The Go 4 Gold Show

A reflection and deep dive into the thoughts of one of my client's on his process and consistency/confidence

Mark Cooke is the president and owner of Fire Cracker Sports - Serving HS baseball players (and now softball players) since the mid 2000s. Mark is a former collegiate baseball player at Salve Regina and former coach at Dean College, Johnson & Wales (RI), Bishop Feehan HS, and The Wheeler School. He breaks down the rise of Fire Cracker Sports, and his mindset and mentality throughout the years. Here is some more info on FCS: FCS serves over 900+ teams, 20K players and over 300+ college/pro coaches attending their events. FCS started off with 6 teams and 1 event back in 208 and now have over 390+ annually.   Firecracker Sports operates and runs events but more importantly showcase tournaments in destinations that families, players and coaches want to travel to.  They are Based out of the Northeast and provide events in Old Orchard Beach, Maine; Providence, RI; Saratoga, NY; Westchester, New York, Hartford, Connecticut along with Manchester, New Hampshire. They organize college showcase camps for all players interested in playing at the next level while providing paying options for college and professional coaches to work, instruct and evaluate at events. FCS also provide social events such as BBQ nights at MILB ballparks, beer and wine socials along with tickets to NECBL, minor league games and other attractions so it's a one stop shop for your travel baseball destinations. Firecracker Baseball is know as "your home for showcase baseball, softball, college Recruiting and great value in travel destinations" Check them out at ww.firecrackersports.com and/or through their social media pages.  Twitter: @firecrackerbsb IG: firecracker_baseball      

Tip for more self-confidence: Have support systems in place that believe in you no matter the outcome/result 

Stephanie Hale, Mental skills coach with the Seattle Mariners organization jumps on the show and immediately makes an impact.   https://twitter.com/stephale13 https://www.instagram.com/stephale13/ Steph shares a bit about her life growing up and how her family and parents indirectly influenced the way she carries herself as coach. Through this portion of the conversation we touch on the ideas of feedback, ego, working through imposter syndrome, process, and having a comitted plan.  See referenced article below: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-approach-at-the-plate-the-mariners-tell-us-in-their-own-words/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=owned_echobox_sports&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1618703149 Further down the line we get into her transition from IMG Academy in Florida to starting the work with the Mariners and how its been doing something different, and being a little bit comfortable being  uncomfortable. A key portion here is Stephanie's early experience as a female in the space.    Enjoy the conversation and let me know what is working, and how I can grow and improve as a host by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!   Always remember, embrace it..  & Go for it... Go for Gold... 

In this episode I share some quick thoughts on control and how to carry care, stress, effort, and energy.   I get into letting go while maintaining interest and leave you, the listener with a challenge to consider.   Let me know how I am doing with a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, it is always appreciated!

This is a conversation on MINDSET MUSIC On the show:   Graham Betchart, Mental Skills Coach and recording artist Grant Parr,  Mental Skills Coach and musical producer  Graham and Grant have been serving athletes, executives, and high performers for years as mental coaches, and now their newest venture is to coach you into the zone through beats and music. Their all about bringing you the energy and guidance you need in the moment, for you to be your best in the moment. They lead you to victory, and in this conversation you will discover that victory goes to the vulnerable. The Gs as they go by, are in the process of producing and releasing 3 separate intentional albums to coach you through the performance process. Their 3 albums are intentional and lead you from start to finish to repeat. Go get the reps and go train your unconscious mind with dual encoding and their "MVPs" (Meditate-Visualize-Powerful self talk). Their albums, (Reflect, Respond, and Recover) are each made up of 10 individual songs and 10 "MVPs" All 3 and you get yourself 30 songs and 30 "MVPs" to get you into the zone.  Keep an eye out for their music and innovative work.  Go checkout their music over on Grant's site https://www.gamefaceperformance.com/mindset-music Go see what Graham's up to over at https://www.grahambetchart.com and https://trainthemind.com I 

*Individual Recording* High Performers and time.. They Use it wisely and intentionally    1. Act with conviction & purpose 2. Reflect & adjust 3. slow it down (lazy with purpose, pause, reset etc.)

Matt Comand is the Founder & Director of Performance of Emergent - a consulting agency focused on creating and implementing In-House High Performance Coaching programs to executives, teams, and organizations. Matt is all about bringing people together and helping them pursue their goals (teams and invividuals),this is the foundation and purpose of his work.  We discuss humility, conviction, growth-mindset, life-long-learning, psychological safety, the client-consultant relationship and more. Matt's #1 take home message in this conversation is to be humble and convicted, and to keep growing.   Twitter- @TheEmergentTeam   IG - @Workwithemergent    

How to engage with unpleasant thoughts and emotions - inspired by Russ Harris on Acceptance and Comittment Therapy.  Expanding on the idea of A.C.E. 

On this episode we welcome on Dave Meyer - Doctor of Physical Therapy. Dave is a practicing PT that incorporates sport psychology teachings into the work he does with his clients. He is currently pursuing AASP certification towards CMPC.    Dave is a former college athlete, former minor league medical/rehab coordinator with the St. Louis cardinals and we get into how these experiences shaped his career and allowed him to build on of his "point zero". In this conversation we break down some of the teachings in Dave's book Injured to Elite - amazon injured to elite and various subjects pertaining to peak performance.   Go give Dave a follow and check out his podcast Injured to Elite on Spotify  https://www.instagram.com/davemmeyer/ https://twitter.com/InjuredToElite https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ax1x2eRwk8avVJKTM5m2D  

1. Having a what if plan   2. Knowing when to let go and getting back on track is a skill that requires practice --- Can you consistently be self-aware is the ultimate question. 

I recently published and launched my new consulting website. My website outlines the work I do with teams and athletes on the mental game. If you are looking for a resource to help you with your performance look no further https://go4gold.net  

David Hadfield is the owner and founder of MindPlus - Located in New Zealand, David provides world wide mental skills training, business coaching, and high performance coaching.  He has experience as an academic, educator, and coach for athletes and coaching professionals ranging in sport. We discuss the nuances of his work.  http://www.mindplus.co.nz   In our conversation we discuss character, competence, trust, relationship formation, empathy, emotional inteligence and the "soft skills" involved in coaching.   Enjoy!

James Schwabach, Host of the Knowledge Transfer Podcast and Mental Performance coach jumps on and breaks down the mental game and hig performance.  James has worked with olympians, professional athletes, and amateur athletes for the past decade. On this episode he shares his knowledge and takeways from his experiences. Topics discussed: Productivity Planning and taking action Process vs. product Prescribing acronyms and providing foundations for performers Discussing a client’s Purpose and how it connects to motivation, relationship building, and identity/values Prioritization Humble arrogance and the stockade paradox  Please leave a rating and review on apple podcasts and share the show with anyone you think would learn and grow from this conversation.  

Jon shares the transferable skills that high performers bring to the work place / business space   - Embracing discomfort - Vulnerability/courage - Self-awarenss - Open - Growth Oriented - Process driven - Personal Excellence - Authenticity

Founder of ThinkSport Consulting Services, Dr. Doug Garder has close to 30+ years of sport psychology consulting experience.    He has worked with professional athletes and organizations including the NFL Players Association and the Boston Redsox. Dr. Gardner has also worked as an instructor and professor at the Graduate level guiding young professionals towards their dreams and aspirations.    Most recently Dr. Gardner has been consulting in E-Sports and speaks to the strong side/weak side nature of performance in "traditional sport" and E-sports. Through story telling in this conversation, Dr. Gardner speaks on developing rapport, having an objective and non-polarized mindset, his personal approach, avoidance and encouraging vulnerability, expediting maturity, and much more.    Enjoy the conversation and be sure to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, your feedback is greatly appreciated!   -Jon Gold 

Shea Hillenbrand is a former Major League Baseball player (MLB) & 2-time All-Star. Shea details out his mental struggles during is time in the pros and how it stems from his negative self-belief system as a 14 year old adolescent boy. https://linktr.ee/Shillenbrand https://www.dropbox.com/s/h7bjensivhbtxla/Against%20All%20Odds%20_%20The%20Shea%20Hillenbrand%20Story%20[SIYC%20CTA].mp4?dl=0 https://www.instagram.com/shea_hillenbrand/ Shea's message is clear: Re-write your belief system and discover who you are at your core -- if you do that you can achieve great things even if you are 1 breath away or even if it is against all odds. Enjoy the conversation, and please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts - It is greatly appreciated    

Samantha Gilmore is a Mental Performance Coach with the New York Mets. On the show we discuss her path to present day from being a high school and college athlete all the way through her time as a graduate student at Florida State.    Samantha shares her purpose, her take on mental toughness, and she also opens up on her take on the importance and meaning of awareness. We process how mindful awareness can become an ongoing reflective exercise for both performers and practitioners.    Enjoy the show and if you can, don't forget to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Feel free to share the episode and show with those that you think would be interested an or bennefit from the conversations 

Adam Bernero is a former big leaguer (MLB) and current Mental Performance coach with the Seattle Mariners. In this episode we talk about identity, fear of success, pressure, the spotlight, and his story of change which began on May 23, 2005.  Adam's story of change is powerful and he shares his story on his Circle Change Podcast where he speaks with folks about embracing and overcoming difficulty and change. I encorage you to listen to his story for context before listening to our conversation.  From 3 Million Dollars to Lost Soul: https://feed.podbean.com/circlechangeperformance/feed.xml  

Quick hitter on motivation  1. Acknowledge and normalize the obstacles 2. Ask "what would doing this or not doing this mean to me"? 3. Take action that will bring about the traits and values of committment and discipline 4. Act 5. Enjoy 6. Reap the bennefits from taking action. Intrinsic Action = Intrinsic sustainable motivation!      *Other topics mentioned: Long-term goals = short term motivation Purpose = underlying reason to take action