Brendan Dinsdale
Certified Mental Performance Consultant
Client focus: Young adults, teens (16+), adults, coaches, teams, high performance athletes
Common Concerns: Mental performance, confidence, goal setting, coach development, focus, self-care, self-awareness, motivation, self-talk, optimizing practice, leadership, resilience, managing stress, performing under pressure, time management.
Areas of Practice: Mental Performance
I firmly believe that every person can live a fulfilling life. Through mental performance work, I help performers of all kinds find ways to optimize the mental side of their pursuits to find fulfillment more regularly. When working with clients, my priority is to meet them wherever they are, through the good and bad performances. A core goal of my work is to help broaden my clients’ self-awareness so they can be more aware of their thoughts, feelings, actions, and sensations.
I am currently a professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association. Further, I have a Master of Human Kinetics in Intervention and Consultation from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from McGill University. I grew up competing in badminton, which kickstarted my interest in the mental side of performance. Seeing athletes falter at competitions despite their high levels in practice was an enigma I was keen to solve. Additionally, experiencing burnout from the sport later in my career furthered my interest in helping performers find sustainable pathways to long-term performance.
I have experience supporting athletes at all levels of sport, from weekend warriors to the national/international level. I have helped athletes in sports such as track and field, curling, marathon running, ultramarathon running, cyclocross, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, and many more. In many of these contexts, I have also helped develop coaches to support themselves and the athletes better.
Throughout my work, I help clients develop many skills depending on their unique needs. However, some common themes are self-reflection, self-care, clear and relevant goals, psychological resilience, and planning for performance. Core to my practice is the idea that interventions are a co-creation process between myself and the client so that we can find something that works for their specific situation.
Performance interests: I love playing beach volleyball, rock climbing, and running. Music is another passion of mine as I find it a huge inspiration for the creative side of my work.