Mental Performance Community of Practice

This Community of Practice is designed for mental performance consultants navigating the often-overlooked transition from student to professional practitioner.

It brings together practitioners in the liminal zone—where formal training may be complete, but professional identity, judgment, and ways of working are still taking shape. Rather than focusing on content delivery or one-off professional development, this Community of Practice centres thoughtful engagement, shared responsibility for learning, and sustained reflection over time.

Grounded in the belief that excellence is built through thoughtful practice, deliberate reflection, and meaningful connection, the CoP creates space to slow down, sharpen thinking, and engage together in the intentional work of professional development.

The Community of Practice is structured around a steady, manageable rhythm that balances live dialogue with asynchronous reflection:

• Monthly live group sessions (90 minutes)
  Facilitated conversations focused on sensemaking, case discussion, ethical and contextual complexity, and shared learning across practice settings.

• Asynchronous reflection and dialogue (Basecamp)
  Regular reflective prompts—both personal and community-oriented—support ongoing thinking between meetings. Optional discussion threads function as a shared workbench for resources, questions, and emerging ideas.

• Occasional practitioner-in-conversation sessions
  One or two guest engagements may be integrated during the six-month cycle, offering situated perspectives that deepen dialogue without disrupting the core rhythm of the community.

• Optional in-person social gatherings (Ottawa-based)
  Informal coffee or pub meet-ups are offered periodically to support relationship-building and long-term professional connection. These are optional and separate from core programming.

This Community of Practice is not a passive learning environment. Members are invited to engage thoughtfully, contribute their perspectives and experiences, and participate in collective learning over time. Reflection is treated as a core professional skill, and community is understood as an essential part of sustainable practice—not an add-on.

Participation is by application to ensure alignment in values, readiness, and expectations.

Participation in the Community of Practice is designed to be meaningful and sustainable.

Expected time commitment includes:

• 90 minutes per month for a live group session

• Approximately 30–60 minutes per month for reflection and asynchronous engagement

Total estimated commitment: ~2–2.5 hours per month

Members are encouraged to engage consistently, while also recognizing that capacity may vary across professional and personal contexts.