LAURENCE CASSØE HALSTED
We are living in a period of immense turbulence and transformation, and our most important task right now is to prepare our inner ground to be able to meet what is coming with integrity and courage. What you do now will make the difference between it either knocking you off our feet, or accelerating your development.
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I work with people navigating those moments — career inflections, identity shifts or those who see the disruptions coming and want to start the work. My approach draws on performance psychology, values work, and contemplative practices. I call it Compassionate Performance.
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Two-time Olympian. Performance coach. Threshold guide.
ABOUT ME
During my fencing career I competed for Team GB in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games. Upon hanging up my swords in 2016, I moved directly into a role as Performance Director of a national federation, and at the start of 2022 I transitioned into a new career involving a combination of mentoring, coaching and consultancy.
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Also around the time of the Rio Olympics I became engaged with the wonderful sports charity, The True Athlete Project. In my current role as Director of Mentoring and Leadership I get to explore the most valuable and meaningful aspects of a life in sport, together with an amazing collection of people. In 2021 I wrote and published my first book (see below), that describes The True Athlete philosophy for a more compassionate, holistic culture of sport.
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I believe we can unleash far more of our potential, when we deepen our connection to ourselves, those around us, and a higher purpose. Then we can truly achieve the extraordinary.
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In my own deepest purpose I am a husband and father of two, living in Copenhagen, Denmark, trying my best to be present and patient.
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THE BOOK
Becoming a True Athlete
A practical philosophy for flourishing through sport
This is a book for athletes and those that support them, drawing on ancient wisdom and modern psychology to present a counterpoint to the traditional win-at-all-costs approach that dominates sport worldwide.
The book introduces The True Athlete Philosophy, which explores how athletes can harness their lived experience of sport to contribute to a healthy, meaningful and fulfilled life and be of greater benefit to their community.
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"Unique, powerful and truly valuable to anyone who seeks to experience true fulfillment through sport - A Magna Carta of sport the right way!"
Frances Houghton, 5-time GB Olympic rower
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Download the first chapter, free here
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Read the full blurb, chapter headings, key testimonials and order your copy here:
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Also available here:
The Thresholder Survey
A Thresholder is someone who senses that the world is shifting — and that changes will be required of them if they are to meet the coming challenges head on. This is not about gaining skills or thinking smarter, but rather going deeper. They may be at the very beginning of that recognition, or well along the way.
What matters is that they are taking the feeling seriously.
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The Thresholder Survey has two parts. The first, a Meaning Audit, explores where your sense of meaning currently lives: how stable it is, how conscious, and how much it depends on the world staying as it is. The second, a Readiness Profile, looks honestly at your relationship with uncertainty, change, and your inner life. Together they take around 20 minutes.
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When you finish, you'll receive a vivid description of where you are on the spectrum of readiness — and a curated set of approaches, thinkers, practices, and resources chosen specifically for where you are right now.
WORK WITH ME
Through my experiences as an Olympic athlete and High-Performance Director I have brought with me the tools and approaches that help elite athletes face pressure with courage and integrity, transforming their lives both in and out of sport. In my coaching work since, I have deepened and expanded my understanding of human potential and how to aim there.
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Through 1-1 and group coaching, I help clients develop the mindset, practices and foundational philosophy to navigate transitions, connect more closely with their path, live a values-led life, and become truly at home in themselves.
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My coaching is rigorous, challenging and deeply personal. My approach draws on performance psychology, values work, and contemplative practices. I tend to work with ambitious leaders and performers across business, academia, and sport - helping them connect better to themselves, those around them, and a higher purpose to achieve the extraordinary.
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I am accredited as a Senior Practitioner Coach/Mentor and Coach Supervisor with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
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​Get in touch, if you would like to hear more about what is possible.​​
"Each session with Laurence felt profoundly grounding, leaving me feeling fully seen and heard, and prepared to take on the rest of the week with mindfulness and grace. Safe to say, his coaching continues to send ripples through my work, and I am so grateful to have learned from him."
Brett B, coaching client
"Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world"
Miyamoto Musashi, Philosopher Samurai
