Episode 57: Mind Of A Champion with Trisha Kroll - Co-Owner/Director of Coaching and Mental Toughness

Trisha Kroll, and her husband Alan, own and run “The Difference Maker”, a faith and character based, non-profit organization. Their mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of athletes by training, equipping, and inspiring them, both in sports and life. The principles she follows to train her athletes can be applied to anyone, especially those striving to be fit and healthy.

After playing division one volleyball at the University of Kansas and coaching for almost 20 years, Trisha knows that the mental part of the game is crucial to an athlete's success. It has become her passion to share with athletes what she wishes she would have known as a young competitor. She has learned from some of the best minds in the field of Sport Psychology, has done workshops throughout Colorado and has worked with teams and athletes in a variety of different sports. She is a Positive Performance Mindset Certification Coach and a Visualization Specialist.

Whether you are an elite athlete or a stay-at-home-mom, the playing field is the same. It is the 6-inch space between your ears. To be the best version of yourself you need to not only train physically but mentally as well.

Some key points from the interview

Reframe failure - It’s not what happens but how you remember it. People tend to only see and remember the negative aspects of a game. They think they failed, so their fixed mindset means any growth is stunted. By pointing out the positive aspects that they are overlooking, you can help to reframe their thoughts. Having a growth mindset means exploring what went right over the whole game, as well as areas for growth. Anything that can be worked on can become better.

Mistake rituals - Anticipate failure, plan for it and reframe it, producing growth.

Looking at other people’s Facebook and Instagram feeds can give us unrealistic expectations of perfection. In reality we know there will be failures in every aspect of life. Failure is not bad. It shows us an area we need to work on. If we anticipate failure, we can plan for it, reframe it and learn from it.

When you experience a failure, breathe, say your reset word, and do your reset motion. Our self-talk affects the actions we take afterwards. If we talk bad to our self, we will shut down. If we tell our self positive thoughts, we will bounce back with confidence and move forward.

BRAVe pre-routine: Breath in, Reset, Breath out and Release negative thoughts, Affirm and Visualize. Make an affirmation statement defining attributes you have or would like to have. This is my identity so what should I do next?

Success log – acknowledging your success is empowering. People who struggle with mental toughness have three negative thoughts to every positive thought. The best athletes have the opposite, three positive thoughts to every one negative. Having athletes (or anyone else) tell you three positive things about what they did or how they played helps them have a “growth mindset” so that they feel successful and think about what they can do better next time, not what they did wrong.

Path of Mastery. Work at something; work, work, fail, recover, reframe, get better at it, repeat.

A “fixed mindset” says, I have all the ability I will ever have, so, if I fail, I am a failure. “Growth mindset” says, I can get better at anything I work at. So, if I fail, it highlights something I need to work on. Instead of fearing failure, embrace it, as it shows you what to work on next, to get better.

Living by principles vs living by circumstance