Mind in the Game

Youth athletes don’t struggle alone.
Neither should the adults supporting them.

Mental health, performance, and development don’t happen in isolation.
They happen within families, teams, and organizations.

Coaches, parents, and organizations are doing their best inside systems that were never designed for today’s pressures.

Mind in the Game takes a whole-environment approach to youth mental health and performance.
By supporting parents, coaches, and organizations today, we create stronger, more sustainable outcomes for athletes tomorrow.

Learn How It Works

Why Mind in the Game exists

Youth sport asks a lot of young athletes long before they’re equipped to carry it.

Performance pressure.
Identity.
Injury.
Social dynamics.
Expectations at home.

Much of this shows up long before anyone calls it “mental health.”

Mind in the Game was created to fill the gap between performance and well-being. Not through crisis response or one-off talks, but through steady, season-long support for athletes and the adults around them.

We focus on strengthening the environment first so athletes can develop, perform, and stay connected to the game.

What We Do

Mind in the Game is a structured, season-long mental wellness program designed for youth athletes and the environments around them.

We work with organizations to support:

  • Athletes

  • Parents and families

  • Coaches and leadership

Programming is delivered through a combination of:

  • Parent and coach education

  • Facilitated workshops and conversations

  • Team sessions

  • Ongoing access to mental health resources

Our approach is proactive, trauma-informed, and grounded in real-world sport culture. We focus on clarity, communication, and support before problems escalate.

Our work spans both U.S. and Canadian sport systems.

Who we are

Mind in the Game was founded by a team with lived experience in elite sport, mental health advocacy, and youth development.

Our work is informed by clinical insight, athlete experience, and years of advocating for better mental health support within sport systems.

We understand the pressures athletes face not just on the ice, but at home, in school, and within the culture surrounding them.

We collaborate with trusted mental health professionals, former athletes, and educators to deliver programming that is grounded, credible, and appropriate for real-world sport environments.

Our Approach & Collaborators

Mind in the Game is led by a multidisciplinary group of professionals with lived experience in elite sport, mental health advocacy, and youth development.
We collaborate across performance, psychology, and family systems to support athletes by strengthening the environments around them.

Meet the Team

  • Jessalynn Biederstadt

    FOUNDER + PROGRAM ARCHITECT

    Jessalynn brings lived experience as a sport parent, mental health advocate, and program builder. She is also the host of the Invisible Scars podcast, where she facilitates conversations on mental health, identity, and resilience within high-pressure environments. Her work centers on supporting youth athletes by stabilizing the systems around them, with a particular focus on parents, coaches, and organizational culture.

  • Aaron Volpatti

    ATHLETE EXPERIENCE + PERFORMANCE INSIGHT

    Former NHL Player

    Aaron Volpatti is a former NHL player, author, and cognitive performance coach. Drawing on his professional hockey experience and academic background from Brown University, Aaron supports athletes, parents, and coaches in developing mental clarity, resilience, and identity within high-pressure environments.

  • Courtney Pensavalle

    CLINICAL + PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY

    Former Division I Hockey Player, Yale University

    Courtney Pensavalle is a licensed mental health counselor and former Division I hockey player at Yale University. Her work integrates trauma-informed, performance-focused care to support youth and elite athletes, parents, and coaches across clinical, academic, and sport environments.

  • Stephanie Sacks

    FAMILY SYSTEMS + NUTRITION EDUCATION

    Stephanie Sacks is a nationally recognized culinary nutritionist and educator. As the parent of a former elite-level hockey player, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to support families in understanding the connection between nutrition, mental well-being, and athletic performance.

Additional collaborators and clinical partners support Mind in the Game programming as needed, depending on the needs of each organization.

Get in touch

Contact Us

Interested in working together or exploring Mind in the Game?

We work with youth sport organizations, schools, clubs, and leagues who are looking to better support athletes by strengthening the environments around them.

If you’re curious about parent education, workshops, season-long programming, or where Mind in the Game might fit within your organization, we’d love to hear from you.

Fill out the form below and we’ll follow up shortly.

We primarily work with organizations and teams. If you’re a parent looking for support, your organization is welcome to reach out on your behalf.