Performance Intelligence Bite Size: The Honest Conversation Every Head Coach Needs First | Aaron Walsh
Mar 29, 2026
Aaron Walsh, a mental skills coach and performance strategist who embeds culture and mental skills programs with elite teams. He explains why starting with alignment and honest conversations with the head coach matters. Short takes cover defining success across years, testing commitment to mental skills, and moving from reactive support to embedded, strategic collaboration.
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Set Clear Expectations With Head Coaches
- Ask head coaches about their past experience and what success looks like at year one, two and three.
- Andrew May uses these questions to set expectations early and decide if he can work with a coach who says "that's what you're here for".
May's Confidence Shift From Corporate To Sport
- Andrew May recounts lacking confidence early in his career to assert his consulting experience in sport contexts.
- He later realized mental skills is culture change and began leaning on his background building and selling businesses.
Check Coach Buy In Before You Commit
- When a coach claims "that's what you're here for," pause and ask whether they genuinely back the program.
- Andrew May treats the coach's belief as a black-or-white decision for whether to proceed with engagement.