TV is now producing a non-truth to youth about performance, and it’s driving our culture into a basic belief that we need to make sure that confidence is the way we should train children.

Dr. Nick believes that confidence is not a really good predictor of performance, and he has developed a model based on intention: intention drives attention, attention drives decision-making and decision-making drives performance.

In today’s episode, my guests are Dr. Nick Molinaro – who is going to talk about the reality behind building confidence and goal setting, and how this affects children - and Celeste Romano – who is going to share her son’s story and his experience as a patient of Dr. Nick.

Dr. Nick Molinaro is a licensed psychologist with 35 years of experience. His counseling practice aims to reach one goal: to enhance patients’ quality of life by increasing enjoyment and unlocking potential. Performance counseling is provided to athletes of all ages: from middle school-aged children through professional and Olympic athletes in all sports. Clients include players in the NFL, AFL, CFL, NBA, NASCAR, PGA, LPGA and former Olympic Gold and Silver Medal winners.

Dr. Nick has developed a particular niche in golf psychology, working with both amateur and professional golfers of all levels, including several players currently on the PGA, LPGA, and European Tours.

Dr. Nick’s expertise extends well beyond sports, consulting with everyone from Fortune 500 Executives to performance artists, to enhance their overall performance, so listen to Episode 21 of My Fitness Ride, to learn about some of his techniques.

Questions I ask:

• What drove you and what was your main motivation in writing this book and sharing it with us now? (05:29)
• How would you define optimal performance? (07:24)
• How does visualization, if at all, come into this process? (24:59)
• Celeste, could you share with us your experience with Dr. Nick? (38:02)
• What was your son’s biggest challenge when he started working with Dr. Nick? (40:47)

In this episode, you will learn:

• What attentional shifting is and how can that benefit an athlete or a young child. (09:01)
• One thing that sports and the corporate world have in common is working under pressure. Learn how Dr. Nick introduces pressure-like situations in the process of developing a child. (13:48)
• What proprioception is. (25:29)
• Dr. Nick’s view on motivation. (29:49)
• Killer instinct vs Grit. (43:15)

Connect with Dr. Nick:

• Website
• Website – Golf Psychology
• Book: Beyond The Scoreboard: Learn It Through Youth Sports, Carry It Through Life