50 Writing Exercises for Mental Performance by Dr. Courtney Mendenhall is a guided writing journal designed to help athletes reflect on their experiences, emotions, goals, relationships, challenges, and lives both within and beyond sports.
Rather than focusing only on athletic performance, the book uses writing as a way to explore the mental and personal dimensions of being an athlete.
Book Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Book Title | 50 Writing Exercises for Mental Performance |
| Author | Dr. Courtney Mendenhall |
| Genre | Sports, Mental Performance, Guided Journal, Personal Development |
| Pages | 53 |
| Language | English |
| Publication Date | August 31, 2026 |
| Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HHBNSJ96 |
Review
The book opens by positioning writing and journaling as creative ways for athletes to express ideas and thoughts about their lives and daily routines. Dr. Courtney Mendenhall presents the exercises as opportunities to reflect on thoughts and feelings that may otherwise remain hidden or difficult to express.
The 50 prompts cover a remarkably broad range of athletic and personal experiences. Some encourage athletes to think about their relationship with their sport, self-esteem, confidence, motivation, role models, leadership, goals, and memorable experiences.
Other exercises move into more challenging areas. Athletes are invited to reflect on performance struggles, injuries, conflict with teammates, nervousness during competition, public opinions, perfectionism, and the mental impact of difficult moments. Several prompts also encourage consideration of mental health and the role of safe, supportive environments in sports.
The journal also looks beyond competition. Questions about future careers, businesses after retirement, personal aspirations, podcasts, community involvement, nonprofit sports academies, and life outside sports encourage athletes to consider who they are beyond their athletic identity.
The exercises involving quotes from figures such as Billie Jean King and John Wooden, along with a prompt inspired by Simone Biles, add opportunities for readers to consider leadership, legacy, resilience, and individuality.
The final message encourages athletes to make time for themselves, set reasonable goals, and remain patient and understanding with their progress. This reinforces the journal’s broader focus on reflection as part of an athlete’s mental and personal development.
Final Thoughts
50 Writing Exercises for Mental Performance offers athletes a structured space to think, write, question, and reflect. Its 50 exercises cover performance, confidence, mental health, relationships, leadership, motivation, challenges, future aspirations, and identity beyond sports, making it a practical reflective journal for athletes at different stages of their journey.