“I’ve pursued this path for two main reasons.  The first reason is that I personally struggled with mental performance, even when I was considered an ‘elite’ athlete.  I incorrectly assumed my mental struggles were part of who I was, and that there was nothing I could do about it.  The second reason is that I came to realize every athlete I’ve ever worked with had mental performance challenges they were facing on some level.

My goals when working with an athlete are to really get to know and understand them, to help them learn how to use mental skills to become the best they can be, and to help them stay in touch with the greater question of why they participate in sports and how it enriches their life.”

Ben Bartell, M.S., CMPC

Ben Bartell is the founder of Championship Mind and specializes in using Sport Psychology techniques to help individuals dominate the mental side of performance.  He has used his experience and track record of success in sport, both as an athlete and coach, to develop tools and techniques to bring success to players at all levels. Ben has experience working with a variety of sports, including swimming, diving, track, cross country, triathlon, tennis, basketball, baseball, hockey, and mixed martial arts.

Ben is known for his passion and ability to communicate; to take complex ideas and communicate them in an accessible, easy to understand way.  He has helped numerous athletes, coaches, and teams build a high performance culture and create systems that deliver repeatable results.

Experience, Education, and Training

Ben has many years of experience working with athletes and performers on mental skills training. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota, and obtained a Sport Psychology certificate and Masters Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Psychology from California Southern University. Ben is also a certified administrator of the Attentional and Interpersonal Style Inventory (TAIS), as well as the 9 Mental Skills of Successful Athletes Assessment (9MSSA). Beyond working with individual clients, Ben has consulted with teams across a variety of sports at the club and NCAA levels, as well as with multiple businesses.

Ben is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and a member of of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and division 47 of the American Psychological Association (Society for Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology). As part of the certification process, Ben has received mentorship from Dr. Jack J. Lesyk. Dr. Lesyk is the director of the Ohio Center for Sport Psychology, former president of AASP, and Sport Psychologist for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coaching Experience

Prior to his work in mental performance, Ben had a distinguished coaching career spanning more than 15 years. Athletes under Ben’s direction have achieved success at the State, Regional, National, and International levels. From 2010-2014, Ben was named a “Coach of Excellence” by the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA), as well as being named a USA Swimming National Team coach. Ben also has experience coaching at the international level, having served as an assistant coach for the United States National Team at the 2013 Duel in the Pool in Glasgow, Scotland.

After the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, Ben was awarded the Order of Ikkos, a medal symbolizing excellence in coaching. The United States Olympic Committee’s Order of Ikkos medal allows for each U.S. Olympic or Paralympic medalist to acknowledge one coach for their leadership in achieving world-class success. Each medal is uniquely handcrafted to reflect the Olympic and Paralympic Games for that year.

Athletic Experience

As a youth, Ben was involved in multiple sports including baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, golf, and swimming. A walk-on swimmer at the University of Minnesota, Ben was a 4 year varsity letter winner, a Big Ten Champion, a multiple NCAA Division 1 All-American, and a United States Olympic Trials Qualifier in both 2000 and 2004.

“My journey into sports psychology is rooted in my own experiences as an athlete. Throughout my athletic career, I faced challenges with mental performance that often held me back from reaching my full potential. As I transitioned into coaching, I observed similar struggles in the athletes I worked with. These experiences fueled my passion for sports psychology, as I recognized the critical role that mental performance plays in achieving success at every level of sport.

Sports psychology, to me, is about unlocking an athlete's potential by addressing the mental barriers that can hinder performance. I am dedicated to understanding each athlete as an individual and simplify complex mental skills and tools that can be integrated into daily training and competition. My goal is to empower athletes to become the best versions of themselves, both in and out of competition.”

Chandler Lewis, M.S.

Chandler is a passionate coach driven by a fascination with human potential. Combining his background in exercise science with his Masters in Psychology and CMPC certification, Chandler empowers athletes of all levels to achieve peak performance. Additionally, Chandler utilizes his expertise in strength and conditioning to design training programs for a diverse clientele, ranging from professional athletes to general population clients.

Experience, Education, and Training

Chandler has achieved a master’s degree in sports psychology at California Southern University (Magna Cum Laude), and an undergraduate education in Exercise Science and Human Health Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He holds ACE-CPT licensure and is a certified USA/YMCA Swimming Coach, with additional training in mental performance as he works toward CMPC certification. His academic and professional journey has equipped him with a deep understanding of both the physical and mental aspects of athletic performance, allowing him to support athletes in achieving their full potential.

Coaching Experience

Chandler has coached 11 athletes to the USA National Junior level, two athletes to the USA Senior National level, and two athletes to the World Trials/USA Olympic Trials. He played a pivotal role in leading Schroeder to a combined Team Championship at the 2021 YMCA Swim Festival (during the COVID season), and helped guide them to multiple podium finishes, including Runner-Up titles in 2023 and 2024, and Men’s Champions in 2024.

Chandler’s athletes have broken State, YMCA National records, with one athlete setting a USA Winter Junior Championship record. Over 50 of his athletes have advanced to collegiate programs, including athletes ranked within the top 25 nationwide. Recently, he coached both the Schroeder men’s and women’s teams to relay championships, along with top 8 finishes at Summer and Junior Championships.. His athletes have consistently finished within the top 8 at YMCA Nationals, Winter Juniors, and Summer Juniors including numerous Individual championships. 

Chandler was selected to the USA National Junior Team Select Camp in 2022 and the Central Zone Team Select Camp in 2023. He has also been nominated multiple times for the State of Wisconsin’s LSC Senior Coach of the Year from 2021 to 2024.

Athletic Experience

Chandler’s athletic journey began with a passion for all sports during childhood, however he found early success in swimming. Chandler competed with the Schroeder YMCA Swim Team, and continued to excel at the collegiate level at both the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. At Whitewater, Chandler held multiple school records, was awarded Academic All-American twice, and became a WIAC Champion. These experiences not only shaped his athletic career but also deepened his understanding of the mental demands of competitive sports.