How to be confident without arrogance
The CEP Mindset Podcast
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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_outlineWhat if worry, frustration, or feeling down are not the problem? Instead, they are symptoms based on your approach to sport and even life.
In our society, the way we talk about emotions is backward. We label ourselves and others as anxious, sad, or frustrated.
That is not who we are—it is what we are feeling, and the distinction matters. When you identify with an emotion, you've got a self-perpetuating problem.
More importantly, it's not true. Emotions are a feedback tool, specifically about your approach to sport and life.
If this resonates with you check out my breakdown of the 2 approaches to sport and life. Please note that this is not a catch all framework as there are surely exceptions and other factors to consider. But I encourage you to try it out and see if it works for you.
The Outside-In Approach
Most people easily get caught up in the “outside-in” approach.
This approach means we're allowing the outside world to affect how we feel on the inside, often identified by highs and lows in emotional states.
Specifically, they'll have charged emotions, such as worry or anxiety, and then go straight to careless and reckless.
Or they may go from deflated and frustrated to elated and thinking they’re untouchable.
In the “outside-in” approach, we oscillate back and forth because we're focused on the outside world first. The thought process around this approach looks like:
What's going on around us?
What are the results?
What do people think?
What's the situation like?
And how does that make me feel on the inside?
The answers to those questions then dictate how you feel on the side. In other words, your mental state becomes dependent on the external world.
This approach is fueled by needing to achieve external results.
Of course, the external goal or intent is to achieve the desired results, but it is a fantasy to think sport or life can be all sunshine and rainbows where everything's positive all the time.
This approach does not create reliable results and it generally makes sports and life way more stressful.
The good news is we can flip our approach.
The Inside-Out Approach
I want you to strive towards an “inside-out” approach.
This approach is about prioritizing who we want to be on the inside first - then we go and tackle the outside world.
Someone with this approach focuses on getting grounded, being intentional, and taking control of the things they have control over.
The thought process for this approach looks like:
Who do I want to be?
How do I want to show up?
What traits or mindset do I want to step into?
Reflecting on these questions helps us slow down so that we can take control of our mindset, attitude, and approach.
This approach isn’t without emotions and feelings.
But the emotions are more grounded and centered - like being in the flow state or having love, gratitude, and enjoyment.
There is some oscillation in these emotions, but they aren’t as emotionally charged and you will generally stay way more even-keeled.
Here are some ways to develop and stick to an “inside-out” approach.
Set Your Intentions
The first step is to set your intention.
This can be something you do every day for the rest of your life.
Take as little as one minute to reflect on how you want to show up at the start of each day. It is in that moment that you look within — taking the “inside-out” approach — and get clarity on who you choose to be.
This sets you to get grounded and centered before you tackle the day.
Reset Routine
Right in line with setting your intentions is building a reset routine.
This routine is about identifying and rehearsing what areas in life you are susceptible to an “outside-in” approach and resetting to an “inside-out” approach.
You can go check out our full video on how to build a reset routine.
Stay Adaptable
Once you develop your intentions and reset routine, the work isn’t over.
It's really important that you adopt a growth mindset that focuses on continued learning, adaptations, and constant evolution. As your landscape changes, you need to constantly refine your approach and set your intentions accordingly.
Final thoughts are to make sure to apply this to both your sport and your life. Make the “inside-out” approach the default way you operate in life and it will not only optimize how you show up and tackle the external world but, more importantly, you will find a lot more meaning along the way.