Amy Suiter Coaching
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9: Let Them Feel It: Guiding Athletes Through Failure Without Shame

Amy unpacks one of the hardest but most important parts of raising and coaching athletes: guiding them through failure without layering on shame. Too often, adults jump in with “shake it off” or “don’t act like that,” trying to protect confidence or team energy. But as Amy explains, those quick fixes don’t build resilience, they teach athletes to doubt or hide their emotions.

Instead, Amy shows how frustration, anger, and even sadness are not problems to erase, but signals to understand. She introduces the Animal Matrix framework for understanding how different athletes process frustration, why shame quietly sabotages confidence and leadership, and how parents and coaches can use responsibility, not shame, to help athletes reset and grow.

This episode will give you both the mindset shift and practical tools to help your athlete turn 

Key Takeaways:

  • Why emotions aren’t problems, they’re signals, and why suppressing them backfires.

  • How athletes process frustration differently (Fox, Cat, Lion, Squirrel, Dog, Wolf) and what they need to hear in those moments.

  • The hidden cost of shame, and how it shrinks confidence, silences leadership, and drains joy from sports.

  • The difference between responsibility and shame when coaching through mistakes.

  • The 4-Step Reset System athletes can use to move through frustration in real time.

Resources Mentioned:

What’s Next:
Amy will continue sharing mindset frameworks that change the way athletes, parents, and coaches approach sports, helping you see emotions not as weaknesses, but as signals for growth, connection, and resilience.

Connect with Amy:

Don’t Forget:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another athlete, parent, or coach who wants to raise confident, resilient, and joyful young people.