Mental Mastery

Today`s guest is none other than the amazing superwoman and Olympic champion in Snowboarding, Nicola Thost. After not just one but two incredibly successful careers in Snowboarding that made here the best in the world, Nicola is now on a quest to spread her love for snowboarding, her enthusiasm for life, and her deep knowledge on what it takes to turn high potential into high performance.

Max Out Insights:Pain can be a powerful motivator for changeIf you`re willing to break yourself in half for your dreams, talent almost doesn`t matter. If you`re not good enough today, you can develop yourself to become great tomorrow.Your parents are there to protect you, not to throw you out of the nest and push your outside your comfort zoneMy definition of success: Being in love with life. What makes you fall in love with life is being on the Quest for Greatness and chasing the things you love for the sake of the path.To get to know yourself, ask great questionsClean your thoughts and beliefs like others clean their room

Max Out Quotes:“The way you run is the way you live. When you change the way you run, you change the way you live your life.”“Sometimes, slowing down is the best way to speed up.”“We have to challenge ourselves to really feel what we`re capable of.”“Figure out what you love most and make it your meditation.”“What you do in the dark is what brings you into the light.”“What do you want to be Number 1 at?”“If you ask yourself the right questions, you will always get the right answers.”“I want to give people the best of me and not the rest of me.”“Your vibe attracts your tribe.”

Today I'm joined by one of the most inspiring humans on earth, self-proclaimed professional patient Derek Fitzgerald. After years of severe health struggles, Derek became the only person ever to finish a full distance Ironman after surviving both cancer and a heart transplant, so we’ll take a deep dive into overcoming life’s biggest struggles, dealing with pain, and never giving up!

Best ideas:

How to deal with life’s biggest tragedies: Imagine having a crystal ball telling you you’ll die tonight, how would you respond? Hide under your covers and forget about everything, or go out and live this day as the most epic day possible? As Derek says, none of us are given any guarantee that we’ll survive until tomorrow, so the best way to live life is by enjoying each day as if it were your last.

At the same time, what would it be like to experience life for the first time, like a little child? Your first sunrise? First kiss? First smile? First opportunity to do something great? How different would you experience life?

Connect with Derek:

https://www.recycledmanspeaks.com/

https://www.recycledman.com/

https://www.instagram.com/recycledmanspeaks/

Today's guest is one of my personal heroes, the 2x Olympian and World Championship silver medallist over 800m, Nick Symmonds! After a hugely successful running career, Nick started his own business Run Gum, in which he now pursues success with the same dedication he used to win races and set records.

What we’re discussing:

How to make it in the big leagues even if no one pays attention to you

Committing everything to a dream Mental training for athletes

How to perform when it matters most

Quotes: “Despite being a 9x State Champ I was not offered a single athletic scholarship. I went on to run in 2 Olympics. Young athletes, your running career can last decades if you want it to! But you must follow the path that is right for you.”

Connect with Nick:

Website

Instagram

Jared Tendler is one of the world`s leading mental game coaches. After becoming a licenced mental health counsellor, Jared started working with some of the world`s best golfers and poker players to help them perform at their best. He is also author of the Mental Game of Poker.

Highlights:

To raise your game to the next level, your C-Game needs to be eliminated by understanding and addressing your mental and emotional blocks

The key to getting better is taking responsibility for your failures, analyzing what`s holding you back, and actively addressing it

The emotional system has power to shut down higher brain functions > high level of emotion compromise cognitive strategies such as mantras or reframing because they require high mental effort

Goal is Resolution: resolving emotional problems to focus mental abilities on the things that matter most 

High expectations are double-edged sword if they erode confidence

Why is this happening? What are the emotions that are present? What are my thought? Physical changes?

The earlier you catch your emotional system spiraling out of control, the easier it will be to calm down again

Website: jaredtendler.com

Today I am joined by Dr. Happy himself, Dr. Tim Sharp from Australia! Tim is a world-leading expert in the fields of positive psychology and mental health, a sought after speaker and executive coach, as well as a best-selling author and Chief Happiness Officer of Australia`s first Happiness Institute.

Biggest Insights:

There are 2 types of happiness in life: positive emotions and meaning. While positive emotions feel good in the moment, they usually don`t last very long. Meanwhile, purpose and meaning are harder to get but also last longer

Trying to be happy 100% of the time sets you up for disappointment more than anything else

The primacy of positivity: Putting happiness first leads to success more so than focusing on success leads to happiness

The Knowing-Doing Gap: We often know what we should do, and yet don`t do it

Happiness doesn`t require elaborate techniques and strategies, but is experienced through practicing the simple fundamentals of exercise, nutrition, sleep, and social time

The Tyranny of When: Chasing outside things will never make us happy

Quotes:

"The happiest people spend more of their time thinking about what they have instead of focusing on what they don`t have.“

"Aquiring happiness requires nothing more than practicing a few simple disciplines each and every day.“

Connect with Tim:

Website

Instagram

Today I am honored to talk to one of the world`s most influential psychologists, Dr. Gary Latham. As the former President of the Canadian Psychological Association and many others, Dr. Latham is one of the world`s leading experts on motivation and goal setting.

Biggest Ideas:

Set goals you believe in, otherwise goal commitment will be low

Milestones are a great way to motivate yourself 

“Doing your best” goals aren`t as effective as specific goals (I wish I had known that one in my running career!)

Enlist your friends: Tell others about your goals and have them hold you accountable

Take into account your surroundings: Setting up your environment to align with your goals goes a long way in maximizing your performance7

Acknowledge progress, no matter how small

Accomplishment prevents burnout > Make sure to achieve goals every day

Deliberately seek out constructive criticism and feedback to improve your craft

If you ask for criticism, make the person giving it feel comfortable so that you can get honest insights

Learn more from Dr. Latham:

Becoming the Evidence-Based Manager

Derek Doepker is a best-selling author, fitness expert, and mental consultant that will help you break through your excuses and overcome your mental obstacles!

In this episode, we cover: 

Why breaking through your BS is about finding blindspots in your thinking

Slingshot effect: Why a little pain now slingshots you into lots of pleasure later.

Useful questions like: What are you doing that you shouldn`t be doing?

What are you not doing that you should be doing?

Quotes:

“Where BS comes in is thinking that your current reality has to stay your current reality.”

“Can I just…?”

Connect with Derek:

excuseproof.com

http://bestsellersecrets.com/

Today I am honored to talk to Dr. Procrastination himself, Dr. Timothy Pychyl from Carleton University! In addition to winning numerous teaching awards, Dr. Pychyl has been a leading authority in the areas of goal pursuit and procrastination for over 20 years now, so I am really excited to talk about what procrastination really is, why we do it, and some practical steps for you to overcome it!

 

You can find his website at procrastination.ca and his blog here

Today I am joined by one of my personal heroes and host of the Inner Changemaker Podcast, Jay Wong. I found Jay through his amazing podcast and was immediately in love with his energy and amazing insights into becoming the best version of yourself, so I am super excited to share this episode with you guys! 

Takeaways:

You don’t just have energy, you have to create it

Make showing up with excellence a daily habit

Anytime you learn something, ask immediately how you can apply it to your life

The importance of proper hydration, sleeping, and breathing for consistent mental energy

Consistency is the key to success in anything

How can you leverage your biggest pain to become better?

To become a changemaker, start small and integrate it into your life

Do more of what gives you energy and less of what sucks your energy

Quotes:

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

“High performers don’t intend on being successful, they expect it”

Connect with Jay:

Youtube

Blog

Today I have the absolute honor of speaking with one of the greatest athletes of all time: US gymnast Shannon Miller, who has won an astounding 7 Olympic medals and 9 World Championship medals between 1991 and 96. After winning 2 Olympic gold medals at the age of 19, Shannon retired and now uses her company Shannon Miller Lifestyle to promote a healthy and balanced life.

Not everything was sunshine and rainbows though, and Shannon’s mental strength was tested outside of the usual spotlight when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. True to her nature though, she overcame cancer and now spends her time inspiring people, running her business, and raising 2 kids.

Top Takeaways:

Relieve pressure by doing the work beforehand

Doing a little bit extra every day for years eventually leads to great results

Write your goals every day

Without executing on your short-term goals, long-term goals won’t come true

Mental preparation is a constant and never-ending practice

If you can’t visualize yourself performing well, you won’t

Everyday is game day

Prioritize learning over accomplishment > What did you learn today?

In sports and life, you will fall down. The question is, who gets back up to win?

Your goals may be out of your control, but you can always take care of today

3 things you should do every day: Learn, laugh, and say something kind to someone

Fake it till you make it: Pretend like you’re confident over and over until you become it

Quotes:

“The work you do today not only matters for today, but it matters for 5 years from now.”

“Gold medals are not won on the day of competition, they are won with the years of hard work and preparation that happened before you even stepped on the floor.”

Connect with Shannon:

shannonmiller.com

Twitter