Achieving Excellence

“Dr. Hacker is one of the leading authorities on performance excellence. This book includes some of the same techniques and strategies she has been implementing in her own work with professional, elite, and international competitors for the last two decades. Her approach with our team wasn’t simply ‘plug and play’ coaching. It was individualized and personalized. That showed me that she respected each of us as individuals and was committed to making us the best that we could be. Whether you are a corporate executive, youth athlete, teacher, coach, artist, parent, or elite athlete, the knowledge and opportunities for application in this book will assist your training and performance.”
—Mia Hamm

Mia is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row and won three ESPY awards, including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year. The Women's Sports Foundation named her Sportswoman of the Year twice. A co-owner of Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC, Hamm is also chair of the Mia Hamm Foundation. She has been inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame, and was recently inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

“In cutthroat, competitive arenas, the focus is often (mis)placed on your opponent or the other team. In Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life, Dr. Hacker helps center you, the performer, by highlighting the mental skills and strategies that will help close your performance gap in sport and life. By focusing on your own game through self-awareness and personal control, you are much more likely to enjoy the journey in your own pursuit of excellence.”
—Nomar Garciaparra

Nomar is a retired Major League Baseball player and current SportsNet LA analyst. He played nine seasons as a shortstop for the Boston Red Sox and played shortstop, third base, and first base for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics. He is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game and is the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium. Garciaparra is a six-time All-Star, was the American League Rookie of the Year, and was the American League Silver Slugger Award winner at shortstop. He is a lifetime .313 hitter, had the highest single-season batting average by a right-handed batter in the post–World War II era, and was the first right-handed batter since Joe DiMaggio to win the American League batting title in consecutive seasons. Nomar is a minority investor in Los Angeles FC.