Tasha Danvers

Tasha Danvers

Role	Executive Assistant, ELA Lead Ambassador and Facilitator, 10P Program
Profession	International keynote speaker and brand ambassador, since 2008
Sport	Athletics, 400 m hurdles (Great Britain)
Olympic Games	Sydney 2000 (finalist); Beijing 2008 (bronze, 53.84)
Other medals	Commonwealth Games silver, 2006; NCAA champion, 2000
Education	B.S., music industry, University of Southern California
Based in	Los Angeles, California

Tasha Danvers is a British track and field athlete, speaker, author and coach. She is a two-time Olympian and won the bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.²³ At 10P, she serves as Executive Assistant, Lead Ambassador for ELA (Emotional Literacy for Athletes), and Facilitator.¹

Athletic career

Danvers was born in London to two athletes, Dorrett McKoy and Donald Danvers, who moved to the United Kingdom from Jamaica as children.² She went to the University of Southern California on an athletics scholarship. There she switched from the 100 m hurdles to the 400 m hurdles, won the 2000 NCAA title, and set school records. She was later inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame.³⁴

She reached the Olympic final at Sydney 2000.⁵ In 2004, ranked among the best in the world, she chose to have her son, Jaden, and missed the Athens Games. She faced public criticism for that choice.⁶ She came back to win silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.⁵

In 2008, after a season cut short by injuries, she was a surprise selection for the Olympic team. In the Beijing final, she ran a personal best of 53.84 seconds to take bronze. She told reporters afterward: "I had to remember 'Do not give up on yourself' mentally."³

Life after the track

Danvers has spoken openly about the emotional cost of elite sport, including years of depression and what she calls training the "mental gym."⁷ She is the founder of The GoldMind HQ and The Olympian's Way, through which she works as a transformation, identity and accountability coach. As a motivational speaker, she has given talks at Coca-Cola, Google and LinkedIn. She has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.⁴¹

Contribution to emotional literacy

Danvers leads 10P ELA, Emotional Literacy for Athletes. The program brings the The 10P Emotional Literacy System to athletes, coaches and teams, preparing them for pressure, setbacks, identity shifts and life after sport. See Emotional literacy for athletes.

Her own career is the case study: - Grit and emotional skill are not the same. An athlete can have world-class discipline and still be overwhelmed by criticism, injury and the fear of letting people down. - Name it before it runs you. Being able to name what is happening inside, before it takes over, is what separates surviving pressure from performing under it.

She also facilitates 10P programming and serves as the program's Executive Assistant, helping coordinate events and the teams behind them.¹

Work with Tasha

To book Tasha Danvers for an athlete workshop, team training or keynote through 10P ELA, contact the 10P office at (530) 341-3226 or learnabout10p@gmail.com.

10P Program. "Meet the 10P Emotional Literacy Team." 10pprogram.org/meettheteam ↑↑↑
"Tasha Danvers." Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org ↑↑
USC Athletics. (2008). "Danvers Wins Bronze In Olympic 400m Intermediate Hurdles Race." usctrojans.com ↑↑↑
USC Alumni Association. "Tasha Danvers '02." alumni.usc.edu ↑↑
Olympics.com. "Tasha Danvers." olympics.com ↑↑
Baptist Press. (2008). "2008 Summer Olympics Beijing." baptistpress.com ↑
Bosse, C. "'We must live, not only exist.' Tasha Danvers, Olympic athletes interviewed, Episode 89." christianbosse.com ↑