INTENNSE × ICF
Confidential Partner Briefing
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INTENNSE × ICF powered by Wise Friend

More than a league.
A community that transforms lives.

A partnership to build the behavioral health infrastructure that makes INTENNSE fundamentally different from anything in professional tennis.

What This Produces

Skills that stick. Outcomes that compound.

Every player and coach gains practical, evidence-based tools rooted in proven therapeutic frameworks and 25+ years of proprietary human development research. Currently being studied by Columbia University.

Skill
Stress Physiology & Nervous System Awareness
Players understand why their brain hijacks performance under pressure, and what to do in the moment.
Rooted in MBSR · Polyvagal Theory
Outcome
Resilience Under Pressure
Faster recovery between points, between sets, between seasons. Composure becomes repeatable.
10 Pillars: Mindset · Emotional Fitness
Skill
Emotional Regulation & Reset Tools
Breathing, labeling, reframing. Usable between points, in the locker room, and in daily life.
Rooted in DBT · ACT · Cognitive Reappraisal
Outcome
Appreciation & Presence
Players show up differently. Less reactive, more intentional. The quality of daily experience shifts.
10 Pillars: Mindset · Communication
Skill
Peer Support & Role Clarity
Notice, Validate, Ask, Connect. Supporting a teammate without overstepping. Knowing when to escalate.
Rooted in Peer Support Literature · Psychological First Aid
Outcome
Retention & Community Belonging
Players stay connected. Alumni become ambassadors. The league feels like something worth returning to.
10 Pillars: Community · Purpose

Why This Matters

Experience the highs and lows of tennis.
But not alone.

INTENNSE is already building what no other league has: a team-first, community-first model that prioritizes player quality of life.

This partnership makes that promise structural. A shared baseline in mental fitness before the season begins. Belonging is not aspirational. It is built in.

No professional tennis organization has done this. Not the ATP. Not the WTA. INTENNSE would be the first to embed structured behavioral health into its foundation.

A differentiator that compounds. Measurable community health. Players who stay connected. A league that feels different to its core.

The Vision

A long-term architecture.
Year 1 is the beginning.

Three reinforcing channels — digital, print, in-person — so skills move from awareness to habit.

Pre-Season
Before anyone arrives
Baseline Survey

Every player and coach completes a confidential survey. What are they working on? What do they need? This customizes the course and gives INTENNSE a real picture of the community.

Digital
Compliance entry
Community Mental Health 101

Mandatory 1-hour interactive course. Stress physiology, emotional regulation, peer support, escalation literacy, culture standards. Assessment, certificate, emergency resources.

Virtual
Pre-season
Community Connection Sessions

Facilitated peer discussions that build shared language and trust before anyone steps on court.

In-Person
Move-in
Onboarding, Life Plan & Leadership

1.5-day activation. Every player walks through the Life Plan: a personal performance plan for the season and beyond. Leadership talk from someone who has competed at the highest level.

Print
Ongoing
Tangible Reference

Quick-reference cards, Life Plan workbooks, visual tools. Lockers, bags, training spaces.

Post-Season
Alumni
Continued Growth

Post-season surveys. Alumni programming. Future modules on AI literacy, career readiness, continued development. The network deepens year over year.

Year 1

Crawl. Walk. Run.

Crawl — Mar / Apr
Compliance Entry

Baseline survey. 1-hour digital course customized from survey data. Assessment. Certificate. Emergency resources.

Walk — May
Virtual Gatherings

Facilitated peer discussions. Shared language. Community connection before anyone arrives.

Run — June
In-Person Onboarding

1.5-day move-in activation. Life Plan. Leadership speaker. Culture becomes lived experience.

Proven

Trusted across industries.
Built for this.

Methodology
25+ Years
Hudson's Bay Company
Saks Fifth Avenue
Zappos
Kroger
iHeartRadio NotAlone
Montgomery Schools OH
No Quit Tennis (NJTL)
Family Foundations
Columbia University (active study)

The curriculum is rooted in the 10 Pillars — a proprietary system of human development covering mindset, emotional fitness, communication, community, purpose, and more. Evidence-based. Practical. Non-clinical.

Skills are drawn from ACT, DBT, MBSR, Cognitive Reappraisal, and decades of applied fieldwork. Currently being studied by Columbia University.

Built by Wise Friend in strategic partnership with Inspiring Children Foundation. Deployed across corporate wellness, youth athletics, education, family foundations, and now professional tennis.

INTENNSE is joining a growing best practice — not testing something unproven.

Partnership

We build this together.

We handle the methodology, platform, and execution. We ask you what makes it feel like INTENNSE, and we build that in.

INTENNSE Shapes
The culture and the vision
League standards, player access, cultural context, brand identity. What does a high-trust tennis community look like to you?
ICF & Wise Friend Execute
The infrastructure and delivery
Curriculum, platform, facilitation, Life Plan, print tools, measurement, compliance tracking, ongoing support. White-labeled. Customizable to INTENNSE.

Next Steps

Ready to collaborate
when you are.

We'll handle the heavy lifting. We'll ask you the right questions. And we'll build something that feels unmistakably INTENNSE.

Let's Start

clayton@wisefriend.org  ·  wisefriend.org