The Freedom Project

If only what worked for everyone else worked for you. The amount of times you hear “oh, I just started meditation, and that fixed all my mindset challenges.” “you know when I began journaling, that solved all my issues.” “it was a psychedelic trip that changed my mentality.” Well, great for that person. But what about for you? 99.9% of your DNA is genetically identical to mine. That doesn’t mean we should follow the same programming, even if we have identical goals. It doesn’t mean our coaches should speak to us in the same way, even if we go to the same gym. It doesn’t mean my mindset practise and yours should be identical. Mindset is one-size-fits-one. Are you driven by numbers and quantifiable data? Or is it the feeling that drives performance? Do you want to succeed because deep down you want to be loved, or do you want to succeed to prove yourself to the world? You are you; not only because of your parents' genetic data being passed down to you, but because of their parents’ DNA sequences being passed down to them. And so on and so forth since the first living entity on earth. That’s incredibly unique. Then, you have to consider the fact that every single experience you’ve ever had - every conversation, every reprimand, every pass you made in your school team, every particle of light entering your retina, has shaped you in one way or another. You - are unique; beautifully so. So you’ve got to find out what works for you. That means certain failure many times. That means stepping away from conformity and safety. That means being taken out by the unknown.  But if you really want to express the most brilliant version of you, you need an idiosyncratic approach - that is an approach that is shaped to your needs. In this interview with US Olympic swimmer, artist, and founder of RISE athletes, Caroline Burckle, the main theme is this one of finding what works for you, specifically are you a thinker or a feeler? Expect to also learn, how to find your one-size-fits-one approach how you can regulate your nervous system better, the warning signs you’re not regulated, when split times hurt performance and much more. If you enjoy the show, remember to subscribe to get more interviews with athletes and coaches to take you to your next level.

That moment you realise you’re actually good at CrossFit is a double edged sword. There was probably a moment where you looked round the gym and you realised that you were no longer the athlete you were when you started. Or maybe you won a comp and that changed your own perception. These watershed moments are a brilliant opportunity to rewrite your story. No longer are you an amateur, you are good at this. Be careful though, because if you’re not aware you’ll create expectations which will limit your performance. Let’s define expectations quickly. Expectations are visions of the future, not that you hope to happen, but you bank on happening. What’s the problem with that, you may ask? Well, firstly, where did these expectations come from? Was it what you consciously crafted for yourself? Or are you assuming that the people you surround yourself with - your coaches, fellow athletes, and family, now expect a level of performance from you? Implicit in this is the challenging idea “what if I let them down?” Or does this come from fear? Fear of going back to the struggle? As we’ve previously discussed on this show, fear generated beliefs are often limiting beliefs. Expectations are too unyielding to be helpful. When you expect something to go a certain way, your sense of security is attacked when the anticipated result fails to materialise. Expectations create unhelpful pressure too. Our best performances happen when we’re not overwhelmed by the amount of pressure we feel. So what’s the alternative? Aspirations. Firstly, there’s aspirations of outcome based goals. There’s nothing wrong with saying: “I aspire to get to the Semifinals. Then, we have aspirations of input based goals. “I will do everything within my control to go unbroken on the double unders.” “I will put full effort into planning my macros and recovery.” Have high standards by all means. Have hope for your future. Don’t, however, hold onto expectations which will limit your performance. Today’s guest, 7x CrossFit Games athlete Margaux Alvarez, speaks so eloquently about many things in the following show, but the theme running through this, and something she is clearly highly adept at, is observing and refocusing expectations. Alongside expectations, we also discuss: How the tragic passing of her sister changed the way she lived her life What Margaux would teach an athlete on the cusp of reaching their next level The biggest hurdle Margaux had to overcome in competition The balance of discipline and self-compassion

Do you catch yourself Instagram stalking to check up on how other athletes are doing? Scrolling through the leaderboard to check your placings when really you should be in bed? Watching other athletes in workouts when you could be in your own lane? Comparison has never been easier. Instead of strawmanning this argument let’s take the side of comparison. Let’s listen to the voice in your head that says “just check the leaderboard one more time… let’s see what so and so did in that qualifier or how their training is going.” I mean, surely it provides some benefit, right? When watching others you can identify things you can do better and even character skills to aim at. You may see the exact key that you need to unlock your next level. But listen carefully. Is that voice saying things like “ah man, I admire so and so’s grit and determination, and here’s how I can work toward that.” or, is it saying things like “shit, I’m not good enough, I’m not strong enough, I’m too slow.” What’s more, what does this do to your self belief? Improve it or lessen it? It probably will give you a boost of motivation, but fear driven motivation is quick to disappear and can cause long term mindset challenges. When you are deciding whether your comparison is useful or not, consider these three questions? Does it make me feel more like or less like the person I want to be? Does this help me create a relationship with myself which helps me? And most importantly, what’s the story I’m telling myself? In this episode with Brent Fikowski, we go into great length to discuss comparison and how to stop it. One thing we can all take from this interview is Brent’s ability not to double down on his emotionally disruptive states by getting upset at himself. He’s aware enough not to let his anxiety make him anxious or stress make him more stressed. This is one thing we can all be careful about: not becoming frustrated by our frustration or sad about our sadness. Experiencing the emotion once is enough. Alongside comparison, we also discuss: Dealing with doubt Self-generated confidence Overcoming self-criticism How to handle online qualifiers And incorporating fun into training If you enjoy this episode with Brent Fikowski AKA The Professor, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.

Maybe the pressure is what drives you forward. Unerringly. Ceaselessly, toward your best. Could you have done what you have done without that pressure; forcing you, pushing you? But you recognise the times that the pressure has got too much. When will I snatch Xkg? When will I reach the semis? When will I be good enough? Pressure creates diamonds, they say. But pressure has also been your downfall. The pressure certainly wasn’t creating diamonds when I didn’t sleep for three days straight, not because I was busy, but because I couldn’t. It wasn’t good for me when, at 3am, I was a nervous ball of energy, unable to get a break from the constant criticism & judgment in my head, and unable to get more than 5 minutes of sleep. The pressure was making life miserable. And I know it makes the life of so many athletes miserable too. Maybe that’s you. Maybe the pressure and the force and the stress you’re putting yourself under is not needed in order to be successful. Maybe you could do all of this without the pressure. Maybe the pressure has become something you’ve grown attached to, because who would you be without it? What if you weren’t good enough without the pressure? I’m asking you honestly now, are you attached to the pressure? The very same pressure that is a stone in your shoe every time you workout or compete. What would happen if you dropped this pressure? Sure, you’ve proven to yourself that you can run a mile with a stone in your shoe. You could probably run a mile without that stone too. Think back to your best performances - in training or elsewhere. What did they feel like? Did they feel forced and stressed and full of pressure? Or did they feel open, free and effortless despite their difficulty? No one is asking you to shy away from difficult things, or to quit holding yourself to a high standard. Quite the opposite. I’m saying free up the space to perform your best by dropping the energy you’re currently devoting to fighting this self-imposed pressure. The podcast you’re about to listen to with CrossFit athlete Lucy Campbell goes into this subject of pressure. She speaks candidly about pressure to perform and to conform & how that affects our identity. Her background in sports psychology which makes for a really informative opinion. We also discuss body image, the role of identity, overthinking, comparison and dealing with injury. If you enjoy the show, please head to Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube and subscribe.

You are not your emotions. But you can’t discount them either. In those moments of fear, rage, love, or side-splitting hilarity, you can’t deny those emotions are as real as the headphones you’re listening to this podcast through, or whatever is in your visual field. You feel emotions whether you like it or not, and emotions sway you whether you like it or not. We often get into mindset training because our emotions have too much of a say in your life. Your fear of standing out prevents you from truly committing to training, or leaving it all on the floor in a workout. Your anxiety prevents social connection. Your nerves ruin your competition or qualifier performance. Due to its popularity and its effectiveness, the Stoic framework provides a great starting point to getting a handle on these emotions. Quotes like “if you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment” are often misinterpreted in a way that suggest we should be removing our emotions. Your emotions serve a purpose though. Disgust means you probably shouldn’t eat that food. Doubt is a good sign not to trust someone. Awe creates gratitude. If we dismiss our emotions entirely, we lose sight of a highly evolved skill set which gives us a unique advantage. Subtle emotions give subtle clues to what we need. Left to run amok though, emotions destroy us. There’s a middle ground to seek then. This middle ground is one from which we can observe emotions without becoming immersed in emotion. The goal is to get to a point where frustration doesn’t ruin any more of your workout than it needs to, and where confidence doesn’t lead you to blindness of your weaknesses. You want to be able to use your emotions as indicators of truth. Your emotions are telling you something the reptilian part of your mind knows to be true, but your more recently evolved brain structure hasn’t caught up with yet. Viewed through a purely evolutionary lens, your emotions exist because they serve a purpose. Otherwise they would have been wiped out of existence long ago. Your job is to see them for what they are - indicators which may or may not be trustworthy. In this conversation with Logan Gelbrich, we discuss the limitation and nuance of emotions, as well as: How to hold the standard of success Logan’s journey of mindset and what he’s learned along the way Psychological safety and self-expression Developing awareness The 5 different perspectives you can view any scenario through What great culture looks like & how to develop it And why the Sphinx may be thousands of years older than the experts think. Logan is one of those people who connects me to a deeper level of awareness, and I thoroughly hope you’ll enjoy this conversation.

2500 years ago, Socrates bought the Greek aphorism, Know Thyself into the forefront of philosophy. His point was that before you can claim to know anything, you must know yourself. Human wisdom, he said, begins with the recognition of one’s own ignorance. You and I, as athletes and as humans, are ignorant. We see the world through our narrow perceptive bubble. Our beliefs filter out information which could help us in pursuit of our goals. Our confirmation bias dismisses anything too uncomfortable to digest. Our own personal experience fashions a lens which distorts the colour of the world. What does this mean for us as athletes? We turn away from the information which is the exact data which would highlight a path of growth - the thing we say we want. We hide from the uncomfortable truth of weakness. We avoid situations, conversations and tests which may bring our limitations to light. All of this results in what Justin Cotler calls the worst thing an athlete can have: doubt. Am I fast enough? Am I strong enough? Will I miss this rep? What if I get sick again? Or, more to the point: Am I good enough? Do I deserve to be here? Will people still like me? Will I be happy? Doubt is the antithesis to what athletes truly require: confidence. In this conversation, Justin Cotler and I discuss the path athletes, coaches, and humans alike can take to becoming more confident. We also discuss: The role of ego in sports The testing of your mindset Why not being talented may be your greatest advantage Generating self-knowledge And creating turning points in your life

The wonderful Kari Pearce joins Coach Tom today to discuss what it truly means to fully commit to being the best version of you you possibly can be. Kari not only exemplifies this as an athlete, but a businesswoman too. Kari is all in on her potential as a human. Expect to learn how you can go all in on your potential too. Alongside this, we'll also discuss how to deal with bad luck (withdrawing from the CrossFit Games in 21 and being medically withdrawn prior), how Kari changes her mindset for different events, how she keeps training fun, and the book she recommends to everyone. Make sure you subscribe to Limitless Athlete wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, Coach Tom is joined by Nessa Carey, author of Epigenetics Revolution to discuss how epigenetics plays a role in your mindset, both from a performance perspective and a mental health perspective.

In the final part of the series, Coaches Rachel and Tom show you how to train your mindset so that you can get your mindset out of your way.

Today, Coaches Rachel and Tom explore the biggest mindset issues coaches face. This is why burnout, losing the love of training, and financial challenges happen, from a mindset perspective. You'll discover how your mindset has been created and what challenges it may present.