Podcast
What the Best Do with Dr. Gloria Balague, Sport Psychologist with the Chicago Bears & USA Track and Field
Gloria Balague is a sport psychologist who currently works with the elite athletes and teams including the Chicago Bears, USA Gymnastics and USA Track and Field. She taught at the University of Illinois, Chicago starting in 1988 and retired just a few short years ago. Gloria has attended several Olympic and World Championships helping athletes…
Read MoreDial in and Focus with Dr. Duncan Simpson, Mental Conditioning at IMG Academy
Duncan Simpson, Assistant Head of Mental Conditioning at IMG Academy, is passionate about working with people to maximize their potential and help them accomplish what they haven’t. In this interview, he talks about how focus, not confidence, is the most important mental skill. The best focus on the right things at the right time. The…
Read MoreIn Praise of Failure with Dr. Mark Anshel
Dr. Mark Anshel talks about his new book, In Praise of Failure: The Value of Overcoming Mistakes in Sports and Life, in this podcast interview. Dr. Anshel has written 12 other books, and over 145 research articles. He has applied his concepts with college athletes and coaches, law enforcement, exercisers, sports rehabilitation settings, performing artists…
Read MoreThink Like the World’s Best with JF Menard
JF Menard, a performance psychology specialist, joined the internationally acclaimed entertainment company Cirque Du Soleil at the age of 25, fresh out of graduate school. “They didn’t hire me for my experience. They hired me for my passion.” In this interview, he talks about how being around the best athletes in the world helped him…
Read MoreThe Resilience Factor with Dr. Mustafa Sarkar
In this interview, researcher and lecturer, Dr. Mustafa Sarkar, describes his powerful and cutting-edge findings on resilience with high achievers and Olympic champions. He defines resilience as the “the ability to use personal qualities to withstand pressure.” He discusses 6 personal qualities that resilient people have which include: 1) positive and proactive personality, 2) experience…
Read MoreMental Toughness in Collegiate Athletics with Dr. Dave Yukelson
Dr. Dave Yukelson, the Sport Psychologist at Penn State for 28 years, discusses how mental toughness is not something we are born with. Instead, it is an inner drive that we learn. He describes that the best athletes are mentally tough and have an ability to have a growth mindset and stay composed in the…
Read MoreSean McCann, Senior Sport Psychologist for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), has traveled to the last 12 Olympics to work with the nation’s best athletes. In his work for the USOC, he works directly with teams and coaches, from mental skills seminars and workshops about Olympic pressure, to individual sessions with athletes. In this…
Read MoreBuilding Culture, Trust and Leadership with Kevin King
In this interview, Kevin King, Owner of Premier Teambuilding Solutions, Lecturer, and Leadership Development Consultant, discusses culture, trust and leadership. He shares with us three levels of trust and what they could mean for you: competence, interpersonal and character. Kevin also describes what great leaders do and how they are students of their leadership –…
Read MorePlaying Carefree and Present with Erika Carlson, Certified Mental Trainer and CEO
Erika Carlson, CEO and Certified Mental Trainer at Mental Training Inc., discusses the importance of playing carefree and present. She describes that playing “carefree” means to not care about the outcome. The best train their mind to be present moment focused. When we overthink, we are focused on the past or future, not the present.…
Read MoreDeveloping the Mind of a Champion with Dr. Jim Taylor, Sport Psychologist
In this interview, Dr. Jim Taylor talks about what it means to think like a champion. He discusses that we need to strive for excellence instead of perfection, and how the need to be perfect can get in our way of peak performance. Perfection leads to an unwillingness to take risks, fear of failure, and…
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