#464 Cara Stawicki, Mental Performance Coach and 2019 World Champion Rower

10 snips

Jan 14, 2026

Cara Stawicki, a World Champion rower and mental performance coach, shares her journey from a late national team debut at 34 to winning gold in 2019. She discusses overcoming self-doubt, the importance of resilience, and how athletes can leverage mental skills training like strength conditioning. Cara emphasizes focusing on controllables, trusting the process, and reframing limiting beliefs. She also highlights the value of mentorship and the significance of pursuing one's passions despite challenges, encouraging listeners to follow their heart's desires.

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ANECDOTE

Late Breakthrough To National Team

Cara Stawicki made her first national team at age 34 after many years of persistence and setbacks.
She credits long-term consistency, rehab from injuries, and learning the path over time for that breakthrough.

INSIGHT

Seeing The Top Makes It Reachable

Putting top athletes in front of you reveals that they are human and reachable, which changes what 'top' looks like.
That perspective shift helped Cara see a clear, learnable path instead of an impossible standard.

INSIGHT

Discipline Needs Flexible Application

Discipline is a superpower that can also become a limiter when it prevents necessary flexibility.
High performers must learn when to follow the plan and when to adapt for recovery or changing conditions.

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Cara Stawicki (@carastawicki) is a World Champion rower with nearly 20 years of competitive experience, including multiple World Rowing Championships and national team selections. Drawing on her firsthand understanding of high-level athletic performance, she now supports high-striving athletes and professionals in reaching their full potential through executive and mental performance coaching. She is an ICF ACC-certified coach who has completed advanced PCC-level training and holds a Master's degree in Health and Human Performance. Her approach blends evidence-based coaching methods with deep athletic insight. Cara helps clients overcome challenges like self-doubt, improve focus, and sustain motivation by tailoring mindset and mental skills development to individual goals, supporting confident performance in both high-pressure moments and everyday life.

In our discussion today, we discuss here career and her persistence to keep rowing at the highest level, ake her first national team at age 34, and eventually win gold at the 2019 World Championships. We also discuss her mental performance model and how athletes can be more resilient, confident, and follow that little tug in your heart no matter what to achieve your dreams.

Connect with Cara:

Website: https://carastawicki.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/carastawicki/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-stawicki-6059196/

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