How to be confident without arrogance
The CEP Mindset Podcast
1:1 Mental Performance Coaching: IG: Join our newsletter:
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What To Do When You're In A Slump
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode Cassidy and Adam share what athletes should do when they're in a slump. 1:1 Mental Performance Coaching: IG: Join our newsletter:
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Stop Replicating and Start Recreating
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam dive into one of the most common traps athletes fall into before a new season — loading up on expectations before a new season begins. The episode covers why the weight of preseason expectations derails more athletes than any slump ever could, the difference between replicating and recreating after a great season, and the future self exercise that flips the entire relationship with the season ahead.
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The Problem With Reaching The Top
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share what happens to your mindset when you actually get everything you worked for. The episode covers why the underdog mentality disappears the moment you reach the top, the inside versus outside the herd framework, and why "I have the lead" is some of the most dangerous language in sport.
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How to Have a Shooter's Mentality as an Athlete
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down why so many athletes misinterpret what it means to be selfish. The episode covers why athletes in slumps need permission to be selfish, the difference between true selflessness and fear, and why every athlete needs a shooter's mentality.
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The Pre-Game Mistakes Every Athlete Makes
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share where athletes go wrong in their pre-game routine - and it's not because you're not doing enough. The episode covers the difference between superstitions and routines, why forcing positivity before a game is one of the most common mental mistakes athletes make, the fan mentality versus the player mentality, and why the perfect routine is actually an imperfect one.
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Hard Work Is Just The Entry Fee
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Nick and Adam cover why hard work is just the entry cost at the elite level, the five anchors every athlete needs to develop, and what hard work looks like as you rise the ranks might. Nick shares a story about an athlete heading into his third NHL dev camp who only got on the ice four times in two weeks — and why that was exactly right. When you get to a certain level, everybody's working hard. Everybody's in the gym and putting in the reps. Hard work stops being the thing that separates you and starts being the thing that just keeps you in the room....
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Accepting Range of Results, Cognitive Diffusion, & The Unconscious Mind
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down how an athlete can tap into their unconscious mind. The episode covers Nick's broken triangle framework, the difference between standards and expectations, and why Rod Brind'Amour disconnecting himself from his own team's win is the perfect example of autonomy-supportive leadership.
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Change is Chaos, Taking Your Shell Off, & Off-Season Phases
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share what it actually takes to grow and why the most uncomfortable moments of an athlete's career are often the most important ones. The episode covers the lobster analogy and what it really means to shed your shell, the difference between being forced to grow and being stuck, why change is chaos before it's progress, and how themes are more powerful than goals when it comes to off-season focus.
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Playing With a Chip on Your Shoulder, Pseudo Ceilings, & Raising Your Standard
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down two of the most misunderstood concepts in sport - the chip on your shoulder and discipline vs motivation. The episode covers why external motivation isn't always the enemy athletes make it out to be, and how there's a difference between principle and supportive motivation. They also chat about what selective disobedience actually means and why doing your best means something completely different when nobody's watching.
info_outlinePerformance anxiety is one the leading reasons athletes struggle to consistently perform at their capabilities.
Learning how to channel your nerves is key to performing at your best when it matters most. Unfortunately most athletes focus on the threats of high-pressure situations.
Pressure can Provoke a State of Fear
As a result the pressure provokes a fear state that leaves the athlete tense, overthinking, and underperforming. Here are 3 other common reasons athletes don’t perform under pressure:
Zoomed In on the Context
Overly focused on the context and making the results seem more important than they are is a sure fire way to feel the burden of the results weigh heavily on your mind.
Survive Over Thrive
Are you focused on not screwing up or are you focused on going out there and having an impact? This is the difference between a fear mindset vs attack mindset.
Need To, Have To, Should Mindset
Creating an unhealthy relationship with your desired results often leads to a decrease in performance. The sport culture perpetuates this language with coaches often saying “this is a must win game” but this narrative often provokes the fear state.
The good news is you can overcome these limiting mindsets by following the 3 steps below - as a result you will be able to perform at your best when it matters most.
Step 1: Plan to Cope
Coping planning is essential to stress management for all areas of life. And it works particularly well for handling high pressure situations. In short - Planning to Cope is simply what it means. You are planning for how you will respond (cope) when a stressor (pressure) is presented. It is like studying for a test - it works way better when you study before the test - not trying to figure it out in the thick of it.
Step 2: Mental Rehearsal
Most athletes think imagery and mental preparation is only for focusing on what you want to do and being positive. But one of the best benefits of imagery is to mentally rehearse how you plan to cope with stressors.
By mentally rehearsing how you are going to respond to a pressure situation makes you way more likely to respond that way.
So not only do you want to study and clarify how you want to respond then you want to hammer that into your brain.
Repetition is the mother of learning!
Step 3: Measure Your Progress
By getting steps 1 and 2 down pat you are well on your way to start performing at your best when it matters most. This step helps lock it in and ensure you really hone your ability to perform under pressure. Here is example of what this looks like:
1. Identify What to Measure: E.g., I want to zoom out, feel relaxed, ready and excited before performances.
2. Track Your Progress: Reflect on that number after each game and see it go up!
3. Adjust & Learn: When the number dips or when it stops rising, reflect on what is holding you back and refer back to Step 1 - find which coping planning strategy will help the most. This also could be a key time to getting a mental performance coach to be a third party and help you improve faster and more effectively.
I hope you found this helpful. Let us know if you have any questions. If you know anyone that could benefit from this podcast - please share it with them.