WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT

The Winner Will

PARENTS TESTIMONIAL

"As parents of a competitive teen athlete, it has been amazing to watch our daughter chase her dreams, and see her passion and hard work begin to pay off. However, any volleyball parent knows that the road to success is a bumpy one - with mistakes, losses, injuries, rejection, and confidence struggles along the way.

We are so grateful to Gisele and The Winner Will for providing a road map of how to navigate the pitfalls and learn to be able to "peak under pressure".

Joely has benefited tremendously from working through The Winner Will course and attending in-person seminars with Gisele each year through her volleyball club.

We have also witnessed Gisele work her magic in a time of crisis for Joely, where her confidence was extremely shaken and she wouldn't even talk about volleyball. It was unbelievable how quickly Gisele was able to identify the issue and bring our daughter back to a place where she felt safe, grounded, and once again able to take the risks necessary to keep progressing.

In the year since we met with Gisele, Joely was selected for Alberta Winter Games, placed 5th at Nationals with her club team, was selected to attend the Team Alberta Training Centre, and won tier 1 Gold with her partner at Beach Provincials and Beach Nationals.

In volleyball, the mental part of the game is just as important as the physical, and there is no one better than Gisele to equip athletes with what they need to be mentally strong. The Winner Will course is one of the best investments an athlete can make in their future!"
Susan Augustson
Parent
"I've been coaching girls' volleyball for over 25 years, experiencing the highs and lows of guiding these young women to compete and embrace their passion. However, I've always found it challenging to help them develop their emotional regulation and self-belief. That's where Gisele and The Winner Will come in."
DUSTY FREIMARK
High School Assistant Principal, Volleyball Coach, Parent.

“She equips my athletes with coping strategies and a mindset that transforms self-doubt into confidence.

Now, I have two daughters, ages 10 and 12, who have also discovered a love for sports and are beginning to understand the challenges involved. Their journey is a continuous struggle, and when things get tough and their confidence takes a hit, their first instinct is to reach out to Gisele and The Winner Will.

I may not know where my girls will end up, but I’m confident that Gisele is giving them the best tools for success in whatever sport they choose. Her genuine care for their well-being and development makes all the difference.”

"Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. My daughter played volleyball for Gisele on her high school volleyball team. The Winner Will process equipped my daughter to become the best she could be. The program helped her be free to play the game she loves, take chances and have fun."
ESMIE LAWRENCE
2-time Olympian - Track and Field, Parent

“She was free to make mistakes as a developing athlete and that helped her learn and grow.

I find myself using this philosophy for life! She now plays professional Volleyball in Europe.”

"As parents, we really appreciate all that Gisele, and the Winner Will has done for our daughter, Kacey. We have recommended The Winner Will many times to our friends’ kids, and are very happy that this training is available to more young athletes through her Peak Under Pressure online course. We believe strongly that this training helps athletes reach their true potential."
JOEL AND KARY OTTO
Parents
"Goals require a number of different pieces in order to be realized. Goals need to have clarity of vision, precision in planning and measurable mile stones. That is The Winner Will. Wanting, working and trying are simple not enough.
Brian Calkins
Parent

“If the realization of your goal is what you are interested in, then The Winner Will – Peak Under Pressure is for you.

My daughter, Natasha, did the Winner Will training of the mental and emotional part of her game and after graduating for Florida State University on a full ride volleyball scholarship she is continuing to play volleyball at the professional level.”

"The Winner Will program is unique, I don’t know of anything else quite like it. I feel really fortunate that my daughter, Kate, was able to have that time with Gisele and work through the program and learn so much from it."
Dr. Penny Pexman
Parent

“My daughter learned about her strengths and her challenges and gained some perspective on how much weight to give her challenges.

Kate was able to take all the things she learned and apply them to things beyond volleyball…things related to learning, things dealing with the hurdles she came up against and the failures she experienced…not just on the court but also in school, in jobs, in relationships and in life in general.

I see her as a much more confident, self-aware person.”

"Gisele has not only inspired my daughter to reach her potential as a varsity volleyball athlete, but to translate the principles of The Winner Will –Peak Under Pressure course into her day-to-day life. "
Dr. Jo Ann Johnson
Parent

“These strategies have given her the confidence to be the best student-athlete she can be, to understand the rewards of perseverance and hard work, and to believe.”

"What an amazing and eye-opening process to be a part of, to watch both of my young teenage daughters blossom into competitive athletes and confident and independent young women with love and passion for what they do. I, too, have learned not to be in front of them but behind them and just listen."
DR. MOLLY SHING
Parent

COACH TESTIMONIAL

The Winner Will has been a game-changer for my former teams and individual athletes. It's given them powerful tools to tackle pressure head-on and unlock their true potential. The program doesn't just teach – it transforms how athletes think about and handle the mental side of sports. It's like giving them a secret weapon for their minds.

Gisele Kreuger, the driving force behind The Winner Will, has a knack for helping athletes and coaches dig deep and discover what really makes them tick. She combines her insider knowledge of sports with her experience as a former athlete, coach, and educator to offer insights you just can't get anywhere else.

I've seen firsthand the blood, sweat, and tears Gisele has poured into The Winner Will over the years. She was a standout volleyball player herself, and now she's created this incredible platform that's helping athletes break through barriers and reach new heights – not just in sports, but in life.
MELANIE SANFORD
USport coach and FIVB/FISU Technical Delegate
2019 Canada West Coach of the Year

ATHLETE TESTIMONIALS

The Winner Will has had such a profound impact on me throughout my athletic journey and provided me with the tools to succeed as an athlete and individual. I was first exposed to The Winner Will at age 12 in my first year of club volleyball, and I plan to work with the program for the rest of my career.



In my first year with the Pandas playing at the Usport level, I credit The Winner Will for helping me build the fundamental skills to play free and at my full potential. Specifically, Gisele and I focused on ‘staying home’, which means knowing your true identity and what you bring to the table as an athlete. This has allowed me to have a consistent sense of confidence in stressful situations and stay grounded in my strengths and abilities.



The Winner Will has also taught me about the concept of “emptying your tank”, which has been a very useful mindset for me. There is no doubt that being a student-athlete is physically and mentally taxing. At some points in the season I felt burnt out and drained. I learned that even if my ‘tank’ is only 50% full on any given day, I can choose to give 100% of that 50%. Utilizing this mindset when dealing with the demands of school and sport really helps me to “train for hard” and to embrace grit.



The Winner Will has played a vital role in our team’s success this season. Although it was absolutely devastating that we lost the USport Championship match, I am so proud of the collective effort my team invested in not only the physical training, but the mental and emotional aspects of volleyball, as well. Our group is so special, and I am very excited to see what we can do in the upcoming years because I know we will all continue to do the work.
RONNIE DICKSON
Volleyball Athlete
“Working with The Winner Will has had a big impact on my life. I learned so much more about myself as an athlete and as a person. I noticed giant leaps in my confidence and my ability to let go of mistakes early on in my work with her."
Kacey Otto
Volleyball Athlete, National Team athlete - FISU Games, Teacher

“This continued to grow as I put in the work and stayed committed to the process. I became more aware of my strengths as an athlete and ways to maximize those strengths to both perform at my best and to have a positive impact on my teammates. The Winner Will provided me with the skills I needed to handle pressure on and off the court, to the point where the more pressure I felt, often the better I performed. I had moments of frustration in my play, and those came often, but The Winner Will equipped me with the skills to work through these frustrations and become better each and every day.”

"The Winner Will has given me the mental and emotional tools to become a champion on and off the court. I will use what I learned from The Winner Will Peak Under Pressure course to face life’s challenges with confidence in every area of my life."
TESSA HILL
Volleyball Athlete, Youth National Team
“Working with Gisele through The Winner Will taught me how to find strength in my reserved nature and to own who I am to thrive both on the volleyball court and in my day-to-day life.”
Ciara Hanly
Volleyball Athlete - UBC, Doctor - OBGyn
"I am honored to have experienced the passion and energy that Gisele and The Winner Will program has for empowering athletes. What I am learning will continue to assist me in reaching and surpassing the goals I have set for myself as a player and a person.”
Kacey Jost
Volleyball Athlete, National Team Athlete

UBC Thunderbird Volleyball Team 2023 and 2024 USport National Champion

USport Tournament All-Star USport Semi-Final Player of the Game

2023 Canada West Libero of the Year

2022 Team Canada Next Gen Team

2023-present – Team Canada

“The Winner Will has had an immeasurable impact on me as a volleyball player. I met and worked with Gisele when I was a 15 year old. I played as an undersized “firecracker” of an outside hitter for club, Team Alberta, and Youth National Team and then transitioned to a libero role for my post-secondary career. This transition was difficult and although I was performing well and many of the lessons I learned from The Winner Will stuck with me, something was different. I began to struggle with uncertainty surrounding my identity as a player and a person.

It’s amazing to me what can happen when someone really knows you, sees you and understands you and then…invites you back ‘home’ to yourself. That’s what happened when I recently reconnected with Gisele. And so, together, we went back to work.

As I do this mental and emotional training, I am re-learning to ‘stay home’; be unapologetically my fiercest, strongest true self with confidence and humility. The Winner Will mindset encourages me to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses, manage my dominant thoughts, and use my emotions as tools, not barriers, to success.

This ability to ‘stay home’ has unlocked a new level of mental and physical consistency in my performance. I feel a new sense of freedom that I was so badly missing.”

“The biggest thing I am learning from The Winner Will is how to be competitively great and perform when it matters the most. This mental training has helped me establish an internal confidence that is rooted in knowing who I am as a player and a person."
Sophia Hansen
Volleyball Athlete, National Team Athlete

U21 National Team,

2024 Pandas Volleyball Club

U19 National Team

Team Alberta 2023 16U VA Athlete of the Year – 2022

Metro City All Star Award – 22/23

U17 Best of the West Champions – 2023

U17 Provincial Champions – 2023

U17 National Silver Medal – 2023

“This confidence comes from knowing that the skills I have today are enough while understanding I can always improve for tomorrow. I take time to see how far I’ve come and also keep in mind how far I have to go. 

There has been a lot of struggle in the journey and I’m learning how to embrace it and strive to keep pushing myself to be the best player I can.

I have also learned the importance of staying ‘home’ which has helped me eliminate a mindset of ‘I hope I play well’. I know I have to bring who I am to my team and what I have to the game of volleyball.”

“The Winner Will has helped me to overcome life obstacles and be more confident in who I am as a person. I have taken all that mental training on to the basketball court and am free to play in my role as a shooting guard."
Tegan MacKinnon
Basketball Athlete

“I use ‘The Three Rules’

  1. Nobody cares. 
  2. You’re not that important. 
  3. It’s not all about you

Anytime I need a quick reminder to stay free and just be myself in competition.”

“The Winner Will program has given me the tools to be free to play and perform when it matters most. Doing the mental/emotional training has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of who I am as an athlete, teammate, leader and competitor."
Erin Corbett
Former Professional Volleyball Athlete in Stralsund Germany

Former USport student athlete with U of A Pandas

“Truly knowing myself and my emotions has enabled me to compete with a clear mind and heart in the most critical times. 

I continue to use The Winner Will lessons as I navigate new challenges in professional volleyball and in life!”

 

"Gisele’s strategy of ‘dominant thought’ has become a systematic response that comes so naturally during long distance running & cycling —I might now even consider it a personality trait!"
Caitlin Buckell
Former Volleyball athlete, Founder and CEO of Golf & Tacos

Former member of the U of A Panda Volleyball Team

Former Dino club athlete and Dino club coach

“As a high school and varsity athlete and eventually a club coach, I had the opportunity to work directly with Gisele to learn and begin putting tools from The Winner Will into practice. 

In the years after varsity sport I’ve enjoyed tapping into my gritty side by dabbling in long distance endurance sports: running, cycling, and the occasional triathlon. 

Now, after 16 years of my favorite Winner Will tools marinating in my brain they no longer feel like tools, but rather part of my DNA. 

I experienced this most recently during my most daunting and ambitious challenge yet—the Canadian Death Race Ultra. A grueling 24 hour trail race in Grand Cache, AB, which spans over 118km and 5,000m in elevation gain. An achievement I’m not sure I’ve yet fully processed, but am incredibly fulfilled that I did it.”

"The biggest takeaway for me from The Winner Will is learning emotional management skills. I’ve learned how to label, listen, and live with each emotion. With these skills, I’m able to quickly figure out the root of the problem, how I can learn from it, and live from there."
Justine Kolody
Setter for U of A Pandas

Team Canada U23 – 2023

Usport and Canada West Player of the Week 2024

Canada West 2024 Championship – Bronze Medalist  

USport 2024 Championship – Silver Medalist 

U of A Block A recipient 2024

I am a very firm believer on being able to control the controllable.

I no longer doubt myself since I’ve done the work. When strong, difficult emotions do come up, I have the tools and frameworks to effectively deal with them. Using these skills as a part of my mental training has really helped me to ‘stay home’ and have confidence when competing on the court with my teammates. When I step on the court, I want to be the player who can defeat the opponent, not beat myself.

I have found that if I don’t deal with things off the court, it will come out on the court when pressure hits. When my self-awareness increases by doing the work, it’s easier to ask for help from others or to help others if they are struggling.

It’s always a work in progress to achieve emotional agility. This is what keeps me motivated to continue to do this work because you never know when it will pay off. The best is always yet to come. By doing your own mental training, you are putting the team first.

I wish I would have started the mental and emotional training earlier in my volleyball career. Each new level presents unexpected challenges and it’s important to know how to handle them.

What I’ve learned from Gisele is that you’re allowed to evolve and not be stuck in your own ways. She is someone I really trust and I’m so thankful I have the privilege to work with her through The Winner Will program. I look forward to continuing to work with The Winner Will the rest of my career.”

"The Winner Will taught me how to have difficult conversations with others. Whether it’s a teammate, a coach, a family member, or a friend, it can be hard to address conflict with people that you have a relationship with."
Kate Dunn
Soccer Athlete

“Gisele helped me overcome the fear of confrontation and how to frame conversations in a way that everyone feels heard and respected. This skill has helped me in all aspects of my life and will continue to help me as I start my career after 5 years of playing soccer at the U of A.”

"Learning to play free is one of the most important things I have learnt from The Winner Will. Going out on the court to play purely for the enjoyment of the sport, my teammates and competition, allows big games and ‘pressure’ situations feel like just another chance to play."
Leah Shevkenek
Volleyball Athlete

“Free to play means being free to make mistakes, take chances, and be my true self, all while competing and playing the sport I love. Looking into my teammates eyes and seeing pure joy of having the opportunity to compete alongside a group of women who are all on their unique journey is a feeling I’m forever grateful for.”

I am a more confident player after working with The Winner Will and have learned that leadership is not about what I should be doing, but rather about figuring out who I am at the core and being so confident and authentic in who I am, that people chose to trust, believe and follow me.
Brenna Mattiello
Soccer Athlete

“I am so grateful for my growth and determination to succeed and I am optimistic and excited about what the future holds for the rest of my life.”

I was never the loud and outgoing type of player which sometimes made me feel overshadowed. The Winner Will didn’t try to change who I was as a person, but instead taught me how to embrace, enhance, and utilize my best qualities to become my true self as an athlete, teammate, student, friend, and professional.
Allie Runge
Volleyball athlete
Having Gisele as my performance coach without a doubt changed my outlook on sport, and how to take ownership for my performance, and my reaction to my performance. It made me a better leader and how to be disciplined and self-aware in a leadership role. My university coach taught me that “pressure is a privilege” and thanks to what I learned from The Winner Will, I was able to thrive in those pressure situations.
Brianna Ghali
Basketball Athlete
Just as I train my physical skills in the gym, it has been important for me to build the mental side of my game as well. The Winner Will is like taking my brain to the gym where I can learn and grow as a player and a person. It is the greatest when I can see the work I’ve put in on the mental side of the game show up on the court!
Jessie Niles
Volleyball Athlete, National Team
The Winner Will gave me the skill set to break the game down. From visualization to readjusting my mindset, I learned to play in the moment rather than focusing on the end result. In addition, I learned to own my role on my team. As an athlete, we don’t always get to decide where we fit in on the roster or the lineup, but we can control how we respond to every situation.
Carly Hamilton
Volleyball Athlete Trinity Western University, National Champion
"The Winner Will taught me one of the most important lessons required to be successful in sport, and in life…that is, how to take ownership. The program equipped me with an incredible toolkit to tackle the many challenges of youth competitive sport"
Caity Buckel
Volleyball Athlete

“Be it endless distractions, self-limiting beliefs, fear of failure – the list goes on. The Winner Will process helped me understand what was preventing me from excelling and taught me how to take ownership over my training, preparation, and performance.

The Winner Will Online Course helped me identify my strengths and empowered me to leverage those strengths, laying the groundwork for a memorable five-year USport career with the University of Alberta Pandas. Now, thirteen years later, it has become evident to me that Gisele didn’t just teach me how to bring my best performance to the court, but she gave me a foundation of skills and lessons for  lifelong growth and success.”

Though I am no longer playing competitive sport, I find that the truths and concepts I learned from The Winner Will still ring true in my day to day life. I recently got married and have taken on the role of a wife with confidence and peace, knowing that I am a strong, young woman who is capable of achieving all of my dreams and goals.
Avery Weiss
Volleyball Athlete