My name is Laken James and I am a former Division 1 Women’s basketball player from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.
Growing up, I was your definition of a gym rat. To me, there wasn’t a better feeling than walking into an empty gym and working on my game. I wanted to be the best that I could possibly be. I worked on all the skills; shooting, ball handling as well as strength and agility. It was a dream come true when I received my offer to play at Green Bay. My experience there was amazing even though my playing time was spotty early in my career. It wasn’t until my senior season that I discovered the one area I had neglected to train – my mind. Without even realizing it, I had built a barrier around myself. I simply didn’t have the confidence to perform at my best and the problem was in my head.
College sports are challenging and the mental piece might be the hardest part. Questions like Why am I not playing? Am I good enough? Or do I belong here? started running through my head. These thoughts and a focus on playing time, a goal outside of my control, resulted in a loss of confidence. However, everything changed my senior year. That year I began interning for The 3rd Element (3E) and I realized the one thing that had been missing from my training. It was the mental side of the game. I continued to physically train hard but shifted my focus onto rebuilding my confidence. It turned out to be the difference-maker.
I had always been a role player at Green Bay but my senior year I earned the starting PG spot. I went from averaging 2 points a game my junior year to a 2nd team all-conference player my senior year. The difference was that I trained the mental side of my game. The 3E program helped me so much, I decided to join the team. In this role, I get the opportunity to help athletes and teams all over the country train their minds on things like leadership and emotional intelligence while helping coaches create championship cultures.
I’ve learned firsthand how 3E training can make a difference in a player. At the end of the day, sports are more than wins and losses or becoming the most skilled player. It is about growing as a person and learning the skills that will help you succeed in the world. This is our goal here at 3E.
I would love to share more of my story with you and show you first hand how the 3E program can help you develop leaders and drive team chemistry resulting in a championship culture. Just reply to this email or click to book a time on my calendar.
“The team found the content to be important to their success and the videos helped reinforce the main points of the lesson. Hearing these lessons from someone in addition to their coaches is incredibly valuable in my opinion.”
– Coach after using the 3E program
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