Max Out Mindset

Today we welcome Norah Sis to the Max Out Mindset Podcast. Norah is a current volleyball student-athlete at Creighton University. She was named the 2022 Big East Volleyball Player of the Year, won a Gold Medal at the Pan American Cup with USA Volleyball's U21 Team and was an AVCA Third Team All-American in 2021.

Norah was a multi-sport athlete in high school and chose to pursue her volleyball career in college. She shares the value and importance of mindset training when she needs to improve her confidence on the court. Her commitment and confidence helped her stay composed when it mattered most in some of the NCAA's biggest matches.

Fun, faith and being fearless are three traits that best describe her! Grab a pen and a piece of paper because she provides key advice for the prospective/current athlete.

Want to learn more about mindset training with Coach Jess? Please visit www.maxoutmindset.com. Follow Coach Jess on Instagram @max_out_mind_Jess and on Twitter @JessKnecht.

The Golden State Warriors have a set of Core Values that guides them. They call it the Golden State of Mind. When I think about Lexi Zeiss, those same four values come to mind. You will never meet a more joyful & compassionate student-athlete. But she is a fierce competitor as well. Over the past couple of years, she has learned to be mindful, which allows her to be present and aware of her thoughts, feeling & emotions. She has gone from a relatively unknown on the National stage at the beginning of 2022 to be a member of the USA Gymnastics National Team that took home the Gold at the World Championships in the Fall of 2022! It's an incredible journey to this point in her life, but you find out that Lexi is also an incredible person. I hope you enjoy listening to her passion, joy, and wonderful insights on the Max Out Mindset podcast.

Lexi Zeiss 2 x U.S. National Team Member USA Gymnastics Worlds Team – 2022 Pan American Championships All Around Silver Medalist - 2022

If you want to Max Out in business, sport or life, visit Max Out Mindset

It was awesome to bring back Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss to talk about their transition to professional beach volleyball and what makes their partnership tick so well. I always say you must have enough talent to compete for championships, but how well you attack the non-technical aspects of your sport often determines if you and your team can max out when it matters the most. One of the few positive events to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the unlikely partnership of Taryn and Kristen while playing for the Beach Volleyball program at LSU. Even though they went undefeated while paired together during their last season at LSU, winning AVCA Beach Pair of the year, their rapid ascent to the top professional ranks in their first full year on the AVP Tour in 2022 has surprised many people. I have known Taryn since her days at Creighton University, where she played indoor volleyball, and have had the pleasure to watch her grow as a person and in her sport, so nothing surprises me with her—and if you know Kristen, she is the engine that drives home excellence. I love talking about growth through adversity, so it should not surprise you that my favorite part of our conversation was their performance struggles during 2022. But that laid the foundation for their next growth level, leading them to be named the AVP Beach Team of the year in 2022!

This episode is brought to you by the Max Out Mindset Video Series for Volleyball:

• 7 PowerPoint-driven sessions taught by Dr. Widman covering Preparing your Mind for Battle, Max Out your Mind & Max Out your Team.

• Downloadable actionable workbook with over 100 questions, discussion points and suggestions for team exercises.

• Over 45 videos from some of the best athletes, coaches, teams, and leaders in the world, including Olympic gold medal winners Jordan Larson, Jordan Thompson, Kim Hill, and Justine Wong-Orantes

• Numerous lessons from some of the best to coach or play in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, and the NCAA to help validate all the Max Out Mindset principles on how to prepare your mind for battle, max out your mind and max out your team!

Join me in welcoming Coach Rhonda Revelle to the Max Out Mindset podcast. She is one of the most positive coaches I know, and it was an honor to discuss her career, both the highs and the lows.

Her deliberate focus on gratitude and appreciation is reflected in her career as a Hall of Fame coach with a resume of success over several decades.

My favorite part of the conversation was discussing the challenges and then the growth that surfaced during the adversity over the past couple of years. I loved hearing about her feelings for the most recent team that finished their season in the Spring of 2022. There was genuine love and appreciation for the team and many of the parents/athletes that stood by her during some of her darkest times. It was not surprising to me the vulnerability that Coach Revelle demonstrated during our conversation. Her wisdom will help many navigate the challenges of being a high performer, whether in life or sport.

Welcome Coach Brock, LSU's head beach volleyball coach to the Max Out Mindset Podcast. Coach Brock's 2021-22 team word for the year was Intentional. Part of their success was finding ways to be intentional in all aspects of their lives, which translated to on-court performance. When I think of Coach Brock and why he has been able to be successful in his life and, in particular, in the building of one of the great beach volleyball programs, it is because of his commitment to being intentional as well. You will love many of his insights and there are nuggets galore for anybody who is a high performer trying to get their team or themselves to max out when it matters the most.

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Shannon Smolinski, Director of Premier Performance: Training Female Volleyball Athletes to Max Out in Sport and Life

Today we welcome Shannon to the Max Out Mindset Podcast. We talk all things volleyball with a focus on the teachings and philosophy of Premier Volleyball Nebraska. It becomes clear that Shannon's mission is in complete alignment with Premier regarding how to help grow young women to max out in sport and life. We certainly spend time talking about the role that mindset training plays in overall performance. We talk about the growth of Club volleyball in general and the incredible growth that has taken place at Premier. Her joy and passion for volleyball and for teaching young women shines throughout our conversation. Enjoy!

Work with Dr. Widman; go here Follow Dr. Widman on Twitter @doc_elitemind

Please welcome Jordan Thompson to the Max Out Mindset podcast. This is as good of a conversation as I've ever had due to her willingness to share her story in an honest and vulnerable way. She discusses her struggles with imposter syndrome, maintaining composure and her self-talk. She also has wonderful strategies to deal with all of these issues so that she can max out when it matters the most. Her journey is full of making history in her sport, both at the NCAA and Olympic level. She has also had her share of ups and downs that also played out during the Olympic games of 2021, resulted in the first gold medal for volleyball in US history. I was so impressed with Jordan as an athlete and person! Enjoy!

Work with Dr. Widman; go here Follow Dr. Widman on Twitter @doc_elitemind

In 2019, entering her 14th season as the Head Coach of Bellevue University Volleyball, she wanted to do things better than ever. She was already a highly successful coach by many measures, but she wanted to be able to give more to her team. Her plan included evolving herself as a coach to model the behaviors that she wanted the team to display and build better connections with them. She also wanted to give them more mindset tools to help them stay confident and composed in the biggest moments. It's always fun to watch this process occur with the normal fits and starts but eventually lead to something really wonderful over time. She shared some incredible insights and was willing to share some of her vulnerabilities on this podcast. In 2021, her team advanced to the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2000. There is no question in my mind that her willingness to evolve was part of the equation as to why her team was able to put themselves in the best position to max out when it mattered the most. Enjoy!

Buy Max Out Book here

Work with Dr. Widman here

Follow Dr. Widman @doc_elitemind

Coach David Hunt has been a force in the volleyball world at virtually every level. He has worked at the highest levels in both Men's and Women's volleyball, including in the Olympics and the international world. On the podcast, he articulates his journey, vision, and gratitude for his mentors so well. His growth mindset and willingness to become vulnerable as a coach shine throughout. He has just transitioned back to the women's game as the Associate Head Coach for the University of Texas. It was very enjoyable to learn from him, and I look forward to watching him continue to shine.

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Jess Knecht is a former multi-sport athlete who currently coaches high school and club volleyball. Her coaching style reflects a huge emphasis on mindset training. She has made a tremendous impact over the past few years in her coaching/mentoring role with individual high-performing athletes. She shares many wonderful insights and nuggets about how to develop and train the whole person. Her take on perfectionism is one of many I loved. We are also so excited that she is bringing her talent, passion, personality, and energy to the Max Out Mindset team.

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