MIND OVER MATTER DR. DAVE SCHROERLUCKE LAUNCHES MENTAL PERFORMANCE CONSULTANCY Writer / Tyrel Kessinger
Dr. Dave Schroerlucke wants to help you perform better under pressure. After years of watching people struggle to overcome performance anxiety, he realized that performance pressure is simply part and parcel of the human condition. Rather than trying to help people avoid stressful situations, he has designed systematic methods for confronting them head on. In January 2019, Schroerlucke launched Ripe Minds, a sport and performance psychology consultancy that deals in the business of what he calls mindset training. “At Ripe Minds, my mission is to help individuals, teams and organizations develop mindsets that promote selfawareness and optimal performance, particularly within the context of high-stakes or stressful environments,” Schroerlucke says. Simply put, Schroerlucke wants to help people achieve success under stress.
Schroerlucke’s lifelong fascination with the mental side of performance led him to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, with a specialization in sport and performance psychology. His doctoral dissertation, “Choke Artists and Clutch Performers”, involved a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on performance under pressure.
degree of any kind,” Schroerlucke says.
“The goal of the review was to distill what we’ve learned through decades of research down to the essential psychological traits and skills that distinguish people who excel in high-stakes situations from those that falter,” he says.
Schroerlucke’s experience in academics allowed him to pinpoint ways in which he can extend his practice to a variety of other performance domains, including sports, performing arts and business. Ultimately, he wants to bring the benefits of performance psychology training to everyone and dispel the myth that systematic mental training is only for world-class athletes, rock stars and Fortune 500 CEOs.
The idea of focusing on the effects of performance pressure came to Schroerlucke over the course of 15-plus years as a math educator, during which he developed a special interest in helping students who are plagued by math anxiety.
Having created professional development courses to help teachers better understand and combat math anxiety, Schroerlucke has become a recognized expert on the topic and has been asked to share his insights at national conferences for math education.
“At the end of the day, we are all performers,” he says. “In life you are constantly being asked to deliver results, “Many people suffer from a debilitating fear of whether by a boss, a customer or a math that can be a major deterrent to pursuing significant other, and your ability to meet the demands of life is largely the product of a career in science and technology, and, for your mindset and mental preparation.” many students, a huge obstacle to earning a JeffersontownMag.com / AUGUST 2020 / JEFFERSONTOWN MAGAZINE / 27
