Mindset Made Simple Tip #284 It’s that time of year again. The stretch between reflection and resolution. The moment when we start thinking about who we want to be in the New Year and what will finally make us happier, more productive, more competitive…better. As I looked back on 2025… and whew, it’s been a year… a quote kept finding its way back to me. Then, almost on cue, on Christmas Day, I found myself standing in my kitchen talking with my Aunt Sue about influence . Not

Mindset Made Simple Tip #283 - Watch or listen HERE. The holiday season has a way of holding two truths simultaneously. It can feel meaningful and warm, yet fast, loud, and emotionally full. It’s the season of wonder…and AWE…if we’re smart! In psychology, awe isn’t just a pleasant emotion. It’s a measurable state that changes how our brain and body function. Research by Dacher Keltner and colleagues shows that awe arises when we experience something larger than ourselves and

Mindset Made Simple Tip #282 - Watch or listen HERE and check out Jensen's Mindset Minutes  HERE! It’s somewhat ironic that I am publishing this Tip today. Because last night…I was not my skill of choice. Every now and then, lately, I’ve been going from sad or uncertain to pissed in 0.02 seconds. I know I’m not my best in that state, so I need this Tip today as much as you might! Here’s the deal. I’m a mover and a doer. My mind runs a million miles a minute. And m

Jennie Finch USA Softball Mindset Made Simple Tip #281 - Watch or listen HERE. This past weekend, at the USA Softball Junior National Team Identifier, a few hundred young athletes stood before two giants in our sport, and almost every question they asked was about the mental game. Not mechanics. Not drills. Not recruiting. Pressure. Confidence. Fear. Handling expectations. Why? Because deep down, athletes know the truth we sometimes pretend isn’t there: our minds swing the b

Mindset Made Simple Tip #280 - Watch or listen HERE This time of year reminds us that belief is powerful. Think about the stories of Christmas and Hanukkah. We weren’t there. We didn’t witness a manger or a long-lasting flame. Yet we believe these stories because they’ve been passed down with conviction, repetition and meaning. They shape how we think, feel and act. They guide traditions. They influence identity. They offer hope. For decades, I had Hebrews 11:1 handwritten on

On a day built around gratitude, I want to pause and say this clearly: I’m thankful for you. Every athlete, coach, student, parent and leader who follows these tips - THANK YOU! You challenge me in the best ways. Your commitment to growing your mental game continually pushes me to grow mine. Every week I’m challenged to get better… because to help you get better, I have to grow, stretch and get uncomfortable, too. It’s not a challenge anyone says out loud. It’s that unseen,

Mindset Made Simple Tip #279 - Watch or listen HERE. You’ve probably heard me say this before…or something like it: We don’t magically develop emotional control under pressure, just like our military does not learn new maneuvers in battle. They learn new things on our soil (mostly)…and we practice – or should practice - our mental performance tools, not when we are facing our biggest foe, but in the messy, boring everyday moments. We don’t wait until the seventh inning, down

Mindset Made Simple Tip #278 - Watch or listen HERE If you're anything like me, you've stared at your to-do list, noticed the clock, felt your heart speed up a little… and wondered how in the world you’re going to get everything done. You promise yourself you’ll “focus,” but two minutes later you’re thinking about a snack, an email you forgot to send and the fact that your shoes still aren’t tied. We all feel this. I’m living this BIG TIME right now. A LOT is going on in my

Mindset Made Simple Tip #277 - Watch or listen HERE. Last Friday was a thrill! We had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Sue Ziegler , my mentor and one of the most influential people in my life. Kortney and I interviewed her for an upcoming episode of Game Changers: Athlete Edition. It WAS AWESOME, inspiring and packed with simple, solid truths about performance. If you’ve ever heard me talk about mental training, you’ve heard me talk about Sue. She was the sports psychol

Mindset Made Simple Tip #276 - Watch or listen HERE. Yesterday morning didn’t go as planned. I took my dad to an appointment that was supposed to last two hours. Perfect. I had two hours of work to do while I waited, including a meeting and prep for a call with a team for early afternoon, then I’d head to a meeting with the Director of Oberlin’s Musical Theatre Department to set up work for next semester. Both things I was pumped about!! It was one of those rare mornings w

Mindset Made Simple Tip #275 - Watch or listen HERE Check out my son's new "Mindset Minute" series and share with young athletes you know who want to up their game! Last week, we talked about driving through the rain — leaning forward, squinting through the glare, and realizing that while we couldn’t see the whole road, we could still see enough to move forward safely. This week, I want to take that idea one step further. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month , and more t

Mindset Made Simple Tip #274 - Watch or listen HERE. Last night, I was driving home in the rain — the kind that makes you lean forward, squint and search for the defrost button. And every time headlights passed, oh boy! The lines on the road seemed faded. I wondered if my eyesight was fading too. Was it the glare off my progressive lenses or the windshield wipers not doing their job? Add a little fog, and everything looked uncertain. It was uncomfortable. I didn’t love it. An

Mindset Made Simple Tip #273 Watch or listen HERE. Last week, during a session with one of my college athletes, we talked about the power of emotional control, not just for performance, but for perception . Her coach had made a tough call: she was kept out of the lineup. When she asked why, the coach said something telling: “I didn’t think you were ready,” he said. “And I needed the other players to see that we don’t act that way when things don’t go our way.” In other wor

GameChanger Bat Lab - Team USA Mindset Made Simple Tip #272: Simple Wins Read it at ssbperformance.com Watch or listen  HERE! It’s a...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #271b. Watch or listen HERE. Check out this week's Game Changers: Athlete Edition episode, where Kortney and...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #271 - Watch or listen HERE. Check out last week's conversation with nutritionist Brian Parana. He got me to...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #269 - Watch or listen HERE. Check out this week's Game Changers: Athlete Edition Podcast with sports...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #268 - Watch or listen HERE Another week. Another trip to another beautiful campus in Pennsylvania to work with...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #267: Watch or listen HERE. I’ll admit it. For years, I’ve resisted committing to a consistent breathwork...

Mindset Made Simple Tip #265 - Watch it HERE! Check out my podcast- Game Changers: Athlete Edition iHeartRadio ApplePodcasts Youtube ...