Why We Self-Sabotage (And What to Do Instead)

Feb. 8, 2018

Author, educator, and psychologist Simon Marshall, PhD, is back on the podcast today to discuss the profound impact of mindset on athletic performance.  He describes the driving forces behind self-sabotage and exercise addiction and actually sheds light on some of my own cognitive barriers to winning.  Simon’s brilliance truly lies in his ability to identify unseen barriers to performance and harness the power of the mind to maximize athletic potential.

I’m thrilled to announce that Simon will now be working with every athlete who joins the Elite Performance Program at Nourish Balance Thrive.  You can also find him at Braveheart Coaching where he and his world champion triathlete spouse Leslie Paterson specialize in training endurance athletes.  Also listen to Simon’s previous podcast: How to Create Behaviour Change.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Simon Marshall:

[00:03:01] Team S.H.I.T.

[00:04:36] Book: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion, by Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson (audible version here).

[00:07:38] My problems racing cross - settling for 3rd.

[00:11:51] Competitor versus participant mindset.

[00:13:14] Chimp vs professor brain.

[00:14:29] Rationalising throwing in the towel.

[00:15:43] Effort and attitude.

[00:16:45] Recognising the cues that lead to the participant mindset.

[00:18:50] Central governor theory, proposed by Tim Noakes.  Podcast: Professor Tim Noakes: True Hydration and the Power of Low-Carb, High-Fat Diets.

[00:20:48] Metering effort.

[00:21:19] Segmenting.

[00:24:01] Self-sabotage.

[00:28:05] Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck.

[00:30:36] Biology defines behaviour.

[00:31:52] Depression.

[00:32:50] Daniel Amen, Kelly Brogan. Podcast: Depression with Kelly Brogan.

[00:34:19] Exercise addiction.

[00:35:10] Disordered eating.

[00:38:06] The multi-faceted approach to increasing performance and healthspan.

[00:38:55] Finding purpose.

[00:39:24] Positive psychology.

[00:40:32] Book: Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.

[00:41:31] Psychologists: Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

[00:44:09] Book: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott.

[00:48:17] braveheartcoach.com