Today we’d like to introduce you to Mini Palmer.
Hi Mini, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I remember being about to walk away from one of my lifelong dreams because it didn’t reflect the truth of who I am. I was invited to share my story in a collection of stories along with other women. It was my first opportunity to be a published author. I was grateful and excited. But when I received my story back from the editors for approval, I was taken aback. It had been altered so much that I didn’t recognize it anymore. It didn’t sound like me. It sounded like what they thought my story should sound like.
I respected their role as editors and their right to make changes and decisions about what they wanted in their book. But I also respected my own role as a writer to be true to myself. They offered for me to meet with a new editor to talk about the possibility of how to move forward. I had no idea of what to say, so I prayed.
That night, I felt God reminding me of two events that happened when I was born. An angel told my uncle in a dream to tell my mom’s family to take her to the hospital because I would be arriving soon. The next day, he sent them a message, and they took my pregnant mom to the hospital. While she was waiting at the hospital with my grandmother, she mentioned that she couldn’t feel me moving anymore. At that moment, a doctor and nurse were passing by. They heard what my mom said and came and checked her. They rushed her to the operating room and delivered me by cesarean section. I wasn’t breathing, but they gave me oxygen, and I lived.
As I lay in bed remembering these events that my mom had told me about, God said, “I sent an angel to tell your mom’s family to take her to the hospital. And I sent that doctor and nurse to hear your mom say you weren’t moving. I did all that to bring you into the world because I believe in the voice I gave you. Now I’m asking you, do you believe in the voice I gave you?” I started crying and immediately answered, “Yes.”
That was all the confidence and courage I needed. I listened to the editor and told her what changes I was willing to accept, and what I felt was necessary to keep for it to be a true reflection of my voice and story. I told her I understood if they could not accept my story. I was willing to let this opportunity go because it wasn’t worth sacrificing my true voice and story.
The editor had a change of heart and agreed to publish my story the way I wanted it. I was grateful and also felt peace that I had believed in my own voice enough to stand up for it.
Every time I have listened to that still, small voice inside me and let it guide me, my life has gotten better, and I’ve had the peace and joy that comes from believing in myself and staying true to myself. I don’t always get what I expect, but I always get what is best for me.
And that is what I help others do as a life coach. I help you listen to your own voice of wisdom and guidance and what your life is saying to you. Then I help you make choices that honor your voice and spirit. You enjoy your life infinitely more because you are being yourself. And that’s the easiest and most fun way to live.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the road or journey offered exactly what I needed to learn along the way to become who I am now. It’s thrilling to get to know yourself so deeply that you can instantly sense when something or someone is right for you or not. I make decisions with more ease and confidence because I trust myself. I know who I am, whether others recognize what I have to offer or not. Learning how to free myself when I didn’t feel freedom in various situations allows me to guide others in their journey towards freedom of mind, spirit, and body.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a life coach for professional athletes and other big dreamers.
In order to dream big, you have to believe that more is possible for you. That belief has always come naturally to me. I’ve always believed that all things are possible. That just because something hasn’t already been done doesn’t mean it is impossible to achieve. Maybe the path is still waiting to be discovered by someone open enough to see it.
I also believe that when you accept and embrace what you truly love, your calling and work can feel like play. You know that experience you have when you’re doing something you love or are totally fascinated by, and you lose track of time? And you have feelings of joy, peace, and inspiration flowing through you with ease because you’re so caught up in what you’re doing? That’s actually our natural state. That’s how children play, learn, and grow. They just get fully interested and present to what’s in front of them. No distractions. No worries. Just focused, genuine interest and curiosity.
Curiosity is another important quality that I and my clients share as big dreamers. You can’t ask the question, “What is possible?” without coming from a place of curiosity and openness to the unknown. You can’t grow and expand unless you’re willing to acknowledge that there could be more available for you and then explore what that could be.
Another quality that my clients value in me is my non-judgmental presence. In order to be truly curious and open and ask any and every question, you have to be willing to let go of judgment so you can have a safe space to explore what truths and answers are coming up for you. When you stop censoring or self-editing, you’ll be amazed at the variety of thoughts and ideas that come to you. You can always discern between them later, but that initial space to let your thoughts and responses flow freely can help you see new possibilities you might not have been aware of because you were judging them by existing rules or expectations.
My clients feel accepted and welcomed by me, and that sets them free to focus on playing with possibility and creativity instead of trying to figure out how to prove themselves.
That’s what’s so amazing about the space I offer. You get to be your whole self and explore your deepest desires and receive the support and encouragement of someone who believes in you, that might not be available from other relationships in your life.
How do I help professional athletes in particular, play at their best?
The answer lies in the word “play.” Many teams focus on getting their players to perform. But the concept of performance implies meeting an expectation or standard. And standards are the last thing you want your players to be thinking about.
Why? Because standards put pressure on players. And they inhibit possibilities. Pressure creates fear. And fear causes distraction. It’s difficult, if not impossible for a player to bring their full focus to the field and the moment if they are distracted by fear. Fear also causes the body to instinctively tense up. This makes it more likely a player will be injured in the course of the game because their body is not relaxed and fluid.
Some people may consider fear a helpful motivator. But because the human body and psyche respond to fear with stress, it can cause long-term damage and is therefore unsustainable.
So how do we motivate players without introducing the limiting effects of fear and pressure?
You change their focus from performing to playing.
Fear shuts people down, but joy and play open them up.
When you remove the pressure to perform, you create the freedom to play!
My PLAY Program is designed to help players connect with the thoughts and feelings that open them up and play at their highest potential on the field.
You know about the mind-body connection and how thoughts can influence physiology. This program goes beyond that to building a strong mind-heart connection. When players connect with the why, (the heart motivations) behind their goals, in addition to the what, (the head knowledge) of their actions, they will be able to play with an internal motivation that is not affected by external circumstances.
Feelings are an important source of information, just like stats. If you cut them off or don’t know how to connect with them, you lose the chance to reach your highest potential.
For example, if a pitcher only exercises and strengthens his arm but doesn’t work out the rest of his body, he won’t have the support he needs to pitch at his highest ability.
You need to take care of the whole body and you need to take care of the whole person, body, mind, and soul for them to function at full capacity.
Through a series of individual sessions, I cover the principles of my PLAY approach and help players tailor the tools for their specific needs because as you know, each player’s mind and heart is unique. We talk about what thoughts and feelings come up for the players in their games, how they can apply the PLAY approach on the field, and how to use the information from their thoughts and feelings to help them focus their attention in the moment.
What if every player experienced that kind of freedom on the field? And what if staff were trained to use this approach to help create a culture of safety and freedom around the team? After years of research, Google found that the most important factor in helping teams thrive was a feeling of psychological safety. I help players feel safe to trust themselves so they can relax and have fun.
Joy is contagious. When players are experiencing joy, that spreads from the players to the fans. Your games will go from being sold out to “souled out” experiences where fans get to watch the players; they love having fun. And the fans will be motivated to keep coming back for more.
Every day, we get to choose between the call of fear and pressure or the call of love and joy. Fear and pressure put you in survival mode. Love and joy put you in thriving mode. And here’s what I believe for every single person, including myself. We were made to thrive. When you’re ready to play and experience joy in every area of your life, I am excited to play with you and support you.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is my mom taking me to the library in the summer and coming home with 15 or 20 books. I would spend all day reading and enjoy getting lost in and exploring someone else’s story and experience. It’s how I learned to travel the world and have adventures just in my imagination. I will always be so grateful to my parents for encouraging my love of reading and learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: minipalmer.com
- Instagram: @qu.o.t.d
Image Credits
David Palmer
