
About
Five years ago, Dr. Sue Schimmel and Maureen Breeze were asked to provide programming for parents of college athletes at a top-performing D1 institution. As professionals in their distinct fields and parents of college athletes themselves, they resonated with the challenges inherent in coach-athlete-parent relationships. Seeing a gap in resources, they created unique programs to serve institutions and wrote their book, Playing the Long Game: A Handbook for Parenting Elite and College Athletes, to help parents support their athlete’s performance and well-being.
“As a collegiate coach for over 30+ years, I’ve seen the tremendous investment and sacrifice parents of high-level athletes make. I’ve also seen how challenging the college transition can be as athletes and parents renegotiate their relationship from separate places. The information in this book reminds us to be reflective and thoughtful in support of our children’s goals in a way that builds confidence, resilience, and accountability. I love the practical applications and real-life scenarios backed by science and research. This resource will help parents navigate this new stage in their athlete’s development. It will be invaluable for the parents of my athletes.”
—Melissa Kutcher, Head Women’s Gymnastics Coach, University of Denver
Maureen Breeze
Maureen Breeze is the principal at Cultivage, an executive coaching and corporate training company, and the co-founder of Retreat Reinvent Recharge, an international organization that supports women’s career advancement. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s Center for Professional Development teaching business leaders some of the strategies discussed in this book. Prior to this work, Maureen served as the Senior V.P. for LifeBound, an education consulting firm, where she developed academic coaching programs to help universities and colleges support students’ success. She presented her methodology at conferences throughout the U.S. and in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, China, and Mexico. Maureen’s first career was as a dancer and choreographer, and she continues to coach dancers launching their professional careers. She received her undergraduate degree in International Management and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College, and studied dance performance & choreography in graduate school at U.C.L.A. Maureen is also the parent of a collegiate athlete. To learn more about Maureen, visit www.cultivage.com.
Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D.
Suzanne B. Schimmel, Ph.D. received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Yale University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University. She has a private practice in Denver, Colorado, working with athletes at the collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels. Within that domain, Sue focuses on mental health issues, retirement from sport and addictions treatment. She has been consulting to a Division I men’s sports team since 2017. More recently, she helped create programming for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee mental health team for the transition out of sport. Sue has produced informational videos on relationship issues for the health and wellness committee of the National Hockey League Players Association, and has provided therapy for athletes from the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer for over 15 years. Sue is also the parent of a college athlete. To learn more about Suzanne, visit www.drsueschimmel.com