The Brian Cain Mental Performance Mastery Podcast

In this episode of The Mental Performance Mastery Podcast Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Professional Bowler AJ Johnson. Johnson is a member of Team USA Bowling and has been on the PBA Tour for nearly a decade. Having recently won his first PBA Tour Title at The Lucky Larson Masters in Helsingborg, Sweden Johnson shares how he has learned to use Fear as Fuel and unveils The Mental Performance Training that he did with Cain that helped him to capture his first professional bowling tour championship.

In this podcast Johnson and Cain talk about:

Learning and training to use fear as fuel

The importance of having something to go to when it gets hard

Building routines pre comp, in comp and post comp for consistency

Moving your mindset from comparison into competition

Having a physical trigger to flip the switch from person to performer and showering well

The purpose of a daily success checklist for optimal performance and confidence

Confidence moving from being a feeling into something that you do and a way of life

Why and how to use mental imagery as a part of your preparation

Keeping a one word focus to ground you

Time blocking and planning your day in advance to help turn your brain off

6-2-8 breathing

The 3 Keys to Keep It Simple

Separation from enhanced preparation

Getting One Percent Better

Why his listens to The Mental Performance Daily Podcast

Intentional performance journaling and MORE…

You can engage with AJ Johnson: 

Instagram = @AJ_JohnsonPBA

Twitter = @AJ_JohnsonPBA

TikTok = @AJ_JohsnonPBA

You can engage with Brian Cain

Instagram @BrianCainPeak

Twitter @BrianCainPeak

Facebook @BrianCainPeak 

Or at BrianCain.com

🥶 Get 10% Off TheraFrost Inflatable, Self Cleaning Cold Tank Use Code BRIANCAINPEAK

🥵 Get 10% Off Thera360Plus Personal Sauna #1 Use Code BRIANCAINPEAK

⚡🚨Get 10% Off TheraPro PEMF Red Light Mat Use Code BRIANCAINPEAK

🦸Get The Heroic App & Philosophers Notes - 30 Days Free

❓Click Here to submit your question and Brian will answer and dedicate to you on MPD

💻 Join Brian’s MPM Coaches Certification Insiders List & Save $200

🏆 Join Brian’s FREE Group Coaching brought to you by Fundraising University

💻 Follow Brian on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, You Tube

📧 Sign up for Brian’s MPM email.

👍 Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Coaches Mini-Course

💪 Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Athletes Mini-Course

⛳ Take Brian’s FREE Golf Masterclass

⚾ Take Brian’s FREE Baseball Masterclass

🎤 Follow Brian’s Mental Performance Daily Podcast

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Brittany Loney, cognitive performance coach to elite Warriors, to talk about the mindset, routines, and training of elite warriors. 

Brittany has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Learning Systems from The Florida State University, an M.A. in Kinesiology with an emphasis on performance psychology from California State University, Fresno, an M.S. in Exercise Science from Florida State University, and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University where she was also a NCAA Division 1 basketball player. 

Brittany is the director and creator of the Elite Cognition and Human Optimization (ECHO) program at Core One. She has over 18 years of experience training high performers from a vast array of communities, such as elite warriors, Olympic athletes, high-level coaches, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and C-Suite Executives. 

For the past 13+ years, Brittany has been developing and implementing cognitive training programs within the national security and government sectors. She helped develop and taught curriculum for NATO’s Inaugural Mental Performance and Resiliency Course. 

Brittany focuses her efforts towards serving those who operate within dynamic high stakes environments where people are a critical capability and human error is a legitimate risk to self or mission. 

Her specialty is building, refining, and implementing large-scale performance programs and thrives in environments where the concept of cognitive performance is novel. She routinely consults with an array of personnel, from military to sports to business, to bring about the effective assimilation of cognitive performance principles to advance both individual and organizational effectiveness. 

Over her career, Brittany and her team were embedded within highly selective hiring processes and arduous training pipelines. During this time, they refined a 360 degree approach to developing adaptive experts across a multitude of domains. The team worked extensively with trainees, instructors, course planners, and leadership to assimilate deliberate practice principles, adaptability research, and growth cultivation throughout the entire developmental process. 

Brittany will share some of the best practices and lessons learned garnered through their integration with some of the nation’s most exceptional training.

Maximum cohesive functioning is a prerequisite for any team to be greater than the sum of its parts. Over the past decade, Brittany and her team were immersed in organizations where their program was leveraged to facilitate desired cultural shifts and organizational end-states. 

She will discuss interpersonal adaptability and adjusting communication styles, building unsung hero attributes, and refining team culture, values, systems, and processes to ensure optimal collective performance.

Brittany looks forward to sharing with our community best practices and lessons learned related to training adaptive experts and building cultures that raise the tide.

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by University of Oklahoma Gymnastics Asst. coach Tom Haley to talk about coaching mental performance. 

Tom Haley has been with Oklahoma for 18 years and led the Sooners to 6 NCAA National Championships, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023.

In this call Coach Haley and Brian talk about:

Creating a culture of consistency

Obstacles to an individual sport athlete learning team culture

Teaching WE before me

How Every Year Is Different, But Adversity Is Always A Part of Every Season

Why The Closer You Get To Winning, The Harder Winning Gets

Doing a team Vision board 

Having a team one word focus

How To Combat Complacency

Mental Preparation

Making everything you do good enough to win a national championship

Self-talk, routines, imagery and process

The Importance of Looking For An Edge inside of yourself to get to the next level

When You Measure You Can Make Changes

Using wearable technology to improve your sleep and health

Why It’s Important To Sweep The Sheds and Give Your Team A Chance To Take Ownership

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Florida State Softball Director of Mental Performance and Player Development Ellie Cooper to talk about coaching mental performance. 

As the Player Performance Director, Cooper focuses on implementing and developing the mental game and player performance while assisting with technology, video and the day-to-day operations of Florida State softball.

Cooper was a member of the Seminoles from 2014-17 and was on staff as a Student Assistant during the Seminoles’ 2018 National Championship run.

During her time at Florida State, she was named to the All-ACC team twice (2015 and 2016) and was named a member of the NFCA Southeast All-Region Second Team in 2016. During her time in Tallahassee, she hit .319 with 122 RBI, 31 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs while getting on base 41.7 percent of the time. Cooper was a mainstay at second base, playing in 243 games in her career and finishing with a .960 fielding percentage.

In her four seasons at FSU, the Noles won four ACC Championships and reached four NCAA Super Regionals with two trips to the Women’s College World Series.

NOTES FROM CALL WITH COACH COOPER

How to deal with the pressure of living your dream

How 75% of Her Time Is Invested Into Your Mental Performance Coaching

The Importance of Having A Classroom Session 1x a Week With Mental Performance

The Importance of Body Language

The Program FSACC Core Values & Culture -

The Importance of Routines 

Why The Team Read It Takes What It Takes This Fall

Creating A Culture Calendar

The Tough As Shit Socks

The One More Board

Breathing

T-Shirts With Slogans

The Process Based Scoring Sheet

“Tell the Truth Tuesdays” sharing your “safeties” (blue angels) for practicing normalizing accountability/vulnerability/ownership and using them as moments of growth

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Amanda Borden to talk about building a gold medal mindset in sports, business and life. 

Amanda was captain of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, dubbed the Magnificent Seven (including members Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller and Kerri Strug), which took home the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. 

Along with their gold, they made history by becoming the first U.S. Womenʼs Gymnastics team ever to win an Olympic games. Amanda describes the experience as, “the biggest moment of my gymnastics career and one of the biggest moments in women’s gymnastics history.”

Amanda proved herself to be a steady and consistent gymnast from the start of her training at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. Her talent and ability led her to be named to the National Team six times and the World Championship Team three times, eventually reaching the pinnacle of her career as Team Captain of the history making, 1996 Gold Medal Olympic Team. 

USA Gymnastics also named Amanda Sportswoman of the Year in 1995.

After the 1996 Gold Medal win, Amanda appeared in numerous national tours and television appearances and was featured on the Wheaties Cereal Box. 

She graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a degree in elementary education. She was honored by Arizona State University with the Alumni Achievement Award for her success and contributions in business and the community. 

As the owner of Gold Medal Gymnastics Academy, with two locations in Tempe and Chandler Arizona, Borden has combined her educational training with her athletic expertise and continues to serve as a gymnastics and cheerleading commentator for CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, NBC and the PAC-12 Network.

While proud of her past, Borden says her focus now is on the next generation of athletes: “My goal is to touch the lives of children all across Arizona to help them reach their goals, whatever they may be”.

In addition, Amanda is a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and US Olympic Hall of Fame. Most recently, she won an Emmy Award for her coverage and color commentary of NCAA gymnastics.

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Libertyville HS Director of Athletics John Woods, MPM. Brian and Coach Woods discuss leadership and culture in athletic administration. Libertyville High School in Illinois has 1,850 Student Athletes, 92 Teams, 31 Sports, over 150 coaches and ONE PROGRAM

In this call Coach Woods discusses:

What Is Culture?

Going from Good to Great

Process over outcome

The Core Values of PROGRAM

ONE PROGRAM: Passion Respect ONE Grit, Reliable, Accountable and Mindful

The Importance of Branding

The Process of Creating a department mission, vision and core principles.

Why It’s so much easier to establish a culture than maintaining one

The PROGRAM & 10 PILLARS of Libertyville HS Culture

Creating A Student Leadership and Developmental Curriculum

The importance of having connection before you start working on correction

Buy In Fades, Belief Sticks

Faith In The Future Creates Power in The Present

The Importance of Coaching For Significance vs. Satisfaction and Success

How to use The MVP Process With Your First and 2nd Year Teachers

How to Brand Your School With Core Principles

The Importance of Mid-Season Feedback Form

Questions To Ask Yourself

Am I a final product - as good as I will ever be?

Where am I putting legitimate effort into getting better?

How hard and how often am I working at it?

How do I know if I am making progress toward my goals?

Contact Coach Woods

John Woods

[email protected] 

217-840-7084

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Eastmont HS Director of Athletics Russ Waterman, MPM. Brian and Coach Waterman discuss leadership and culture in athletic administration and:

Why you must love em’ in order to lead em’

Being a Transformational vs. Transactional Coach

Principle vs. Preference based focus

The Motto of “Don’t Stop Believing”

What Does Mental Toughness Actually Mean?

Why your culture is what you accept, not what you say

The importance of officials recognition

The importance of taking care of yourself first.

CALL RESOURCES

Power Point

Wildcats Today, Wildcats For Life Video

Eastmond High School MVP Process

How and Why Culture is King 

Eastmont MVP Process "Wildcats Today Wildcats for Life" 

Bag Tags

Signs and Messaging

Bracelets 

Swag for athletes based on WILDCATS principles

What you accept is the culture you have (Culture Guardrails) 

Cain on Campus / Fundraiser University

Group Coaching Calls 

Coaches Council 

1st Monday of the month with one core principle on agenda for discussion 

Head Coach "Check-in All in" meetings (20 minutes max) 

In season 1x a week in person or online 

Out of season 1x a month in person or online 

Eastmont Leadership Academy 

Intentional instruction on being a responsible and accountable athlete (30 day Athletes course, MPM, Jeff Janssen)

2x a month at 7:30 am with breakfast served.

WILDCATS of the Month 

 Athlete chosen based on exhibiting core principle and performance

Mental Performance Mastery in Action 

Showcase 1 MPM strategy/Pillar being used by programs 

Programs responded (Boys and Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Track & Field, Cross Country, Softball, Baseball, Boys Golf, Cheer, Wrestling, Tennis, Boys Basketball) 

Fundraiser University experience 

explain the experience and importance 

Investing in YOU - Walking the Walk

Russ Waterman taking Care of Russ Waterman

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Jeff Jones, MPM, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Arkansas State University. You can follow Coach Jones on twitter @jonesyjeff1

Brian and “Jonesy” talk how the custom created “8 Play Mental Performance Program” coach Jones runs at Arkansas State and the role he plays in mental performance training as the strength and conditioning coach

Read More About Coach Jeff Jones Here -> 

8 Plays - The Mental Conditioning Program for Arkansas State Football

Talk To Yourself, Don’t Listen

8 Weeks on Wednesdays in The Summer

At End of Lift - The Introduction to the 8 plays

We have thousands of thoughts a day - Roughly 80% are ANTS - Automatic Negative Thoughts…

70-80% are the same thoughts each day… we want to change the way we think - don't listen, talk to yourself.

Week #1 - Setting The Foundation - Intro To The Mental Game

Play #1 - Awareness 

What you are aware of you can improve, what you are unaware of you can’t improve.

Video helps to increase awareness - Let them see their body language

You have to be aware before you can improve.  

Awareness is the first step to growth.

What do you do well?

Well, Better, How also helps create awareness.

Helps Facilitate some 1-1 conversations, what are you really good at.

Person, Man - Player

What do you do well?  What can you do better?  How can you do it better

Body Lanuage, effort, not bought in

Play #2 - Motivation

It’s your job to motivate yourself.

Going on a mission. 

Discipline and motivation - It’s your job to motivate you.

YOU are the only person you will be the rest of your life.

MVP Process

You are the only person with you the rest of your life… What is your why?  What is your purpose?  WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? Why do you coach HS?

1-1 Conversations With Players AFTER The Play Gets installed.  Facilitates coaches engagement with Players.

Mission, Values, Principles - Banquet Speech

Better People, produce More

Personal Development comes before professional development

Play #3 - Confidence

Act Confidently

Body Language, Self-Talk, Focus,

Get To Do vs. Have To Do

Act Dif

You will never outperform your self confidence - Gary Mack - Mind Gym

5 Keys to Confidence - (1) Preparation (2) Past Performances (3) Body Language (4) Self-Talk (5) Inner Circle - Who You Roll With….

Play #4 - Discipline

Discipline Over Default.  We are fighting auto piolet and impulse.

If you are not disciplined you will be disappointed.  Laser Focus - DIALED… Consistent Day in and Day out....

Default - Always battling human nature… Casual, Auto-Piolet-Impulsive…

Principle Over Preference…

We Put four plays into our training

Play #5 - Focus

Focus Determines Future

What you focus on grows, where your focus goes, energy flows.

Bring The Juice - Coaching Focus & Discipline - Gratitude.

GOOD

What you focus on grows.

Today + Today + Today = Results

BrianCain.com/cgrid

Play #6 - Emotional Toughness

E+R=O Event +Response = Outcome

How do I respond in a way That’s above the line… My best response

Control The Controllables

Play #7 - Visualization -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ1u9qxkThg 

FOOTBALL IMAGERY

Play #8 - Habits and Routines

You are what you repeat.

Habit Share App - #1 App I use to help people create better habits

HOW TO IMPLEMENT

Daily, Weekly Micro Coaching

The Play, The Skill, Talk About it - Individual conversations

The Skeleton Files - To Teach and Memorize The 8 Plays

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by Texas HS HOF Football Coach and former Clemson OC and SMU and Arkansas HC Chad Morris.

Brian and Chad talk about creating culture, connection and the mental performance aspects of competition.  

MAIN POINTS FROM CALL

The Culture of SMU Football - MVP Process

The Hand To Memorize Core Principles

The Pony Up Creed Before Games

Building Connection

The Why We Play Wall

The One Word Focus

Who You Play For 

Habit Share

Mental Reps

The MVP Process

Lessons From Being a Coach That Apply To All Arenas of Life

💻Join Brian’s MPM Coaches Certification Insiders List & Save $200

🏆Join Brian’s FREE Group Coaching brought to you by Fundraising University

💻Follow Brian on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, You Tube

📧Sign up for Brian’s MPM email.

👍Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Coaches Mini-Course

💪Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Athletes Mini-Course

⛳Take Brian’s FREE Golf Masterclass

⚾Take Brian’s FREE Baseball Masterclass

🎤Follow Brian’s Mental Performance Mastery Podcast

Creating Confidence, Consistency and Culture with 6x MLB All-Star - Lance Berkman

In this live 55min group coaching call, Brian Cain, MPM is joined by 6x MLB All-Star, World Series Champion, MLB Comeback Player of the Year and current Houston Christian University Head Baseball coach Lance Berkman.  

Lance is a also a former high school head coach and D3 college coach who has seen baseball and coaching at all levels.  In this group coaching call, Brian and Lance talk about creating confidence, consistency and culture as well as the mental performance strategies Lance used as a player and what strategies uses currently as a NCAA D1 Head Baseball Coach.

The biggest differences between coaching at the HS and college level and how as a professional coach you are more psychologist than coach

Developing a mental game is a toolbox and choosing what tools to use

What separates the good from the great at the professional level

The HCU Baseball Culture of Work, Aggression, Responsibility, Service

How to silence the noise and focus on what’s important in that moment

The importance of focusing on controlables and why everything else is just a distraction

The 3Bs of hitting and how to overcome fear of an outcome

Breathe

Ball

Back Through The Middle

Why as a competitive you are always going to be nervous and you must learn to use that fear as fuel

What confidence really is and it’s not something you feel it’s something you do 

The importance of and use of visualization

What it means to “have an approach” and a detailed discussion of Lance’s 7 hitting approaches

CALL RESOURCES

To learn more about fundraising university please email - [email protected]

HCU Baseball Culture - Click Here

Work                   Leave Nothing To Chance

Aggression         Beat Em’ To The Punch

Responsibility     If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me

Service               Who Can I Serve Today

Lances 7 Hitting Approaches - Click Here

Heroic Book Summaries - Click Here

Log Into Your MPM Group Coaching Dashboard

Follow @BrianCainPeak on Twitter

Want to access the full interview ?

Simply join Brian’s Free Group Coaching Program brought to you by Fundraising University and you can find this interview and many others in your personal dashboard.

💻Join Brian’s MPM Coaches Certification Insiders List & Save $200

🏆 Join Brian’s FREE Group Coaching brought to you by Fundraising University

💻 Follow Brian on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, You Tube

📧Sign up for Brian’s MPM email.

👍 Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Coaches Mini-Course

💪Take Brian’s FREE 3 Day Athletes Mini-Course

⛳ Take Brian’s FREE Golf Masterclass

⚾Take Brian’s FREE Baseball Masterclass

🎤Follow Brian’s Mental Performance Mastery Podcast