Dr. Eddie O'Connor | Achieving Excellence Motivational Speaker from Grand Rapids, MI

As a performance psychologist, Dr. Eddie will not only entertain and inspire your group but also teach valuable strategies to be your best in sport, business, and life. With 20 years of experience consulting with high performing athletes, musicians and performing artists - as well as individuals struggling with pain and distress - Dr. Eddie has discovered the secret to performance excellence. And it isn't what you think! We all know you need to be positive, set goals and increase motivation. But what we don't realize is that we must address the barriers that get in the way. More than motivation, we need to develop the strength and willingness to look our challenges in the eye, gain objective distance from them, embrace their value, and act independent of what we may think and feel to move in a positive direction. Each presentations illustrates this philosophy, helping anyone and everyone succeed as it taps into the very nature of human performance. Topics: Mental Toughness: The X-Factor in Sport, Business and Life * You know mental toughness when you see it … but do you know how to develop it? In this engaging presentation, Dr. Eddie teaches the specific skills necessary to be better and more consistently remain determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure. Overcoming Barriers to Excellence * Discover why the most common performance challenges such as negative thinking and fear HAVE TO occur and what you can do to overcome them. Learn how to be the "perfect perfectionist." Develop the willingness to endure the pain and sacrifices that are a necessary part of the journey toward excellence. Motivate for Excellence * In this talk, Dr. Eddie brings you the very best of what psychological science has to offer about motivation and translates it into practical, easily applied strategies that will transform the energy and productivity of your team. Raising Champions: A Parent's Role in Their Child's Success * We love winning. We love our kids. And so we really love when our kids succeed and win. At the very least, we want what is best for them. But so often what we do with the best of intentions actually ends up hurting them in the long run. As both a sport parent and sport psychologist, Dr. Eddie identifies the three biggest mistakes we make and how to correct them. And for Christian Organizations, I offer three presentations that unify performance psychology with biblical teaching: Christian Men in Sport * Sport is a metaphor for life, often cited as a place where life skills can be developed. It is also an ideal environment for male teens to be introduced to Christian manhood. Sport & The Spirit * Dr. Eddie takes three challenging sport performance issues and address them with both effective sport psychology solutions and the biblical verses that support their efficacy: performance anxiety, consistency in training, and sportsmanship/communication. The Coach's (or Leader's) Verse * As a coach/leader, everything you say matters. But frustration, anger, and pressure are realistic challenges when leading a team. In one verse, Ephesians 4:29 identifies six qualities of communication to guide communication and increase motivation, commitment and performance. More about Dr. Eddie: * Certified Mental Performance Consultant, AASP * Fellow, Association for Applied Sport Psychology * Member, US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry * Regular expert guest on FOX17 News * Author & Host, "The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life" via The Great Courses What They're Saying: * "The results were terrific! Our players found Dr. O'Connor's instruction very practical and easy to apply. Moreover, our coaches learned lessons that allowed them to reinforce what Dr. O'Connor taught." - Scott Woodruff - General Manager - Grand Rapids Rampage * "99.9% of the attendees were intrigued by what he had taught them. Many attendees specifically commented on how easy he was to listen to, how he kept the presentation interesting to them, and how much the new information would benefit their practice from that point forward." - Monica Roland, LCSW, PIP - Educational Consultant - CEU Concepts * "The feedback was amazing! (Dr. Eddie) is a dynamic speaker who is passionate about this topic. He balanced personal antidotes with the information and kept the class constantly engaged." Ken Pope - Vice President - West Michigan Youth Soccer Assn. * "I work with the finest professors and content experts over a wide range of academic and professional disciplines. Dr. Eddie is one of the very best. He is a hard-working and accomplished professional, a caring and supportive coach, and a charming, upbeat, and enthusiastic presenter ... I highly recommend Dr. Eddie as a presenter to any group ... He will inform, encourage and inspire!" - Catherine Lyon - Senior Academic Content Supervisor - The Great Courses