The Athlete's Secret Weapon, the guy 50 World and Olympic Champions choose when performance matters

In this episode I catch up with a colleague and great friend, Gillian Maddigan.

I met Gillian 16 years ago at my first hypnosis association meeting and we hit it off then... and still do today.

Gillian is Australia's #1 Body Language Expert, well, that is what she says. I believe she underrates herself and this conversation will allow you to be the judge. I studied body language as the mannerisms we have and the posture we have. This can give away our thoughts, and we can change our posture to seem different. 

If that is body language, then how is reading someone's face to understand all their strengths and weaknesses? 

What about how we stand is a direct reflection of the experiences we have had (good and bad) from the past?

How is knowing if your head projects itself forward, how that is great for long term focus yet detrimental to your immediate performance?

When you understand this and listen to Gillan, you will realise she is a world leader in body language, posturing, mindset, speaking, acting... generally, a non verbal peak performance guru!

This chat, needs to flow into another episode. We have only just scratched the surface.

If you are interested in speaking with Gillian Maddigan, her website is below and all her social media links are there too.

https://www.gillianmaddigan.com

Gillian and I outline what is needed for new athletes, just breaking into the professional space. Experienced athletes will benefit in knowing how to stay strong and how to hold that space and for the transitioning athlete (those going from a sporting life to a 'normal/ civilian' life) can benefit knowing how your training can support your new life or create limitations.

I am going to chat again with Gillian and next time we will have a more interactive review of athlete profiles based on your face, if you would like to be a part of this, please let me know on my email [email protected] 

Again, thank you please feel free to share this information and podcast link. 

This information is designed to help you as athletes and coaches understand that the mind is powerful when used correctly and that every sporting champion has had challenges and their success in sport is a result of how they responded to the challenges.

Thanks,

Stuart Walter

The Athlete's Secret Weapon

Growing up, my family were never really sports focused, it seems strange then that one on my fondest memories was watching the famous Australian 1000 km motor race, Bathurst, the event consumed our day. This was not the traditional Ford vs Holden rivalry, it was the battle, the success, the crashes and following these drivers. Now I call it 'Snackhurst' a day to myself and experiencing memories of growing up and of my Dad who passed 25 years ago. My guest today was one of those drivers.

Fast track roughly 10 years ago, I was at a networking event and someone stood up to introduce himself to a group of 50 business people and I heard the name "I am Paul Stokell" the name hit a chord, a memory and again my motor racing connections fired up. and this time, I get to work within one of my favourite sports and travel with teams and be in the pits as the drivers prepare to do their thing.

After Paul and I chatted and met in a separate meeting, he invited me to a track day to present to his gathering of car enthusiasts. A 30 minute discussion and the application of a process, I use still today for professional driver in world motorsport, one of the Instructors went out and came back in several laps later beaming... he had dropped him time by close to half a second per lap. 

Paul Stokell then introduced me to a young guy, (about 15 at the time) walking past a Lotus and kicking the tyre... Paul said, 'there is the future of world motorsport' it was Matt Campbell. Matt became a client and has introduced me through his connections to many Australian and International drivers. Here is a link to see what Matt is now up to in Europe as a Porsche Factory Driver. https://www.instagram.com/mattcampbell22_/?hl=en

Paul knew his stuff and this is what I share with you in this chat. Like many people believe, Paul could have been one of the greats in F1 and was well on the path... here is Paul's story, Flat out or Flat Broke. Paul these days is still all about motorsport as his business and still passion.

Please connect to Paul through his website, https://drivingevents.com.au/

Thank you and please take a moment to listen to other episodes and share this story.

Stuart Walter

If 2020 with Covid was not enough to harden the toughest athletes, now the Government can have a hand in your success in sport.

This Episode. I chat with Dodo Elyazar.

A pro baller who has the abilities to match it with the best, yet no approval to play at that level.

While this is getting sorted Dodo has set out to give back to the game he loves. He has set up The Baller Movement and soon his own podcast that I have already been interviewed on.

Dodo says 'We help young ballers and elite pro basketball players be the best that they can be. Trying to use Instagram to deliver the best advice and information for basketball players looking to improve. Have done interviews with the current Geelong cats/Melbourne Boomers dietitian, Athletic development coaches, shooting coaches etc.. ".

Dodo's link to his Insta page https://www.instagram.com/the.baller.movement/

This is really great insight to persistence, resilience, passion and belief in a dream.

Enjoy the podcast,

Stuart Walter

The Athlete's Secret Weapon

Meet my guest on this podcast, Alex Opacic

"I had a dream and it was to play college basketball and become a pro basketball player!

Given this love and obsession for the game, I quickly started emerging as one of the best players in Australia for my age. 

Towards end of high school all my hard work started paying off as I was awarded a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), where I played alongside some of today’s NBA stars and greatest Aussie sports heroes – Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Aaron Baynes to name a few.

The AIS not only gave me a chance to make my dreams a reality, but more importantly it taught me the meaning of hard work and how to fight for what you want.

Our days consisted of 5+ hours of training, school, studying, physio work, learning about nutrition, health, body and mind. It taught me that suffering is good (I learned that many years after), discipline, work ethic, time management, resilience, how to compete, team work and much more – lessons that I still carry on today.

Two years into my pro career, it all came crashing down…I developed a serious knee issue, had 2 surgeries and was forced to sit out for at least 1.5 years. I returned home to Sydney and had no choice but to find a job. I was lost!"

Alex's life is very much aligned to mine and unfortunately, too many athletes struggle with this loss and re-gaining some level of 'normal' in life.

The great thing is that you don't have to be normal! As an elite athlete, you have incredible traits that businesses want and need as high paying executives.

Enjoy the chat with Alex...

To connect to Alex at Athlete 2 Business as an athlete or company owner... the link is below.

https://athlete2business.com.au/

or LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexopacic/

Thank you,

Stuart Walter

http://www.athletessecretweapon.com/

As a baseball pitcher... Imagine your brain gets confused and you forget how to throw?

This from Wikipedia.

The yips is the colloquial term for a sudden and unexplained loss of skills in experienced athletes. Some credit the yips to a loss of fine motor skills; others consider the condition to be primarily psychological. However, it is poorly understood and has 'no known treatment or therapy'. Athletes affected by the yips sometimes recover their ability, which may require a change in technique. Many are forced to abandon their sport at the highest level. Originally coined by golfer Tommy Armour to describe a sudden and inexplicable loss of the ability to putt correctly, the term has later been broadened to apply to any unexplained loss of skill, and has been applied to athletes in a wide variety of sports.

Interesting that, over the years in dealing successfully with athletes with the yips, I had not realised that Wikipedia says there is no known treatment or therapy... well there is. Please share this podcast with every athlete, you may just save their career.

NickDjoronoski  was a baseball pitcher out of Australia and with a US scholarship, he had the yips and over time he struggled tho throw a few metres. Yet we had a successful result.

Nicks Sport Bio is...

Started playing at age 7 . 

Started trying out for state teams at 10 or 11 .

Made first state team at 13 . 

Under 16’s took off and ended up making Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) and under 16 Australia squad.

3 years in VIS.

Yips started creeping in about age of 18/19 . At 19, I went to college and yips really took over, I hardly played due to not performing. 

Spent two years at college, still couldn’t shake yips. Came back home and 6 months or so l connected to Stuart via phone and he helped me get back to throwing on the full and not having the yips.

Nick has now started his own podcast on it... so I hijacked Nick for my podcast. It is a podcast only about YIPS and interviewing those who have been affected by it. Nick dives deep into the mysterious anxiety condition, It’s his first hand experience he draws on to help others get through it.

Make sure you check out 'The root of all Yips' Podast on the link below and all of the social media platforms.

https://linktr.ee/rootofallyips?fbclid=IwAR0ZX3OOeS0lGKSyHSdZJOdnUzBUy4d47jVRQbI9GuZ_mFaWKjDtgHC4zUs

Thanks for listening, learning and sharing.

Stuart Walter,

The Athlete's Secret Weapon

A conversation with a friend at school in grade 8, was just the start of the journey of success through determination by Lourene Bevaart.

How do you become a 5 Time World Karate Champion? You simply decide to at the age of 12. True of this amazing lady, she had not even begun Karate at this time. The words, 'I want to be a World Champion' was the intention and now to make it happen.

My sporting background is at the elite levels in Tae Kwon Do, so this interview was soo connected to my sport and the discipline needed to achieve.

Lourene, is a Mum of 2 girls and has generated a 7 figure business... and growing. She is a real example of dreams and how to make them a reality, by taking action, and pushing your limits as well as what others believe you can do.

This podcast is packed with gems for you to reflect on your own life and sport.

Here is a quick video of Lourene in action.

https://www.facebook.com/messenger_media/?thread_id=100003502857157&attachment_id=787102055368540&message_id=mid.%24cAAAAAPaVX_R6T6JE3l0HlyxFVdAG

To connect with Lourene for Key Note presentations, to work with her or to simply follow the journey...

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lourenebevaart/?hl=en

FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/lourenebevaart

Please enjoy this podcast and use the information and advice and transform your results and life.

Stuart Walter

The Athlete's Secret Weapon

This is a podcast a long time in the making, I met Melissa 10 years ago as a cross country and track athlete.

I clearly remember the seminar I was running that she was in. There was something special about this lady, even just sitting in the crowd.

As I got to know her and we worked through some issues, I knew this was a story that was just beginning. The determination and focus was not going to hinder her in her very clear goal, to be the best.

A slight shift sideways into a new sport and ta darrrrrrr! A World Champion. Not just any world Champion, Mel's highlights are below. 

As humble as she is, her very proud husband listed her achievements below.

To connect to Mel for sponsorship inquiries, speaking opportunities or other questions, please follow the links to the contact page on her website,

http://www.melissahauschildt.com/ 

Enjoy this podcast.

PS the recording is no the best quality, (I think due to the WIFI and interweb signals) the content though is very clear! 

Listen to your body!

Career Highlight:

IRONMAN World Record in 2018

3x World Champion

12x Australian Champion

30x Half Ironman Champion

6x Ironman Champion

Commonwealth Games silver medalist

Career in detail

Melissa is a 3-time triathlon World Champion, winning Gold at the 2011 and 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Champs and the 2011 ITU World Long Course Champs. 

She was the first female in history to become a double World Champ at the 70.3 distance 

And is the only female to have recorded more than ten sub-4hr10min winning times at that distance. 

She has amassed a record, 30 Half Ironman wins during her career, more than any other female in the sport. 

She is a 6-time Ironman Champion, winning some of the biggest Ironman races around the globe. 

She was the first athlete in history to have won 3 different Ironman Regional Championships in a career (Asia-Pac Champs in Melbourne, European Champs in Frankfurt, and North American Champs in Texas). 

During her win at Texas in 2018 she also set a new IRONMAN World Record of 8hr 31min 5sec. Melissa was ranked by Triathlete Magazine at #13 on their list of the "25 greatest triathletes of all time".

Before Melissa's incredible triathlon career, she had already made a name for herself as a world class elite runner, representing Australia in track and field, cross country, and on the road. 

She was only 11 when she first found an interest in Athletics, running around the local grass tracks where she grew up. Success quickly followed as she continued through her teenage years, setting State, National and World records as a Junior athlete on the track. 

During her running career, Melissa won multiple Australian Championships and set numerous records, she won Gold and the Goodwill Games, Silver at the Commonwealth Games, and 2 team Bronze medals at 2 different World Cross Country Championships, one of only 2 Australian athletes (male or female) to have ever done so.

Maybe more recent to note...

A bike crash March 2019, the surgeon said she wouldn’t be able to use her elbow for at least three months,  so Mel had a baby. Dakota born Jan 2020 (11 weeks old at the time of recording) All going well... looking forward to racing... when we can! (This was recorded during the Corona Virus time of isolation)

Please enjoy listening to this incredible lady, athlete, mum and wife!

To connect to Mel for sponsorship inquiries, speaking opportunities or other questions, please follow the links to the contact page on her website,

http://www.melissahauschildt.com/ 

Words and actions have power and this podcast covers a lot of that.

February 2019 I have the pleasure of travelling from Australia to New Zealand to present to the Wellington Sporting and Business community.

I facilitated 5 workshops over 5 days and loved my time, especially with the athletes, parents and coaches of Wellington Diving. I have worked with Olympic Silver Medal diver Brittany Broben in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics. 

Diving is a very scary sport and if you have ever stood on top of the 10m platform, you will understand this. now consider throwing yourself off, spinning, twisting and then landing on your head!

Divers have to have a level of trust in their coach and vice versa.

This Podcast today is talking with James Hardaker, the Head Coach for Wellington Diving. I have witnessed the communication skills of James and he was the one to approach me during the Covid-19 isolation and made comment about the world leaders and the words they were using and the fear they they are potentially creating by this.

I invited James onto this podcast to talk about communication and more importantly, using the right words to achieve the desired result.

To connect to James

[email protected]  

+64 21965560

Thanks for listening,

Stuart Walter,

The Athlete's Secret Weapon

Kicking goals.

When you get an email saying... I am a professional footballer and I have the dream and the skills to be the best in the world, I need your help. I knew I was onto something special.

Yes, very special. May I introduce Martin Braithwaite, the player on a journey to being the best in the world. Is he there yet? not yet.

This does not mean he has failed, listen to this and you will know he is still well on his way.

I know Martin really well, I spent a week with him in Toulouse, France 4 years ago and Martin's success, growth, and resilience over this time is what we have captured in this podcast.

Martin shares some very valuable information on his experience and advice for every athlete. Coaches, parents and partners of athletes, this is the gold to help you understand what it takes and how to support them in this journey.

Here is Martin at 'work' kicking goals... just like in life set big goals and make it happen, 

Enjoy the video and the Podcast.

Stuart Walter, the Athlete's Secret Weapon

You Tube https://youtu.be/ZwnMQ7KjZk8  (You may need to copy ans paste this link!)

And follow Martin on his journey https://www.instagram.com/braithwaite_no1/?hl=en

The title eludes to the control we have with everything in life. We choose out actions, reactions, behaviours and beliefs. So why did Porsche Junior Factory Driver, Jaxon Evans, choose to crash?

Having grown up around motorsport, you can see why Jaxon immersed himself into racing. It takes more than that though.

Motorsport is a huge investment, financially, physically and emotionally. You choose to sacrifice much of what your friends are doing, your family and girlfriend are on the other side of the world and you now live in Germany.

New Zealand born, Australian Porsche Carrerra Cup 2018 Champion Jaxon Evan is now living his dream in Germany, as a fully sponsored Porsche Junior Factory Driver, travelling the world following the F1 circus as a support category.

Jaxon was here recently in Brisbane to catch up with friends, family and myself to share this new part of his journey and give his advice for athletes when it comes to mindset, sacrifice, belief and the ability to keep in control when a technical issue or someone else can end your race.

Here is a clip with Jaxon outlining a brief rundown on himself, his history and the future. 

https://youtu.be/8wOCqTcKziQ

Sit back and enjoy Jaxon's interview.

Stuart Walter, 

The Athlete's Secret Weapon