Your Mental Weight Room

A future national-team player spent her first week of college volleyball standing on a box for hours while coaches rebuilt her arm swing—and cried through the process. Desi talks with recruiting specialist Susan Forbes about what athletes don’t see coming in college sports: why coaches may recruit your potential, not the polished player you are now; how to spot a program where you’ll feel supported; and why committing to Division I isn’t always the best fit. They also get candid about coach feedback, recruiting myths (including the supposed need to post constantly on social media), and the small wins that can make a tough freshman year feel like it’s working.

In this episode of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi explores why athletes lose their joy for sports when they start playing for others rather than themselves. Drawing from her own experience of losing confidence and her starting position, she explains how external pressures gradually replace curiosity with fear of judgment. Desi highlights the "I'll be happy when..." mentality that prevents athletes from celebrating progress and shares a coaching example involving a gymnast overcoming mental blocks. She challenges listeners to ask themselves "Who am I playing for today?" and reconnect with their original love for the game.

In Episode 36 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, tackles the summer exhaustion many athletes and busy individuals experience when trying to do it all. She challenges the misconception that balance means perfect productivity, redefining it as prioritizing what truly matters each day without guilt. Desi highlights how mental depletion differs from laziness and emphasizes that rest is essential for performance, not just physically but mentally. She encourages listeners to redefine success, be kinder to themselves, and remember that ambition shouldn't be tied to self-worth.

In Episode 35 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, explores the transformative power of gratitude. She clarifies that gratitude isn't toxic positivity—you can feel pain and still be thankful. Backed by science, she outlines six key benefits: greater happiness, improved emotional well-being, better physical health, improved sleep, stronger relationships, and increased productivity. Desi warns against complaining, which raises cortisol levels, and encourages listeners to shift their mindset through gratitude practices like journaling or "gratitude rampages." She challenges listeners to find one thing to appreciate right now and build from there.

In Episode 34 of "Your Mental Weight Room," host and mindset mentor Desi uses a relatable personal story about feeling cold at home to illustrate a powerful mindset lesson. Rather than adjusting her thermostat, she bundled up and accepted the discomfort — mirroring how people often resign themselves to difficult circumstances. She explains that while we can't control external "weather," we can always adjust our internal "thermostat" — our thoughts. Through examples including her husband's college baseball experience and a client dealing with judgment, Desi encourages listeners to recognize and reshape limiting beliefs to regain control and improve performance.