Getting in the mental game

Tucked away in a small strip of businesses off Alabama 119 near the 280 corridor, The MindSide is not a place many people know about. 

Opened by clinical/sports and performance psychologist Bhrett McCabe in 2012, the business has grown in the past five years, its clients ranging from high school athletes to professionals in the PGA and NFL. 

While working in the pharmaceutical industry for eight years, McCabe spent time moonlighting and meeting with clients beginning in 2008. Four years later, he began his practice in Birmingham.

“I started The MindSide as a resource for athletes, both local and across the country, to help focus on way they think and deal with their performance to give their minds a competitive start for their competitions,” McCabe said.

While athletes work with strength and conditioning coaches for their bodies and physical health, The MindSide focuses on the mental aspect. Although sports psychology has been used by professional athletes for many years, McCabe said it is just becoming more of a mainstream application. 

“It all begins in the mind,” McCabe said. “The body is controlled by what happens in the mind. Everything starts with a desire or want. People have to get focused on what they want to achieve and go for what they want and deal with the consequences. You have to out-work, out-prepare and out-execute what you’re doing. That’s where it all starts.”

As a collegiate baseball player at LSU, McCabe saw a hypnotherapist who helped turn his game around. This led him to change his mind about attending law school and instead he majored in psychology. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, he continued his studies at LSU in the Ph.D. program.

While he works with clients from all over, locally he works with high school teams at Spain Park (where his daughter plays on the golf team), Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia and Briarwood. He also serves as the consulting psychologist for the University of Alabama Athletic Department. 

McCabe said most people contact The MindSide because they are looking for help with concentration or preparation. Professional athletes will also reach out to them when they have a tough road ahead. 

Some of the professional athletes he works with include PGA golfers Brian Harman (who recently won his second PGA Tour victory), Graeme McDowell and Harris English and NFL linebacker Kevin Minter.

The MindSide also works with teams to enhance their overall production and performance as a unit and with coaches to create a plan for maximizing the performance of their athletes. Off the field, it works with corporate entities and provides presentations to give information to help in business and life. 

Assisting McCabe is Meighan Julbert, a mental skills consultant who works with many high school athletes to help them stand out for recruiters. He plans to add a third practitioner in the fall, and each of them will have a specific focus.

McCabe wrote and self-published his first book, “The MindSide Manifesto: The Urgency to Create a Competitive Mindset,” in 2016 to help athletes, coaches and leaders compete to the best of their ability.

More than two years ago, McCabe began a podcast. Now more than 130 episodes in, he interviews people who have done interesting things. One of his most successful downloads was a Navy fighter pilot who lives in Greystone who discussed how to handle high pressure situations. 

“We try not to interview too high profile people,” he said. “Excellence is around us in everything we do. I like to find someone locally who is successful and learn from them.”

In addition to growing his practice, McCabe said he has plans to build another office near the current one in the next three or four years. He also plans to offer informational videos online focusing on a sports psychology curriculum for high schools and also hopes to ramp up his corporate speaking in the Birmingham area. 

For more information, visit themindside.com.