George Mumford on “Pursuing Excellence with Grace and Ease” on April 8, 2015

Mr. Mumford, a sports psychologist with Phil Jackson, a meditation teacher, motivational speaker and mentor for at-risk youth, will deliver a talk to the UA community on using mindful meditation as a key to success. With extensive experience coaching Olympic athletes and collegiate teams, Mumford is best known for working with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers during their championship seasons in late 1990s and early 2000s. As part of Head Coach Phil Jackson’s support staff, Mumford helped to lead the Bulls and Lakers to a total of 11 NBA championships, specifically by helping star players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant refine their concentration through insight meditation training, or as Michael Jordan famously said, “get in the zone.” Mumford urges his diverse clients and audiences to practice meditation as a means of developing concentration, mindfulness, focus and mental toughness. Mumford’s proven techniques transform the performance of anyone with a goal – be they an athlete, student, academic, executive, musician, hacker or artist. Mumford will share his story and strategies, topics that are being covered in his forthcoming book The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance, set to be released on May 12, 2015.