We recently connected with Daya Grant and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Extreme sports aside (I’ve bungee jumped twice and skydived once), the two biggest risks I’ve taken were starting my own practice and signing up for a half Ironman. Let’s go chronologically. My husband encouraged me to get into cycling when we got married by gifting me a road bike for our wedding. A few months later, I signed up for my first triathlon, an Olympic distance, after stating in my wedding vows that I’d use my husband’s athletic achievements (he did an Ironman 10 weeks before our wedding) as inspiration to pursue my own. Well, that first triathlon hooked me, and I soon thought about challenging myself even more – and a half Ironman was the next step up (and a big one at that). I was in my doctoral program at the time, but I risked the time limitations for the chance of benefitting my mental health and piquing my curiosity. Training was tough, but the journey was so worth it. Signing up for that half Ironman was a risk that I’m so glad I took. Fast forward a few years and after staying at home with our son for his first 2 years of life, I was ready to forage my career path. I had previously been with an organization that really didn’t value my education or experience and I had no interest in repeating that type of relationship again. Well, it turns out that the person who values you the most is often yourself. So, instead of working for someone else, I decided to invest in myself and risk failure to pursue my own dreams. Launching my private practice was a huge risk financially and emotionally, but the challenge has been totally fulfilling.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) and I help athletes train their mind for peak performance. I combine my background in neuroscience and yoga to empower athletes with tools and techniques to get out of their own way. I work 1:1 with athletes across a wide range of sports, from high school to professional. I also lead guided meditations and mental skills workshops inside the membership I co-founded called Mindful Sports Collective, which is an online meditation community for athletes. Athletes begin working with me to address several common challenges: pre-performance anxiety, stress management, recovering from injury, performing more consistently, staying calm under pressure, etc. I stand apart from others in the field because of the way I integrate neuroscience and yoga. I make it accessible and impactful for everyone I work with. I’m really proud of my ability to meet athletes exactly where they are and help them perform better in a way that also helps them tap into greater joy and fulfillment in their sport.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Authenticity matters. I trained under one of the godfathers of sport psychology, Ken Ravizza, and he was so uniquely himself. One the greatest things I learned from him was for me to be fully myself, and through that, I’d attract the right clients. In our last conversation before his passing, he drew in the dirt several overlapping circles: one for my role as a mental performance consultant, one for my role as yoga/meditation teacher, one for my role as a neuroscientist, one for my role as an athlete, and one for my role as a mom. He said, “don’t forget the mom piece. That’s such a huge part of what makes you, you.” So, be wholly you – and you’ll attract the right people and opportunities.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

The other co-founder of Mindful Sports Collective, Micha Shaw, and I met in 2020 via Instagram. Such is the way of the world these days, right? She reached out to me and we hit it off right away. She’s also an athlete and has a passion for helping other athletes with the mental game through meditation and more traditional mental skills. We’d check in with each other over the course of 3 years, finally met in person to go on a hike, and then, one day, she sent me a text that said, “I have an idea!” Mindful Sports Collective was born. We had a shared desire to bring athletes together in community to meditate, experience accountability, and learn how to elevate their mental game. We’re figuring out the business side of things as we grow and while it isn’t easy, I’m so grateful that we have each other to lean on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dayagrant.com/ AND https://www.mindfulsportscollective.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.dayagrant
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daya-grant/

Image Credits

Nola Fontanez
Jenny Sherman