The Mindset Coach Academy

3 Ways to Get Stronger Competitors

Let’s say your athlete sucks at free throws. 

As a coach, you know what to do. You know to take a look at their form, correct anything that needs correcting, and have them spend lots and lots of time practicing free throws. 

But what if your athlete is great at free throws in practice, but totally falls apart in competition. Then what? 

I think we can all agree this scenario is a little trickier. 

While coaching the physical side of competition is pretty straightforward, coaching the mental game is often abiguous. And sadly, even the best competitors are not always good at teaching others to be great competitors. 

Many great competitors come to it naturally. Some are born with natural competitive instincts, and some simply play long enough that they eventually figure it out (but never really break it down into a teachable formula). As a coach, maybe you fall into one of these two categories. 

If you’ve ever struggled to teach your athletes how to compete, you are not alone. 

I was fortunate enough to have a teacher show me how to compete, and it’s my joy to pass their wisdom along. 

Today, I’m breaking down my 3 part formula for creating better competitors (featured in my course, The Psychology of Competition). I believe that consistent routines lead to consistent results, so my system is built on time-tested, hands-on routines that you can bring back to your team and easily integrate into practice and competition.

In this episode, I’ll teach you:

• Pre-Competition Routines - How you can help your athletes reframe their nerves, reflect on past performances, pay attention to their physiological mindstate before competition, and coach them through simple exercises to help them compete at their best.
• In-Competition Routines - Learn about our hard-hitting Mistake Ritual that will help your athletes re-set and re-center during competition when they need it most. 
• Post-Competition Routines - Including one powerful critiquing exercise your athletes should be doing after every game, win or lose. 

 

Today’s extended episode will give you real-life, actionable tips to help you create relentless competitors.

Here are links to the resources mentioned in this episode: 

• The Mistake Ritual: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/mistake-ritual 

The Psychology of Competition: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/PSYCHOLOGY-OF-COMPETITION

3 Ways to Deal with Pre-Game Nerves - MM

If YOU struggle with performance anxiety, it means you’re human and you really care about your sport.

It's time to teach athletes to understand, cope with, and even use performance anxiety to their benefit.

In today's episode, Lindsey explains the physiology of nerves and shares 3 tips to help you cope.

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For more on this topic, read our blog: 4 Tips for Coping with Performance Anxiety: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/blog/performanceanxiety

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If you'd like to become a better competitor, create routines for success in The Psychology of Competition: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/PSYCHOLOGY-OF-COMPETITION

The Valley of Despair - MM

Lindsey gets vulnerable in today's Mental Monday as she shares one mindset shift she practices to help her through the toughest times.

If you've ever been in a valley (and let's face it, we all have) this mindset shift will help you re-frame it in a healthy way and look ahead with hope.

Extended Episode Guest Interview: Trevor Ragan

Today on the podcast, I am joined by author, podcast host, founder of Train Ugly and the Learner Lab; my friend and fellow lifelong student, Trevor Ragan! 

Working with best selling authors, Olympic coaches, professional athletes, renowned professors, and thousands of coaches, teachers, students, and players from all over the world, Trevor is (in his words) “On an adventure to understand the science of how to become a better learner”. 

Due to his years and years of research, boots-on-the-ground, and behind-the-scenes, Trevor has a special ability to dissect and synthesize really complicated concepts and research into exercises and ideas that you and I can implement. He’s a man of science and great insight beyond his years.

In this episode, we get deep into the topic of fixed vs. growth mindset, how to run towards fear, and how your beliefs ABOUT your emotions actually shape your experience. He shares stories of middle school “anti-talent shows”, talks about the need for psychological safety in teams, and even opens up about being diagnosed with cancer. 

When I first started my podcast, my husband told me, “interview people that you want to learn from”, and Trevor was high on my list. If you hear the scratch of my pencil in the background, It’s because I was scribbling notes the entire time. 

Follow Trevor:

Website : https://trainugly.com/trevor-ragan/

Audiobook : https://thelearnerlab.com/learner-the-audiobook/

Blog, Cancer: Lessons Learned : https://thelearnerlab.com/cancer-lessons-learned/

The Learner Lab Podcast: https://thelearnerlab.com/podcast/ 

 

Here’s a glance at this episode:

[5:06] Trevor talks about how he got here; from creating basketball programs, to creating programs for prisons. Lindsey and Trevor discuss the learning curve for new mindset coaches, failing on a public stage, and what Dave Chappelle has to do with it.  

[12:21] Starting with the quote, “If you want to change a behavior, attack it at the mindet and environment, not just the behavior” Trevor explains how he (personally) runs toward fear. He also talks about the science of stress, and gives tips to help you shift the way you think about stress and other “negative” emotions.

[17:06] Struggle feeds a fixed mindset. But if you can start to see stress as physical preparation and a necessary part of growth, you can build a growth mindset and increase your capacity for discomfort.. 

[22:36] How does your understanding of nerves affect your experience? Trevor points out the problem with toxic positivity, and explains in great detail how you can make room and process difficult human emotions.

[25:16] Psychological safety is “The feeling that I can be myself, take risks, and ask questions”. It’s also the key to great teams (and the science backs it up). When you don’t feel psychologically safe in a group, the learning centers of your brain shut down, and you’re less likely to engage in learning behaviors. 

[30:19] What can a middle school “anti-talent show” teach us about psychological safety? Trevor shares his experience to illustrate his belief that modeling behaviors of vulnerability and bravery and failure builds safety. 

[33:28] Trevor talks about his audiobook (linked above) which includes guest voices and sound effects to give the listener an immersive learning experience. 

[38:46] We all want to be the best, right? But Trevor asks the question, “Do you really need to be a master at something for it to have a massive effect on others?” Trevor makes his case for settling for “B+ work” and talks about how he uses storytelling as a cornerstone of teaching.

[45:20] Trevor speaks vulnerably about what it was like to be diagnosed with cancer and what he learned during and after the experience.

[52:41] Lindsey and Trevor wrap up their episode with actionable ways to grow your mindset and be more intentional about learning. Trevor believes in creating small, sustainable routines to create long term change and growth.

How to Make Your Visualizations More Powerful - MM

Welcome to Mental Monday's on The Mindset Coach Academy Podcast!

Did you know, you have a special mechanism inside your brain that helps you find exactly what you're looking for (figuratively and literally)? Today, Lindsey explains how to use this special superpower to your advantage.

This episode is topped off with an actionable mindset tip that you can use today!

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For more on this topic, read our blog: 4 Types of Visualization to Start Using Today: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/blog/5-types-of-visualizations-to-start-using-today

How to Use Metaphors in Visualization - MM

The power of metaphors is REAL.

That's why metaphors are a cornerstone of hypnosis, meditation, visualization, and motivation, among other things.

In today's Mental Monday, Lindsey explains how metaphors can help you unlock the power of your own mind and even enact change in others.

Learn about the science of metaphors, and start creating your own today with today's quick-hit Mental Monday.

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For more on this topic, read our blog: 4 Types of Visualization to Start Using Today: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/blog/5-types-of-visualizations-to-start-using-today

To learn the power of metaphors first-hand, make our Tap Into Your True Power Guided Visualization part of your daily mindset practice: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/offers/kig3abUL/checkout?preview=true

The Power of Negative Visualization - MM

This month, we're diving deep into one of our favorite topics: Visualization.

Did you know that visualizing the worst case scenario can actually help you? But only if you do it right.

In today's Mental Monday, Lindsey draws from her time playing basketball in Lithuania to illustrate how negative visualization helped her compete.

Listen to her story and try it yourself!

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For more on this topic, read our blog: 4 Types of Visualization to Start Using Today: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/blog/5-types-of-visualizations-to-start-using-today

How to Find Joy (and Why It Matters)

I’m sitting on my office floor. Pregnant. In the middle of a construction zone. And in all the chaos, what I really want to talk about today is JOY. 

Any college athlete can tell you that sometimes the team just needs a break. Maybe you’re all burnt out after a long tournament, maybe you’re in the middle of a losing streak, maybe you’re about to go into finals week. 

When my team needed a break the most, you know what my coach would do? He wouldn’t cancel practice. He wouldn’t give us an easy practice. He would have us play indoor soccer (and he’d play it with us). 

Let me remind you that this was my BASKETBALL coach. 

And you know what? The simple act of doing an activity that we were all pretty bad at changed EVERYTHING. These indoor soccer practices were so much fun. The room would be filled with laughter, we would be playful, joyful, and totally lose track of time. We would let go of our egos and try to bounce the ball off our coaches head.  

And guess what? The next day at practice would be so much lighter. 

Which brings me to my big question today: How are you carving out space for joy in your life? 

As competitive athletes, we are hard workers. It’s second nature to us to put in the time, put our heads down, and grind. But this type of mindset can have diminishing returns. Sometimes, the answer isn’t to work harder. Sometimes the answer is to invite joy, fun, and playfulness back into your life.

Today’s extended episode will give you real-life, actionable tips to help you pursue joy. Listen to the full episode for:

• How to train your brain to attract joy in your life
• Tips for making today more joyful (+ the ultimate reward) 
• What it looks like to create a positive feedback loop
• A quick life update from Lindsey

Take Care of Your Nervous System

When was the last time you checked in with your body? Like, really checked in.

If you're feeling frazzled, tired, or stressed, sometimes the answer isn't to push yourself into doing more. Sometimes, what you really need is to make your nervous system a priority.

Here's how.

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Calm your nervous system and show up as your best self with our Let Go and Trust Guided Visualization: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/offers/GLzmb2fn/checkout?preview=true

Comparison vs. Competition - MM

Today's Mental Monday episode challenges the popular belief that all comparison is "bad".

Lindsey gives you an actionable mindset exercise to help you discern when these feelings are helping you or hurting you.

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Our popular course, The Mindful Competitor Project, gives you hands-on mindfulness exercises, complete with scripts and downloadable audio-guided visualizations.

Check it out here: https://www.positiveperformancetraining.com/mindful-competitors