High Performance Mindset | Learn From World-class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches About Mindset

“Being challenge in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” Roger Crawford  Dr. Kamphoff talks about how high performers see stressful situations as a challenge they can overcome instead of a threat to their performance or confidence. To see stressful situations as a challenge, remember it’s all about your perception of a situation and how you talk to yourself. It’s best to remind yourself that you can handle anything.    Power Phrase this Week: “I adopt a challenge mindset. I can handle anything that comes my way.”  

Give Yourself Permission to Feel Good    “The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything." Anonymous   In this episode, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff talks about how our brain is hardwire for negativity to keep us safe and help us survive. The problem is something bad doesn’t occur as much as we expect it too! This week choose to feel good. Consider what would help you feel good and experience more gratitude, joy, hopefulness, love and inspiration in your life. Then, remember your focus determines your feelings. You can always choose to see the good.     Power Phrase this Week: “I give myself permission to feel good. I focus on what gives me joy, hopefulness and gratitude.” 

Dr. Rainer Meisterjahn started Courtex Performance in 2013 and is the lead mental performance coach for their NBA and FIBA clients and also oversees many of our daily business operations. As a former collegiate player, skills trainer, and youth coach, Rainer understands the game from different angles. He has worked closely with numerous high level pros and prospects, as well as with some of the top coaches and executives in the game.  He has provided NBA Pre-Draft consulting services to multiple organizations, including the Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and Milwaukee Bucks. Outside of basketball, Rainer has consulted with clients in numerous other sports, up to the Olympic level. A native of Germany, he is fluent in both English and German.  He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, has a PhD in Sport Psychology from the University of Tennessee and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Frostburg State University.   In this episode, Rainer and Cindra

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."  In this episode, Cindra talks about how high performers spend time considering what they want so their mind is open to opportunities. Knowing what you want also helps you say “no” to things that you don’t want. You design your own destiny and only you can develop your grit. Cindra suggests for us to consider what we want today.     Power Phrase this Week: “I get clear on what I want and stay open to opportunities.” 

Dr. Jeni Shannon serves as the Director of the Carolina Athletics Mental Health and Performance Psychology Program. She is a Counseling and Sport Psychologist within the UNC Department of Sports Medicine, providing performance enhancement and psychological services to UNC student-athletes.   Shannon meets with individual student-athletes on a one-on-one basis and also works with teams to offer comprehensive and integrated mental health and performance psychology support. Additionally, she collaborates with other Athletic Department staffers to educate student-athletes on a range of topics related to mental health, well-being and optimal performance.      A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Shannon earned both a master’s and a doctorate in counseling psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology at the University of Missouri. She also completed a pre-doctoral internship and a post-doctoral fellowship, both with a specialty in sport psychology, at the University of California, Davis.   She is a licensed psychologist,

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” Bruce Lee  High performers set goals and when they do, they consider who they can become in the process. They get clear on what they want and spend time reflecting on their wishes and dreams. They write their goals down. They follow through with their goals and keep them in mind during the year.    Power Phrase this Week:“I am gritty. I am committed to my goals and dreams.”     

A Psychoanalyst, Certified Personal and Executive Coach, Sports Coach and Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Dr. Aronoff combines three decades of training and experience to help people rediscover and affirm the warrior within by regaining a sense of purpose, meaning, confidence, and determination to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. He believes that people are inherently driven to be masterful and successful. It is the warrior within that enables people to achieve this mastery and success. Yet, sometimes, life’s challenging moments and unexpected events get in the way and impede one’s drive and capacity to execute.   In his role over three decades as therapist or coach, he helps people recover from temporary setbacks and re-engage their inner warrior so they can regain their confidence, sharpen their skill set, identify a path forward, and get moving again.   In this episode, Jonathan and Cindra talk about: Why it’s difficult for us to be positive in the face of adversity, loss, grief, and COVID What “

“You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.” Janis Joplin  Worrying is part of being human. Our brains are wired to worry but worrying can kill your joy, take you out of the present and drain your energy. In this episode, Cindra shares how the key to overcoming your worry is to notice your thoughts and feelings, labeling them, and carefully observe them. We can also practice accepting uncertainty and work to overcome our perfectionistic tendencies to reduce our worry.    This Week’s Power Phrase:  “I reduce my worry to feel more joy and stay in the present.”     FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CINDRA, VISIT: WWW.DRCINDRA.COM    

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” William James  We all experience automatic negative thoughts because our brain’s role is to keep us safe, not to help us perform well or be happy. To reduce our automatic negative thinking, we must notice our thoughts. Remember you shouldn’t believe everything you hear in your own mind! Start today and reduce my negativity so you can thrive and reach your best more often.     This Week’s Power Phrase: “ I reduce my ANTs so I can reach my fullest potential. I will not believe everything I think!”  

Retired Navy SEAL Thom Shea served with the U.S. Navy for 23 years with distinguished valor before writing his bestselling book, “Unbreakable: A Navy Seal’s Way of Life” and his latest release, “Three Simple Things: Leading During Chaos.” As founder of Unbreakable Leadership, Thom has trained thousands of people around the world to overcome chaos by applying the rule of Three Simple Things to their lives and businesses. Thom developed his leadership process and methods during his military career where he served in three wars, ultimately leading a team of SEALs into Afghanistan in 2009. There he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Army Commendation with Valor and his second Combat Action Medal. He was later hand-selected to serve as Officer In Charge of the famed SEAL Sniper course.  In his downtime, Thom competes in numerous ultra marathons and alongside his wife Stacy has volunteered countless hours to charity, raising funds through his athletic events for organizations like Special Operations Wa

“Greatness is defined by how much you want to put into what you do.” Lebron James  You can never outperform your self-image, or your view of yourself. Be careful what you say to yourself about yourself because we are always listening. To level of your self-image, consider the beliefs you want to hold about yourself to reach all of your goals and dreams. Write out those statements and say them in the morning to be intentional about building your self-image.    This Week’s Power Phrase: “I will be careful what I say to myself because I am always listening and intentionally build my own self-image.”   

Your goals and dreams should be just a little scary – meaning a little outside your comfort zone because when you dream big, you grow into who you can become. Most people dream too small or lose the ability to dream because of limiting beliefs or listening to other people’s disbelief. The reason we need goals and dreams are less about checking off a box, but instead about who you can become. Making dreaming for a living part of your daily mindset practice.    This Week’s Power Phrase:  “I dream big to help me reach my best and my potential. I have everything inside me to make my dreams happen.”    To learn more about the Dream for a Living t-shirts as well as other gear, visit www.mentallystronggear.com for FREE SHIPPING and $10 OFF EACH SHIRT.    This Week's Quote of the Week: “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Christopher Reeve     

Jason Hunt teaches people how to bring out the very best in others.  He is the founder of Eye Squared Leadership and he has had the pleasure of working with companies large and small, including FedEx, The Taylor Corporation, Jack Links, and Pearson.    Jason's first major leadership responsibility was to run a branch of 100 church members in outer Siberia when he was 19.  Since then, he has been in various leadership positions, including principal of a junior high where he turned around the culture of a school in only 2 years.    Jason has a Masters degree in leadership from the University of Minnesota, is certified by the John Maxwell Leadership Institute, and is the author of The Other Side: 5 Rules for Leading with Influence.  and their four children In this episode, Jason and Cindra talk about: How leaders can gain influence with those they serve How to develop caring, connection, courage and collaboration in your leadership The CRAP acronym and why it is essential to leadership 3 Powerful questions to d

“Gratitude is the heathiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” Zig Ziglar  Gratitude is connected to better health, more optimism and increased resilience. This week, you could start using a scientifically proven tool to help you feel more grateful. Three tools we discussed that you could use are starting a gratitude journal, using gratitude language, or taking a gratitude walk. On Thanksgiving, you could share your answers to one or two or two of the gratitude-focused questions such as 1) What can I be thankful for? 2) What am I happy about right now? and 3) What is going right in my life. A grateful perspective is always available.    This Week’s Power Phrase: “I choose to intentionally practice gratitude daily. I focus on what I am grateful for to stay fueled and excited for my life.”   

 Super Bowl champion Matt Birk is a 15-year veteran of the National Football League. Since retiring from football in 2013, Matt has held a number of roles inside the NFL League Office. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Matt was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998 and was a key off-season acquisition of the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. A six-time NFL Pro Bowl Selection and two-time All Pro, Matt proved to be an undisputed leader on the field and was named the sixth smartest athlete by Sporting News.   More importantly, he has established a legacy of community service that will last far beyond his years of football.  A graduate of Harvard University with a degree in economics, Matt is the founder and CEO of Matt Birk and Company, LLC. He was the recipient of the 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award for his excellence on and off the field, including his commitment to emphasizing the importance of education through his H.I.K.E. Foundation.   He speaks to organizations across the country about the value o

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”—Oprah Winfrey  Practicing gratitude has a lasting impact when done regularly. One study suggested just 2 weeks of a gratitude practice can have a lasting impact for 6 months. Gratitude is also connected to better health as well as more optimism and resilience. You can start a daily gratitude practice at the beginning of your day or end of your day by writing down 3 things you are grateful for each day. You can also shift your focus at any time to what is good and what you are gratitude for in any situation. Choose to take the perspective of a resilient, optimistic person and draw the good from a difficulty.    This Week’s Power Phrase: “I choose to intentionally practice gratitude daily. I focus on what I am grateful for to stay fueled and excited for my life.” 

“If you gave your inner genius as much credit as your inner critic, you would be light years ahead of where you are now.” Alan Cohen  Your inner critic is your disempowering inner voice that can sounds scared, angry, or judgmental. Remember your inner critic tends to lie to you. You want to name your inner critic to tame it. We all have an inner critic inside of us, and a key is to notice your inner critic. We want to respond to our inner critic with compassion and grace, and choose a more empowering and truthful statement to tell ourselves instead.    This Week’s Power Phrase: “I name my inner critic to tame it. I talk to myself powerful instead of listening to my inner critic.” 

At an early age, Hillary was curious about the athletic mindset and finding ways to enhance one's "heart" and inner drive to reach personal success. While pushing herself to her physical limits, she began to understand the importance of mental strength.   Her education began with a focus in sport psychology. Through her studies, she realized the magnitude sport had on one's personal growth. Understanding the psychological aspect of sport, she began to blend the fields of clinical and sport psychology.   Dr. Cauthen, now a sport psychologist who has 13 years of experience applying mental skills training, is the Director of Performance Services at Texas Optimal Performance and Psychological Services, LLC. She is an active member in her local community and professional associations. Dr. Cauthen is currently a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Texas and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. She is also the Membership Chair for the Division 47 of the APA - Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psych

Confidence is the trust in yourself and your abilities, and is the core of reaching your potential. To build your confidence, it is important you are on your own side, not on your own case. On your case means you are overly critical, negative and never satisfied. On your side, means you are rationale, realistic, and encourage yourself. To be on your own side more, focus on learning over beating yourself up.    Quote of the Week: “It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” Oprah    This Week’s Power Phrase:  “I am on my own side and keep learning and growing.”   

Dr. Nicole Linen is a Behavior Health Specialist with the Denver Broncos where she works directly with the team's players and coaches and consult regularly with the Broncos' medical, athletic training and player development staffs. Her job is to offer mental health assistance and provide them with sport psychology support. Nicole spent 2017-20 at Auburn University, where she focused on giving clinical and sport psychology support to more than 500 individual student-athletes.    Nicole is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She also was the founding faculty advisor for Black Women in Mental Health, a graduate student organization that increases and promotes mental health awareness in the Black community. Nicole is a former collegiate basketball player who holds three post-graduate degrees from Wright State University: a master's degree in clinical psychology (2012), a Master of Business