About CDA

your athlete's success is our mission

We know firsthand the challenges student-athletes face because we’ve lived them too.

Why This Mission Matters

At CarpeDiem Academics, we believe every student is more than a GPA, a test score, or an athletic ranking. They are whole humans with thoughts, emotions, dreams, and potential far beyond what they often see in themselves.

Our mission is to guide these athletes toward academic excellence, emotional resilience, and a strong sense of identity, especially during the hardest seasons of their lives.

How We Do It

Our approach blends academic strategy, emotional resilience work, and NLP-based mindset coaching. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a powerful method that helps teens understand how their brain works, how their thoughts create their results, and how to rewrite patterns that hold them back. We teach students how to upgrade their “mental software” so school, sport, and life feel easier and more aligned.

Our Core Beliefs

We believe:

Success should never cost a child their mental health.
Academic excellence and emotional well-being can coexist.
Athletes need structure - but also compassion.
Parents deserve support, not stress.
Kids do better when someone believes in them before they believe in themselves.
Every student should understand how their brain works and how to use it to their advantage.
True confidence comes from identity, not achievement.

Our Promise

To give your child the tools, strategies, systems, and mental framework to:

stay organized
stay focused
stay confident
stay motivated
and stay grounded

…Even in the busiest seasons of their sport and school life.

We don’t just raise grades.
We raise resilient humans.
We raise leaders.

We raise young adults who know who they are - and where they’re going.

Let's Understand Today's Student-Athlete

Athletes today are under more pressure than ever.

They juggle:

Early Mornings

Long Practices

Tough Coaches

High Expectations

Schoolwork

Injuries

Burnout

Social Pressure

Big Dreams

Most families are on their own trying to make it all work.

That’s where we come in.

We give families structure, clarity, support, and a plan.

Our method blends four powerful systems:

Academic Strategy
Tools for organization, time management, study systems, and executive function — especially for busy or ADHD athletes.

Mindset Training
Confidence building, emotional regulation, motivation systems, and stress-management tools for school and sport.

NLP-Informed Brain Training
We teach athletes how their brain works like a “mental computer” - and how to rewire outdated thoughts, patterns, and beliefs into ones that create confidence, motivation, and success.

Athlete-Focused Life Skills
Goal-setting, communication skills, leadership, accountability, and routines that bring out the best version of your child.

Join Now

We combine the best of academic coaching, mental skills training, and athlete mindset work - so your child has every advantage, in and out of the classroom

What We Believe

Your child is more than a GPA or a test score
Parents don't always have to know everything
Students need individualized attention
Mentality and resilience create future success
Taking time to plan frees up time
Self-worth and hard work go hand-in-hand

If your child is overwhelmed by school, managing ADHD, battling low confidence, needs a better mindset, suffers with competitive anxiety or fear, chasing college dreams, or needs a retirement plan... CDA is here to help.

Meet Tika Haake, CEO & Founder

Tika was a former NCAA Division I gymnast from the University of Iowa - Go Hawks!

She didn’t step into gymnastics until I was 12, with no elite facility or early start - just raw talent, grit, and a deep fire to learn. In six years, I went from total beginner to competing as a DI collegiate gymnast, training under legendary coach Liang Chow.

At Iowa, she earned a degree in Biomedical Engineering, learning firsthand how to thrive under pressure, manage time with precision, and stay steady when the stakes felt overwhelming. Those lessons became the foundation of the coaching programs and mentoring CDA offer's today.

Tika started CarpeDiem Academics to help young student-athletes (and those with ADHD) like herself find success through their academic and athletic challenges. She is also a mom of four student-athletes - including two national junior elite gymnasts.

Tell Me Your Teen's Storybook a success session

CarpeDiem means “Seize the Day,”

But for us, it means more:

Seize your mind. Seize your confidence. Seize your potential.

Seize your life.

The Coaches at CDA know the unique pressures student-athletes face - because they were all high school or NCAA student-athletes themselves. We have been through the relentless schedules, the mental fatigue, and the quiet fear of falling behind. CDA was built to be the support we ALL wished we had: a place where athletes and families can get real answers, strategy, structure, and emotional support.

Through our Coaching Program, ACT prep systems, mindset training, and family support tools, we’ve helped hundreds of athletes raise grades, restore balance, develop a confident mindset, and step into their full potential.