A mental performance program built for athletes navigating identity, transition, and life after sport — because what happens between the ears determines everything that happens next.
"Nobody prepares you for who you are when the game is over. That was the hardest transition of my life."
— Anthony Lever Pedroza, Former Pro Basketball Player (Son of NBA All-Star Lafayette Lever)
Built on experience from
The Problem
Athletes are trained to perform at the highest level — but no one trains them for the mental and emotional weight of life beyond sport.
When sport defines who you are, losing it can feel like losing yourself. Athletes often don't know who they are outside of their uniform.
Athletic culture rewards toughness and punishes vulnerability. Most athletes never develop emotional intelligence skills — until the crisis hits.
Retirement from sport — whether chosen or forced — is consistently ranked as one of life's most stressful events, on par with divorce.
Existing mental health resources aren't built for athletes. Generic therapy doesn't speak the language of competition, pressure, and performance identity.
It Doesn't Start After Retirement
Most people think athlete mental health is a post-career problem. The truth is, the pressure begins the moment you step into the arena — and nobody teaches you how to handle it.
The fear of failure, of letting teammates and coaches down, of losing your spot — anxiety lives in every locker room but almost no one talks about it.
When your worth is tied to output, rest feels like weakness. Athletes push through physical and emotional depletion because stopping isn't seen as an option.
Social media, fan criticism, coach expectations, and family pressure create a weight that competitors carry 24/7 — in season, off season, everywhere.
Admitting mental struggle as an active athlete risks your spot on the roster. The culture of silence doesn't just ignore mental health — it punishes it.
Sudden income, family expectations, contracts, agents — financial pressure hits athletes young and hard, long before their careers end.
Every athlete hits a wall. But without mental performance tools, a slump becomes a spiral — and no coach is teaching you how to get your head right.
"It's time to give athletes what they need mentally — to grow, to thrive, and to win during their career and long after it ends."
— Anthony Lever Pedroza, Athletes of Life
The Program
Built for athletes, by athletes. This isn't therapy dressed up as coaching — it's a proven performance system applied to your mindset.
Discover who you are beyond your sport. Build a self-concept that isn't contingent on your performance or playing status.
Take the mental tools that made you elite — focus, resilience, competitive drive — and redirect them toward your next chapter.
Develop the vocabulary and awareness to name, process, and communicate what you're feeling — without losing your edge.
Rebuild your support network outside the locker room. Learn to build authentic relationships that aren't based on athletic status.
Find a mission that excites you the way game day used to. Map a path forward with the same intensity you brought to competition.
Anthony Lever Pedroza grew up with the game in his blood — son of Lafayette Lever, two-time NBA All-Star and 13-year veteran. He lived the athlete's life: the highs, the grind, and the identity wrapped in the sport.
When his playing career ended — after stints with the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and leagues across Mexico and Europe — he faced what no one talks about: the silence after the final buzzer.
Athletes of Life: Mind First is the program he wished existed. Not generic advice. Not one-size-fits-all therapy. A system built for the athlete's psychology, from someone who has lived it.
"The biggest game you'll ever play is the one happening in your head. I built this because nobody built it for me."
Anthony Lever Pedroza
Take the First Step
A free 5-minute assessment that maps where you are in your athletic transition — and what you need most right now. Built specifically for current and former athletes.
Start Your Free Assessment →