What separates the world's top athletes is not training, determination, or endurance. It is how they react to stress and pressure in the game. And this isn't a simple mindset shift. It's bigger than that. We are talking about how their nervous system responds to the unknown and unfamiliar. The longest nerve in the body is called the vagus nerve and it's responsible for letting our fight/flight reflex take over OR turning it into PLAY. Our guest today, Michael Allison, has become an expert in how this nerve affects our performance in everything from public speaking to athletic competitions. Through this, he has developed The Play Zone, where he works with coaches to help athletes manage their physiology when it matters most. In this episode we discuss:

• what western swing dancers have in common with tennis doubles partners

• how to recognize when our bodies are in a suboptimal state and regain control in order to perform at our best

• And the application of Polyvagal Theory in helping entrepreneurs make better game-time decisions.