Case Study: Codi Converted Shutdown Patterns Into Competitive Freedom
Codi Miller-McIntyre is a professional basketball player competing at Red Star in Belgrade, Serbia. After 9 seasons in European professional basketball, he sought to break through performance limitations that were connected to deeper emotional patterns affecting both his on-court expression and personal relationships.
What was happening before we worked together?
"I realized that I can use basketball to have a safe place for negative energy to do something positive... There's been emotions that have been unlocked by focusing on my body, there's been memories that I thought I forgot about but they were locked away somewhere."
Codi came to me carrying significant negative energy and unprocessed emotions that were creating what he called a "shield" - a protective pattern where his body would get tense, his breathing would pick up, and he would shut down both on and off the court. This shutdown pattern was limiting his basketball expression and causing problems in his personal relationships.
"I remember we talked about it and we called it like a shield, my body gets tense, my breathing starts to pick up... in those moments, I'm not as focused or I end up doing something in my personal life that I shouldn't really do."
What was the transformation process like?
Codi Miller-McIntyre,
Professional basketball player
The work involved learning to listen to his body's intelligence and recognize the physical cues that preceded unwanted reactions. Through specialized breathing techniques and non-directed movement, Codi began accessing suppressed emotions and memories that his body had been holding.
"Your body can speak to you if you listen, if you decide to listen to it... we've talked about it plenty of times, especially this year, there's been emotions that have been unlocked by focusing on my body."
The breakthrough came when Codi learned to recognize his body's early warning signals - the physical cues that indicated he was about to shut down or react unconsciously. This awareness gave him the power of choice rather than automatic reaction.
"Being able to recognize cues that your body gives you that ends up being a first step towards a reaction that I don't want to happen or a reaction that I do want to happen... now I'm aware of it."
What specific results did you achieve?
On-Court Performance:
Broke through chronic shutdown patterns that were limiting his basketball expression
Developed the ability to stay present and flow during high-pressure game situations
Created a iconic moment breaking free from restrictive patterns during a game against Paris
"There's a picture of me on Instagram... people think I'm grabbing my jersey. But really, I was grabbing in my head some chains, and I was breaking them... I just felt all that energy coming back to me like: be free, let it out."
Personal Relationships:
Gained the ability to recognize negative emotional patterns before acting on them
Developed tools to pause and breathe rather than react destructively in conflicts
Transformed from automatic reactions to conscious choice-making
"I'm able to recognize it before I do something and say something that I potentially regret... Everything that happens after the awareness comes is nothing but a choice."
Emotional Integration:
Learned to feel emotions fully rather than numbing them
Discovered that emotions aren't the problem - reactions to emotions are
Developed practical tools for managing intensity during games and daily life
"The emotion isn't the problem. How we react to it is the problem... it's okay to feel a certain way, but how to handle it is another step you have to take."
What would you tell someone considering this work?
"Sports is a mix between physical and mental. You can have some of the most athletic people in the world, most talented people in the world, if they don't have the right mindset, then how can they perform well?"
Codi emphasized the naturalness of body intelligence in athletic performance:
"When you play in a game, and you enter a flow state, are you moving or is your body moving? Are you telling your body exactly what to do? Or is your body reacting... No, your body starts to flow in a certain way... you can't have one without the other. And if you believe in that, then you're limiting yourself as an athlete."
His advice to other athletes:
Recognize that peak performance comes from surrendering to your body's intelligence, not forcing it
Understand that there's power in "not doing" - allowing rather than controlling
Accept that emotional awareness is essential for consistent high-level performance
"There's an art in not doing... there's power in not doing... those are the moments that when you're not thinking you give freedom to really endless possibilities."
Ready to convert your performance blocks into competitive advantages?
This case study demonstrates the power of body intelligence integration for elite performers who want to break through chronic patterns that limit both athletic expression and personal freedom.
