Dr. Michelle Cleere – Easy Brain Tools For All Athletes
What if we could unlock the power of our mind to create the mental toughness to be at our best, with both running and life?
Psychologist, bestselling author, athlete and teacher, Dr. Michelle Cleere, works with high achieving athletes, musicians and other top professionals to stay on top of their game. In these pressure-filled fields, the mental factor can be overwhelming. Staying focused and motivated is key to their success.
The inevitability of luck with the confidence of optimum performance planning
With a PhD in clinical psychology and a masters in Sports Psychology, Dr. Michelle Cleere teaches us how the elites do it and how we can use some of the same tools to stay committed to our training, how to find calm before a competition, and how to accept the inevitability of ‘luck’ with the confidence of optimum performance planning.
Her bestselling book series, Beating the Demons, helps readers develop the practical skills to gain more control over competitive environments and mitigate distractions to overcome intense odds and defeat adversity. Listen to this episode to learn how the mind is an ally to improve performance.
Questions Dr. Michelle is asked:
3:30 First Four:
- How old are you?
- Where were you born?
- Where do you live now?
- What is your favorite race distance or type of race?
4:50 How did you progress from triathlete to coaching athletes?
7:46 How did psychology come into the picture?
9:39 When did you start using psychology with athletes?
10:12 How did your personal experiences bring you closer to wanting to understand sports psychology and in your personal life?
12:35 What is the balance of luck and internal motivation?
18:05 As a coach, how do you help your athletes with goal achievement?
20:17 What are Mantras and how can we use Mantras to improve performance?
22:18 What is an example of a Mantra?
22:42 Is Mantra repetition important?
25:39 What was your first book and is it autobiographical?
26:03 Is your book series, Beating the Demons, geared towards runners?
28:50 How do you help people with motivation once they complete their big goal?
33:43 How do you deal with ‘failure’ or when people don’t reach expectations?
35:49 Is it reasonable to set multiple goals?
36:47 How do you help people stay motivated even when they’re not inspired?
38:53 what are your thoughts about the gratitude of recognizing the gift of being able to run?
42:35 How does psychology and brain-work help us cope with our lives in general, and specifically to run better?
44:28 What are some examples of challenges your clients have overcome that would relate to our audience of runners?
48:25 Final thoughts?
50:14 Final Kick Round:
- What is your favorite local training run (location, starting point, parking, distance, terrain and safety issues)?
- Favorite running book(s)?
- Words of Wisdom or Humor?
- Who or what would you like to have featured on the Run To The Top podcast?
Quotes by Dr. Michelle:
“Everyone talks about these ‘stretch-goals’… No, don’t have stretch-goals; let’s have realistic goals and work towards those. The stretch goals can be really overwhelming for people. And when you have stretch goals that feel overwhelming, the chance of meeting those is probably not so great.”
“We have to train our brain to do what we want it to do.”
“Anytime we feel a little bit more neutral-positive, that then feeds neutral-positive things not only to our brain, but our body and we tend to act and respond differently.”
“Our destination is a product of the work we put in.”
“Luck is inherent, really; there’s a little bit of luck, I think, in everything we do.”
Take a Listen on Your Next Run
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Mentioned in this podcast:
Run To The Top Winners Circle Facebook Community
Book Series: Beating the Demons
Follow Dr. Michelle on:
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