More Than Medals: My Journey as a Mentor with The True Athlete Project (TAP)

From Wind to Wisdom: A Life in Sport
I began sailing at the age of 10, part of a school holiday programme with the neighbourhood kids - because, let’s be honest, our parents just needed somewhere to send us. Little did I know that those early moments on the water would steer me onto a path I never could have imagined.
Twenty-six years later, I’m still very much involved in sport. No longer as an athlete, but as a researcher, teacher, psychologist, coach - and now, mentor. Sport has evolved from something I did to something that shaped me.
Stumbling into TAP: The Unexpected LinkedIn Moment
At the risk of sounding like a cliché, my journey with The True Athlete Project (TAP) began through LinkedIn. A post, shared by a contact of a contact of a contact (you get the idea), announced an open call for mentors - people who wanted to be a positive force in the elite sporting community.
As someone who spent over a decade in high performance sport, having joined Singapore’s national sailing team in my teens, the opportunity to contribute to a programme that prioritised athletes over their achievements resonated deeply. In a system where worth is often tied to results and medals, TAP’s message felt radical - and necessary.
Mentorship Beyond Metrics
After the usual admin checks, interviews, and a flurry of emails, I was paired with my first mentee. What followed was an experience of shared stories, thoughtful dialogue, respectful debate, and yes - some heated conversations about what it means to commit to a sporting life.
Together, we explored the daily grind of being an athlete - not just battling competitors, but navigating life, expectations, and the exhausting reality of being seen as an outlier in the eyes of our societies. You’re exotic and exciting when you’re winning. When you're not, the language used to describe you often becomes... let’s just say, creatively unkind.
A Sanctuary in the Storm
TAP created something elusive in the world of high performance sport: a safe space. It felt like a sanctuary, where conversations weren’t engineered for performance reviews or goal-setting - but instead grounded in empathy, honesty, and mutual respect.
For once, there were no KPIs. No hidden agendas. No ego. Just a community committed to ensuring that, no matter how the conversation unfolded, everyone walked away feeling supported, better understood, and reminded that they were enough.
Redefining Success in the Age of Likes
In a world obsessed with visibility - where every win is signposted on social media for maximum reach - TAP offered a refreshing alternative: a quiet, powerful commitment to authenticity.
Sport is not always kind. That’s a truth we live with. But TAP reminds us that its people don’t have to perpetuate that unkindness. Instead, it challenges the traditional high-performance narrative by asking: what if we focused on who the athlete is, before we worry about what they achieve?
In this space, I’ve rediscovered something I didn’t realise I’d lost - gratitude, kindness, and the joy of connection in a time when we are more "connected" than ever, yet still feel isolated and misunderstood.
To Young Athletes: A Message from the Heart
Thinking about what I’d say to young athletes today, I’m reminded of a poem I wrote as part of my undergraduate dissertation. I’d like to share it here - not as advice, but as a reflection. A reminder that sport has the power to shape not just good athletes, but good people.
To the next generation: listen to your heart, not just the scoreboard. You are already enough because you are that elusive victory.

It begins like anything else does, for the fun, for the enjoyment,
for the love of the game.
Sport has never claimed to be easy; sport is not always kind …
but yet … sport is the passion always on my mind.
I used to wonder why I had to get up and go ….
Now that I’m older, I am grateful for the push and the shove,
realizing the support and the love.
What more is there when something you want brings you so much joy,
and is so much a part of you, it becomes your life!
Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.
Hurdles are only as tall as you make them out to be.
The training is hard, the hours are long.
My body is stretched to limits beyond.
Regardless of grades, no time for friends,
The training will bring the win in the end.
My sense of purpose confuses me, being so different from all those around.
I pursue this path with an insatiable hunger,
for a win that knows no bounds!

To the next generation: listen to your heart, not just the scoreboard. You are already enough because you are that elusive victory.
- Nicholas de Cruz, PhD ​