Donovan Martin Sports Performance

09/21/2026

Happy Happy Happy Birthday, Camille! ❤️🎉

She is the one who takes amazing care of all@of us! She deserves a day of being celebrated herself. You give so much of your time, your energy, and your heart to the people around you, and we probably don’t say it enough—thank you. We appreciate you, and we’re so lucky to have you.

We love you and hope you feel every bit as cared for today as you make everyone else feel all year.

And there’s a little something else to celebrate….coming soon… 📖👀 Your next chapter might just be one we all get to read. Happy Birthday! ❤️

09/17/2026

09/13/2026

What an incredible few weeks.

Started by watching AC/DC shake Notre Dame Stadium, to traveling to Wisconsin for the Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field, and then returning home to watch the Irish open Notre Dame Stadium with a 52–0 shutout against Rice.

One of the best parts was the people we were lucky enough to experience it all with.

Feeling incredibly thankful for the past few weeks—and especially grateful for the people who got to spend time with.

☘️⚡️🏈

ACDC CollegeFootball MakingMemories Thankful

09/11/2026

Mental performance is not something you just sit and talk about.

You have to practice it under pressure.

When a team meets real adversity, the athletes begin reaching for relief or achievement. That is when communication, self-regulation, belief and connection to the team all become visible.

The challenge is physical.

The development is psychological.

Appreciate the opportunity to work with Butler Women’s Basketball and put mental performance into action.

From the first meeting to the last we witnessed amazing growth! This team chose Achievement over relief!
♦️♠️❤️♣️

WomensBasketball TeamCulture AthleteDevelopment AchievementOverRelief

08/29/2026

“Does winning care?”

A coach I have worked with for a long time—and someone I respect a great deal—asked me that recently.

He has always understood and supported mental performance, which made the question even more interesting.

I have thought about it a lot.

The answer is Absolutely Not!

Winning does not care how hard you worked.

It does not care how much pressure you were under, how talented you are, what happened last week or what you intended to do.

Winning does not care whether you were anxious, distracted, frustrated, tired or afraid. Winning does not care about your triggers or your self help coping skills!

But you have to believe!

The high achieving athlete and team has to become insightful enough to understand themselves.

The coach has to care enough to develop people—not just demand outcomes.

The team has to trust enough to hold one another accountable.

The culture has to care enough to prepare for the moments when talent is no longer enough.

Self-awareness matters. Self-regulation matters. Belief matters. Communication, accountability and the ability to respond under pressure all matter.

Mental performance is required to win consistently.

But winning does not care about your mental performance.

It simply reveals whether you developed it well enough to access what you needed when the moment arrived.

Does winning care?

No.

That is why you have to.

Achievement > Relief

DonovanMentalPerformance

08/01/2026

Twenty-one years ago, we made one promise…

I will follow you forever.

Through the highs, the lows, the victories, the setbacks, and everything life has thrown our way, I’d make that same promise all over again.

Happy 21st Anniversary. Thank you for walking through life with me, for believing in us, and for making this journey one worth taking.

Here’s to every step we’ve already taken together… and every step still to come.

❤️ I love you. Always.

07/30/2026

Everybody sees a log.

I see a leadership assessment.

Year two with Wayne Football. 👊

Huge thank you to Coach D. White for trusting me again to be a small part of the culture he’s building. This is his second year as head coach, and it’s been awesome watching his vision take shape.

Coach White and I go all the way back to the AWP days. We’ve always believed the same thing:

Sports aren’t just about developing athletes. They’re about developing people.

These pictures aren’t about carrying logs or starting fires.

They’re about what happens when pressure exposes your habits.

Who communicates?
Who takes over?
Who checks out?
Who keeps moving?

That’s where growth happens.

One of the biggest lessons from yesterday surprised even the players. I’ll break it down in my next post.

Follow along if you’re interested in how we use pressure to develop leaders—not just better athletes.

06/07/2026

Baseball under the lights. Time with my son. Core memories in the making. ⚾️❤️

05/27/2026

Pressure clouds judgment.

The best performers don’t just grind harder.
They create space to recalibrate.

Clarity creates ex*****on.
Ex*****on creates outcomes.

Reset. Refocus. Return sharper.

Achievement. Never Relief.

MindsetTraining 260