It can be really confusing to watch your child work hard in gymnastics and still struggle with injuries, low energy, or stalled progress. You see the effort. You know how much they love the sport. And yet something just does not seem to be clicking.

Many parents assume this is just part of gymnastics. That soreness, exhaustion, and constant setbacks are the price of training at a high level. When skills plateau or injuries keep coming back, it is easy to believe the answer is more grit or pushing through.

In this episode, we talk about a piece that is often overlooked. Nutrition. Both Taylor Krippner and Dr. Brittany Lapinski share how being under fueled affected their energy, power, recovery, and overall enjoyment of the sport. Taylor describes feeling hurt all the time, having no energy, and relying on talent alone just to get through training. Even though she loved gymnastics, it stopped being fun.

Dr. Brittany Lapinski reflects on growing up in a time when gymnasts often burned out young because their bodies were simply worn down. She shares her own experience of being under fueled and how it limited how far she was able to go in the sport. Not because of a lack of talent or effort, but because her body was not properly supported.

When athletes are not getting enough fuel, the body struggles to recover. Energy drops. Injuries become more common. Performance plateaus. Over time, athletes may start to feel frustrated, powerless, or disconnected from a sport they once loved. What looks like mental burnout often has a strong physical root.

The encouraging part of this conversation is that things are changing. There are more resources, more education, and more awareness now than ever before. When athletes are properly fueled and supported, they have a much better chance of staying healthy, enjoying the sport, and reaching their potential.

In this episode, you will hear
• How under fueling affects energy, power, and performance
• Why constant injuries are often a warning sign, not bad luck
• How nutrition plays a role in burnout and enjoyment of the sport
• Why today’s athletes have more opportunities for support than past generations

In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk with Taylor Krippner and Dr. Brittany Lapinski about how nutrition impacts performance in gymnastics and why fueling the body properly can make such a powerful difference in an athlete’s experience.

Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/

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Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

It can be really confusing to watch your child struggle in their sport when you are trying so hard to help. You care. You see how much it matters to them. So you encourage them, ask questions, and try to give advice that you think will help.

But sometimes, that help does not land the way you expect.

I talk to a lot of parents who feel stuck. They are doing everything they can to support their athlete, but their child seems more stressed, more frustrated, or less motivated. What feels like support to a parent can start to feel like pressure to the athlete.

In this episode, I explain why this happens. As kids get older, especially in their teen years, they start to separate from their parents. Even kind and calm comments can feel heavier than they used to. Athletes may start to worry about disappointing their parents, even when no one is saying anything negative.

When parents try harder to help, athletes often feel more pressure instead of less. That pressure can make it harder to enjoy the sport and harder to perform well. This does not mean parents are doing anything wrong. It just means the relationship changes as kids grow.

Athletes still need support, but not all of it can come from their parents. What parents can give is safety, calm, and love that does not change based on how a meet or game goes.

In this episode, you will hear
• Why helping more can sometimes make things worse
• How growing up changes what support feels like
• Why pressure can lower confidence
• What parents can do instead

In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk about why help can start to feel like pressure and how parents can support their athletes in a healthier way.

Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/

Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/

Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

Scores feel important in judged sports. They’re everywhere. On scoreboards, on social media, and in post-meet conversations. But the way we talk about scores can quietly shape how an athlete feels about themselves.

I see this all the time when I work with teams. After a meet, I ask athletes what they’re most proud of. At first, they’re ready to answer. Then I say they can’t talk about scores or places. Suddenly, it’s hard for them to think of anything. That’s how early athletes learn to measure their experience by outcomes they don’t control.

The problem is that scores start to feel like proof. Proof that the work was worth it. Proof that the money, time, and effort mattered. When the score isn’t what they hoped for, many athletes walk away feeling like they failed, even if they competed well.

I once heard a story about a gymnast with intense performance anxiety. She had been falling meet after meet. Then one day, she stayed on every event. For the first time, she hit four for four. She was proud just to get through the meet.

The first thing her mom said was, “Why am I paying so much money for you to get 14th place?”

In moments like that, kids don’t just hear disappointment about results. They hear something about their worth. They learn that effort only counts if the number is good. And that belief is a powerful driver of performance anxiety.

That’s why I tell parents something that can feel uncomfortable at first: don’t talk to your kid about scores. That’s not your role. Your job isn’t to help them gain tenths. Your job is to support what they actually control.

Praise resilience. Praise effort. Praise how they bounce back, stay focused, and keep showing up. Notice progress compared to their last meet, not someone else’s podium finish.

Those messages help athletes feel safe to compete, learn, and grow.

In this episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk about how to talk about scores in a way that protects your child’s confidence and helps reduce performance anxiety.

Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/

Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/

Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: rebecca@completeperformancecoaching.com

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com