Performance psychologist Mia Stellberg works with some of the finest teams in esports, having made the transition from Olympic sport back in 2016.

She explains that the parallels between both performance domains in terms of the psychological demands are manifold, from the relative immaturity of young performers to the stress and self-esteem issues that come with the constant need to perform and win.

In this edition, Stellberg draws out the lessons for those working in traditional sports by:

- Discussing the how the psychologist plays a vital role in educating esport coaches around human relations [6:20];

- Suggesting some practical ways that coaches can work with athletes who come into the academies of sport far earlier than those who embark upon careers in esports [12:40];

- Describing how the psychologist can be embedded in the team, on occasion as the 'good cop' to the coach’s 'bad cop' [15:20];

- Explaining why the sports world at large would do well to embrace the power of emotions as opposed to viewing them as weaknesses [24:15];

- Outlining why advocates of psychological support services may be at an advantage in the talent recruitment space [32:10].

Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays

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