Gretchen has over 30 years of experience as a Registered Dietitian and uses evidence-based nutrition recommendations to help her clients reach their goals. She has worked with area athletes at WMU and Kalamazoo College. She specializes in: Sports/Performance Nutrition Female Athlete Triad Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating Non-Diet Approach to Health and Well-Being Medical Nutrition Therapy for Heart Disease, Diabetes, and other … Read More
Sports Injuries, What Every Parent Should Read
Dear Next Level Performance families, For the last several weeks, my daughter has been complaining about knee pain after practice and games. We always respond the same – ice, Motrin, rest. Inside I am telling myself she has grown four inches, she is doing too much, she just needs to deal with it. Normal pain for a growing athlete. She … Read More
The Science Behind Effective Coaching
The secret to lasting life change is found in building great relationships. At Next Level Performance, when we look back on our time with an athlete we ask three key questions to determine the success of our athletic and leadership training: Did the athlete become a better player? Did the athlete become a better person? Did the athlete enjoy this … Read More
The One Quality Great Teammates Have in Common
During my playing career, every football program I’d ever been a part of was about seniority, more so than service. Sophomores carried the water and equipment, seniors ordered them around. A coming of age meant more bossing around and less busy work. Admittedly, I ran my program this way my first season as a head coach. It was what I … Read More
The Lessons We Can Learn from Great Athletes
Development is a term we hear thrown around a lot, but what does it mean? Progress? Growth? Learning? At Next Level we believe development is building. Building complete people – young men and women who are great leaders, students, athletes, and servants of others. There is a new house being built in my neighborhood, adjacent to my property. Brick by … Read More
Why I’m Rooting for Blake O’Neill
Unless you’ve been off the grid the past few days, you probably know that the University of Michigan football team’s punter is named Blake O’Neill and that he bobbled and lost the ball on the final play of the Michigan – Michigan State game. A play that cost Michigan the game, the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and bragging rights for one … Read More
Mastering the Art of Tough Love
Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore Recently, I blogged about how parenting has become a “religion” in America, where children have become the absolute centerpiece of the home and nothing negative can be said about them. Yep. Some time between our childhood and the moment we had children of our own, parenthood became a religion. As with many religions, … Read More
Six Benefits of Margin in a Student’s Life
Repost from Growing Leaders by Tim Elmore A month ago, I attempted to build a case for margins in our lives — both for us leaders and for our students. We need margins in order to become fully alive and to become the best versions of ourselves. I am not the first to say it, but it’s true: we live … Read More
Building The Complete Person
“For physical training is of some value…” 1 Timothy 4:8 He leaned forward and slid the piece of paper toward me with two hands and then leaned back in his chair again, folding his arms across his chest. Finally he broke the awkward silence by dropping a bomb. “Tim…we’re going to have to let you go.” Just like that, in a … Read More