In Sixteen Principles for Maximal Performance:Coaching and Connecting Teens and Parents, Ashley Benjamin, MD, and Jennifer Jenks, LCSW, have created a positive framework for young, gifted competitors who increasingly must handle the pressures of a social media-driven world.This workbook will help the athlete/performer find and maintain life balance as they strive toward excellence. The workbook will give parents/caregivers and coaches strategies to keep the teens grounded while helping them reach new heights. The 16 principles connect the competitors and parents and offer guidance for healthy interactions with mentors and coaches. Benjamin and Jenks’ unique approach targets all types of competitors and performers – from athletes to spellers, dancers to chess players, and musicians to TikTok influencers. Initial questionnaires mark the starting line for each performer/family’s self-paced journey. Then the action begins. The workbook format highlights exercises for the athlete/performer to understand their competitive drive, their dreams and goals, and the place these have in their lives. The format incorporates the parents and helps them to become partners in identifying a game-changing plan for each principle. Benjamin and Jenks provide a road map for comprehensive success that allows families to change course together.Readers will be able to navigate difficult conversations, and they will have the opportunity to work through challenging areas, reduce conflict, and increase enjoyment in their performance arena and at home. Benjamin and Jenks also address the key areas of academic performance, mental health concerns, and the marketing of name, image, likeness (NIL). The chapter topics, listed below, speak directly to competitors, parents, and coaches and offer a process for performance, social, and character development.
- Focusing on family, character building, and academics
- Handling the hype and improving performance skills
- Identifying and maintaining teen safety and injury prevention
- Understanding the recruiting process and learning from coaches
- Managing emotions and building resilience
- Recognizing and channeling your gift
- Communicating in a healthy way with coaches, mentors, and recruiters
- Believing in yourself and having fun
Ashley Benjamin has over 25 years of experience as a board-certified psychiatrist and currently practices in addiction and eating disorders. He also has an exercise science and coaching background, which highlights his passion for maximizing human performance. Over the many years of working in peak performance, he consulted with Proactive Sports Performance and has helped athletes prepare psychologically for the NFL combine. Jennifer Jenks is a licensed clinical social worker and a Trust Based Relational Practitioner and draws on her expertise in the areas of therapy, parenting, attachment, trauma, and sports mental health. Jenks has a passion for educating about healthy relationships in the home and on the field. Benjamin and Jenks are also both parents, and they are rooting for teens and parents to bring out the best in each other to reach common goals and rooting for coaches to bring out the best in their students.
