W.I.N.terview with Alli McKee

Triad Athletes, a San Diego based youth lacrosse training program, welcomes Alli McKee.

What is some advice you would give our Triad athletes?

I would encourage the Triad athletes, first and foremost, to have fun! Yes, improving performance is an important focus and goal, but make sure you keep having fun throughout the process. Second, if you want to master anything, it takes consistency across time. Be patient and kind with yourself. Third, practice does not make perfect, practice makes patterns; patterns in the way we perform and the way we think. Build positive patterns. Fourth, wins and losses happen, it’s part of the game. Look for the lessons in the loss and keep moving forward. And finally, know that you are valuable and capable beyond measure.

What was your motivation to get a Masters in Sport and Performance Psychology?

I get excited by a challenge and I’ve always been one to work towards a goal. I have a strength and conditioning background and have spent many years in the field of fitness and performance. In 2011, I co-founded Girls Gone Strong (GGS) a movement dedicated to women’s health, strength, and empowerment. I handed off GGS in 2014, and years later in 2019, felt a strong sense of purpose to build a program for teenage girls that focused on developing physical strength and mental skills for empowered performance in and out of sport.

With the arrival of COVID however, I pressed pause on the girl’s program and decided to take the opportunity to go back to school to study sport psychology. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the mental aspects of performance and add value to the future services I would provide to athletes. Since being enrolled in this master’s program, I’ve seen the difference mental skills can make and the many ways we can train for optimal performance. To me, evolving into mental performance feels like a renewal or evolution on my previous passion for physical performance. I’m gravitating to a holistic approach in working with individuals as they are more than athletes. I aspire to advocate for their best experience in and out of sport, and coach them through self-awareness, skill development, and self-management tools. Following the completion of my master’s degree, I will continue through the doctoral program and then become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.

So! My current goal is the completion of the doctorate program and the CMPC credentials. My motivation every day is the fulfillment of what I love and what I’m learning, the desire to do it well and be my best, and the opportunity to help others grow and thrive.

Where is your favorite place to eat in San Diego?

Oh my goodness, it’s hard to pick depending on the vibe and cuisine I’m looking for. There is no shortage of great places to eat in San Diego! Two places however that come to mind (in no particular order) are Poseidon in Del Mar for the views, the drinks, and the seabass ceviche. Second, is bringing a picnic to the beach in Cardiff where we also get ocean front dining, a sunset, and a laid-back time.

Triad Athletes is a San Diego youth lacrosse training program focused on growing womens lacrosse on the west coast.