In this episode of the High Performance Mindset, we dive into the power of emotional agility—the skill of being present with your emotions without letting them take the wheel. Backed by cutting-edge research, we explore how processing and labeling emotions can reduce distress, enhance performance, and improve your ability to lead and live with purpose. You’ll learn: Why emotional agility is a key to resilience, leadership, and well-being. The three essential steps to becoming emotionally agile: ...
Jul 02, 2025•6 min
In this episode, we explore one of the most powerful mindset tools high performers use: reframing . You’ll hear the inspiring story of Spanx founder Sara Blakely and how her father helped her see failure as a sign of courage and growth. We break down how reframing allows you to reinterpret challenges with strength and optimism—turning setbacks into comebacks and adversity into fuel. You’ll learn: What reframing really is and why it’s essential to high performance. Practical questions and tools t...
Jun 23, 2025•5 min
In this powerful episode, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff sits down with internationally respected sport psychologist Dr. Richard Thelwell to explore the psychology behind high-performance coaching. Drawing on decades of research and applied practice, Dr. Thelwell shares why coaches must see themselves as performers and how their emotional intelligence, communication, and self-awareness directly shape athlete performance and team culture. Richard is a Professor of Applied Sport Psychology and currently serv...
Jun 19, 2025•51 min
In this episode of the High Performance Mindset Podcast, Dr. Cindra explore the impact of setting stretch goals - ambitious, meaningful targets that push us out of our comfort zones and closer to our potential. Backed by research from Harvard Business School, they explain how high-effort goals can fuel innovation, focus, and sustained performance when they're supported by belief and purpose. You’ll also learn why writing down your goals matters, how to break the habit of playing small, and how t...
Jun 09, 2025•6 min
Today’s episode features a powerful conversation with two standout leaders in sport and performance—Melissa Hager and Brock Thompson. Melissa is one of the only women in Minnesota coaching boys high school basketball and brings a wealth of insight on leadership, resilience, and building trust with athletes. Brock is the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at South Dakota State University and a seasoned leader with over 25 years in college athletics. Both are certified Mentally Strong Coaches and bring rea...
Jun 04, 2025•41 min
In this episode of the High Performance Mindset podcast, Dr. Cindra shares how the way we talk to ourselves can shape our confidence, performance, and leadership. Drawing from Serena Williams’ affirmation practice before winning Wimbledon in 2015, we explore how powerful self-talk can override doubt and pressure—especially when things aren’t going perfectly. You’ll learn how thought patterns are formed early in life to protect us, and how those same patterns can now limit us unless we choose to ...
May 31, 2025•6 min
I’m incredibly excited about today’s guest—Sylvie di Giusto—who is a globally recognized expert in personal branding, leadership presence, and first impressions. Sylvie helps professionals and organizations explore how people make decisions about them—and what they can do to influence those decisions effectively. With a background in corporate training and a multicultural career across Europe and the United States, she brings a unique and powerful perspective to leadership development. She is th...
May 29, 2025•43 min
In this episode of High Performance Mindset , Dr. Cindra dives into the science of worry—and how to take back control of your mind and energy. Drawing on research from Dr. Robert Leahy, she shares that 85% of what we worry about never actually happens. Even more powerful: when our fears do come true, we tend to handle them better than expected. Cindra unpacks why our brains are wired to worry—usually about the people and priorities we care most about—and how unchecked worry can steal our joy, dr...
May 23, 2025•6 min
I’m thrilled to bring you a high-energy, insight-packed conversation with the dynamic and fearless Anne Bonney. After moving 27 times, attending 13 different schools, living on four continents, and navigating six distinct careers, Anne has turned change into her comfort zone. She’s a keynote speaker, leadership trainer, and emotional intelligence expert who helps individuals and organizations embrace discomfort, lead courageously, and ignite positive momentum in their teams. In this episode, Ann...
May 20, 2025•44 min
This week when you notice yourself overthinking or believing a thought that doesn’t serve you, use The Truth Meter. Your mind tends to lie to you to keep you safe and small. Instead, take control of your mind and choose a different thought that would serve you right now. Your mind does not control you, you can control your mind! Quote of the Week: "You don’t have to believe every thought you think." — Byron Katie Power Phrase of the Week: “I choose my thoughts. I create my reality."...
May 06, 2025•6 min
Dr. Amy Climer teaches teams and organizations how to increase their creativity so they can maximize innovation. She works with forward-thinking organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Amy is the author of the best-selling book Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results. She is also host of The Deliberate Creative Podcast, where she shares practical advice and strategies to help leaders build innovative teams. A...
May 02, 2025•44 min
In this episode of the High Performance Mindset podcast, Dr. Cindra explores the power of belief and how it shapes our future. Using Simone Biles’ inspiring story as a launch point, we discuss how your vision for your life begins with what you choose to believe about yourself. When you get clear on your vision, you can align your daily actions and mindset to match that future. This episode encourages you to replace self-doubt with empowering beliefs and reminds you that your potential is limitle...
Apr 24, 2025•6 min
Robyn Hatcher is a powerhouse keynote speaker and communication expert who once created drama for a living as a soap opera writer and actor. Now, she’s on a mission to eliminate drama from the workplace and help leaders and professionals communicate with clarity, confidence, and purpose. With a rich background that includes writing for All My Children and One Life to Live, acting on TV and stage, Robyn brings a unique perspective to communication and leadership. She’s a Certified Speaking Profes...
Apr 21, 2025•51 min
In this episode, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff unpacks the power of optimism and why training your brain to spot opportunity in the face of difficulty is essential to building grit. Drawing from legendary moments like Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game,” she explains how mindset shifts fuel resilience. Cindra introduces a simple mental tool called the Three Ops Strategy to help you find fresh paths forward, even in the middle of setbacks. Power Phrase of the Week: “I choose optimism. I train my mind to see the op...
Apr 15, 2025•6 min
On today’s episode, we’re joined by a truly inspiring guest—Frank Kitchen, a Certified Speaking Professional and High-Performance Motivation Expert. Frank is known for helping individuals and organizations think, act, and perform at their highest level. Frank’s journey as a speaker began with a major life pivot—he was fired from his job on Father’s Day weekend. Instead of letting that setback define him, Frank made a courageous choice: he pursued his dream of becoming a full-time professional sp...
Apr 03, 2025•48 min
In this episode of the High Performance Mindset podcast, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff explores the concept of flow, a mental state of complete absorption and peak performance, drawing on insights from sport psychologist Dr. Sue Jackson, who collaborated with Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the pioneer of flow research. The episode highlights how flow occurs when we are fully engaged in meaningful tasks, using our skills to the fullest while staying present in the moment. Cindra outlines three key barriers t...
Mar 29, 2025•6 min
Joining us is Alex Hodgins, a visionary mental performance consultant and inspiring speaker who’s spent his career helping athletes, teams, and leaders rise to the occasion when it matters most. Alex specializes in building high-performance systems that don’t just withstand pressure, they thrive in it. For eight years, Alex was the Head of Mental Performance for the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team, guiding them to Olympic bronze in Rio 2016 and an unforgettable gold in Tokyo 2020. Currentl...
Mar 26, 2025•49 min
In this episode of The High Performance Mindset , Dr. Cindra explores the power of positivity and how cultivating positive energy creates a psychological advantage in teams, businesses, and relationships. Research shows that positivity enhances engagement, problem-solving, and resilience, with high-performing teams and successful relationships maintaining a strong positive-to-negative interaction ratio. To harness this power, Dr. Cindra suggests shifting focus to strengths, building a culture of...
Mar 16, 2025•7 min
Today we have an incredible guest who embodies leadership, influence, and the power of storytelling—Ty Bennett. Ty is a dynamic entrepreneur, CEO, bestselling author, and world-renowned speaker who has built three multi-million dollar businesses across different industries. As the Owner & CEO of the largest Ninja Warrior Gym in the world, he knows a thing or two about resilience, strategy, and high performance. Ty’s entrepreneurial journey started in his 20s when he and his brother built a d...
Mar 09, 2025•41 min
Dr. Cindra explores the power of self-discipline and how understanding dopamine can help us build better habits. Sharing her own experience of struggling to finish her book Beyond Grit, she explains how visualizing her audience reignited her motivation. Self-discipline, she says, is the ability to take action even when we don’t feel like it—yet our brains are wired for instant gratification, making it difficult to stay on track. To make discipline easier, Dr. Cindra suggests attaching small, imm...
Mar 05, 2025•6 min
In this episode of The High Performance Mindset , Dr. Cindra highlights the crucial role of self-compassion in achieving success, using Serena Williams as an example of how elite performers embrace setbacks with kindness rather than self-criticism. Drawing on Dr. Kristen Neff’s research, Dr. Cindra outlines three key elements of self-compassion: self-kindness, recognizing common humanity, and practicing mindfulness. By making self-compassion a habit, you can bounce back stronger, reduce stress, ...
Feb 28, 2025•7 min
Welcome back to the High Performance Mindset Podcast! Today, we’re diving deep into the world of mental performance with a special guest who works at the highest levels of sport and business. Joining us is Michael Urban, the Director of Mental Performance for the L.A. Clippers. With a career dedicated to coaching elite athletes, coaches, and corporate leaders, Michael specializes in evidence-based mental skills training to help individuals sharpen their focus, enhance resilience, and unlock thei...
Feb 25, 2025•50 min
In this episode of the High Performance Mindset Podcast, we dive deep into the power of self-awareness and how to silence your inner critic. That disempowering voice—often fearful, judgmental, or angry—holds many of us back. But here’s the truth: your inner critic lies to you. Instead of accepting its negativity, we can train ourselves to challenge it. By consciously replacing limiting thoughts with empowering and truthful statements, we shift our mindset toward confidence and success. This week...
Feb 13, 2025•6 min
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Alan Chu, a leading expert in sport psychology, mindfulness, and self-compassion. As an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Dr. Chu helps athletes, executives, and high performers unlock their full potential by leveraging positive psychology approaches. We explore the science and application of self-compassion—why it matters, how to practice it, and how it enhances motivation an...
Feb 10, 2025•47 min
In this episode, Dr. Kamphoff shares why we experience compassion and how to break free from it. Power Phrase of the Week: "I focus on my own journey and growth. I celebrate my progress." Quote of the Week: "A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms." – Zen Shin
Feb 03, 2025•6 min
Welcome to High Performance Mindset, the podcast where we dive into mental strategies to help you be your best more often. Today, we have a truly special guest—someone who plays a pivotal role in helping elite athletes navigate the mental side of the game. Joining us is Kerry Guest, the Mental Health Specialist for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a leader in the field of sport psychology and mental well-being. Kerry’s work is all about helping athletes understand and master their emotions so they can ...
Jan 30, 2025•45 min
The World’s Best choose courage instead of fear. They feel the fear, but don’t let it keep them from doing what they want to, have to, or were designed to do. This Week’s Power Phrase: “I embrace my fear and choose courage.” Quote of the Week: “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” —Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbuck
Jan 22, 2025•6 min
New beginnings – like New Years Day, your birthday or even Mondays – are a great time to restart. That is why people like to set resolutions or goals at the beginning of the year. You are extra motivated to turn the page and reset. But, in general, we want to set goals this year – not resolutions. Dr. Kamphoff shares with us strategies to consider what we really want in 2025, and provides 3 tips on how to get to there. Power Phrase of the Week: “I am focused on my goals to crush it this year.” Q...
Jan 17, 2025•6 min
Welcome to High Performance Mindset, the podcast where we dive into mental strategies to help you be your best more often. Today, we’re thrilled to have a powerhouse guest—someone who’s left his mark on the NFL with grit, determination, and sheer talent. Our guest is none other than Chris Reed! As a versatile offensive lineman, Chris has played for multiple NFL teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and my favorite, the Minnesota Vikings...
Jan 13, 2025•40 min
High performers see stressful situations as a challenge they can overcome instead of a threat to their performance or confidence. This improves their health and their performance. They remember it’s all about our perception of a situation and they talk to themselves powerful when experiencing stress – reminding themselves they can handle anything. Power Phrase this Week: “I adopt a challenge mindset. I can handle anything that comes my way.” Quote of the Week: “Challenges are an opportunity to t...
Jan 08, 2025•5 min
