Reflections from the 2025 AASP Conference

Now that we are back from the 2025 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Annual Conference in Montreal, caught up on sleep, and somewhat settled back into routines, we wanted to take time to share a few reflections from the conference. Often these types of experiences leave us with a confirmation of the direction we’re heading, new insights, and a sense of refreshed curiosity - and this trip was no different.

Something confirmed:

Throughout the conference, we both thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated connecting with others in meaningful ways. The value of connection and collaboration was something that initially brought the two of us together and serves as a cornerstone of Project E. This year at AASP, we specifically created situations and sought out those connections on purpose.

For Lindsey, this included:

• a lunch before the conference with others that she met through the Mid-Career Institute for Women in Sport, allowing her to connect in-person with wonderful colleagues she met online and continue to build those relationships

• having deeper, one-on-one conversations with seatmates during interactive sessions (rather than brief encounters with multiple people or not talking to anyone! - introverts, if you know, you know)

• intentional connections (dinner, coffee chats, between session pauses) with a friend from her internship and a person she connected with at a previous conference

For Abby, this included:

• spending time with good friends exploring the city

• catching up with friends and colleagues

• reminiscing about the days of being a student and conferences since 2010 

• seeing folks she met at the Southeast Regional Conference throughout the week 

• meeting several people in-person for the first time 

• informal mentoring chats, helping students and early career professionals problem solve or craft new ideas 

• helping connect people with similar interests or ideas (she loves a good “have you met Ted?” moment)

• having multiple “what if we…?” conversations 

One night we organized a dinner with individuals in our Establish course, our own business peer consult group, and a few other friends - people we normally only see on a screen. The authentic connection we experienced, with a goal of simply getting to know each other better and support one another, was so incredibly life-giving. Moments like these helped to confirm the value of connection and collaboration - as something we’ll continue leaning into.

Something learned:

What’s a conference for, if not to learn something new? (I mean, other than friends and food and vibes.) Since the two of us have different interests, we often attended different sessions. Here are a few key things we learned from the week:

From Lindsey – In her keynote, Dr. Kensa Gunter spoke about the value and necessity of seasons, both on a larger scale and on the smaller, individual one. Seasons have been on my mind as of late, and Kensa named for me the particular challenge of experiencing unexpected seasons and learning to transition between seasons. The goal of transitioning between seasons is to have a “realignment between what we do and who we are.” Kensa suggested the best way to realign is to be honest, have patience, embrace discomfort, be curious, have courage, and seek out community. I learned that I’m not alone in this realignment and that there is a path to move forward.

From Abby – I participated in the pre-conference session on Polyvagal-Informed consulting with Dr. Laura Farres, and found it to be an insightful extension of the workshop Laura and Shelbi Snodgrass facilitated at last year’s conference. Rich with stories, examples, practical exercises, discussions, and evidence-informed strategies, I walked away with a better understanding of polyvagal theory, ways to support clients in building self-awareness around their physiological states, ideas for leveraging co-regulation, and a variety of resources for ongoing learning. Especially when working with high-achievers who struggle with performance anxiety, perfectionism, or both, it’s true - “safety is the new performance enhancer.”     

Something to explore:
Following the influx of information and connection, we regularly leave buzzing with intellectual energy - often in the shape of new ideas and possibilities to explore over the coming year. After culling through our lists, we each identified one idea or direction that we want to explore further:

Lindsey – I’m interested in better understanding the female athlete experience and how I can work with female athletes across the lifespan. In particular, integrating knowledge from various areas, including nutrition, exercise physiology, and hormone health.

Abby – I plan to lean further into creativity, particularly around making concepts or mental skills stickier, especially for young people. I want to leverage ideas from Mark Cheney and Ceci Craft’s workshop around using metaphors, icons, and images, and strategies from Earlynn Lauer, Lauren McHenry, and Rebecca Zakrajsek’s session on teaching mental skills to tweens. 

What about you? We hope this year’s conference left you with a confirmation of what’s important or the direction you’re heading, with new things you learned that you can apply to your work and your business, and with a new idea or possibility to explore that feels in alignment with the season you’re in now. 

If you missed the experience in Montreal, you can still connect, learn, and explore by watching the virtual content through AASP, which is now available in the conference app.

Happy trails, and see you next year in Minneapolis!