MADISON- The mind, body and spirit, when connected, can make for success in all walks of life. In athletics, those attributes must mold together for an athlete to be able to compete and believe in their own talent levels as their mindset must be focused for a complete balance both physically and mentally. Sandy Robinson, a longtime personal success coach and integrative health practitioner, understands the emotions that can develop in an athletes’ participation and as founder of LEANWell, “I want to leave a positive impact by coaching them to take the necessary steps to navigate their lives and move forward.”

LEANWell is an integrative health and success coaching practice with the meaning of L- Lifestyle, E- Exercise, A- Attitude, N- Nutrition. Through personal, many times one-on-one training, Robinson teaches female athletes how to care for themselves and structure responsibilities for balance as young athletes are under a lot of pressure to perform and achieve success.

“I teach athletes how to be tough and think positive at all times even during negative moments in athletics,” said Robinson, 50. “I want to teach athletes not to have fear and have the mindset of facing obstacles with skills that transforms into life and not just during playing sports.”

Robinson has extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of life struggles. Attending Dayton Community College and soon achieving numerous certificates of training in the areas that fulfill her expertise, she also became a personal trainer after arriving in the North Alabama area where her sister, Bonnie Beddingfield, owner Rivera Fitness. Her vast experience includes being in foster care at age four in Jacksonville, Fla. where she was part of an extended family through a foster home.

“That journey opened my eyes as I was exposed to a lot as I learned from the professionals when they would visit our family,” said Robinson. “At age 18, I moved out. I was on my own. I’m adaptable to what I’m faced with.”

Her life story became even more complex in 2010 when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition which went untreated for some time. She suffered five miscarriages and fought every day to become healthy and correct her balance in health and life. She soon maneuvered herself to integrative health, an individualized, client-centered model of promoting optimal health and wellness, combining a whole person approach with evidence-based strategies to reduce health risk by turning around lifestyle behaviors. She added, “I learned whole commitment of a woman who was suffering and still do. From my experiences, I help females now to get healthy.”

Her unrelentless efforts to learn everything there’s to know about athletics also included her son who was playing D-1 football, but suffered career ending concussions in 2021. He was medically disqualified due to the concessions and traumatic brain injury as he still suffers from life altering symptoms. Robinson saw flaws in the coaching system of players who continued to play when they should be assessed by a medical professional. “Those experiences taught me behind the scenes looks at what athletes go through. I found out it’s a common theme of wanting to perform for the coach at all costs,” said Robinson.

For many coaches, their careers are on the line as athletes sometimes play when they shouldn’t and Robinson is helping athletes to take care of their own mental and physical health by taking a stand, when needed.

Robinson’s programs include Team Building where entire squads come together through her teachings as each bond as a team and to have great chemistry and be able to compete during high pressure situations. She uses the concept of there are four stages of a team’s success as they develop as every team must grow through time as she assesses each team’s objective and formulates a custom-made program for that squad. She assists coaches, as well, as many of them do not know how to handle some athletes, especially teenage girls who can be very emotional to the point they can’t perform, especially in a team setting.

One middle school athlete comes front and center when it comes to an experience that stands out within Robinson’s work with young athletes. The unnamed athlete would completely shut down upon any failure. She was part of what Robinson called “old drama that was still hanging around the team,” and was not properly handled by the coaching staff.

Robinson added, “The young girl was caught up in the toxic atmosphere that surrounded the program. As I kept working, soon her mindset changed, and the entire team culture changed. I’m proud to see she’s now the shining star as she’s now showing a positive mindset. These girls at that age have emotions from the lives surrounding them. With my work with the young athletes, I try and help them to unleash their full potential and cultivate a winning mindset.”

“I specialize in guiding ambitious women and elite athletes to excel to their fullest potential,” said Robinson, who holds an array of professional certifications including her latest this year in Sports Psychology Coaching. She has assisted numerous school teams in the area including those at Sparkman, James Clemens and Discovery, as well as, United Volleyball, which is made up of student-athletes from schools from across the immediate area.

Being zealous in her own career has led her to be a podcast host and producer, gym manager and group fitness instructor, a school administrator for a private school for four years in Killeen, Texas, business manager and preschool teacher. She set goals for herself at an early age and has found a successful way to assist others in doing the same efforts in their own lives. She understands how important physical activity is a must for complete well-being. She does a high-intensity workout and includes lifting weights three days a week and includes her own home studio. “I love group fitness,” added Robinson.

She and her husband Brian have been married 14 years and together they have four children between them. Being involved with her and Brian’s children has assisted in her understanding of what young student-athletes go through and the need by many females to focus on good character and coach those to take the steps to experience success. She hopes each client can LEAN their way to a more agreeable future with huge success.

Visit Robinson at www.coachsandyrobinson.com or e-mail her at sandy@coachsandyrobinson.com.