Meet Dora Kurimay

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dora Kurimay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dora, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I developed resilience through the support of my family, coaches, and athletic sports experience as a child. One of the most memorable experiences for me was breaking my ankle at a young age.

I started playing table tennis at the age of 8, and by the time I was 11, I was playing almost every day. I was considered one of the fastest-rising stars. However, it was at the age of 11 that I broke my ankle in three pieces, as my right shoe slipped off while I was high jumping during the last minute of my PE class at school. It was a shattering experience both mentally and physically. With the help of physical therapy and the emotional support of those around me, I was able to fully recover and rehabilitate within 6 months. My PE teacher challenged me to repeat the same jump the following year to conquer my fear, which ultimately turned out to be a beneficial experience. Overcoming this early obstacle was foundational for me in learning to conquer physical and psychological challenges.

In less than three years, I made the Hungarian Table Tennis National team at age 14, and we became the best team in Europe that same year. I was able to achieve this because of my dedication, belief in myself, and the tremendous support from my family, coaches, coaching staff, teammates, and environment. This whole experience was a valuable learning opportunity for me. I made the Hungarian Table Tennis National team at age 14, and we became the best team in Europe in the same year. I could do all that because I was dedicated, believed in myself, and had a very supportive family, coaches, coaching staff, teammates, and environment to make this happen. It was a life-learning experience.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Dora Kurimay Inc. is a New York and Miami based company that offers coaching services. I work with athletes, professionals, teams, and anyone who seeks fulfillment and well-being in their mind, body, and spirit. My effective training programs are designed to reduce stress, successfully manage internal and life balance, and maximize performance. I offer individual and group coaching consultations and workshops to help my clients achieve their personal and professional goals. The objective is to focus on clients’ potential (their unrealized and/or underutilized abilities and skills) by leveraging clients’ strengths, uncovering obstacles and stressors in their way, and targeting the areas they are most interested in addressing to help them reach their goals more effectively.

I help clients achieve their goals through constructive conversations that inspire new thinking, perceptions, and behavior that actualize their potential, improve their performance, create focus and directional clarity, support the achievement of their personal and professional goals, and enhance the quality of their lives.

Much like a sports coach, a mental coach helps professionals improve their abilities to increase their performance. Developing mental solid skills is often differentiating between what makes an athlete or a professional into an elite performer. provide an individualized training program based on the client’s needs. Different areas that I focus on include the following topics: goal setting, motivation, stress management, coping skills, increasing self-confidence, teamwork, self-awareness, identifying patterns, helping manage emotions, and overall improving well-being. I help clients to create healthy lifestyle choices and routines in their life and to become more productive. I also sell my training materials such as my mental toughness books and online video series.

As an author, I have published the following books, which cover how to develop a psychological edge and attain mental toughness.

– Get Your Game Face On! It’s a fast start guide that walks you through building a personalized game face routine between points and helps you to manage stress during even the fiercest competition. Volume 1

– Get Your Game Face On Like The Pros! Volume 2
This simple and easy-to-read book will show you the problems players face during competition and a system for solving these issues. It will help you get into the zone and build mental toughness. It’s an extended version of the game FaceBook and includes how you can develop a customized personal routine between points and mental skills as well as healthy lifestyle choices.

– Get Your Game Face On Workbook:
It’s about how to be in the zone, achieve peak performance, and play your best table tennis. It includes only exercises. It’s best to use the workbook with the game Face books.

– My Stories of Mental Toughness On and Off the Table:
I share 11 of my hard-won life lessons, and I tied back these stories to theories and give mental toughness tips at the end of each chapter.

They are available on my website, www.dorakurimay.com, and on Amazon.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

A growth mindset, a love of learning, and setting up challenging goals (being a self-starter) have been critical to my life journey. I believe learning is a never-ending process, so I’m always open to learning new things. And I have thought a lot about what skills make people successful and resilient – some of which will undoubtedly sound familiar –. Here are some steps to develop these skills:
• Know where you are and believe that you can improve your skills
• Set up challenging goals
• Visualize your success
• Encourage yourself
• Breath when you are challenged
• Find role models
• Reflect after every performance or event
o What went well?
o What can I do differently next time?
• Ask for feedback, learn from critics

 

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

It’s important to understand your strengths and areas for improvement. When you’re competing, it’s best to focus on your strengths. You should nurture your strengths while also working on developing the necessary skills. For example, in my experience playing table tennis, my forehand was my strength, but I also focused on improving my backhand, which eventually became another strength. If you participate in individual sports, it’s essential to continue developing your fundamental, versatile skills because you compete alone.

In business, it’s still important to focus on your strengths while delegating or hiring help for your weaknesses. In team sports, you want to build a team where everyone can play to their strengths and contribute effectively. Building skills in the long run is important, and your weaknesses can become strengths. However, it’s always crucial to cultivate your strengths, which give you confidence and a competitive edge. When entering sports or business competitions, it’s important to develop a unique strength that sets you apart in the market. However, it’s crucial to also consider the long term and identify the skills you need to develop to achieve your goals.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Paul Matkovic, New York
Nikki Alcazar, New York
PingPod, New York
Judit Sipos, New York

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