Trevor Moawad, mental coach who worked closely with athletes, dies at 48

Publish date: 2024-04-25

Trevor Moawad, a sports psychologist who worked with professional athletes including quarterback Russell Wilson and pitcher Marcus Stroman, has died, according to a statement from his firm, Limitless Minds. The cause was cancer, which Moawad had been battling over the last two years. He was 48.

"Trev was known as one of the world’s top strategic advisors and mental conditioning coaches for elite athletes, teams and organizations," Limitless Minds said in the statement. "But he was more than that. He was a bright light that impacted people all over the globe, changing the lives of many, helping people reach heights they never knew were possible.

"He was a great author, a powerful and engaging speaker, an elite thinker and a loyal friend. Trevor’s legacy will live on for generations."

A beloved mental conditioning coach who mentored college and pro athletes, he co-founded Limitless minds in 2018 with Wilson, the eight-time Pro Bowler. Moawad's book, "It Takes What It Takes," was released last year (co-written with The Athletic's Andy Staples).

"My heart is heavy today…I will forever miss you," Wilson wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.

"This one hurts," Stroman wrote on Twitter. "Beyond thankful to have worked with and been a friend of (Moawad). Legend in the game. Thank you for helping to clear my mind through many dark times!"

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What was Trevor's main message?

Andy Staples, senior writer: I helped Trevor write "It Takes What It Takes," and we finished the manuscript for a second book called "Getting To Neutral" earlier this year.

Trevor believed that training the brain properly allowed athletes to give themselves an incremental advantage that could be the difference between winning and losing. He developed his core beliefs (neutral thinking, the Illusion of Choice, eliminating negative inputs) while working with athletes like Wilson and groups like the football teams at Alabama, Florida State and Georgia.

After a while, he realized you didn’t have to be an elite athlete for those concepts to help make your life better. He believed that with the proper mindset, we can handle anything. I’m trying my best to stay neutral today, because that’s what Trevor would have wanted.

What was his relationship like with Wilson?

Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks writer: Trevor helped craft and strengthen what Wilson feels is his greatest asset: his mind. The two connected while Wilson trained for the 2012 NFL Draft, and a bond was formed between two men with similar mental programming, raised at a young age to believe in the power of motivational affirmations.

They trained together. They hosted a mini-series on television together. And in the greatest comeback of Wilson’s career, you can hear the on the sidelines the teachings from Trevor — neutral thinking, self-talk — help Wilson send Seattle to a second straight Super Bowl in January 2015. Trevor’s influence on Wilson is hard to quantify, but he certainly had a significant impact.

(Photo: Roy Rochlin / Getty Images)

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