Cowgirl UP

Laurie wraps up Veterans Day week with a recap of lessons from Admiral William McRaven, Andy Stumpf, Jocko Willink, and David Goggins, plus one more reminder from those who serve: nobody stays on mission alone.    Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 101. Short, powerful episodes drop Monday through Friday...

Resilience isn't something we're born with. It's a muscle we build by stepping into discomfort on purpose. Laurie shares the story of former Navy SEAL David Goggins, his Accountability Mirror, and how choosing hard things turns setbacks from verdicts into data points.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game...

On Veterans Day, Laurie shares the one-word response former Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink uses for every setback: "Good." It isn't pretending the problem isn't real. It's choosing to look for what we can do with it, and it's one of the fastest ways to quiet the inner critic.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at M...

When everything feels overwhelming, stop looking at the whole mountain. Laurie shares how retired Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf uses "chunking" to break huge challenges into the next manageable step, how SEAL candidates survive Hell Week one meal at a time, and the one question to ask yourself the next time your to-do list feels impossible.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Lauri...

Motivation fades, but systems survive. Laurie kicks off Veterans Day week with mindset lessons from those who serve, starting with Admiral William McRaven's famous advice to start by making your bed, and why discipline beats waiting until we feel like it. Plus this week's power statement: I stay on mission, one play at a time.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blic...

Episode 200 is here! Laurie wraps up Fall Back Week with a recap of rest, sleep, energy, and rest without guilt, a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has listened along the way, and a free gift: every power statement from the first 40 weeks in one printable download. Plus the power statement sendoff, said twice: I recharge so I can rise.   Get your free 40 Weeks of Power Statements download HERE...

That "you're being lazy" voice? It's the inner critic. Laurie shares research showing people who see free time as wasteful enjoy it less and report more stress, why the off-season is root time instead of lost time, and how to use the ACT strategy to rest without guilt.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game...

Collapsing on the couch and scrolling isn't always rest. Laurie breaks down our four energy tanks (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), why a low tank makes the inner critic louder, and how to pick the kind of rest that actually refills the tank that's empty.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 1...

After a short night, everything feels harder, and science explains why. Laurie shares research showing sleep loss makes the brain's emotional alarm center more than 60% more reactive, a Stanford study on sleep and athletic performance, and how to use the ACT strategy when it's our tired brain talking.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental...

Laurie kicks off Fall Back Week with an NIH study showing our brains replay a new skill about 20 times faster during short rest breaks, and why what we believe about rest decides whether we actually take it. Plus this week's power statement: I recharge so I can rise.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 1...

What if we stopped trying to fix every negative thought and just got good at catching one? In this Friday wrap-up, Laurie recaps all ten types of ANTs from Week 39, reminds us why recognizing a thought is the first step, and gives us a simple practice: pick the ANT that shows up most, catch it every time, then add another. She closes with this week's power statement sendoff and a peek at next week...

Personalization says it's all our fault. Blaming says it's all theirs. Guilt-tripping says we should be doing better. In this episode, Laurie covers the last three ANTs of the week, why personalization and blaming both skip the middle, and a simple word swap that takes the weight off our shoulders.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Pe...

We can't read minds, but we sure try. In this episode, Laurie unpacks mind reading and unfair comparisons, two ANTs that revolve around other people. She shares a question to ask when we're guessing what someone thinks, why comparing ourselves to people with a different starting line is never a fair fight, and how to bring the measuring stick back to our own lane. Plus, this week's power statement...

Fortune-telling and catastrophizing are two ANTs that predict the worst before anything has even happened. In this episode, Laurie explains the difference between planning and fortune-telling, shares the thought that popped into her head at the World Series finale, and gives us a two-second question to check our predictions.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blicke...

When we can name the kind of negative thought we're having, "there's something wrong with me" becomes "oh, that's one of those." In this episode, Laurie kicks off Week 39 with the first three of ten types of ANTs: negative focus, always and never thinking, and labeling. She also introduces this week's power statement: I notice my thoughts without judging them.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset eleva...

Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself after a setback? In this Friday wrap-up, Laurie recaps Week 38, shares exactly how she talks to herself after a miss, and shows how self-compassion is a plan, not a pass. She closes with this week's power statement sendoff and a teaser for next week.   Get your 'I Am an Overcomer' worksheet HERE!      Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation p...

Do you believe that needing help means you're not good enough? In this episode, Laurie shares how she relied on others to get started in team roping, why Rory McIlroy had to get over reaching out too, and how to ask for help in a way that's easy to say yes to.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 101. Sho...

Two people can face the same obstacle and walk away with completely different stories. In this episode, Laurie shares how Joseph's story in Genesis and Romans 8:28 reshaped her view of hard things, and how a stressful job she once saw as an obstacle turned out to be part of the plan. She closes with this week's power statement sendoff.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by La...

What keeps us going when the obstacle doesn't move? In this episode, Laurie shares the why behind her years of practice, and how a clear purpose turns an obstacle into the price of admission. She also points listeners back to Week 15 for a deeper dive on purpose.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 101....

We all have something to overcome. In this episode, Laurie kicks off Week 38 with her own team roping story, from no arena and no partners to deciding she would be the best she could be with what she had. She shows how identity shapes how we face obstacles and introduces this week's power statement: I am an overcomer.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff,...

What if our negative thoughts aren't verdicts, but data? In this Friday wrap-up, Laurie recaps Week 37 and shows how to treat ANTs as information by asking where they come from, when they show up, and what they're trying to protect.    Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 101. Short, powerful episodes drop...

Who are you comparing yourself to right now? In this episode, Laurie swaps "everything comes easy for her " for "what can I learn from her?" and shows how curiosity turns a competitor, or even a critic, into a teacher. She also shares why curious people tend to build closer connections.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Co...

What if we stopped trying to get rid of our nerves and started getting curious about them? In this episode, Laurie shares a strategy from psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Dr. Judson Brewer, that uses curiosity to break the typical anxiety loop.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Certified Mental Performance Coach at Mental Game 101. Short, powerful epi...

What do you ask yourself after a run that didn't go as planned? In this episode, Laurie shows how the inner critic's "why" questions keep us spinning while the inner champion's "what" questions move us forward. She shares three questions for analyzing any performance and brings back last week's "park it" strategy.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast hosted by Laurie Blickenstaff, Cer...

What if the secret to learning faster is asking better questions? In this episode, Laurie kicks off Week 37 with the Ted Lasso darts scene and the idea that judgment shuts learning down while curiosity opens it up. She shows how to turn one self-judgment into a question and introduces this week's power statement: I choose curiosity over judgment.   Cowgirl Up is a daily mindset elevation podcast h...