From High Performance on the Field… to High Performance in Business
- Natalia Parrado
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
July 31, 2025 - The shared cycles of athletes and entrepreneurs committed to excellence.
In professional sports, life isn’t a straight line. It moves in cycles: preseason, season, recovery, rest, reinvention.
Each stage demands a different mindset and energy. Interestingly, something very similar happens in the business world, though we don’t always recognize it.
As a young entrepreneur (and former high-performance athlete), I’ve found a powerful parallel between the life of an elite athlete and that of someone leading a business with vision and discipline. This article is an invitation to explore those cycles and perhaps better understand yourself if you feel like you’re in a tougher, or lighter, phase.
(From High Performance on the Field… to High Performance in Business)
1. Preseason: Vision, strategy, and preparation
In sports: This is the moment to build a strong foundation. Intense training happens outside of competition, technical details are refined, habits are strengthened, and the path ahead is visualized. This is when seeds are planted for future results.
In business: It’s the stage of planning, learning, or even reinventing. A new idea is taking shape, teams are being formed, the value proposition is refined, or the strategy is being sharpened. It often happens after a crisis or right before a big launch. There might not be much visible progress, but internally, there's fire, analysis, and a long-term vision.
Are you building something behind the scenes? You might be in your preseason.
2. Competition Season: Action, commitment, and focus
In sports: The calendar rules. Each match or tournament is a chance to apply what was trained. The pressure is real, mistakes come at a cost, and emotions become a tool that can either help or sabotage performance.
In business: It’s go time: launches, campaigns, key meetings, negotiations, and deliveries. There’s adrenaline, long days, and fast decisions. Focus is everything, along with the ability to sustain energy without burning out. Resilience becomes your best ally.
You’re competing when everything demands your 100%, and a bit more.
3. Post-season: Review, balance, and adjustments
In sports: After a match, it’s time to evaluate. Coaches and athletes analyze what worked, what didn’t, and what to adjust in the next training cycle. There’s no blame here, only learning.
In business: It’s the moment to look back with honesty. What decisions paid off? What processes need refining? What lessons came from clients or projects? This cycle helps integrate experiences and sharpen strategies for the future.
Without feedback, there’s no real growth—in sports or in business.
4. Recovery: Active rest and mental health
In sports: The body needs deep rest, but also controlled movement. Good sleep, solid nutrition, emotional connection. Recovery isn’t laziness, it’s smart training.
In business: This is about intentional pauses. Finding space to breathe, reconnect personally, and be still. It’s a time to reset, care for your body and mind, and nurture relationships. Many burn out because they skip this phase or feel guilty about resting.
Sometimes, taking a break is the most productive thing you can do.
5. Reinvention: New season, new challenges (Career transition or new season)
In sports: Every season brings new rivals, new goals, new limits. An athlete who doesn’t adapt, stalls. Reinvention isn’t about changing everything, it’s about evolving with what already is.
In business: Reinvention means growth. It could involve redesigning a product, changing your team, or even closing one chapter to start a new one. What got you here won’t necessarily get you where you want to go. It takes courage, vision, and humility.
High performance isn’t doing everything the same, it’s having the capacity to evolve without losing your essence.
Which season are you in right now?
Recognizing these seasons can help us stop resisting the process, and better meet the needs of each phase. Sometimes it’s not the moment to compete, but to prepare. Other times it’s not about doing more, but about looking within. (Read more about Natalia Parrado)
Whether on the court or in the boardroom, peak performance requires your body, mind, and heart to be in sync.
And you, what are you training for today?
I'll read you in the comments
From High Performance on the Field… to High Performance in Business
Natalia Parrado
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