Elizabeth Cann: How high-performance coaching can change your life

Elizabeth Cann: How high-performance coaching can change your life

The Golden Thread: Success knows no boundaries as we bring our dreams to life

We all have a dream to bring a dream to life…

As I approach my 42^nd birthday I reflect back upon my career as a professional athlete, as well as my years post sport where I have had the pleasure of working with those from all walks of life. I’ve worked with those who are younger than me, older than me, black, white, Asian, male, female, rich, poor…

We all have something in common. 

The golden thread that weaves through us all is the desire to bring to life a dream that’s still inside us. 

I remember back to my young teens when I first began travelling abroad to represent my country, England, in the sport of badminton. I remember the hotel rooms for Team England were on the same floor as the rooms for Team Indonesia. Sweden and Germany were on the floor above and Korea and Japan were on the floor below. How exciting!

We were all there for a common goal. To succeed in the dream that we have had many times…to win. I remember the dichotomy of being there to win yet being so desperate to connect and make friends with those who we were competing against and couldn’t even speak the same language.

This is when I realised the power of high-performance coaching. Working with some of the best coaches and being surrounded by ambitious athletes around me that all shared a burning desire to succeed.  

High-performance coaching – There are no boundaries to success.

I have seen the athlete without natural ability or resources reach the top of their game. I have known of the youngster who built a successful business despite their age. The single mother who went from rags to riches as she dreamed of a better life for her children. The person who didn’t fit in due to their colour, race or ethnicity who created a space of inclusion and connection.

I personally experienced being an athlete who was described as ‘raw’ as I lacked the necessary skills that weren’t taught to me until many years down the line, to becoming ranked as England’s No.1 ladies’ singles player and reaching the world’s top 20, as well as fulfilling my dream of standing on the podium at the Commonwealth and European Games.

What can we do if we are struggling to overcome these ‘boundaries’ to achieving success? The Pygmalion Effect, is a psychological phenomenon wherein high expectations lead to improved performance and low expectations lead to worse performance. The expectations can be personal, or they can come from those around us. This gives us a starting point of where to turn to.

Today as I work with men and women in high-performance coaching I am able to apply all that I have learned over the years as an athlete. From mindset, performance, perseverance and having the hunger to strive and succeed in life and business.

Related reading: ‘How to Unlock Your Potential and Manifest Your Dream Life‘

We get what we generally expect.

Knowing this may be enough to shift your perceptions of yourself and your circumstances.

But what if we all made a conscious effort to hold high expectations of those around us? 

What would happen if we were all a part of groups created purely for the purpose of holding the intention of success for everyone in the group? If you can’t do it for yourself, let others share that job with you, for you. 

Imagine bringing our dreams to life together.

Imagine if the Golden Thread that weaves through us all is one of the high expectations. 

Let’s rise together.

Written by:

Elizabeth Cann – Former Professional Athlete, Certified High-Performance Coach, Public Speaker, NLP Practitioner, Small Business Coach, Athlete Mentor, Theta Healing Practitioner. 

Elizabeth spent 20 years as a professional elite athlete representing Great Britain across the globe. Through the relentless pursuit of her aspirations and by cultivating a world-class mindset and implementing high-performance habits she reached the top 20 in the world, number 1 in Great Britain and 2x Commonwealth and European medallist.

Elizabeth experienced several significant injuries throughout her career including slipped discs and stress fractures, but these did not deter her from her vision. By working closely with a coach and mentor Liz began to believe that international medals were a possibility and eventually Elizabeth became 2x Commonwealth and European medallist.

Through this first-hand experience, Elizabeth understands how powerful we can be once we know how to access it. This discovery ignited a strong desire to empower others to develop the mindset of an elite athlete in order to pierce through the barriers that stand between them and their full potential.

Elizabeth is now a certified high-performance coach and NLP practitioner and biohacker with the belief that the foundations of success are a healthy, strong body and mind. She is also a member of the International Women in Business Club community for female entrepreneurs.