Ali Pottinger is a runner and running coach through her business SquadRun.    Ali's take on mental strength is from both the athlete and coaching perspective and she shares some amazing mental strength nuggets on the show including the danger of comparison, why you should show gratitude, how the context through which you views things shapes your mindset and why we should be kind to one another to increase your mental strength.      Ali shares her take on dealing with negative self-talk and shares some powerful stories from athletes, women and men, who have achieved amazing feats. Ali also talks goal setting and reveals the one question you can ask yourself to find out how mentally strong you really are.    Ali is one of the most positive people I've had the pleasure of talking to on Mental Strength Conversations. It's pretty infectious so much so if I eve decide to run an endurance event Ali will be my go-to running coach.    With that team, I hope you enjoy this weeks episode of Mental Strength Conversations.

Toni Hodge started competing in her 30s spurred on by wanting to make sustainable healthy life choices. After trying out a few different sports Toni eventually signed up for a beginners triathlon and hasn’t looked back since. Starting with that tri, over the last 20 years Toni has gone on to compete in 14 Ironman races and two Ultraman events.

Not only that but she’s battled back from injury on after being the victim of two separate car accidents.

In today’s episode Toni talks about her logical mind and how it’s served her as she’s progressed through her sport over the years. It’s a fascinating insight into how being clinical and methodical can help you achieve amazing feats. We also talk about Toni’s Alter Ego, coming back from injury, managing your emotions and a bit about goal setting. And Toni shares hows she’s made two very different decisions on the two occasions she’s had to pull out of a race.

On today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations we have out first ever guest on the show, Kelly Sutherland returning to talk about her first multi-day Ultra Run - the Alps to Ocean.  The Alps to Ocean covers 320kms over six days running from the base of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Mount Cook, to the East Coast town of Oamaru.   As a seasoned Ultra Runner, Kelly has done a tonne of one day events but this was her first foray into the staged challenges... which even she wasn't sure how she'd go later in the event.   Kelly talks about her preparation before the race and how she took each and every day. She talks about how she used other runners to support her, how the decisions she made weren't always rational and logical, how she managed her mindset throughout the later stages of the event, plus her mum's surprising reaction from the sidelines as Kelly ran past looking for moral support.    There is a darker side to running events like the Alps to Ocean, including pushing through mental and physical pain, and Kelly shares her own journey through that, including sharing a revelation she's had about how she deals with mental challenges using perspective to give her situation some   Today's episode is a exciting insight into managing both your physical and mental strength over long-term event. And it's inspirational to get a sense for what you can achieve if you're prepared to just keep going. Even if, as Kelly says, you're a disaster and you really don't want to.    And what Kelly thinks she can achieve next is counter-intuitive yet inspirational.   Enjoy today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations with Kelly Sutherland.

Julia Smay is a Strong (Wo)man competitor who was drawn to sport of Strongman partly due to her competitive nature. In 2017, Julia took the plunge and entered California's Strongest Woman, a competition she simply signed up and trained for which she ultimately won. And she hasn't looked back since. Julia also holds the title of Worlds Strongest Master 2018, USA Strongest Master 2017 and 18 and in March Julia competed in the Arnold Strongman. The Arnold Strongman is considered the pinnacle of strongman competition where Julia competed in the women's open grade and finished 7th.    Today's episode is packed full of awesome insight from a mentally and physically strong competitor. Julia talks about getting over her fear of starting strongman and how her life experiences have shaped her desire to succeed. We talk about taking action, the power of managing your self-talk through writing and how to deal with failure. Julia talks about how coaching has helped her become a better competitor and using the support of others to help her stay motivated.    We chat about Julia's WHY and discuss how as an athlete you have the power to influence. Julia also shares her thoughts on visualisation, being successful through consistent habits and actions and checking out your competition to give you insight into your own strengths and weaknesses. 

Today's Mental Strength Conversations episode is a bit different as I'm the interviewee in the hot seat. My good friend, artist and host of the Savvy Painter podcast Antrese Wood takes control of the microphone and talks to me about Mental Strength.

We talk about what mental strength means to me, how it's affected my life in different areas and how I've changed as an individual since focusing on it. We talk about the different ways you can show up as mentally strong, self-awareness and how the power of courageous conversations and getting feedback can help shape your success.

The subject of mental strength blind spots come up plus I share a piece of advice my mum gave me years ago that's given me the power to choose how I respond to events. Plus Antrese pulls no punches getting me to talk about my own self-sabotage and we talk about how you can stop yourself sabotaging your own success.

It was an fun experience having the spot light on me and I really hope you enjoy today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations.

Jane Moran is a former Australian Olympic Water Polo player who won Bronze at the 2012 London Olympics.    But Jane's path to the Olympics was an arduous one that started with her dreams of being an Olympic swimmer smashed at the age of 14 and was followed years later by being dropped from the 2008 Olympic team... in a pretty shocking way.   But Jane stayed the course and ultimately returned to the sport she loved. And continues to play today.     In today's episode learn how Jane got started in Water Polo and why she keeps playing it. Plus get a bit of insight into the brutality of the sport.     Jane talks about how "grunt" and the right attitude can help you have success regardless of your physique or talent, how over reacting when something doesn't go your way is not the best idea on the Field of Play, how precedence plays a bit role in mental strength preparation and why you shouldn't focus solely on the opposition when it comes to performing on the Field of Play.    We also talk about how making mistakes is the best place to learn, how trust plays out in a team situation and why communication is crucial to any teams success on and off the Field of Play. Also the mental strength aspect of giving and accepting feedback.    This was a really awesome conversation. As older athletes we also chat a bit about how younger players can battle a little to just play the game, athlete welfare and how the lessons Jane learned during her athlete days play out in the business world.   This is an epic episode packed full of mental strength nuggets. I could keep going but I'll leave it to you to listen in.   Here's Mental Strength Conversations with Jane Moran.

In today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations you'll hear from Claire Jaycock aka Claire the Decks a member of the Wellington-based Richter City Roller Derby.

Claire by her own admission is new to this "athlete thing" but in today's episode Claire drops some awesome mental strength nuggets for you.

Roller Derby is at times a brutal sport but here Claire has found a safe space to express herself and a sense of purpose which allows her to make positive decisions that affect all areas including her health and nutrition. Learn what being an athlete means to Claire and why it's a new mindset and lifestyle she is embracing.

We also talk goal setting and why Claire keeps her audacious goals to herself before sharing them with certain people. Plus Claire's three layered approach to set goals. We also talk how mental strength plays out in Roller Derby and how to stay positive recovering from injury. Plus Claire talks about how she uses persona's to experiment with who she takes out onto the Field of Play. This bit you have to hear.

Kate Sawford is an adaptive athlete who competes in climbing and surfing. Taking up the sport of climbing in 2007 Kate has subsequently won three successive silver medals in the World Para-climbing Championships. And she's to the World Championships again in August 2019. Plus after recently taking the sport up, Kate won first place in the Women's Division at the 2018 Australian Adaptive Surfing Titles. Kate is also a keen skier and yoga practitioner.    What doesn't she do?   In today's interview Kate candidly talks about "being used to the struggle" and some of the challenges facing adaptive athletes. Kate also kindly dug into her memories to share her personal 25 year journey from being an 11 year with bone cancer and having her leg amputated to the person she is today. Kate talks from her perspective about why not everything is "inspirational" and how the way we see the world can influence how we see the achievements of others.    We also talk about the mental game of climbing, Kate's surprising fear and how she pushes through it. We also talk about how climbing differs from other sports when it comes to mental strength and how your head space can affect them. We also touch on goal setting and why wishing things were different isn't a helpful way to face challenges. Finally listen to Kate's advice to all anyone - athlete or not - about what you're capable of.    Enjoy today's episode with Kate Sawford.

Stephanie Bruce has been a professional US long distance runner for 10 years. She runs a 2:29 marathon and placed 10th and 11th at the NYC Marathon 2017/2018. She's also finished in the top 10 of the London Marathon. Which when you're talking 40,000+ competitors is no mean feat.

In 2018 she won her first US national title at the Peachtree Road Race, a story she recounts in today's episode that gave me excitement chills. She’s also recently been named in the US Cross Country team to compete in the World Cross Country Champs in March 2019.

Stephanie has also tried to make the US Olympic team four times and in today's episode shares a great re-frame of what not achieving that goal yet means to her. You have to check it out.

But that's not all. Stephanie is also a mum, a coach and an entrepreneur. All of which she covers in today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations.

In this episode Stephanie and I talk about her take on mental strength. From how she used the loss of her father to re-frame her approach to running and give herself the mental foundation to tackle any challenge, to how and why she views pressure as something positive, the 10/90 principle and why it's important to bear that in mind when you're training

Stephanie also talks about her approach to setting goals, her battle with injury and how it's helped shape her as a person and an athlete, how she overcomes feeling pain in a race plus why Stephanie never quits no matter how much it hurts.

I really enjoyed talking to Stephanie given she competes in a sport I see as a necessary evil. I think I'm coming around team!

To see why check out today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations.

Jaclyn Parker took up the sport of Handball in her 20s when, with a friend, she decided she wanted to represent New Zealand in sport. Picking a niche sport with less competition Jaclyn found herself three weeks later making the New Zealand Women's Handball team.  It was the start of a massive learning curve for Jaclyn on the journey to fully understand and appreciate not only the nuances of Handball but also of herself as an athlete.    Ten years later and Jaclyn's love of the game, and her commitment to master it, keep her going,    In 2018 Jaclyn captained the New Zealand Women's Handball team in Japan at the Asiana Champs - the first time New Zealand Women's Handball had ever competed on the world stage. Under the stage lights, with TV cameras, competing in a different country, against professional women who earn their living playing Handball (unlike Jaclyn's a full time Physiotherapist), she took it all in her stride and shares how she did it and the lessons the team learned in today's episode of Mental Strength Conversations.   Jaclyn and I talk also about the mental strength challenges that come from being a Captain of a team. Where you're not only responsible for your own performance but for how your team mates also perform on the Field of Play. Jaclyn talks about how she handles the Captains responsibility even if she's not feeling it and how understanding her team mates and herself is crucial to the teams success. We also talk about Jaclyn's own evolution of self-reflection and how she uses her intuition and feelings to mentally prep for games, how warming up can affect your game mentally and how you can work smarter not harder to stay consistent in your sport. Plus much more.   So without further adieu, here's New Zealand's Handball Captain, Jaclyn Parker.