In this inspiring conversation, Darin sits down with Maya Raichoora, one of the UK’s leading experts in mental fitness, visualization, and high performance. From battling ulcerative colitis as a teenager to becoming Nike’s first-ever mental fitness trainer, Maya’s journey is proof that visualization isn’t just a concept, it’s a trainable skill that can transform health, resilience, and performance. Together, they dive into Maya’s five visualization techniques, the neuroscience behind them, and how anyone can reprogram their brain to unlock their highest potential.
What You’ll Learn
00:00 – Welcome to SuperLife and sponsor intro: Fatty15 and the science of C15 04:13 – Introducing Maya Raichoora: Nike’s first mental fitness trainer and founder of Remap Mental Fitness 04:56 – Maya’s story: battling ulcerative colitis at 15 and discovering visualization as a lifeline 06:38 – Why mental fitness is more than mindset — it’s a skill you can train daily 09:04 – Learning to create space between stimulus and response in everyday life 11:27 – Maya on insecurity, high achievement, and the pain of chronic illness
15:17 – The hospital moment that sparked Maya’s first visualization practice 16:49 – Why visualization works: rewiring the brain through imagery and repetition 18:15 – Life happens twice: how imagination shapes reality 22:19 – Building new “roads” in the brain: the neuroscience of visualization 25:55 – Common limiting beliefs and why responsibility matters 27:20 – Darin shares his own trauma, back pain, and rediscovering imprints 30:44 – Using visualization to transform trauma into growth
35:16 – Maya’s five visualization techniques explained: outcome, process, creative, negative, explorative 38:17 – Lemon exercise: why the brain can’t distinguish between real and imagined 41:23 – Negative visualization: Michael Phelps and the power of rehearsing worst-case scenarios
43:01 – Explorative visualization: how Einstein, Tesla, and Disney used imagination to innovate 46:42 – The role of mirror neurons: why what you watch and who you’re around rewires your brain 50:01 – Visualization vs manifestation: key differences and overlaps 55:17 – Why outcome visualization alone isn’t enough — and how to balance techniques 59:34 – Case study: helping a client quit smoking through negative visualization 01:01:03 – Maya’s personal favorite visualizations and creating her “avatar” self-image
01:04:04 – Why you’ll never outperform your self-image — and how to reshape it
01:07:29 – Healing through basics: whole foods, environment, boundaries, and mindset
01:12:00 – Final reflections: mental fitness as a daily practice of awareness and intention
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Key Takeaway
“Visualization isn’t magic — it’s mental fitness. You’re already an expert at visualizing, but if you learn to direct it, you can literally rewire your brain, reshape your self-image, and become the person you’ve always wanted to be.”
SuperLife with Darin Olien 