74. Dr. Brad Miller, Psy.D, Founder of Soccer Resilience

Hi and welcome to the Tales From the Trail podcast by Matchplay. In this episode I welcome Dr. Brad Miller, a licensed clinical psychologist, who has spent over 20 years helping youth and adult athletes grow their ability to control their performance anxiety and stress, to persevere and improve their overall sports performance. Brad played soccer at Wake Forest University and shares how his experience lead to him pursuing his profession and desire to help others. There’s a lot to learn from Dr. Miller from building mental resilience, importance of deep belly breathing as a tool for regulating emotions and staying focused. I hope you enjoy!

Summary

Brad Miller, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Soccer Resilience, shares his personal journey of dealing with performance anxiety in soccer and how it led him to help athletes overcome mental challenges. He explains how the brain is wired for negativity and offers strategies for managing emotions and building mental resilience. Miller emphasizes the importance of deep belly breathing as a tool for regulating emotions and staying focused. He also discusses the role of coaches in creating a supportive and resilient environment for players. In this conversation, Brad Miller discusses the importance of mental preparation and how to respond to challenges in sports. He emphasizes the need for proactive thinking and predicting potential obstacles to train the brain to execute under pressure. Brad also highlights the role of meditation in training the mind to stay present and focused. He suggests starting with short meditation sessions and gradually increasing the duration. Additionally, Brad addresses the issue of falling out of love with the game and offers strategies to reconnect with the passion for soccer, including finding purpose, shifting mindset, and maintaining balance in life.

Takeaways

Performance anxiety is a common challenge for athletes, but it can be managed with the right strategies.

The brain is wired for negativity, but deep belly breathing can help regulate emotions and improve focus.

Coaches play a crucial role in creating a supportive and resilient environment for players.

Predicting challenges and having a plan to respond well mentally can help athletes bounce back from setbacks. Proactive thinking and predicting potential obstacles can train the brain to execute under pressure.

Meditation is a powerful tool for training the mind to stay present and focused.

Start with short meditation sessions and gradually increase the duration.

To reconnect with the passion for the game, find purpose, shift mindset, and maintain balance in life.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

06:14 Understanding Performance Anxiety

16:32 Training to Manage Emotions

26:00 Breathing Techniques for Mental Preparation

32:23 Teaching Coaches to Handle Critical Moments

40:07 Mental Preparation and Responding to Challenges

44:09 Training for Resilience and Mental Toughness

46:57 Equipping Coaches and Players with Mental Tools

49:03 The Benefits of Meditation

53:51 Building Habits and Consistency in Meditation

58:15 Reigniting Passion and Finding Joy in the Game

01:06:05 The Importance of Balance and Identity