How Mind Matter Performance is bringing Global Athlete well-being models to India

In sport, performance is often celebrated as a triumph of discipline, talent, and sacrifice. But behind every podium moment lies a more complex reality, one shaped by mental resilience, emotional health, and the ability to recover from invisible struggles. 

Across the world, elite sporting systems are embracing this truth. They are building structures where well-being isn’t an afterthought, but a foundation. 

India, meanwhile, is still catching up. The country’s athletes continue to push boundaries in performance, yet systemic support for their psychological and emotional health remains uneven.

The conversation, though, is finally changing, led by professionals like Gayatri Bhushan and Akash Prasad, co-founders of Mind Matter Performance (MMP).

Both trained and licensed in the UK, they have spent the last few years adapting global lessons for India’s unique sporting culture.

The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi marked a turning point in their work: for the first time, Sport Psychology and athlete well-being took centre stage in India’s sporting dialogue.

What they saw there and what they continue to advocate for offers India a roadmap drawn from global best practices.

A step forward at home

When MMP was integrated into the World Para Athletics Championships 2025, it wasn’t just another consulting assignment; it was a cultural shift.

“It was deeply inspiring,” Gayatri recalls. “To see athletes who had endured so much, yet carried themselves with so much mental discipline and emotional control, was transformative.”

For Akash, the experience revealed how mental support could blend seamlessly into a high-performance environment.

“We were part of a global-level event in India where psychology was not an add-on, but an integrated service. That was a huge step forward,” he says.

Yet those moments also exposed the gaps that persist across Indian sport, the lack of structured systems, accredited professionals, and grassroots awareness.

The missing links in India’s system

Unlike countries where sport psychology has long been institutionalized, India’s ecosystem remains fragmented. “We have pockets of excellence, but not a network,” Akash explains. “There’s no standardized system that ensures every athlete, from Delhi to Odisha to Kerala, can access the same quality of psychological support.”

The imbalance is structural. Many federations don’t budget for full-time sport psychologists. Awareness among coaches, parents, and even administrators is limited.

And because “psychology” still carries stigma, help is often sought only in moments of crisis — when confidence breaks or performance dips.

This reactive model, Gayatri says, must change.

“Globally, sport psychology isn’t about problems. It’s about skills. It’s about helping athletes build emotional control, focus, and resilience before they face setbacks.”

Integrating mental training from day one

In the UK, where Gayatri was trained, athletes begin mental conditioning early, often as young as six years old.

“By the time they’re 10 or 11, they’ve already developed the tools to handle pressure,” she says. “It’s part of their sporting DNA.”

This approach stems from the belief that mental strength, like physical conditioning, needs repetition and early intervention.

By embedding psychological training from the grassroots, through schools, academies, and junior federations, athletes grow up viewing mental well-being as normal, not exceptional.

In India, such integration remains rare. Many clubs still bring in psychologists only after a slump or injury.

“That can’t be the case,” Gayatri emphasizes. “Mental health support needs to be budgeted, planned, and built into training cycles from day one.”

Building systems, not silos

So what can India adopt from abroad? Akash points to the idea of mandatory federation-led well-being campaigns.

“Imagine every major sport federation running its own peer-led mental health program,” he says. “Train a small cohort of coaches and athletes, let them become advocates, and the message travels organically.”

He adds that this peer-led model, already used effectively in countries like the UK and Australia, helps cut through stigma. “When athletes hear about mental well-being from their peers, it feels less clinical and more relatable.”

Gayatri suggests another global practice India sorely lacks: referral pathways.

“If an athlete shows signs of distress, to whom do they go? There’s no formal system,” she says.

“In the UK, coaches can refer athletes through ethical, confidential channels. We need something similar here, a national framework that ensures athletes don’t slip through the cracks.”

The Australian lens: From winning to well-being

Few countries have reshaped their sporting philosophy as meaningfully as Australia.

Its person-centred care model treats athletes not as medal machines, but as complete individuals, with emotional, social, and educational dimensions.

“Their focus is holistic,” Gayatri explains. “They see life inside sport as much as life outside it. That balance builds longevity and joy.”

She contrasts it with India’s “win-at-all-costs” culture. “Here, mistakes are punished. Athletes, even children, fear failure. They associate self-worth only with performance.”

That mindset, she warns, fuels burnout and identity crises.

“When your only identity is ‘I’m an athlete’, what happens when injury strikes or retirement comes? We’ve seen champions like Michael Phelps talk openly about depression post-retirement. It’s a global issue, but in India, we barely even address it.”

Akash adds that a person-centred approach would mean redefining training priorities: valuing recovery as much as intensity, dialogue as much as discipline. “We need to train coaches to communicate better, to check in with athletes, and to view well-being as part of performance, not separate from it.”

The power of mindfulness

In precision sports like shooting, archery, or golf, mental control can make or break a performance.

Mindfulness-based training, a staple in Canadian and U.S. programs, has shown measurable success in improving focus, consistency, and recovery from errors.

“These sports demand calmness under chaos,” Gayatri notes. “Mindfulness helps athletes stay centred, detached from outcome pressure, and focused on process.”

She points to evidence-based models like MAC (Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment) used in Canadian archery and the U.S. Olympic setup. “These programs blend breathing techniques, visualization, and emotional regulation, all backed by data.”

At MMP, similar approaches are being adapted for Indian athletes. Their sessions for precision sportspersons combine mental skills training with physiological monitoring, measuring focus stability, reaction time, and cognitive control.

“In precision sports, we need to measure performance-relevant markers,” Akash explains. “It’s about integrating psychological and physiological tools so we can truly monitor how athletes respond under pressure.”

Empowering Women Athletes

One of the starkest divides in mental health access lies along gender lines. For male athletes, stigma often stems from the perception of “weakness.”

For women, it’s about access, the absence of safe spaces, and trusted mentors.

Gayatri believes athlete-led movements can change that. “Look at campaigns like Whole Being Athlete in the U.S. They work because athletes, not institutions, lead the narrative. Their stories drive empathy and change.”

She advocates for women in decision-making roles and athlete-led governance. “When female athletes see women leading at the top, they feel seen. They’re more likely to speak up.”

Akash adds that India could launch ambassador networks, with respected role models like P.V. Sindhu or Saina Nehwal spearheading public conversations on mental well-being.

“Visibility builds credibility,” he says. “Once you have champions talking about it, it stops being taboo.”

The MMP way: Integrating, not adding

At the core of Mind Matter Performance’s philosophy is one simple idea — mental well-being shouldn’t sit outside sport; it should live within it.

“We’re embedding psychologists within the ecosystem,” Gayatri explains. “Not as external consultants, but as part of the coaching and performance team.”

Every practitioner under MMP is licensed or in training under global standards. “That’s non-negotiable,” Akash says. “India has a serious shortage of licensed professionals. We want to change that by setting a higher bar.”

Their model also stresses collaboration. Sessions often involve not just athletes, but also coaches and parents.

For younger players, the ecosystem itself becomes the intervention. “It’s a 360-degree approach,” Gayatri says. “If one part of the environment is misaligned, whether it’s the coach’s communication or a parent’s pressure, the athlete suffers.”

MMP is also pushing for policy advocacy, including frameworks that legally protect the title of “sport psychologist” in India.

“Fifteen years ago, when I was an athlete, I went to a psychologist who wasn’t trained. That still happens,” Gayatri says. “We need regulation and accountability.”

The future of Athlete care

The global conversation around athlete well-being is no longer about luxury; it’s about longevity.

The question for India is whether it will keep waiting for crises or choose to invest in resilience.

For Mind Matter Performance, the goal is clear: to make well-being a norm, not a novelty. To create systems that recognize that medals may win headlines, but minds win careers.

As Akash puts it, “If we start building mentally strong athletes from the ground up, we’re not just creating champions, we’re creating people who can handle life beyond the game.”