August 9, 2025 • 20 mins
Caroline Biesalski introduces Inspired Choice Today and welcomes Dr. Cindra Kamphoff to explore mental training techniques for unlocking potential and recognizing optimal states. They discuss a mindset shift using the Learn, Burn, Return method to tackle setbacks and offer strategies to combat Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs). The conversation delves into building mental strength through practical steps, emphasizing the importance of small, controllable actions. Dr. Kamphoff shares insights on confidence from her upcoming book, highlighting the role of courage in realizing potential. The episode concludes with final thoughts and a special offer for listeners.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Absolutely.
Right.
Just focus on the next one or the next five.
I'm a marathoner, and we call it chunk it.
And we chunk it in the race where it's a26.2-mile race, but we might chunk it with,
like, five miles, five miles, five miles, fivemiles, one mile, you know, 1.2 miles.
So, that can help you just to kinda get to yourgoal because that outcome goal can feel really
(00:23):
overwhelming.
And just know that's really normal and natural,so you wanna stay more focused in the present
moment on the process because that's gonna makeyou have more energy and satisfaction and help
you be your best in the moment right now.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:44):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
(01:07):
that make a difference.
And stick around until the end for a specialfreebie just for our listeners.
Hello, and welcome inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isCindra Kamphoff, and I'm so happy that she said
(01:27):
yes to our interview.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing great, Caroline.
Thanks so much for having me.
I'm impressed with all you built with thepodcast, so congratulations.
Oh, thank you so much, and we will take a lookat what you accomplished.
So far, I have your bio ready, and I would liketo introduce you to the audience, of course.
(01:48):
Yes.
You are a leading expert in mental strength,resilience, and high performance, helping
purpose-driven leaders and athletes maximizetheir confidence, influence, and success.
As the founder of the Mentally Strong Instituteand author of Beyond Grit, you have worked with
elite organizations, including the MinnesotaVikings and the U.S.
(02:11):
Olympic Track and Field Team to unlock peakperformance.
Welcome to the Inspired Choice Today podcast,Dr.
Cindra Kamphoff.
Thank you, Caroline.
I appreciate it.
Impressive.
And I have a first question for you.
It is, you've worked with some of the world'stop athletes and leaders.
(02:32):
What is the single most powerful shift someonecan make to unlock their fullest potential?
What is the single most thing that someone cando to unlock their fullest potential?
I think the single most important thing thatyou can do is to train your mind every day, and
I think, like professional athletes, we have todo that as business owners or leaders.
(02:56):
We have to recognize the ways we get in our ownway and train our mind to reduce our inner
limits and to continue to be our best.
And I think what that means is that you developa high-performance toolkit of strategies and
tools to get unstuck and to make sure thatyou're your best every day so you can, you
know, show up as your best in every rep insports or in every rep in life.
(03:19):
And you know what your best is, and you reallythink powerfully about yourself and your
future.
That's to me what the impact of training yourmind every day is all about.
Oh, what a great message to begin with.
So how do we recognize that we are at our best?
It is the feeling, right?
Part of
it is the feeling for sure.
(03:41):
So in my book "Beyond Grit," I have a conceptthat I talk about called your MVP, kind of when
you're your most valuable player and orvaluable person, right?
And you don't have to be an athlete, but one ofthe things that we do in our coaching is really
help people understand when they're at theirbest and also, like, the things that get in
their way of their best.
So we ask a lot of questions and you could dothis on your own as you could think of, you
(04:05):
know, the best two or three times that you'veperformed at your craft.
And maybe that's in sport or maybe that's a bigsales presentation or I'm a speaker, so I'd be
thinking about me as a speaker.
And then I would write down, you know, thecharacteristics, the, maybe even the feeling
states, like you mentioned, Caroline, of how Ifeel when I'm performing at my best.
(04:27):
And then it's about, you know, reallyunderstanding when you're kinda slightly out of
your best and making adjustments to really getinto your best zone.
In sports psychology, there's a theory calledthe individualized zones of optimal
functioning, okay, which is, like, a reallyfancy theory to help us better understand,
like, the feeling states that lead to peakperformance.
(04:48):
And everyone's feeling states is slightlydifferent based on what you do and based on, in
sport, your actual sport and your position.
Wow.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Now I see clearly because I always ask myselfbecause everyone is saying, like, be the best
version of yourself or so, but how do Irecognize when I am in that state?
(05:12):
And you just gave the perfect answer to that.
Thank you so much.
Of course, I have another question.
It's so easy.
In moments of doubt or failure, what is themindset shift that separates those who rise
above from those who stay stuck?
Oh, great question.
There's two things that I think are reallyimportant about doubt and failure, and maybe
(05:36):
what I'll do is kind of separate those, becausethey can come together, you can experience
doubt because of failure, but I think thestrategies can be slightly different.
And so what I have found is that some of theworld's best athletes, they really have a
long-term memory of their successes and ashort-term memory of their failures or
(05:57):
mistakes.
And so in the moment, we actually have to beable to move on really quickly.
And in my book Beyond Grit, and then I have asecond book called Beyond Grit for Business, I
talk about a tool called learn, burn, return.
And it's basically a tool that you can use tomove on quickly from failure and or mistakes or
disappointments or setbacks.
(06:18):
And the first thing that you want to do whenyou've experienced a setback or failure, right?
And I just kind of put failure in kind ofquotes because I don't really know if we fail.
If as long as we're learning, I don't reallythink it's a failure.
So but learn is basically the first thing thatyou want to do, and you want to ask yourself,
you know, what will you do next time?
And that prompt, next time I will, is reallyimportant because you can't do anything about
(06:42):
the past or what's gone on in the past.
All you can do is learn from it.
And so you just want to ask yourself, whatwould I do differently next time?
And try to take an easygoing approach.
Remember that failure is never who you are.
It's an event.
It's something that we do.
And then once we take that lesson, we want toburn.
Okay?
And burn just means let it go.
(07:03):
And if we choose the same phrase or actionevery time that we need to move on, it
strengthens a new neural pathway.
So we're less likely to overthink, and we'remore likely to be in the present.
And then so, for example, you might say, let itgo or flush it or burn it or next play, or I
(07:24):
say that fast and snap my fingers, but you wantto choose the same one every time.
And then the return means that you buildyourself back up.
You return powerfully and confidently.
And most people might, like, get stuck on thelearn and ruminate on the learn.
They don't intentionally burn quickly or let itgo, and they definitely don't return.
(07:46):
So return means we build ourselves back up.
So let's say, for example, a football playerfumbles the ball.
They're gonna go over to—if they use thistool—they're gonna go over to the sidelines and
say, what would I do differently next time?
And maybe it's something about the position ofthe ball or the way they were running.
There are lots of different reasons peoplefumble, but they're gonna take the lesson.
(08:08):
And then they're gonna use their phrase oraction to move on quickly, and then they're
gonna return.
They're gonna say, like, I'm one of the bestwide receivers on the field, or I know what I'm
doing.
This is my passion and my purpose.
I'm meant to be here.
I'm meant to serve this team.
And by really building yourself back up, you'retaking the lesson, but then also protecting
(08:30):
your confidence, which is one of the mostimportant things we can do as athletes and
people and performers.
Wow.
I love that.
Thank you so much.
So learn, burn, and return means this is thelearning curve, and at the end, you integrate
what you learned, and you become a betterversion.
(08:51):
Yes.
Yes.
The perfect answer.
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
And I think, Caroline, what you were askingabout doubt is it's very common to doubt
yourself after you failed or after you've madea mistake, and what's helpful about doubt is
just to realize that it's actually part ofhuman nature.
(09:13):
You know, I love this acronym, that I firstread in Daniel Amen's book called Change Your
Brain, Change Your Life, and the acronym standsfor ANTS or automatic negative thoughts.
And what I really think is helpful about thatis there's lots of different types of ANTS we
can have.
Always or never thinking, generalization,fortune telling, personalization, blaming are
(09:35):
all examples of automatic negative thoughts.
I think what's helpful to know is, you don'thave to believe everything that you think.
And in one of my books called "Beyond Grit forBusiness," I use this tool called the truth
meter.
And I was just using it with an athlete beforeI got on the call with you today.
(09:55):
And, basically, it's just asking yourself threequick questions when you catch yourself in this
negative loop of self-doubt.
And, you know, the first question is, is thisthought true?
Most of the time, your thoughts are not true.
And then the second question is, is thisthought serving me?
Like, is this really helping me to believe thisthought right now?
(10:17):
And then the third question is, what would be amore empowering thought I could choose right
now?
And the power of that is we can always choose,likely always choose, a different empowering
thought.
And so this kinda helps you, this little truthmeter tool helps get you unstuck, gets you out,
you know, you can get back to the presentmoment, which is where we're at our best, in as
(10:41):
an athlete, in a business leader, as anentrepreneur, you know, as a podcaster.
Right?
And our best flow experience can only happen inthe present moment.
Absolutely.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much.
There were so many nuggets in it.
So I love this end part, and I was thinkingabout the word.
(11:04):
You said automatic negative thoughts orsomething, and then I thought, yeah.
What are ants?
And they can lift 10 times their weight.
Right?
And then you allow one negative thought tocreep in, and it multiplies immediately, and
then you introduce us to this system of Ichoose a different thought, a positive thought
(11:27):
instead.
So I get to choose, and I love that so much.
Yeah.
I have to relisten to this episode again forall.
Yes.
Thank you so much.
I have another question.
Let's see what this is.
For someone listening right now who knows theyare capable of more but feels overwhelmed, what
is one simple practical step they can taketoday to build their mental strength?
(11:53):
Yes.
Absolutely.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed, I thinkthat's really normal and natural for high
achievers to feel overwhelmed because, youknow, people are working to do a lot, you know,
especially if you're really reaching yourgoals.
What's important about that is your attentionmight be on the wrong thing at the wrong time.
(12:17):
And, in sports, in sports psychology, we talkabout three different kinds of goals.
We talk about outcome goals, those aretypically goals that you can't control, such as
if an athlete wants to make it to the Olympics,or get a starting spot, that you can't control
that because your coach decides that or Olympictrials decide that.
(12:41):
A performance goal is based on your standard,your improvement.
That's more within your control.
But the process goals, those are the smallthings that you need to do to be successful.
Those are within your control.
And sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, there'slots of different reasons people feel
overwhelmed.
In my work with business leaders and athletes,sometimes they feel overwhelmed because their
(13:05):
focus is on that outcome goal.
And that can provide us some source ofmotivation and excitement, but it also can
provide a lot of stress and overwhelm andanxiety and pressure.
So day to day, we wanna focus more on the smallsteps that we need to take.
And, you know, if you're feeling overwhelmedwith maybe the things that you have to do, what
(13:31):
also can help you is to make a list of thethings and prioritize them.
You know, our brain only works in lists ofthree, so sometimes when I feel really
overwhelmed, Caroline, and that could bebecause I have lots of things to do in my day,
I just write a little sticky note with the nextthree things that I'm going to do.
Again, it's kind of more of, like, processfocused than all the things I have to do, the
(13:54):
outcome of my day, and that helps me feel moreoverwhelmed and gets my brain just focused on
the small steps.
So that's what I would say is focus on thesmall steps, the next step, the small things
you can do to reach your goal, and that's gonnagive you more as a source of satisfaction and
strength.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much.
(14:15):
So what I learned is to focus on the smallsteps that we can control and then make this a
goal, you said, and you also said earlier thatwe are our best when we are in the present
moment when we are here.
Yes.
We love that also.
So let's, and this is great advice for someonewho wants to start or to get unstuck.
(14:39):
Yes.
Please tell us where we can find you whenpeople want to reach out to you after listening
to this episode?
Thank you, Caroline.
You can head over to Dr.
Cindra, so drcindra.com, and we work withathletes and leaders, and we do one-on-one
(14:59):
coaching.
I'm also a speaker, but we have a group of lotsof different kinds of coaches, some mental
performance coaches, some executive coaches,and our company is called the Mentally Strong
Institute.
And then I have a couple of books, Beyond Gritand Beyond Grit for Business, that really focus
on 10 practices to build mental strength and 10practices of high performance.
(15:22):
So I'd encourage people to go check that out.
They're really practical books to help you beyour best even more often and to help you reach
your goals in a quicker and more efficient wayto train your mind every day, which is
something we should do regardless of if we'rean elite athlete.
Wow.
Thank you so much.
So I followed you already.
(15:42):
I love it, and I want to see all about, yeah,your success.
I love your success as well and what you whatyou told us today.
And, of course, I have one last question foryou.
It is about your goals because we talked aboutgoals already, and you set goals for yourself.
What is one of your next projects?
(16:05):
Oh, great question.
So I'm actually working on a book on confidenceright now and that is one of my goals is to get
that out in the world and we're looking for theright publisher, to really help us make a
significant impact.
And I'm really excited about that becauseconfidence is something that people can really
struggle with, and can be one of the barriers,our own self-doubt and feeling like an
(16:29):
imposter.
And so I'm really excited about just practicalways and getting practical ways out, in the
world to build confidence.
So thank you, Caroline.
What are you working on?
I'm working I was thinking when you when youtold us about all the little the small steps,
and I thought that one of my goals is when Istarted the podcast, after several months, I
(16:54):
decided or I committed to 1,111 episodes, let'ssay, interviews, and because I also edit solo
episodes in between.
And when I focus on that, when I take yourmethod now and I think, oh, I'm overwhelmed.
It's too much, then I can focus on this singleinterview we have right now, and I'm so
(17:17):
grateful for that.
So I'm in the present moment, and I'm so happy.
And all the interviews will sum up and willlead me to my goal.
Right?
Absolutely.
Right.
Just focus on the next one or the next five.
In I'm a marathoner, and we call it chunk it.
And we chunk it in the race where it's a 26.2mile race, but we might chunk it with, like, 5
(17:41):
miles, 5 miles, 5 miles, 5 miles, 1 mile, youknow, 1.2 miles.
So, that can help you just to kinda get to yourgoal because that outcome goal can feel really
overwhelming.
And just know that's really normal and natural,so you wanna stay more focused in the present
moment on the process because that's gonna makeyou have more energy and satisfaction and help
(18:01):
you be your best in the moment right now.
Oh, thank you so much.
Yes.
And it's very encouraging when you talk aboutthe marathon.
I never run a marathon or half marathon, and Ihave respect for everyone doing this and
setting this as a goal.
And when you talk about chunks, then I canrelate to that, but I cannot imagine having fun
(18:26):
in the 5-mile chunks.
Yeah.
I have to learn a lot.
Thank you so much.
Now it's time for your final thoughts to theaudience, please.
My final thoughts to the audience are we reachour potential, you know, which your potential
is unlimited and endless, when we continue tostretch ourselves.
(18:49):
And I love this quote, by Roosevelt, andRoosevelt said we have to do one thing every
day that scares us.
And when we do one thing every day that's justa little bit scary, I think it's actually how
we live our purpose and live our impact in thisworld.
And so my final thought to you would be, fearcan be easy to be overwhelmed by, but remember
(19:12):
fear is just false evidence appearing real, andwe want to just take the next step and,
appearing real.
And we want to just take the next step andreally help us think about what's the one
courageous action we can do today.
And courage is like a muscle.
The more you use it, the easier it becomes.
And when you take courageous action, you startnew things, you stick with things that are
(19:32):
hard, and you move forward.
Even with the 1,000 and, you know, 101,111episodes, I think that's the number you're
going after.
Right?
That's courageous.
And so just do the next step thing, the nextbest thing towards your goals.
But what's most important is that we do dreambig and then take one step forward.
So thank you for asking me that question.
(19:55):
Thank you.
I'm highly inspired now, and we can do thisagain, of course, and see where we are at, how
many marathons or how many episodes we did.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Caroline.
Appreciate you and everyone listening.
Oh, thank you so much for being here in thepresent moment, and I see you in the next.
(20:19):
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
(20:42):
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
Absolutely.
Right.
Just focus on the next one or the next five.
I'm a marathoner, and we call it chunk it.
And we chunk it in the race where it's a26.2-mile race, but we might chunk it with,
like, five miles, five miles, five miles, fivemiles, one mile, you know, 1.2 miles.
So, that can help you just to kinda get to yourgoal because that outcome goal can feel really
(00:23):
overwhelming.
And just know that's really normal and natural,so you wanna stay more focused in the present
moment on the process because that's gonna makeyou have more energy and satisfaction and help
you be your best in the moment right now.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:44):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
(01:07):
that make a difference.
And stick around until the end for a specialfreebie just for our listeners.
Hello, and welcome inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isCindra Kamphoff, and I'm so happy that she said
(01:27):
yes to our interview.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing great, Caroline.
Thanks so much for having me.
I'm impressed with all you built with thepodcast, so congratulations.
Oh, thank you so much, and we will take a lookat what you accomplished.
So far, I have your bio ready, and I would liketo introduce you to the audience, of course.
(01:48):
Yes.
You are a leading expert in mental strength,resilience, and high performance, helping
purpose-driven leaders and athletes maximizetheir confidence, influence, and success.
As the founder of the Mentally Strong Instituteand author of Beyond Grit, you have worked with
elite organizations, including the MinnesotaVikings and the U.S.
(02:11):
Olympic Track and Field Team to unlock peakperformance.
Welcome to the Inspired Choice Today podcast,Dr.
Cindra Kamphoff.
Thank you, Caroline.
I appreciate it.
Impressive.
And I have a first question for you.
It is, you've worked with some of the world'stop athletes and leaders.
(02:32):
What is the single most powerful shift someonecan make to unlock their fullest potential?
What is the single most thing that someone cando to unlock their fullest potential?
I think the single most important thing thatyou can do is to train your mind every day, and
I think, like professional athletes, we have todo that as business owners or leaders.
(02:56):
We have to recognize the ways we get in our ownway and train our mind to reduce our inner
limits and to continue to be our best.
And I think what that means is that you developa high-performance toolkit of strategies and
tools to get unstuck and to make sure thatyou're your best every day so you can, you
know, show up as your best in every rep insports or in every rep in life.
(03:19):
And you know what your best is, and you reallythink powerfully about yourself and your
future.
That's to me what the impact of training yourmind every day is all about.
Oh, what a great message to begin with.
So how do we recognize that we are at our best?
It is the feeling, right?
Part of
it is the feeling for sure.
(03:41):
So in my book "Beyond Grit," I have a conceptthat I talk about called your MVP, kind of when
you're your most valuable player and orvaluable person, right?
And you don't have to be an athlete, but one ofthe things that we do in our coaching is really
help people understand when they're at theirbest and also, like, the things that get in
their way of their best.
So we ask a lot of questions and you could dothis on your own as you could think of, you
(04:05):
know, the best two or three times that you'veperformed at your craft.
And maybe that's in sport or maybe that's a bigsales presentation or I'm a speaker, so I'd be
thinking about me as a speaker.
And then I would write down, you know, thecharacteristics, the, maybe even the feeling
states, like you mentioned, Caroline, of how Ifeel when I'm performing at my best.
(04:27):
And then it's about, you know, reallyunderstanding when you're kinda slightly out of
your best and making adjustments to really getinto your best zone.
In sports psychology, there's a theory calledthe individualized zones of optimal
functioning, okay, which is, like, a reallyfancy theory to help us better understand,
like, the feeling states that lead to peakperformance.
(04:48):
And everyone's feeling states is slightlydifferent based on what you do and based on, in
sport, your actual sport and your position.
Wow.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Now I see clearly because I always ask myselfbecause everyone is saying, like, be the best
version of yourself or so, but how do Irecognize when I am in that state?
(05:12):
And you just gave the perfect answer to that.
Thank you so much.
Of course, I have another question.
It's so easy.
In moments of doubt or failure, what is themindset shift that separates those who rise
above from those who stay stuck?
Oh, great question.
There's two things that I think are reallyimportant about doubt and failure, and maybe
(05:36):
what I'll do is kind of separate those, becausethey can come together, you can experience
doubt because of failure, but I think thestrategies can be slightly different.
And so what I have found is that some of theworld's best athletes, they really have a
long-term memory of their successes and ashort-term memory of their failures or
(05:57):
mistakes.
And so in the moment, we actually have to beable to move on really quickly.
And in my book Beyond Grit, and then I have asecond book called Beyond Grit for Business, I
talk about a tool called learn, burn, return.
And it's basically a tool that you can use tomove on quickly from failure and or mistakes or
disappointments or setbacks.
(06:18):
And the first thing that you want to do whenyou've experienced a setback or failure, right?
And I just kind of put failure in kind ofquotes because I don't really know if we fail.
If as long as we're learning, I don't reallythink it's a failure.
So but learn is basically the first thing thatyou want to do, and you want to ask yourself,
you know, what will you do next time?
And that prompt, next time I will, is reallyimportant because you can't do anything about
(06:42):
the past or what's gone on in the past.
All you can do is learn from it.
And so you just want to ask yourself, whatwould I do differently next time?
And try to take an easygoing approach.
Remember that failure is never who you are.
It's an event.
It's something that we do.
And then once we take that lesson, we want toburn.
Okay?
And burn just means let it go.
(07:03):
And if we choose the same phrase or actionevery time that we need to move on, it
strengthens a new neural pathway.
So we're less likely to overthink, and we'remore likely to be in the present.
And then so, for example, you might say, let itgo or flush it or burn it or next play, or I
(07:24):
say that fast and snap my fingers, but you wantto choose the same one every time.
And then the return means that you buildyourself back up.
You return powerfully and confidently.
And most people might, like, get stuck on thelearn and ruminate on the learn.
They don't intentionally burn quickly or let itgo, and they definitely don't return.
(07:46):
So return means we build ourselves back up.
So let's say, for example, a football playerfumbles the ball.
They're gonna go over to—if they use thistool—they're gonna go over to the sidelines and
say, what would I do differently next time?
And maybe it's something about the position ofthe ball or the way they were running.
There are lots of different reasons peoplefumble, but they're gonna take the lesson.
(08:08):
And then they're gonna use their phrase oraction to move on quickly, and then they're
gonna return.
They're gonna say, like, I'm one of the bestwide receivers on the field, or I know what I'm
doing.
This is my passion and my purpose.
I'm meant to be here.
I'm meant to serve this team.
And by really building yourself back up, you'retaking the lesson, but then also protecting
(08:30):
your confidence, which is one of the mostimportant things we can do as athletes and
people and performers.
Wow.
I love that.
Thank you so much.
So learn, burn, and return means this is thelearning curve, and at the end, you integrate
what you learned, and you become a betterversion.
(08:51):
Yes.
Yes.
The perfect answer.
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
And I think, Caroline, what you were askingabout doubt is it's very common to doubt
yourself after you failed or after you've madea mistake, and what's helpful about doubt is
just to realize that it's actually part ofhuman nature.
(09:13):
You know, I love this acronym, that I firstread in Daniel Amen's book called Change Your
Brain, Change Your Life, and the acronym standsfor ANTS or automatic negative thoughts.
And what I really think is helpful about thatis there's lots of different types of ANTS we
can have.
Always or never thinking, generalization,fortune telling, personalization, blaming are
(09:35):
all examples of automatic negative thoughts.
I think what's helpful to know is, you don'thave to believe everything that you think.
And in one of my books called "Beyond Grit forBusiness," I use this tool called the truth
meter.
And I was just using it with an athlete beforeI got on the call with you today.
(09:55):
And, basically, it's just asking yourself threequick questions when you catch yourself in this
negative loop of self-doubt.
And, you know, the first question is, is thisthought true?
Most of the time, your thoughts are not true.
And then the second question is, is thisthought serving me?
Like, is this really helping me to believe thisthought right now?
(10:17):
And then the third question is, what would be amore empowering thought I could choose right
now?
And the power of that is we can always choose,likely always choose, a different empowering
thought.
And so this kinda helps you, this little truthmeter tool helps get you unstuck, gets you out,
you know, you can get back to the presentmoment, which is where we're at our best, in as
(10:41):
an athlete, in a business leader, as anentrepreneur, you know, as a podcaster.
Right?
And our best flow experience can only happen inthe present moment.
Absolutely.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much.
There were so many nuggets in it.
So I love this end part, and I was thinkingabout the word.
(11:04):
You said automatic negative thoughts orsomething, and then I thought, yeah.
What are ants?
And they can lift 10 times their weight.
Right?
And then you allow one negative thought tocreep in, and it multiplies immediately, and
then you introduce us to this system of Ichoose a different thought, a positive thought
(11:27):
instead.
So I get to choose, and I love that so much.
Yeah.
I have to relisten to this episode again forall.
Yes.
Thank you so much.
I have another question.
Let's see what this is.
For someone listening right now who knows theyare capable of more but feels overwhelmed, what
is one simple practical step they can taketoday to build their mental strength?
(11:53):
Yes.
Absolutely.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed, I thinkthat's really normal and natural for high
achievers to feel overwhelmed because, youknow, people are working to do a lot, you know,
especially if you're really reaching yourgoals.
What's important about that is your attentionmight be on the wrong thing at the wrong time.
(12:17):
And, in sports, in sports psychology, we talkabout three different kinds of goals.
We talk about outcome goals, those aretypically goals that you can't control, such as
if an athlete wants to make it to the Olympics,or get a starting spot, that you can't control
that because your coach decides that or Olympictrials decide that.
(12:41):
A performance goal is based on your standard,your improvement.
That's more within your control.
But the process goals, those are the smallthings that you need to do to be successful.
Those are within your control.
And sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, there'slots of different reasons people feel
overwhelmed.
In my work with business leaders and athletes,sometimes they feel overwhelmed because their
(13:05):
focus is on that outcome goal.
And that can provide us some source ofmotivation and excitement, but it also can
provide a lot of stress and overwhelm andanxiety and pressure.
So day to day, we wanna focus more on the smallsteps that we need to take.
And, you know, if you're feeling overwhelmedwith maybe the things that you have to do, what
(13:31):
also can help you is to make a list of thethings and prioritize them.
You know, our brain only works in lists ofthree, so sometimes when I feel really
overwhelmed, Caroline, and that could bebecause I have lots of things to do in my day,
I just write a little sticky note with the nextthree things that I'm going to do.
Again, it's kind of more of, like, processfocused than all the things I have to do, the
(13:54):
outcome of my day, and that helps me feel moreoverwhelmed and gets my brain just focused on
the small steps.
So that's what I would say is focus on thesmall steps, the next step, the small things
you can do to reach your goal, and that's gonnagive you more as a source of satisfaction and
strength.
Wow.
What a great answer.
Thank you so much.
(14:15):
So what I learned is to focus on the smallsteps that we can control and then make this a
goal, you said, and you also said earlier thatwe are our best when we are in the present
moment when we are here.
Yes.
We love that also.
So let's, and this is great advice for someonewho wants to start or to get unstuck.
(14:39):
Yes.
Please tell us where we can find you whenpeople want to reach out to you after listening
to this episode?
Thank you, Caroline.
You can head over to Dr.
Cindra, so drcindra.com, and we work withathletes and leaders, and we do one-on-one
(14:59):
coaching.
I'm also a speaker, but we have a group of lotsof different kinds of coaches, some mental
performance coaches, some executive coaches,and our company is called the Mentally Strong
Institute.
And then I have a couple of books, Beyond Gritand Beyond Grit for Business, that really focus
on 10 practices to build mental strength and 10practices of high performance.
(15:22):
So I'd encourage people to go check that out.
They're really practical books to help you beyour best even more often and to help you reach
your goals in a quicker and more efficient wayto train your mind every day, which is
something we should do regardless of if we'rean elite athlete.
Wow.
Thank you so much.
So I followed you already.
(15:42):
I love it, and I want to see all about, yeah,your success.
I love your success as well and what you whatyou told us today.
And, of course, I have one last question foryou.
It is about your goals because we talked aboutgoals already, and you set goals for yourself.
What is one of your next projects?
(16:05):
Oh, great question.
So I'm actually working on a book on confidenceright now and that is one of my goals is to get
that out in the world and we're looking for theright publisher, to really help us make a
significant impact.
And I'm really excited about that becauseconfidence is something that people can really
struggle with, and can be one of the barriers,our own self-doubt and feeling like an
(16:29):
imposter.
And so I'm really excited about just practicalways and getting practical ways out, in the
world to build confidence.
So thank you, Caroline.
What are you working on?
I'm working I was thinking when you when youtold us about all the little the small steps,
and I thought that one of my goals is when Istarted the podcast, after several months, I
(16:54):
decided or I committed to 1,111 episodes, let'ssay, interviews, and because I also edit solo
episodes in between.
And when I focus on that, when I take yourmethod now and I think, oh, I'm overwhelmed.
It's too much, then I can focus on this singleinterview we have right now, and I'm so
(17:17):
grateful for that.
So I'm in the present moment, and I'm so happy.
And all the interviews will sum up and willlead me to my goal.
Right?
Absolutely.
Right.
Just focus on the next one or the next five.
In I'm a marathoner, and we call it chunk it.
And we chunk it in the race where it's a 26.2mile race, but we might chunk it with, like, 5
(17:41):
miles, 5 miles, 5 miles, 5 miles, 1 mile, youknow, 1.2 miles.
So, that can help you just to kinda get to yourgoal because that outcome goal can feel really
overwhelming.
And just know that's really normal and natural,so you wanna stay more focused in the present
moment on the process because that's gonna makeyou have more energy and satisfaction and help
(18:01):
you be your best in the moment right now.
Oh, thank you so much.
Yes.
And it's very encouraging when you talk aboutthe marathon.
I never run a marathon or half marathon, and Ihave respect for everyone doing this and
setting this as a goal.
And when you talk about chunks, then I canrelate to that, but I cannot imagine having fun
(18:26):
in the 5-mile chunks.
Yeah.
I have to learn a lot.
Thank you so much.
Now it's time for your final thoughts to theaudience, please.
My final thoughts to the audience are we reachour potential, you know, which your potential
is unlimited and endless, when we continue tostretch ourselves.
(18:49):
And I love this quote, by Roosevelt, andRoosevelt said we have to do one thing every
day that scares us.
And when we do one thing every day that's justa little bit scary, I think it's actually how
we live our purpose and live our impact in thisworld.
And so my final thought to you would be, fearcan be easy to be overwhelmed by, but remember
(19:12):
fear is just false evidence appearing real, andwe want to just take the next step and,
appearing real.
And we want to just take the next step andreally help us think about what's the one
courageous action we can do today.
And courage is like a muscle.
The more you use it, the easier it becomes.
And when you take courageous action, you startnew things, you stick with things that are
(19:32):
hard, and you move forward.
Even with the 1,000 and, you know, 101,111episodes, I think that's the number you're
going after.
Right?
That's courageous.
And so just do the next step thing, the nextbest thing towards your goals.
But what's most important is that we do dreambig and then take one step forward.
So thank you for asking me that question.
(19:55):
Thank you.
I'm highly inspired now, and we can do thisagain, of course, and see where we are at, how
many marathons or how many episodes we did.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Caroline.
Appreciate you and everyone listening.
Oh, thank you so much for being here in thepresent moment, and I see you in the next.
(20:19):
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
(20:42):
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
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