The Mindset Experience®

Mira Shane is much more than a Professional athlete and the all-time winningest goalie for Michigan Women’s Lacrosse. She is a proud biracial queer woman who studied African American Studies, law, Justice, Social Change and Music. She also a TEDx speaker and an advocate for diversity and inclusion. Mira shares her personal journey navigating her own identity, prioritizing her mental health and learning the value of self-love. If that’s not impressive enough, wait until you hear her beatbox. This episode has it all: Education, Inspiration and Entertainment. @4amiracle

At age 17, Mary Cain was the fastest girl in America, leaving high school to sign with the most recognized track team in the world. The more attention she received as an athlete, the less attention she received as a young woman with her own thoughts, emotions, hopes and dreams. Mary describes the intense challenges that came with professional running which created a toxic environment for both her physical and mental health. Eventually she chose to leave the world of competition which was running away from the responsibility of keeping athletes healthy and happy. Instead, she decided to sprint towards advocacy and empowerment of young female athletes and victims of sexual violence.   @runmarycain, @atalantany, @thearmyofsurvivors

Scotty Rodgers looks big, plays big and acts big. His personality will, “make the room” or “nuke the room.” This NCAA Final Four MVP, 2X  All-American and 12-year lacrosse legend shares the importance of creating your own style and defining your own identity to find success. He also shares the eternal struggle of good vs evil and using his tattoos as reminders of his power to navigate that constant struggle in his daily life. Whether on the field, in his personal life or visiting patients in a children’s hospital, he believes it’s important to, “Use your smile to change the world but don’t let the world change your smile.”   @scottyrodg42, @riseup_pod

What do Simone Biles, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Ray Lewis all have in common? While they have all been considered the greatest of all time in their respective sports, what really draws them together is their mindset on failure. Join Dr. T as he dives into failure and fear, sharing personal examples to help us better understand these underappreciated experiences and reframe these concepts to develop a sustainable template for winning.

Laura Wilkinson has achieved every honor in the sport of Diving. She is 3x Olympian, Gold Medalist, World Champion, 2X NCAA Champion, 8X All-American, and holds 19 USA Diving National Titles. At the age of 43,she even qualified for finals in the 2021 Olympic trials with her 4 kids watching. Her path was filled with obstacles as she started late, was called a “waste of space” by a coach and gave up her college scholarship to train for the Olympics only to shatter her foot leaving her unable to train  just months before the 2000 Sydney Games. Her mindset to “rather fail than not try” and her choice to find humor and joy and in the scariest of moments enabled her to overcome the impossible coming from 8th place in the final round to achieve her childhood dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal. She teaches current athletes that we will all have challenges that will define us.  @lala_the_diver, laurawilkinson.com

Raised in Boston, Devin Ibañez was drawn to Ruby given its encouraging, inclusive and counterculture vibe compared to American football.  His accomplishments include a gold medal for Team USA at the 2017 World Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a 2018 D1 National Championship and moving abroad to play at the highest level.  However, the more he success he found, the greater the struggle to be open about who he really was. A life-threatening injury changed his mindset on his relationship with rugby, the loss of a beloved pet opened his heart to the reality of isolation and the love of his partner all inspired him to become the first openly gay Major League Rugby player. As a Global Ambassador for International Gay Rugby (IGR), Devin hopes to inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ athletes and make sport an inclusive space for them. @thatgayrugger, @usmlr

Max Browne’s dream to play in the NFL began in kindergarten, his trajectory began in 6th grade and by 12th grade, he was the National Player of the Year. His parents laid out a process with unconditional support, humility and ingrained the effort required to build confidence and achieve success. However, his college experience revealed that sometimes hard work and talent are not enough. Declared a “bust” by many, he became frustrated with being frustrated and made the choice to invest in his mental wellbeing and community without football. The skill set he developed on the field gave him the confidence to become risk tolerant, bet on himself and learn to, “treat success the same way he treats failure.” He shares his life post football to motivate and inspire others that, “life can be amazing even when Plan A doesn’t work out.” @maxbrowne

Reagan Rust’s story includes an abusive father, a family history of mental illness, transitioning through five different high schools and leaving home at age 15 to pursue dreams of playing D1 Ice Hockey. Her story also includes recurrent thoughts and plans to end her own life only to ask herself, “What if I keep going?” Her ability to look for opportunities in front of her, advocate for mental health support and appreciate her mother’s sacrifices helped create the resilience to grow the confidence to achieve her goals. She is the first player from Mississippi to play D1 Ice Hockey, 2019 Beanpot Tournament Champion, 2020 Beanpot Hall of Fame Inductee and member of the Metropolitan Riveters Professional Ice Hockey Team. As founder of the Female Athlete Society, she uses her experience to empower female athletes to take control and create tribes of support. WARNING: This episode contains emotionally sensitive material including discussion surrounding suicide that may be triggering or disturbing to some listeners. If any of the content in this podcast has brought anything up for you, please reach out or speak to someone you trust. @rea.rust, @femaleathletesociety

Caeli McKay feel in love with the sport of diving at the age of 6 and decided to leave home at 16 to pursue her Olympic dream by training with a 3x Olympic Medalist who eventually became her mentor, synchro partner and friend. Suffering a career threatening injury just before the Tokyo games, she relied heavily on visualization to stay motivated placing 4th in the Olympics. In addition to sharing her process for success, Caeli dives into her personal struggles with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder exacerbated by “positive feedback” from others regarding how “fit” she appeared in a televised competition.  Her experiences and knowledge have created a passion for mental health advocacy and the importance of creating an identity outside of one’s sport.   @caemckay, @thehiddenopponent

With the spring athletic season approaching, Dr. T identifies the typical thoughts and emotions that so many athletes encounter this time of year. He also takes us through an exercise to identify our own strengths and increase their value in our mind to improve confidence, manage doubts and ensure we are fully prepared to conquer our athletic season. You will want to add this motivational mindset episode to your preseason playlist.   @dr.t_sportspsych, @thehiddenopponent