“Sometimes you win,

sometimes you learn.”

How to motivate yourself during Covid-19

By Annette Paterakis
Category:

We all face a dip in motivation sometimes, but in these exceptional times, staying motivated to train can be extra challenging. Just like anything else, creating sustainable and intrinsic motivation is trainable. So here are five steps to get you back on track.

Success Story: Katie McNair – She Swapped Fear For Focus And Her Riding (And Parenting!) Thrived

By Annette Paterakis
Categories:

In this series, I unveil the mystery of mental coaching by sharing some of the challenges that my clients have faced and how, together, we turned things around to become a more confident rider. For this case study, I’m sharing Katie McNair’s story.

Katie reached out to me when she began to struggle with staying focused while in the saddle, and as a result, that lack of focus led to disappointing show results. As a mother, Katie balances her time, energy, and attention between her children and her horses but has often found herself distracted with both aspects of her life. Is it possible to balance work and family life, and on top of it all, thrive in the show ring? The answer is, “YES!”

Success Story: Sabrina Rodriguez – How I recovered from surgery to win again

By Annette Paterakis
Category:

Every day I get up with a single goal in mind: helping others. Helping others to build their confidence, to increase their focus, and to prepare for competition and, ultimately, to perform at their peak and to enjoy the ride. But sometimes, you end up helping someone in ways you could not have imagined.

Meet Sabrina. Sabrina is a showjumper and she reached out to me leading up to very serious surgery. Her situation was unique and very challenging. She needed to prepare herself mentally in order to get through this incredibly tough procedure and to work through her post-surgery recovery. I suggested to Sabrina that she should join my Master Your Mind Online Mental Training Program. She was one of the first students to graduate from the program. In just over three months, she made it through, she’s back in the saddle and she’s winning again! I cannot begin to express how proud I am of Sabrina. Here is her story…

Client Story: Zoé Conter – How to bounce back after a bad fall

By Annette Paterakis

Ever wondered what mental training is really all about? You are not alone… When thinking about what a mental coaching session is like, many riders might still picture someone lying down on a sofa and opening up about their issues to a dull therapist with a crazy imagination. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! So, in this series, I unveil the mystery by sharing some of the challenges that clients of mine have faced and how, together, we turned things around. For this case study, I’m sharing Zoé Conter’s story with you.

Zoé needs little introduction. She is only 21 but has already established an impressive track record of success. From winning a team gold and individual bronze medal at the European Junior championships in 2016 to riding 5* shows, Zoé has been there and done that. However, in May 2018, whilst competing at an international show in Rome, she had a nasty fall with her horse and ended up breaking her neck. Falling off is one thing but getting severely injured is another. How do we bounce back after an accident like that?

Annette is a columnist for NFstyle, Noelle Floyd Magazine & Puissance USA

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7 tips to stay motivated

by Annette Paterakis

Sometimes you can’t seem to find any fun in it anymore. Maybe it becomes a drag or the last couple of times it didn’t go as planned. To keep you motivated, here are zeven tips to get you back in there.

7 ways to overcome distraction and stay more focused

by Annette Paterakis

Being able to stay focused on the task at hand and fully engage in the process is the key to ride your best round and to excel under pressure. I have been able to work with and study many great riders and time and again the ones that are able to focus and completely be in the moment, are the ones that often win or do well at the shows. In case you easily get distracted by thoughts or people watching you, don’t despair, you can train and improve your own focus. However, make sure you start training in advance and don’t wait till you are at the show and the pressure is on.


5 ways to boost your self-confidence

by Annette Paterakis

Henry Ford said it best, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right”.  Skills are important, but it is our confidence and belief in our abilities that determine whether we succeed or not. You can train, work hard and have the best horses, but without confidence, the journey to becoming the best rider you can be will always be compromised. So here are 5 ways you can build your confidence from the inside out.

Top 10 books I read in 2017

by Annette Paterakis

So back in January 2016 I set a New Year resolution. It was to read more often and more consistently. As I know that no resolution sticks unless I make it a habit, I made a plan and started reading every evening before bed. This has resulted in me reading and listening to 23 books in 2016 and so far, 27 in 2017. In addition, I also released my very own book this year, “Keep calm & enjoy the ride”. Good enough reasons to share my top 10 reads to train your brain over the holidays.

Success Story: Sabrina Rodriguez – How I recovered from surgery to win again

by Annette Paterakis

Every day I get up with a single goal in mind: helping others. Helping others to build their confidence, to increase their focus, and to prepare for competition and, ultimately, to perform at their peak and to enjoy the ride. But sometimes, you end up helping someone in ways you could not have imagined.

Meet Sabrina. Sabrina is a showjumper and she reached out to me leading up to very serious surgery. Her situation was unique and very challenging. She needed to prepare herself mentally in order to get through this incredibly tough procedure and to work through her post-surgery recovery. I suggested to Sabrina that she should join my Master Your Mind Online Mental Training Program. She was one of the first students to graduate from the program. In just over three months, she made it through, she’s back in the saddle and she’s winning again! I cannot begin to express how proud I am of Sabrina. Here is her story…

5 tips to ditch fear for good

by Annette Paterakis

I’m not going to lie, I know fear. The other day I was riding again after not sitting on a horse for over a year and after 15minutes of feeling really good about being in the saddle again, my horse tripped and within a split second I was on the ground. This triggered my fear of falling off big time and I could feel my fight or flight system raging through my body. I got back on but was terrified I would fall again. And then it struck me, it is not the falling that scares me most, it is the fact that I have no control over it whatsoever. So here are 5 ways I will be working on this fear from now on so I can ditch it for good.