Train the person.
The performance follows.
Most athletes train hard. Few train with clarity about who they are, where their attention goes, or why they compete in the first place. That gap is where performance breaks down — and where this work begins.
You're doing everything right.
Except one thing.
"Mental toughness is paying attention to the right thing, at the right time, regardless of circumstances."
We devote thousands of hours to the physical side of performance. Almost none to training the one system that governs all of it: attention.
We don't work with performers. We work with people who perform. That distinction changes everything.
Most mental performance coaching is motivational. This isn't. It's systematic, evidence-based training built around three things — who you are, where your attention goes, and the routines that connect both.
Research shows up to half of performance variability at the elite level is attributable to psychological factors — yet most athletes spend zero structured time training the mental side of their game. That's not a talent gap. It's a training gap.
Weinberg & Gould, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2023Attention spans have collapsed in a single generation. The most trainable mental skill in sport — focused attention under pressure — is being eroded before athletes ever step onto the field.
Gloria Mark, PhD — Attention Span, UC Irvine
Pac-10 Batting Title · Cal Berkeley
M.A. Performance Psychology · 2021
2016 World Series Champion
From college walk-on to the Moneyball draft — and everything after.
I walked on at UC Berkeley. By my junior year I'd won the Pac-10 Conference batting title. In 2002, the Oakland A's drafted me — in the draft Michael Lewis immortalized in Moneyball. I'm in the book as one of the hitters the A's targeted that year. Seven seasons in the major leagues followed with the Marlins, Padres, and Cubs.
When my playing career ended, I stayed in the game — for ten more years, on the other side of it. Five of those years were spent building the Chicago Cubs' mental performance program from scratch. In 2016, we broke a 108-year drought. The World Series ring on my shelf is a reminder that this work is real.
From there I went to Pittsburgh as Director of Coaching & Player Development — the first role in professional baseball to include coaching in that title. I systematized coach development, built the pitching and coaching development infrastructure the organization still runs on, and eventually rebuilt the entire performance department as VP, Performance in twelve months.
Along the way I finished my undergraduate degree at Arizona State — walking across that stage at 37 — and earned my Master's in Performance Psychology from National University in 2021 with a 4.0. The academic credential matters here: it's what separates evidence-based practice from well-intentioned anecdote.
I'm a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I ruck daily, and I personally program my strength training using conjugate methodology. I've maintained a daily mindfulness practice for over ten years. I apply the same principles I teach to my own performance — because a practitioner who doesn't live the work has no business asking anyone else to.
In 2016 — the same year as the ring — I was inducted into the De La Salle High School Hall of Fame. For anyone who grew up in the Bay Area, that school needs no introduction.
Most mental performance coaches have lived experience or academic training. Very few have both. That combination — twenty-four years inside professional baseball alongside a graduate education in performance science — is what makes this work different.
Three pillars. One coherent system.
This isn't a program you run through. It's a framework you internalize. Identity, Attention, and Ritual work together — each reinforcing the others until the way you compete reflects who you actually are.
Identity
Most athletes know what they do. Very few know who they are — what they value, what drives them, and what they're willing to move toward even when it costs them something. Identity work is where this begins.
Through values clarification and the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, we build a personal compass that holds under pressure when nothing else does.
Attention
Attention is not a fixed trait. It is a trainable skill — and the most important one in performance. Mental toughness is the ability to direct attention to the right thing, at the right time, regardless of what's happening around you.
We train the attentional system directly, using Mindfulness-Based Attention Training protocols developed by Dr. Amishi Jha — the same science applied with military units, surgical teams, and elite athletes worldwide.
Ritual
A values-aligned routine isn't superstition. It's architecture. The way you prepare, transition, recover, and reflect determines the emotional and cognitive state you bring to competition — every single time.
We build individualized performance routines — pre-competition, in-game, and post-performance — that connect identity and attention training to the moments that actually matter.
What athletes and coaches say
Bake was an essential leadership example for me to follow early in my coaching career. His curiosity stoked several fires for our group. I benefitted greatly from his approach to leadership.
John Baker played a significant role in my growth as both a professional and a leader. His ability to process complex information, articulate a clear vision, and empower his staff to execute created an environment where people could truly develop. He built a culture where mistakes were treated as learning opportunities — where you knew he would support you, help you course correct, and continue pushing you to grow.
My daughter has worked with John throughout her golf career, from junior player to college athlete at the highest level. She is a 2x state champion, national champion, has played in 3 USGA majors, and is currently on a full scholarship at a major D1 university. John's methods have been an integral part of her success — equally as important as her swing coach and her caddie.
Two ways in. One framework.
1:1 Coaching
Direct, personalized work with John. Every session is built around you — your identity, your attentional patterns, your performance context. For athletes and executives who want the full framework applied to their specific situation with full access and accountability.
- ◆ Individualized Identity & Values work
- ◆ MBAT attention training — direct coaching
- ◆ Custom performance routine construction
- ◆ Ongoing access & accountability
Intentional Athlete Program
The complete IP framework — self-directed
The same three-pillar system — Identity, Attention, Ritual — built into a structured program for athletes ready to do the work independently. For the competitor who wants the framework without the 1:1 commitment.
- ◆ Full Identity & Values curriculum
- ◆ MBAT audio practice library
- ◆ Performance routine builder
- ◆ Lifetime access
Start Here
The gap you're feeling
has a name.
A free 20-minute call is enough to figure out whether this work is the right fit — for you, your athlete, or your organization. No pitch. No pressure. Just a direct conversation about where you are and where you want to go.
Book Your Free Strategy Call20 minutes · No obligation · [email protected]