World-renowned performance physiotherapist and coach Dr. Jo Brown has reflected on the shared traits that have propelled some of Jamaica’s most iconic athletes, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Alia Atkinson, Yohan Blake, and Elaine Thompson-Herah, to the pinnacle of their respective sports. Having worked with these exceptional athletes, Dr. Brown shared her observations about the commonalities in their approach to success.

“What I’ve seen with each of those athletes is that they are more attuned to process,” Dr. Brown explained. “They definitely have shown that they have a definite process, a definite respect for time, a definite way of surrounding themselves with the right people.”

Dr. Brown, whose career includes working with Olympic and world champions such as Noah Lyles, Fraser-Pryce, Blake, Thompson-Herah, and short-course world record holder Alia Atkinson, emphasized the importance of their openness to feedback and continuous learning. “Most of those athletes have sought knowledge from outside the closest people to them,” she said. “They’ve been willing and courageous enough to take on feedback not just from the closest person to them, but wherever they can get it from.”

She described their mindset as being that of "seekers," always striving for self-improvement. “In the book, I talk about being a seeker, and a seeker is the most self-aware group of people. They are always chasing excellence and are always seeking feedback. I think all those people that you mentioned are seekers. They’re always questioning: Why? How do I be better? Is there anything else we can do differently?”

Dr. Brown, who recently published her book See Your Elephant: Discover What Is Holding You Back from Your True Potential, highlighted how the drive for excellence in these athletes is not born out of fear of failure but rather a positive pursuit of greatness. “It comes from chasing excellence rather than the fear of not being good enough or the fear of failure,” she explained.

She also touched on the unique challenges Jamaican athletes face, particularly in track and field, and how the athletes she has worked with have learned to navigate these hurdles. “There’s a lot of crabs in the bucket, particularly in track and field, and you’ve got to find your way to get out of the bucket. Those athletes that you’ve just mentioned are athletes that have figured out their way to keep showing up, their way to perform at their best, and they found it out at an early age.”

Dr. Brown pointed out that while drive and purpose are crucial, the ability to consistently evaluate and adjust plans, processes, and support systems is equally vital. “Drive is huge. But a lot of people can have drive. You can have the purpose and all that set up, but if you don’t have the process, the plan to execute, and the people around you, it doesn’t matter how driven you are.”

Her extensive work with world-class athletes across disciplines and her book provide deeper insights into the mindset and systems that underpin high-performance success. As a trusted guide to some of the biggest names in athletics, Dr. Brown’s expertise continues to inspire athletes to break barriers and achieve their full potential.