Why Most Athletes Break - And How We Didn’t | Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes

Michael Gervais (0:00)

Picture this, it's late 2022 Spending more time with my family and pouring energy into Finding Mastery. Then, my phone rings. It's legendary beach volleyball coach Marcio Sicoli. His voice has that unmistakable spark. He says, Gervais, I've got something interesting for you. You're definitely gonna want to hear this. Now, when Marcio says something interesting, I know that this is not a casual lunch invite. A few days later, I'm sitting across the table from him and two Canadian athletes. I hadn't yet met as a team. Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes were crammed into a beachside coffee shop, mismatched chairs, half-cold cappuccinos and within minutes, I feel it. This wasn't gonna be a casual meeting. This was gonna become an adventure. Welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery Podcast, where we dive into the minds of the world's greatest thinkers and doers. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. Now, the idea behind these conversations is simple. It's to sit with the extraordinaries and to learn, to really learn about how they work from the inside out. So fast forward to the summer of 2024 Against all odds, Brandie and Melissa are standing on the sand in Paris, playing for a spot on the Olympic podium. Their path is anything but smooth. They nearly crashed out in pool play, saved by a single point in a last chance lifeline.

They fought through doubt, anger, tears, and the weight of never having seen Canada medal in women's Olympic beach volleyball. Yet, they rose match after match, night after night until they were facing the number one team in the world. A few months later, before the adrenaline fully faded, we gathered in Los Angeles at the Mastery Lab. Marcio, Melissa, Brandie, myself, and our friend USC Professor Dave Belasco, who guided the conversation. What unfolded was part debrief, part love letter to resilience, and part behind the scenes account of what it really takes to walk into the fire together and come through on top. This is that conversation, never before released. A story as relevant today as it was then. Of trust, grit, and the belief that nobody does the extraordinary alone.

David Belasco (2:24)

Well, it's wonderful to be here with four people that I really admire and am inspired by. I know Mike quite well. He's been a pillar of my class at USC on mindset for years, and he was the co-founder with Pete Carroll and myself on a Performance Science Institute. So you've taught thousands and thousands of USC students, so thank you. And for Melissa and Brandie, I mean, you not only inspired Canada, but the world and following your Olympic run. And so to bring all of you together and have this conversation really is a privilege and to go sort of behind the scenes. So let's start with the two less famous people right now. Marcio and Dr Mike.

Michael Gervais (3:06)

This is true.

David Belasco (3:07)

That's crap.

Marcio Sicoli (3:08)

This is true.

David Belasco (3:09)

Let's talk about your relationship and how a renowned American sports psychologist wound up advising and coaching with Team Canada. Do you talk about the relationship with Mike and how you invited him to this team? Wow.

Marcio Sicoli (3:23)

Where do I start it? I think here's where I started. I met Mike in Pre-Use Olympics, and that was just like right away. He is the best in the world.

Michael Gervais (3:35)

This is why I wanted you on the phone.

Brandie Wilkerson (3:39)

That's all we needed.

Marcio Sicoli (3:40)

You can go now. In terms of the mindset and in terms of the psychology of the sport, but the most important thing in terms of the human relationships. So he knows how that works.

And then for me, you know, we had a small budget. We had, you know, not the means to do it. And then I just put it out there and I said, Mike, here's the deal. I have two apples and two bananas. Do you want to go on that project with me? And he goes like, maybe it's the sports, both sports again. I'm not sure. But in our first meeting, you know, for some reason, the players were late and then we got to catch up a little bit. And it just felt right, just felt right on my end. And I'm just happy.

Michael Gervais (4:27)

So there's a, I just watched you two go, we were late? Yeah. But there's a story behind that. So the way that I remember the way this, our relationship first was through Kerry Walsh and Misty May. And we spent two quads, one quad, two quads with them, supporting them. And I loved working with you. There was something about the way that you truly support somebody and honestly challenge them. And with all of your technical prowess, I'm like, there's something genius about working with you. And I felt it and I watched it and I loved it. And then I thought I was kind of done with volleyball when they retired. It was Kerry and April. And then Kerry kind of retired, was in the transition phase. And I thought I was pretty much done with volleyball at that point. Great run. Amazing. And then I got a call from you that said, it was two years into the squad and you said, I've got something interesting. And you thought you were done too.