Back from WAO in Belgium...

Well that was a fun trip!

Always good to watch my clients getting stronger and not only coping with pressure (and it doesn't get any more pressured than a World Championships, eh?!)- but more than that they were actually ENJOYING it and attacking it- WHOO HOO!! Excellent stuff- so kudos to each and every one!

I also had the chance to connect with folks from other countries about me coming to several different international venues, so keep your ear to the ground in your region. Numbers are always limited so you'll need to be ready to jump on it when notices go out, but as always you can contact me directly and if I can fit in a private booking for you or indeed for your club, I'll be only too happy to.

At the minute August is looking like a mostly-England month after the N. Ireland hosted camp and unaffiliated show. I've not opened registration for sessions at KC International Festival or DINAS yet, but when they DO open, there will only be a very limited number of sessions available. Registration will be online and I'll let you know here and on www.mindtowin.co.uk closer to the time.

I'm also going to be off to west coast USA in September, so contact me if you're interested in bookings while I'm there. At the minute the plan is to be in Washington followed by a couple of days in Northern California, but I'm open to adding club bookings to the itinerary, so contact me today!

Second August Confidence Camp... this time in the Midlands!

Yes it’s true. Not content with having a ton of fun and working with handlers in the gorgeous setting of The Patch, N. Ireland, there’s now a second Mind to Win Confidence Camp to be had in August! This one will be in Riddings, Derbyshire at a new venue for me- it looks absolutely gorgeous and perfect for helping you move from where you’re at mentally in competition… to where you want to get to!

Friday 25- Sat 26th August, 2012

As usual numbers are limited so that you get individually tailored help, and not only am I offering an early bird special for this Confidence Camp to celebrate our new venue, but there’s also the chance to do ‘Confidence Camp PLUS’ where you’ll get a 50 minute session one-one-one with me in the days leading up to Camp, to optimise your camp experience and tailor our work together even more!

This is a great opportunity to make a difference to how you compete- not just with your current dogs, but for every dog that you compete with in future!

Register today HERE!

Confidence Camp & Unaffiliated Show

Confidence Camp on Fri 3- Sat4 Aug 2012 @ The Patch,  Comber, N.I., is a chance to spend a weekend focusing on your mental approach to competition. It will be a LOT of fun, and, having heard and seen over the past year the difference it has made in some handlers' results and attitudes (and non-agility lives, apparently!), it WORKS.

Give yourself and your dog a treat. Bookings are limited as always to ensure individual tailoring of our time together. See the flyer and get the registration form HERE.

As if 2 days were not enough, why not make a whole weekend of it- after all, Confidence Camp includes free camping!

Enter the Mind to Win show on Sunday 5th August and continue practicing what you've been learning as you start the business of transfering it from training to competition! Not only is it already cheap to enter (only £2/run), but if you're attending both days of camp, you'll enjoy an entry fee cap of just £8, regardless of how many classes or dogs you enter! (Non-camp attendees' entry fees are also capped, at £18).

Show schedule and entry form available HERE.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Breaking News!

Mind to Win Summer Camp is on! On Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th August, here's a way to kick-start your Mind to Win journey! Get personalised help, hints, tips and individually tailored insights into how you can get over your mental hurdles and achieve your goals. Following camp, there will then be an unaffiliated show on Sunday 5th August which will give you the chance to practice what you've learned. FREE camping will be included in the cost of camp. Watch this space for more!

How can I help?

Have you ever wanted to do a Mind to Win event and haven't made it to one yet? What would help you? Online courses? Easter/summer/snow camps? If I were at your club's show, what would you like from me? How can I help YOU reach YOUR goals? Give me your ideas either below or email me mindtowin@gmail.com... Prizes for the best ideas!

What a weekend at Badshot Lea!!!

There'll be more on this to follow as I take time to reflect and get time to post some of the feedback, but let's start now by saying that it was a fantastic weekend, absolutely full to bursting (and some!) and the best bit was that everyone took part to the extent that they felt comfortable and I got, once more, the privilege of them achieving what they'd told me at the beginning of the 2 hour Confidence Clinic that they couldn't. I have HUGE respect for everyone who has the courage to even turn up to a Mind to Win event, and the folks who came to Badshot Lea this weekend showed up, worked hard, laughed hard, froze their butts off and most importantly each got evidence that they CAN do it, can achieve their goals and now have some new tools to use in doing just that... They also now have their fellow competitors to help them, make them laugh, call them out etc. as they all continue to develop their mind to win. Thanks to everyone who came out and took it all on board so well, you lot were a total pleasure and I look forward to working with some of you again very soon! Here's to kicking problems' butts!! (and the funny 2 word emails I anticipate getting ;) ) To book YOUR Mind to Win weekend or a one to one session, call 02895 811402 or email mindtowin@gmail.com

Mind to Win this weekend!

Hi folks-

for all of you coming to the Mind to Win Weekend in Surrey/Hants from tomorrow evening: please bring a pen, paper and your sense of humour! You will NOT need your dog for tomorrow night, but you WILL need a dog to work in Confidence Clinic on Saturday.

I can't wait to get working with you all, this is going to be FUN!!

Goodbye Bulgaria and Nottingham, hello Surrey/Hants and N. Ireland!

What a FUN start to 2012!! I managed to fit in some fantastic snowboarding in Bulgaria last week and was struck again by how much confidence- and what's going on in your head- plays a part in what you achieve! There's definitely something to be said for white-out conditions: when you're heading up on the gondola and you can't see the runs, you can't see how steep they are and psyche yourself out! You also aren't standing at the bottom of them and contemplating how sharp the angles look! Instead, if you're like me, you've just got the word of someone you trust that you can do it (my beloved had already been down this particular black run) and so you set off to enjoy it... I might add that that particular run became one of my favourites :) Only on the last day did the skies clear so we could see what we'd actually been coming down in all its glory- and it was fearsome... but we'd DONE it, so our perspective was one of success and enjoyment, rather than being focused on whether we'd have received top marks for artistic merit!!

When we compete, perhaps we'd do well to remember that we went for it and that even if we land on our butt on one run, there'll always be more runs and chances to get it right. And the journey itself can be exquisitely beautiful if we intentionally notice it as we go... I hope 2012 is the year when the views along the way blow your mind with their brilliance.

If we haven't worked together yet, let me encourage you. On the events page you'll find a few dates coming up in N. Ireland that are open for bookings and I'm also regularly back and forth to Nottingham so if you're in that area, get in touch for dates there too. I'll be in Surrey/Hants at the end of this month but my time there is PACKED to the rafters (with a waiting list), so I'm sorry I've no room there on this occasion. As ever though, get in touch and let's see what we can make work for you. Even if I don't have an event coming up in your area, we can always work over Skype.

Make 2012 your year to achieve your dreams!

Happy Christmas from Mind to Win!

To celebrate Christmas, I'm offering you £5 off every single service you book and pay for before 26th December! Whether it's Confidence Clinics, one-to-ones or a skype webchat, book and pay for your 2012 Mind to Win services and receive your Christmas discount!

Book today and commit to making 2012 count!

Bookings must be made and paid for by 26/12/11. 
Dates of all bookings must be in 2012.This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.

Loving the Midlands!

Well I'm just back from Nottingham which was a GREAT experience! I'll be back again in December too, so if you missed out this time and want to join in next month, get in touch! And if there's nothing public in your area soon, why not gather a few friends and organise a weekend of your own?

If you want to improve your Mind to Win, then I'l do my best to help you! Email me at mindtowin@gmail.com today!

New clients, new venues...

Sooo what's new in the world of Mind to Win?

Well, new people are coming on board to work on their Mind to Win and the interest is from folks in different places and with differing levels of technical expertise and experience- VERY exciting stuff!

A group of rock stars in N. Ireland just finished a series of Clinics and what blew me away at the last [video] Clinic we had, was how different they all sounded from when we'd started out. As a therapist, I think there are few things more satisfying than when clients not only start getting where they want to go, but- even better- can see how far they've come and celebrate that! Fantastic work and a ton of credit to the trusty band of handlers who've been determined to improve their competitive mental strength for their dogs' sake, never mind their own!

As we hurtle ever closer to winter, it looks like I'll be doing more Clinics in Nottinghamshire so if you're within travelling distance and want to jump in on any that are being organised (and, duh, have free spaces), then please "follow me" to hear about it there first.

As for N. Ireland, there'll be another video night/Clinic coming up in the next couple of months and a "For your Dog's Sake" Clinic at The Patch (Ballyrainey Rd, Comber) so I'll get the dates of those up here as soon as they're finalised.

Follow me to stay in the loop!

Mind to Win in Agility Voice

Have you got yours yet? The first in the series of Mind to Win articles is now available in Agility Voice. The series will give you a little taster of what's involved in having a Mind to Win- complete with exercises for you to take away and work on each month.


When you have an "aha" moment or you successfully implement a new strategy, I'd love to hear about it! Email me at mindtowin@gmail.com.

Obviously if you want to learn more or work with me personally, you can also email me to arrange bookings.

Enjoy!

(Insider info: next month's article is all about you and how the words you say/think impact your performance, so don't miss out!)

Winter League Mini Confidence Clinic: POSTPONED

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the mini Confidence Clinic planned for this weekend at The Patch is postponed. A new date will be arranged in due course, never fear!

Mini Confidence Clinic for new competitors

In N. Ireland, the All Ireland Winter League is fast approaching and no doubt there's a fresh crop of new handlers getting ready to make their competitive debut at it. If you're one of them (or if you train people who are), here's an opportunity to practice under competition conditions whilst getting some help with any areas of nervousness or stress, PRIOR to competing.

We all know that "prevention is better than cure", so take this chance to make sure that your first competitive experiences are really good ones (even if they include spectacular eliminations- perhaps even because they do!)

Saturday October 15th 2011 from 2-4pm at The Patch, Ballyrainey Rd, Comber is where the Winter League is held. Come and take part in a fun competition (with gorgeous rosettes, of course), gain hints and tips and get a feel for what it's like to compete against other starter handlers like yourself.

Cost for this mini Confidence Clinic is just £15 so sign up today by calling 02895 811402 or email mindtowin@gmail.com

New: Training trainers

Want to develop your skills as a trainer? You may be technically brilliant, but are your trainees confident and competition ready?

This service is offered to help you proactively encourage a Mind to Win in your trainees. You can creatively help develop the mental strength of your trainees. As you develop each of them, they will help each other and you will find that as a club you become stronger and more pressure-proofed. As a trainer, your role is key and I'd love to help you make your club stronger!

See services and price list page for more details!

Registration open for September Mind to Win Seminar & Confidence Clinic @ The Patch

Registration is now open for:

Friday 16th Sept-  Mind to Win Introductory Seminar 7-9.30pm  (£30)
Sunday 18th Sept- First-time Confidence Clinic 9.30-12.30pm  (£60  £40)

**Special offer: attend both for £60! (normal price £90)**

Saturday 15th Oct- Winter League Mini Confidence Clinic  2-4pm (£15)
This mini Confidence Clinic is intended for new competitors hoping to enter Winter League 2011/12 for the first time. 

To register for any of the above, simply email mindtowin@gmail.com or call 02895 811402

Sun 18th Sept. Confidence Clinic is FULL

The following Confidence Clinic is full and a waiting list is now open:

Sun 18th Sept., 2-4pm: Life memberships and getting it together FULL


The August Confidence Clinics at The Patch also only have one space each left, so if you haven't already signed up, get on it quickly or miss out!

First Mind to Win Weekend held in N. Ireland

The first Mind to Win weekend in N. Ireland was held this past weekend and it was my great pleasure to work with the fun crew who turned out to take part. There were definitely some "aha" moments and a really supportive atmosphere. And the weather even stayed nice- even warm and sunny for Confidence Clinics on the Saturday!

The feedback off participants was amazing and as soon as my brain comes back to earth from the high it's been on since, I'll get some of the comments up there for you to see. Mind to Win WORKS.

Of course, it's all kept confidential for my clients' privacy, but let's just say that you'll know as time goes on and as they change. Already it's been my privilege to watch them win more and enjoy their agility better and I don't think any of this lot are going to be slowing down any time soon!

Thanks N. Ireland crew... you know who you are and you ROCKED it!

Future follow-up clinic dates @ The Patch

For those who are taking part in this weekend's Mind to Win Weekend at The Patch, Comber, N. Ireland and those who've previously taken part in Mind to Win/Confidence Clinic courses, there are now follow-up dates for you to continue your journey.

By request, some of you wanted Confidence Clinics during the competitive season, so here you go!

Sun 7th Aug, 2-4pm: Confidence Clinic (+ Body awareness/relaxation focus)

Sun 28th Aug, 2-4pm: Confidence Clinic (+ What other people think focus)

Sun 18th Sept, 2-4pm: Confidence Clinic (putting it all together/ re-membering focus) FULL

Fri 7th Oct, 7.00-9.00: Video Clinic

As you'd expect, the principles of MTW don't change, and there will always be the individually tailored focus on where YOU are at. The extended focus is to add what you might call pieces to the puzzle as your journey progresses and as you are ready to add new strengths and awareness.

Numbers are capped for all Confidence Clinics and registration for the above dates is now open.

If these dates don't suit you, please contact me for bookings at your club/training facility! Bookings are now being taken for Autumn/Winter 2011 and Spring 2012.

More spaces now open for Mind to Win Weekend, 8th/9th July @ The Patch

The initial places on this weekend are full, so I'm pleased to announce that a limited number of extra places have now opened up in a second half-day Confidence Clinic on Saturday 9th July at The Patch, Ballyrainey Road, Comber.

To register, please email mindtowin@gmail.com today!