Welcome to The Lindsey Anderson Show! In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of the most crucial skills every entrepreneur needs: mindset. Whether you’re running a business, managing a sports team, or navigating personal challenges, how you perceive yourself and handle pressure is key to your success. Entrepreneurship, like sports, is full of ups and downs, setbacks, and obstacles. But success isn’t about avoiding these challenges—it’s about learning how to navigate them with resilience.
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Haley Perlus, a sports psychologist who works with elite athletes to help them develop mental toughness. Dr. Perlus shares proven strategies for training your brain, pushing through fear, overcoming self-doubt, and thriving under pressure.
Guest Introduction:
Today, I’m so excited to welcome Dr. Haley Perlus, a sports psychologist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. Dr. Perlus has worked with elite athletes, business leaders, and high achievers, helping them develop the mental toughness they need to perform at their peak. With a background as both an athlete and a psychologist, Dr. Perlus blends science-backed strategies with real-world experience to help people master their mindset and perform under pressure. In this episode, Dr. Perlus shares her insights on building resilience, overcoming mental blocks, and performing at your best when it really counts.
Train Your Brain for Business Success:
- Mindset and Mental Toughness Are Key: Whether you’re an athlete or entrepreneur, how you handle pressure and setbacks is crucial to success. Mental toughness is a skill that we can all develop with practice.
- Embrace Stress: Stress and pressure are inevitable, but learning to embrace and manage them will unlock your true potential. Mental toughness isn’t about avoiding pressure—it’s about performing under it.
- Focus on Your Strengths: When you face challenges, lean into your strengths. Knowing what you’re good at helps you move through tough situations with resilience.
- Reframe Your Thoughts: Negative self-talk and limiting beliefs can hold you back. Challenge those thoughts by asking, “Is this 100% true?” Reframing your mindset helps shift your perspective and gives you a more productive outlook.
- Mindset Is a Skill: Confidence, concentration, motivation, and anxiety control are all skills that need practice. The more you work on them, the more mentally tough you’ll become.
- AI and Mental Training: While AI is changing mental performance, human connection and authenticity still hold the edge when it comes to building real resilience.
The Challenges Entrepreneurs Face:
As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves stuck in a mental rollercoaster, facing high-pressure situations and emotional ups and downs. The biggest challenge is staying resilient through setbacks. Mental toughness helps you keep going, even when things don’t go according to plan. It’s not about avoiding failure; it’s about learning how to bounce back and keep moving forward.
Key Quotes:
- “Mindset is a skill we have to develop—just like any physical skill.”
- “The pressure will never feel lighter. You’re always striving for what’s next, and that’s what drives us to perform.”
- “Every setback is a test. When you learn to fail forward faster, you get closer to building the business of your dreams.”
- “The greatest performers are not the ones who are perfect, but the ones who recover the best.”
- “You can’t always control the thoughts in your head, but you can control how you respond to them.”
The Importance of Slowing Down:
Dr. Perlus emphasizes that slowing down is crucial for building resilience. When stress or change hits, we often react in a frenzy, which can negatively affect decision-making. As a leader, your energy influences your team. Taking a moment to breathe, reflect, and approach challenges with intention is key to maintaining mental toughness and making better decisions.
Actionable Steps for Entrepreneurs:
- Acknowledge the “freak-out” phase: It’s normal and part of the process. Recognise your emotions but don’t let them control you. Feel it, then move through it.
- Reframe your thinking: Ask yourself, “Is this thought 100% true?” Challenge negative beliefs and shift your mindset.
- Overcome obstacles: Use your strengths to move past challenges. Every obstacle is an opportunity to build mental toughness.
- Embrace growth: Understand that facing adversity helps you grow stronger and more resilient.
- Own your resilience: After facing challenges, embrace your newfound confidence and mental strength.
Resources Mentioned:
- Dr. Perlus’ website: https://drhaleyperlus.com (get Free weekly Mental Toughness Moments there)
- Follow Dr. Perlus on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drhaleyperlus
- Connect with Dr. Perlus on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-haley-perlus
- Book your free Social Media Strategy Session at https://www.lindseya.com/apply
- Join my upcoming free LIVE workshop: https://www.lindseya.com/workshop
