Workshop Description

In today’s professional sports culture, athletes follow highly disciplined and rigid routines to endure the immense pressures of performance. Combined with the dehumanizing aspects of elite competition, this environment makes them increasingly vulnerable to anxiety and depression, particularly during pivotal career moments. Existential theory, however, views anxiety not as an obstacle but as a catalyst for creative reflection and transformation. Moments of crisis push athletes beyond their familiar values, habits, and orientations, forcing them to confront uncertainty as they redefine their identity. Unlike most psychological models that seek to eliminate anxiety through mental training, existential approaches embrace it as an essential part of personal growth. When engaged with authentically, these experiences become opportunities for athletes to reconstruct their identity beyond performance metrics and cultivate resilience for future challenges.

What You'll Learn

Learn to view anxiety as a catalyst for growth, not a hindrance

Master the art of creative reflection and transformation in sports coaching

Apply existential approaches to redefine athlete identity and build resilience

Discover how to embrace uncertainty for personal and professional development

Meet Our Expert Speakers

Wouter van Dun

Philosophical Counsellor

Wouter van Dun is a philosophical counsellor and independent researcher based in the Netherlands, specializing in the intersection of philosophy and sports. He holds degrees in Sport Science and Philosophy from the University of Leuven (Belgium) and has conducted phenomenological research on psychopathology at the University Clinic of General Psychiatry in Heidelberg (Germany). His work focuses on the existential challenges athletes face, offering philosophical counsel to help them navigate their careers. Currently, he is engaged in a research project at the School of Sport Science in Oslo (Norway), conducting phenomenological interviews with elite athletes to explore themes such as freedom, anxiety, and authenticity in professional sports. His research interests include existential phenomenology, phenomenological psychopathology, German philosophical anthropology, and enactive approaches to (neuro)biology.

Transform Your Coaching Approach Today

Join our live event to revolutionize how you perceive anxiety, coaching, and athlete well-being. Take the first step towards a transformative coaching experience!

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