The Psychology of Being an Athlete, Transferring It to Be a Creative

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“I truly am the athlete I am because I’m an artist and the artist I am because I’m an athlete.”

– Lesley Paterson

Lesley Paterson is professional triathlete, triathlon coach, as well as a screenwriter and film producer. What’s even more impressive than her unique set of skills, is the fact that she does them all on a highly successful level. While the combination might sound odd to everyone else, Lesley states that the skills necessary to excel as both an athlete and creative are far more similar than people might expect.

In our conversation together, Lesley shares both how and why she competed in triathlons as a professional athlete to raise funds for optioning the rights to All Quiet on the Western Front, adapting the material then getting it off the ground. She dives deep into the mindsets she used to not only win races, but do so despite sometimes extreme setbacks (like the time she won a race with a broken shoulder). She shares the deeper lessons these situations taught her about how to always find a way to move forward instead of giving up, and how you can apply that mindset to any situation in life.

No matter what career field you are in (and no matter where you are on that ladder), if you ever find yourself struggling to reach your next goal, my conversation with Lesley is a must. The advice she has to share with you about how to push through any obstacle between you and your own finish line is as inspiring as her own incredible story, and I can’t wait for you to listen.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• How Lesley succeeded as both an athlete and a creative despite the fact everyone told her she had to choose one
• How Lesley’s athletic mindset fueled her creativity (and visa versa)
• How a broken shoulder didn't stop Lesley from winning a triathlon
• Why you should stop focusing on excellence (and what you should be focused on instead)
• The science behind breaking down big goals into small chunks - and how to use that technique in both sports and beyond
• The importance of having confidence in who you really are and creating a process that works for you
• The importance of setting up rewards for yourself on your path to reach your goals
• Why working through your weaknesses by focusing on your strengths is a combination for success
• How to navigate through failure and find your reason to keep going - no matter how many setbacks you’ve encountered
• The right way to “fake it til you make it” - and the science that backs it up

Useful Resources Mentioned:

All Quiet on the Western Front

How a world champion triathlete earned an Oscar nomination

The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph. D.

Braveheart Coaching

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How to Accomplish Your ‘One Thing’ Every Day | with Jay Papasan

Mastering The Mental Game of Focus | with Kevin Bull, ANW

How Tiny Changes Can Create Remarkable Results | with James Clear

The Difference Between ‘Amateurs’ and ‘Professionals’ | with Allon Khakshouri

[CASE STUDY] How to Identify Your “One Thing” and Accomplish It Every Day | Mastermind Q&A

Breaking Down Impossible Obstacles to Make (Almost) Anything Achievable | with Jessie Graff, ANW

Using the Athlete’s Mindset to Hone Your Creativity & Productivity | with Vashi Nedomansky, ACE

Guest Bio:

 Lesley Paterson

Lesley Paterson is a world champion professional triathlete and endurance coach. Growing up in Scotland, Lesley was the only girl who played rugby on an all-boys, national champion team. At age 14, Lesley started competing in running and triathlon events and went on to become a national champion in cross country, and an international triathlete. Lesley is now a 5-time world champion in off-road triathlon (XTERRA and ITU), an Ironman triathlon champion, and professional mountain biker. She is co-founder of Braveheart Coaching, a triathlon coaching company based in San Diego, CA.

At the same time as being a sports billy, Lesley also studied her undergraduate in Drama at Loughborough University and then her Masters degree in Theater and Film at SDSU in California. After acting in 15 independent film and realizing that this was not her forte, she then went on to produce her first feature film - a low $10,000 mockumentary shot in 27 locations across 7 days with over 100 extras. Having always loved storytelling, she turned to writing when meeting her then creative partner Ian Stokell. Together they embarked on the journey of optioning the rights to All Quiet on the Western Front, adapting the material and getting it off the ground. 16 years and $200,000 of her own money later, the film premiered at TIFF in 2022. Lesley now writes and produces exclusively with her husband Simon Marshall who she realized was her partner in crime when he helped with the script on All Quiet. Now they have 8 different projects in various forms of development and are excited to take the biz by storm.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).