I'm Tessa. School nurse, youth sports coach, and now, apparently, an author, which still feels like someone else's job title. My background is in orthopedics, sports medicine, and school nursing. That means I've spent two decades watching what happens to kids' bodies and their heads under pressure, usually at the same time, usually on a Tuesday, usually right before a big game. I hold a master's degree in mental health and wellness. I wrote this book because the same conversation kept happening in my office, on the sideline, and in parent meetings: everyone treating the mental side of sports like an afterthought, right up until it wasn't. Preparation and consistency aren't buzzwords to me. They're the only two things that actually work. This book is what I'd tell you if we had an hour in a hallway instead of ten minutes between periods.