance.
As a result of this Laurence saw how sport could be a force for good in the world and is now a leader in his own right working as the Director of Mentoring with the True Athlete Project and working directly with leaders.
