The Premier Mindset

00:00 When Perfectionism Becomes Avoidance

01:31 The Entrepreneur Who Can't Launch

03:40 Excellence vs. Perfectionism

05:05 Why You Can't Wait for Certainty

06:16 The Anxiety Trap Behind Perfectionism

07:49 When Preparation Becomes Procrastination

09:05 The Readiness Reality Check

10:17 How Perfectionism Shows Up in Everyday Life

11:43 High Standards vs. Emotional Safety

12:42 Why Published Is Better Than Polished

14:03 When Performance Becomes Your Identity

16:11 The Hidden Cost of Never Feeling Good Enough

17:01 How Perfectionism Damages Leadership

19:26 When Your Standards Become a Team's Problem

21:18 The Standards vs. Safety Test

24:31 How Anxiety Reinforces Perfectionist Behavior

26:04 The Control vs. Contribution Filter

27:41 Learning to Handle Criticism and Uncertainty

31:01 A Framework for Sustainable Excellence

34:07 Put the Tools Into Practice

What if your pursuit of perfection is actually keeping you from achieving excellence?

In Episode 86 of The Premier Mindset, host Trent Mahler, LCSW, explores the curse of perfectionism and how the desire to get everything right can become a way of avoiding failure, criticism, and uncertainty.

For athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers, perfectionism doesn't always look like obsessing over tiny details. Sometimes it looks like procrastination, excessive preparation, difficulty delegating, or feeling like you can't move forward until everything is exactly right.

The problem? What feels like preparation can sometimes be anxiety disguised as productivity.

In this episode, Trent introduces four practical tools to help you recognize the difference:

• Readiness Reality Check — Determine whether you actually need more preparation or are waiting for certainty that may never come.

• Standards Versus Safety Test — Recognize when high standards are driving excellence versus protecting you from discomfort.

• Control Versus Contribution Filter — Identify what genuinely requires your involvement and where letting go creates greater impact.

• Completion Criteria — Define what finished looks like before perfectionism keeps moving the goalpost.

Trent also explores how perfectionism affects self-worth, leadership, delegation, and team performance.

The central message is simple: Sustainable excellence doesn't require perfection. It requires responsible preparation, decisive action, and a willingness to keep improving.

Listen now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this episode with someone who needs permission to stop waiting for perfect conditions.

Premier Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

#ThePremierMindset #Perfectionism #HighPerformance #PerformancePsychology #PersonalGrowth

00:00 Why Film Study Reveals the Truth About Performance

01:25 When an Athlete Gets Defensive About Feedback

03:05 What Film Study Teaches High Performers

04:18 Why Leaders Need Their Own Film Study

05:44 The Difference Between Intention and Execution

06:30 The Performance Evidence Review

08:01 Why Confidence Doesn't Always Mean Accuracy

09:12 When Feedback Threatens Your Identity

10:00 How Defensiveness Disguises Itself

11:08 The Executive Who Couldn't Accept Feedback

13:21 A Leadership Confrontation That Changes Everything

14:56 What Happens When Leaders Receive Honest Feedback?

15:38 The Defensive Response Audit

17:01 How to Evaluate Unfair or Inaccurate Feedback

18:32 Perfectionism, Shame & the Fear of Being Wrong

20:12 How Defensiveness Limits Leadership

21:10 Why Feedback Triggers an Emotional Response

22:42 Learning to Examine Performance Objectively

23:19 Why Awareness Alone Doesn't Create Change

24:42 The One Adjustment Rule

26:11 Building Feedback Into Your Performance System

26:55 Psychological Safety & Accountability

28:18 Turning Feedback Into Better Execution

29:42 Making Continuous Improvement a Habit

31:44 Revisiting the Athlete and Executive

34:22 The Five-Step Performance Improvement Process

35:03 The Cost of Protecting Your Ego

36:10 Your Performance Review Challenge

37:36 Letting Go of the Need to Always Be Right

39:02 Final Thoughts: Learn From the Film

40:06 Work With Premier Performance & Share Your Feedback

40:48 Join the Newsletter & Stay Connected

41:48 Next Episode: The Curse of Perfectionism

Are you actually committed to getting better, or are you more committed to believing you're already good?

In Episode 85 of The Premier Mindset, host Trent Mahler, LCSW, explores the psychology of feedback, defensiveness, and why even the most talented high performers can struggle to confront their own mistakes.

Drawing from his experience studying football film, Trent examines a difficult reality: what you intended to do and what your performance actually revealed aren't always the same thing.

You can believe you made the right decision. You can have good intentions. You can feel confident in your abilities.

But none of those things automatically mean your performance matched your perception.

For athletes, executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders, the ability to recognize that gap can determine whether you continue developing or become trapped protecting your own self-image.

In this episode, Trent introduces three practical frameworks:

• Performance Evidence Review — Evaluate what actually happened rather than relying entirely on what you intended.

• Defensive Response Audit — Recognize when ego, identity, or emotional reactions are interfering with your ability to receive feedback.

• One Adjustment Rule — Turn criticism and mistakes into one specific, actionable improvement.

This episode challenges you to rethink how you approach mistakes, criticism, accountability, and personal growth.

Because feedback isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it challenges the very identity you've worked so hard to build.

The question is whether you're willing to confront what your performance reveals or whether you'll keep defending what you believe about yourself.

Listen to Episode 85 now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this episode with someone committed to continuous improvement.

Premier Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

#ThePremierMindset #HighPerformance #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #PerformancePsychology

00:00 Learning to Say No & Finding Balance
01:41 Meet Devoreaux Stewart: From Nevada Football to Executive Leadership
04:21 Why Devoreaux Chose the University of Nevada
05:31 Would He Make the Same Decision Again?
06:27 The Unexpected Story That Led Him to Nevada
07:45 What Division I Football Taught Him About Hard Work
09:24 Translating Athletic Discipline Into Professional Success
10:50 The Humbling Reality of Division I Competition
13:01 The Brotherhood & Relationships That Last Beyond Football
15:41 Finding a Career Path After Football
18:26 When He Started Planning for Life After Sports
19:17 Building Confidence in an Unfamiliar Industry
21:02 Why Athletic Skills Don't Disappear After Retirement
22:16 Navigating Identity Changes After Football
23:45 Competition in Business vs. Athletics
27:05 What Football Teaches You About Failure
28:58 Why Professional Success Has No Finish Line
30:58 Finding Motivation Through Small Wins
32:10 Understanding & Evaluating Risk
33:48 Making Decisions Without All the Information
35:01 Calculated Risk vs. Reckless Risk
36:23 The Danger of Making Assumptions
37:21 Can Being Too Risk-Averse Limit Success?
38:11 The Biggest Career Risk He Ever Took
39:43 The Personal Risk That Changed His Life
41:13 Knowing When to Leave Your Comfort Zone
42:27 How to Become an Expert in a New Field
43:34 Why Continuous Learning Matters
44:50 Performing Under Pressure in Business
45:51 What He Wishes He Had Started Earlier
47:17 Balancing Career Success With Family
48:08 How His Definition of Excellence Has Evolved
49:15 Focusing on the Process Instead of the Outcome
50:24 Final Thoughts & Lessons From Nevada Football
51:27 Closing & What's Coming Next

What happens when the game ends, but the lessons you learned through competition are just beginning to pay off?

In Episode 84 of The Premier Mindset, host Trent Mahler, LCSW, sits down with former University of Nevada football teammate and commercial insurance executive Devoreaux Stewart to explore how the mindset developed through high-level athletics can translate into professional success, leadership, and life beyond sports.

The transition from Division I football into the professional world isn't always straightforward. The structure changes. The expectations change. The path forward becomes less predictable.

But the lessons don't have to disappear.

Devoreaux shares how work ethic, consistency, calculated risk-taking, and a willingness to embrace failure helped shape his journey from college athletics to building a successful career in commercial insurance.

Together, Trent and Devoreaux explore:

• Translating athletic discipline into professional success
• Navigating career transitions and uncertainty
• Making decisions without having all the answers
• Taking calculated risks instead of waiting for certainty
• Building relationships and continuously learning
• Embracing failure as part of the growth process
• Focusing on consistent effort rather than obsessing over outcomes
• Balancing ambition with family and long-term fulfillment

Whether you're an athlete preparing for life after sports, an entrepreneur building something new, or a professional navigating your next chapter, this conversation offers a reminder:

Your circumstances may change, but the principles that helped you succeed can continue to serve you.

Listen to Episode 84 now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this conversation with someone navigating a transition or building their next chapter.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

👉 Connect with Devoreaux now:

LinkedIn → @Devoreaux Stewart

#ThePremierMindset #LifeAfterSports #HighPerformance #Leadership #CareerDevelopment

The most dangerous competitor in the room might be the calmest person in it.

Not because they don’t feel anger, frustration, or pressure. But because those emotions don’t get to make their decisions.

In Episode 83 of The Premier Mindset, host Trent Mahler, LCSW, explores the difference between being an emotional competitor and becoming a truly dangerous competitor, someone who can experience intense emotions without allowing them to control their performance.

For athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and other high achievers, competitive intensity can be a powerful advantage. But when anger, frustration, ego, or the need to prove yourself starts driving your decisions, that same intensity can become your greatest vulnerability.

The more easily someone can trigger you, the more influence they can have over your performance.

In this episode, Trent breaks down three practical strategies:

• Trigger-State-Response Audit — Recognize what triggers you, how your emotional state changes, and how it influences your behavior.

• 10-Second Competitive Reset — Regain composure and redirect your attention when emotions start taking over.

• Next Play Rule — Stop carrying frustration from one moment into the next opportunity.

This episode challenges a common misunderstanding about mental toughness: emotional control doesn’t mean suppressing emotions. It means learning to experience them without surrendering your decision-making.

Are your emotions fueling your performance, or are they controlling it?

Listen now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this episode with someone who wants to perform better under pressure.

Premier Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056
#ThePremierMindset #MentalToughness #EmotionalRegulation #HighPerformance #PerformancePsychology

00:00 The Hidden Loneliness of High Performance

02:29 Follow Premier Performance & Join the Newsletter

03:01 When Nobody Understands Your Pursuit

04:07 Alone vs. Unsupported: Know the Difference

05:55 The Pursuit Isolation Audit

07:01 How to Stay Connected Without Lowering Your Standards

08:34 Why You Don’t Have to Carry Everything Alone

09:32 When Ambition Becomes Your Identity

10:15 The Entrepreneur Who Lost Connection

12:04 When “Nobody Understands Me” Becomes a Shield

13:10 The Connection Translation Test

15:00 When Relationships Become Fuel or Friction

16:37 Build an Intentional Support System

18:06 Why Recovery Matters as Much as Performance

19:07 The High Performance Support Stack

22:00 Identify the Support You’re Missing

23:21 Why You Must Schedule Connection

25:17 People Aren’t Tools for Better Performance

27:32 Independence vs. Isolation

30:10 How Your Loneliness Shapes Your Leadership

32:12 Solitude, Connection, Recovery & Sustained Performance

33:02 How to Reconnect Without Abandoning Your Ambition

34:23 The Questions Every High Performer Should Ask

35:02 Turn Insight Into Meaningful Change

36:05 Don’t Reach the Top With Nobody to Come Home To

37:31 Share Your Experience & Review the Podcast

38:27 Join the Newsletter & Connect With Premier Performance

39:29 Next Episode: Dangerous vs. Emotional Competitors

What if the pursuit of your goals is slowly costing you the relationships that make success meaningful?

In Episode 82 of The Premier Mindset, Trent Mahler, LCSW, explores the loneliness that can come with high performance and the danger of allowing ambition to become isolation.

Athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and other high achievers are often taught to be independent, push through discomfort, and stay focused on the mission. But somewhere along the way, independence can become isolation. You stop sharing what you’re going through, convince yourself nobody understands, and become so focused on building your future that you lose connection with the people who matter in your present.

This episode challenges you to rethink what sustainable success really looks like.

Trent breaks down three practical frameworks to help you recognize isolation before it becomes your normal:

• Pursuit Isolation Audit — Identify where your ambition may be pulling you away from meaningful connection.

• Connection Translation Test— Find ways to communicate your experiences so the people around you can better understand what you’re carrying.

• High Performance Support Stack — Build a support system that strengthens both your performance and your personal life.

The goal isn’t to lower your standards or abandon your ambition. It’s to pursue uncommon goals without losing yourself, or the people who matter, in the process.

Are you becoming more independent, or are you becoming isolated?

Listen now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this episode with someone who is working hard to build something meaningful.

Premier Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profileInstagram → @Premier_Performance_RenoLinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLCTik Tok → @Premier_Performance_RenoFacebook → @Premier Performance LLCTwitter → @PremierRenoLLCWebsite → www.PremierPerformanceReno.comText/Call → (775) 561-0056

#ThePremierMindset #HighPerformance #MentalHealth #Leadership #PremierPerformance

00:00 Performing at a High Level When Success Depends on Others

02:28 Meet Austin Solheim: Leadership, Fundraising & High Performance

04:53 How Austin Found His Way Into Nonprofit Leadership

07:22 From Helping Individuals to Leading Systems

09:24 The Career Turning Point That Changed His Perspective

12:19 From Quick Fixes to Long-Term Impact

14:00 Learning Patience, Leadership & Collective Buy-In

17:22 How Austin’s Definition of Success Changed

19:25 What Would Surprise Your Younger Self?

22:06 The Most Important Skill for Building Relationships

24:20 Networking vs. Genuine Relationship Building

26:33 How to Build Trust With Someone You Just Met

27:03 Why Your Personal Life Affects Your Professional Relationships

31:11 The Biggest Mistake People Make When Networking

34:31 Learning to Get Comfortable With Uncertainty

37:51 When Relationships and Plans Don’t Go the Way You Expected

42:23 Making Decisions Without Having All the Information

44:35 How to Stay Consistent When You Aren’t Seeing Results

48:52 What Are You Most Proud of That Isn’t on Your Resume?

51:07 Building a Legacy Through the People You Impact

51:33 Closing & Connect With Premier Performance

What happens when your success depends on people you can’t control?

In Episode 81 of The Premier Mindset, Trent Mahler, LCSW sits down with nonprofit professional Austin Solheim to explore what it really takes to perform at a high level when success isn’t something you can achieve alone.

Austin’s career has evolved from direct service to building systems, partnerships, and relationships capable of creating impact across entire communities. Along the way, he’s learned that leadership isn’t always about having the title, making every decision, or being the person with the answers.

Sometimes, leadership means listening.

It means asking for help.

It means earning trust, building genuine relationships, navigating uncertainty, and continuing to show up when the results you’re working toward may take years to materialize.

In this conversation, Trent and Austin explore:

• Leading without formal authority

• Building relationships that create lasting impact

• Earning trust instead of demanding it

• Making long-term decisions in uncertain environments

• Staying consistent when results are slow

• Celebrating small wins along the way

• Building a legacy that can continue beyond your own involvement

For athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, nonprofit leaders, and anyone working toward something bigger than themselves, this episode offers an important reminder:

High performance isn’t always about controlling the outcome. Sometimes it’s about becoming the person others can trust to keep moving the mission forward.

Listen now, follow The Premier Mindset, and share this episode with someone who leads through relationships rather than a title.

Premier Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

👉 Connect with Austin:

LinkedIn → @austin-solheim

#ThePremierMindset #Leadership #HighPerformance #LeadershipDevelopment #PremierPerformance

00:00 What If You’re Afraid of Success?

01:34 When Success Starts Feeling Unsafe

02:43 The Fear of Success in Business

04:05 Wanting Success vs. Being Ready for It

05:01 What Does Success Cost You?

06:04 Fear of Failure vs. Fear of Success

07:19 Why Success Can Increase Pressure

08:46 The Success Threat Audit

10:18 Don’t Mistake Every Setback for Fear of Success

11:50 When Success Forces an Identity Change

13:14 What Is Success Asking You to Become?

14:42 The Pressure of Sustaining Success

17:11 Success, Imposter Syndrome & Identity

19:18 How Success Turns Into Expectations

20:22 The Expectation Ladder

22:18 The Success Compatibility Check

23:51 Can You Sustain the Success You Can Achieve?

25:23 Stop Calling Everything Self-Sabotage

27:22 When Opportunity Becomes a Threat

29:52 Perfectionism as Protection

31:34 The Success Tolerance Model

32:28 The Success Exposure Ladder

34:51 Who Do You Have to Become to Live at the Next Level?

36:16 Achievement → Adaptation → Integration

37:05 Your Psychological Ceiling Can Become an Organizational Ceiling

38:02 Prepare for the Tuesday After the Highlight

40:14 The Four Stages of Sustainable Success

41:29 Why Positive Change Can Still Feel Threatening

43:14 Is Your Psychological Capacity the Real Ceiling?

44:12 Why Insight Alone Doesn’t Change Behavior

45:23 What If You’re Afraid of What Happens When You Win?

47:52 The Question High Performers Should Be Asking

49:00 What Would You Have to Become to Get Everything You Want?

50:47 Help Us Reach More High Performers

What if you’re not afraid of failing?

What if you’re afraid of what happens if you actually win?

In Episode 80 of The Premier Mindset, Trent Mahler, LCSW explores the often-overlooked psychology of the fear of success, the tension that can emerge when the success you’ve been working toward starts to become real.

For athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers, reaching the next level can bring more than excitement. It can bring greater expectations, visibility, responsibility, pressure, and even changes to your identity.

That can show up as procrastination, perfectionism, hesitation, overthinking, self-sabotage, or avoidance, sometimes without you realizing that success itself has become the threat.

In this episode, Trent breaks down five practical frameworks to help you understand what’s happening:

• The Success Threat Audit

• The Expectation Ladder

• The Success Compatibility Check

• The Success Tolerance Model

• The Success Exposure Ladder

At the center of the episode is one question:

Are you actually incapable of reaching the next level or are you simply not yet prepared to live there?

If you’ve ever worked incredibly hard to achieve something, only to feel strangely uncomfortable once you got close, this episode is for you.

Listen now, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and follow The Premier Mindset for more conversations and tools around performance, psychology, leadership, and performing under pressure.

Resilient Minds, Premier Results.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

#ThePremierMindset #FearOfSuccess #HighPerformance #PerformancePsychology #PremierPerformance

00:00 The Hardest Lesson Life Can Teach You

00:50 Meet Jen Campbell: A Life of Service

03:39 From Interpersonal Communications to Birth Work

06:00 Infertility, Motherhood & Finding Her Calling

08:00 How One Teacher Changed Her Life

10:43 Was Her Career Planned or Discovered?

12:05 Infertility, Foster Care & Adoption

15:43 How Do You Become a Mom of 18?

18:05 What 18 Children Taught Her About Leadership

20:22 Turning Everyday Problems Into Better Systems

22:37 What Can You Change and What Must You Accept?

23:03 The Therapy Lesson That Changed Everything

25:24 Grief, Loss & Living With What You Can't Control

27:22 Finding Meaning Through Pain

28:28 Turning Life Experiences Into Purpose

29:11 What Entrepreneurship Can Teach Us About Life

30:21 How Life Experiences Shape Your Career

31:57 Can Helping Others Help You Heal?

32:37 When Your Career Becomes Your Healing

34:46 The Wounded Healer & Taking Care of Yourself

35:49 What Is a Doula?

36:16 Doulas, Education & Informed Decisions

37:26 Why the Same Information Can Lead to Different Choices

38:07 Filling the Gaps in End-of-Life Care

39:49 How to Find a Doula

40:19 Medicaid, Hospital Programs & Doula Access

42:08 Why Jenn Became a Nonprofit Executive Director

43:19 From Helping One Person to Creating Broader Impact

44:19 Leading Through Rapid Change

45:37 Time Blocking, Priorities & Taking One Step at a Time

46:15 Why Great Leaders Have to Be Willing to Pivot

47:20 Leaders Don’t Need to Have All the Answers

48:24 The Power of Community & Collaboration

48:47 Why Growth Isn’t the Same as Success

50:57 What Success Really Looks Like

54:46 The Most Important Qualities of a Leader

55:27 Helping Without Creating Dependence

56:21 Teaching Kids to Think for Themselves

57:50 The “Convince Me” Approach to Leadership

58:31 Autonomy, Boundaries & Being the Safety Net

1:00:08 Mother, Doula, Leader, Advocate: Which Identity Fits?

1:01:22 Final Thoughts & What’s Next

What does it take to keep showing up when life keeps asking more of you?

In Episode 79 of The Premier Mindset, I sit down with Jenn Campbell, Executive Director of the DOULA CO-OP of Nevada, for a conversation about resilience, leadership, loss, purpose, and what it means to support people through some of life’s biggest transitions.

Jenn’s story is anything but ordinary. She has spent more than 15 years working as a birth assistant, lactation consultant, childbirth educator, birth doula, bereavement doula, and adoption and surrogacy doula. She has also spent more than 15 years involved in the foster care system as both a parent and trainer and she’s been parenting since 1992 as a mom of 18 children.

Along the way, Jenn has experienced infertility, IVF, miscarriage, adoption, home births, loss, and the death of an adult son. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, she has used them to deepen her understanding of how to show up for others during difficult moments.

We also talk about building a career around service, turning personal experiences into purpose, navigating adversity, entrepreneurship, and the importance of continuing to grow when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Jenn also shares her perspective on leadership, advocacy, and expanding access to doula care across Nevada.

This is a powerful conversation about resilience, compassion, purpose, and building something meaningful from the experiences life gives you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode and let me know what takeaway stood out to you.

Subscribe for weekly episodes.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

#ThePremierMindset #Resilience #Leadership #Doulas #MentalPerformance

0:00 Welcome to Episode 78

0:18 Same Coaching, Opposite Results

1:23 Productive Discomfort vs Psychological Threat

2:52 Pressure Response Audit

7:03 Why Athletes Arrive With Different Histories

8:16 Toughness Is Not the Absence of Stress

11:25 Challenge State vs Threat State

13:05 Identity Fusion and Performance

17:04 High Standards vs Perfectionism

18:33 Coaching From Your Own Biography

19:57 Challenge-to-Threat Check

24:16 Coaching Calibration Model (Capacity, Response, Relationship)

30:46 Building Autonomy, Not Compliance

33:20 Transferring Pressure Internally

37:06 Equal Treatment Is Not Always Effective Treatment

39:43 Self-Coaching and Psychological Safety

42:54 Optimization Over Intensity

44:46 Hard Coaching as Intervention, Not Identity

47:26 Final Challenge for Coaches and Leaders

48:22 Closing, Resources & Next Episode

Episode 78 of The Premier Mindset.

You can deliver the exact same coaching message, in the same tone, after the same mistake and one athlete locks in while the other tightens up, slows down, and starts playing not to mess up.

In this episode, Trent Mahler, LCSW and Performance Coach, breaks down why pressure is never the intervention itself, it’s the stimulus. What matters is what each athlete’s system does with it.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between productive discomfort and psychological threat

• How to run a simple Pressure Response Audit after you increase intensity

• Challenge state vs threat state and why identity fusion makes feedback land differently

• Why “just get tougher” is often unhelpful

• The Coaching Calibration Model (Capacity, Response, Relationship)

• How elite coaches keep standards high while making the delivery precise

• The long-term goal: athletes (and leaders) who can eventually coach themselves

This is not about coaching softer or harder. It’s about coaching more precisely so pressure creates adaptation instead of protection.

For education and performance growth only, not a replacement for therapy.

👉 Connect with us now:

The Premier Mindset Newsletter → https://trent-mahler.kit.com/profile

Instagram → @Premier_Performance_Reno

LinkedIn → @Premier Performance LLC

Tik Tok → @Premier_Performance_Reno

Facebook → @Premier Performance LLC

Twitter → @PremierRenoLLC

Website → www.PremierPerformanceReno.com

Text/Call → (775) 561-0056

Next week: Interview with Jennifer Campbell, Executive Director of the Doula Co-op of Nevada.

00:00 – Welcome & Opening Question

01:37 – Introducing Alex Boy

03:12 – When Football Became the Path to D1

06:10 – Recruiting Chaos & Junior College

11:00 – Rejection, Coaching Changes & Fighting Back

14:50 – Yips, Sports Psychology & Breaking the Slump

18:50 – Sports End: Finding Who You Are

20:39 – Resetting After Bad Performances

24:50 – How Alex Actually Feels About Pressure

27:00 – Staying Calm & Leading Under Stress

34:50 – Separating Self-Worth from Performance

39:40 – Rebuilding Identity After Football

45:36 – Advice for College Athletes Preparing for Life After Sports

48:00 – The Real Meaning of Failure

51:00 – Closing & What’s Next

The Premier Mindset | Episode 77, Who Are You When the Game Ends?

What happens when the sport that has defined so much of your life suddenly isn’t there anymore?

In Episode 77 of The Premier Mindset, Trent Mahler, LCSW, sits down with former University of Nevada, Reno Division I punter and former teammate Alex Boy for a conversation about football, failure, pressure, identity, and building a meaningful life after sports.

Alex shares his journey from finding early success as a young athlete, navigating the ups and downs of recruiting and junior college, and eventually earning his opportunity to compete at the Division I level at Nevada.

But the conversation goes far beyond what happened on the football field.

Trent and Alex dive into what happens when the game ends, and the identity, structure, routine, and purpose that came with being an athlete suddenly change.

They discuss:

• Alex’s unconventional path to Division I football

• The pressure that comes with trying to prove yourself

• Handling failure and setbacks as an athlete

• The mental side of the yips and performance pressure

• Separating your self-worth from your performance

• What happens when football is no longer your identity

• The difficulty of transitioning out of competitive sports

• How the discipline developed through football carries into a career

• Alex’s transition into his career as an instrumentation supervisor

• Finding purpose and direction after athletics

• Why athletes need to prepare for life beyond the game

• Learning to embrace failure instead of fearing it

• Building an identity that isn’t dependent on performance

One of the biggest lessons from Alex’s story is that the end of your athletic career doesn’t mean the end of the person you became through sport.

The discipline, resilience, accountability, ability to handle pressure, and willingness to keep working when things don’t go your way can follow you into every area of life.

You just have to find somewhere new to use them.

Whether you’re a current athlete, former athlete, coach, parent, or someone navigating a major transition in life, this episode is a reminder that your performance is something you do, not the entirety of who you are.

🎧 Listen to Episode 77 of The Premier Mindset.

👉 Follow the podcast, share this episode with an athlete who needs to hear it, and let us know: What lesson from sports has stayed with you long after the game ended?

👉 Connect with us now:

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