In a world that is constantly evolving, it can be difficult to stay resilient and adaptable. But how do you rise above the challenges life throws at you and become successful? What makes some people resilient, while others in the same situation, struggle? 

It was such a pleasure to speak with this week's guest, Ed Hajim. Ed grew up in and out of foster care with little guidance or support system, yet he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.  In his book, "ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom," Ed shares that his father kidnapped him at age 3, drove him cross country and away from his mother, and told Ed that his mother was dead! Shortly after, his dad  abandoned him, leaving Ed to grow up in orphanages and foster homes.

What is Resilience?

As humans, it is in our nature to want to give up when the going gets tough. But what if we could push through those low moments and use them as an opportunity for growth? What if...

The mental side of the game is a skill and can be learned and practiced just like any other aspect of softball, soccer, volleyball, or any other competitive sport. Coach Jennifer Siess Gansner believes that when we define our experience, we can know it, name it, own it, and change it. 

As the founder of Mine to Define coaching, Coach Jenn helps competitive, athletic girls take charge of their performance, break down defining moments, create personalized strategies, and level up to win at sports and in life.

What We Talked About:

 What is the Mine to Define Framework?

We're born with some gifts, but we all have the ability to improve anything we want to with practice and work. The framework includes three pillars: Optimum Ownership, Growth Mindset, and Courageous Confidence.

What is Courageous Confidence?

It's having the courage to believe in yourself when you don't know what the outcome's going to be. 

Can you share an example of how this might work with a...

Amy Deland knows first hand that it’s not easy to tackle health issues alone, and that navigating the vast world of health and wellness can feel overwhelming. Health issues have run in her family for generations, and she has witnessed how a lack of support and resources can prolong issues to the point of devastating consequences.

Because of her personal experience and perspective, she wakes up every day passionate about creating opportunities for people to create their best life by accessing proper support and resources.

We talked about why resilience is so important, especially as we face continued challenges due to the pandemic:

Amy: On top of some of the things that we're facing globally, like environmental change, there's the need to be resilient and the need to be able to care for ourselves is paramount--not just how we show up in our own lives,  in our family's lives or our community's lives, or the people we work with, but also as a society to equip...

As athletes, we are always pushing our bodies to the limit, trying to see what we are capable of. To compete at the highest levels, it's important to have help with your mindset. You saw a lot of examples of this if you listened to my interviews with Deena Kastor, Nick Symmonds, and Katherine Switzer. In this interview with Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW for the Power Up Your Performance Podcast, we talked about mental skills training and how what we learn as athletes can transfer to all the areas of our lives.

Lisa has 21 years experience as a therapist, but started working with athletes over the last two years because her 14 year old daughter began playing softball. In that process, the culture of competition was reintroduced to her. Lisa was a competitive soccer player growing up, so her own identity as an athlete was reignited.

She saw the intensity, the pressure, and the responsibility of being an athlete at a competitive level at such a young age and recalled her own...

To wrap up the Booties and Burpees December challenge, I wrote a "see you later" email to the participants. I felt a little like Jerry Maguire writing his manifesto while doing it. (And now I really want to watch that movie again! Maybe over the holiday weekend while we sit around in our Christmas jammies?)

Here is an excerpt from the mini manifesto I wrote for my Booties and Burpees challengers:

In 2018, I want to help more people learn to think like champions. You don't need to be an elite athlete to benefit from this mentality. In fact, this has nothing to do with actual athletic ability. Thinking like a champion is a way of life, a way of thinking and behaving that leads to success. Champions believe in themselves, support those around them, and put their hearts into whatever they choose to pursue. 

The January Challenge is called "What's Your Word?" and it's the kick off for introducing this idea to my Power of Run page and social media channels (@powerofrun on Twitter,...

No matter who you are, or what your goal, you don't need to be an elite athlete to benefit from approaching life like a champion.

So you want to:

get in shape / lose weight / launch a new business / build a career / get cast on Broadway / just get through  your junior year of high school / excel at a new sport / save money for your dream vacation / pay cash for your dream retirement home ....

Whatever it is, we all have that thing we want to achieve or do. All too often, we are the ones standing in the way of our own success.  Without knowing it, we sabotage ourselves with thinking and habits that do not support our goals. 

Ten Ways to Stop Sabotaging Your Success:

1. Stop expecting immediate results. Understand everything is a process. Take the pressure off yourself, and instead, focus on being consistent. Focused, consistent effort over time will pay off.
   
   
2. Stop saying, "I can't..." Eliminate the phrase from your vocabulary. Tell yourself, "Yes, I can!" I can stick...