And the winners are...

From the Graduate Program and Career Fair at the AASP conference, we randomly selected five raffle winners out of the 30 of you who signed up, and are delighted to announce:

• Chanel Bradford and Jacob Page won a free business coaching session!

• Addy Lancaster, Brittany Barnes, and Keith Colder won a discount on the Establish course!

Please check your email for more information. We hope to connect with you soon!

3-2-1: Reflections from AASP

Sorting through all of the scribbled notes and starting to map out ideas for integrating what we've learned is always the fun part of post-conference life. Here are a few key reflections we are walking away with this year:

3 things we found interesting:

• Frontiers for Young Minds – An example of evidence-informed dissemination highlighted by Mustafa Sarkar, where Frontiers has made cutting-edge research more accessible for young people by having scientists write articles reviewed by kids themselves (with both of us working with youth athletes, this is particularly inspiring!)

• Multi-Method Assessment – Graig Chow reimagining and reinvigorating how we can utilize multiple aspects to assess for mental attributes in individuals (i.e., self-report, interviewing, observation, and objective measures), in order to ultimately develop appropriate plans and do high-quality work

• Integrating Polyvagal Theory - Laura Farres and Shelbi Snodgrass highlighted polyvagal theory, specifically the polyvagal ladder, as a way for us to better understand our autonomic nervous system and the ANS of our clients, and to inform our approach to working with others (and supporting ourselves as well!)

2 strategies for your business:

• Creating a "happy file." Shared by Carrie Jackson, this folder or collection of evidence allows you to document meaningful successes you've experienced in your work and your business. This could include positive feedback from clients, chances you've taken that have paid off, contracts you've won, speaking engagements you've fulfilled, or whatever helps to remind you of your expert status. This "happy file" helps you to push back against the "not good enough" feeling many of us experience with imposter phenomenon as coaches and entrepreneurs.

• Using the PAR method. Offered by John Coumbe-Lilley, Sarah Forsythe, Russ Flaten, and Jess Garza, we've seen entrepreneurs articulate who they support and what they do by using statements that highlight a Problem, challenge, or difficulty a client was experiencing, one Action they took to support them, and a Result their client was able to achieve, at least in part due to mental skills and support (as we are never the entire story!). This is a helpful way to talk about our work and market services while maintaining confidentiality.

1 vibe we can get behind:

• A recurring theme was the importance of collaboration. Working with others not only strengthens the field, but also our businesses, work with clients, and collective impact. Instead of competing or trying to do everything ourselves, it is important to look for ways to connect and collaborate – with other practitioners and entrepreneurs, with researchers, with universities, and with organizations. Rather than asking how we might do something, let's shift to asking who can we work with to create win-win situations.

If you were there, we hope you walked away with your own 3-2-1 (and more!). Look forward to seeing you all next year in Montreal.

Trail Tips

We often like to view the entrepreneur experience much like life on the trail. After the conference, this trail lingo is certainly resonating:

Beta – a word used to mean “insider info.” When you ask someone else for good beta, you are trying to learn any helpful knowledge that will make the trek easier or more enjoyable. We hope you enjoyed the beta we shared from our time at the AASP conference. We recently chatted about our conference experience with our business community of practice and walked away with interesting insights and perspectives. If you haven't already, we'd encourage you to connect with someone and share your beta!

Zero day – when a hiker spends two nights in a single campsite, giving a solid day to rest, recover, or simply wait out nasty weather. We both took a zero day on the Monday after the conference. Recovering from the travel, the overstimulating atmosphere (at least for us!), and all of the learning and connecting was critical. It's important to consider when you're going to want or need a zero day to ensure that your entrepreneurial hike is sustainable.