Let's Go Mental!

What if your athlete walks onto the field carrying a picture of the game you created for them? As parents, we see their ability, know their effort, and want opportunities for them. But sometimes our hopes become expectations, and what we intend as belief feels like a result they need to deliver. In this episode, I explore a different angle: noticing what we expect from our athletes and choosing wh...

What if the dream that keeps you moving forward becomes the anchor that holds you back? You work hard. You want to score, win, make the roster, and reach the next level. But somewhere along the way, “I want this” can become “This must happen”—and your ambition starts feeling like pressure. In this episode of Let’s Go Mental, Barbara offers a different angle on expectations: transform them into asp...

The medal is cool. A spot on the team is cool. But the choices that created them often aren’t. People admire disciplined athletes after the results appear. Before that, the same athletes may be called boring, too serious, or obsessed because they sleep early, eat differently, repeat the same exercises, or say no when everyone else says yes. In this episode, we look at discipline from a different a...

What if your child isn’t doubting themselves, until they hear your doubt? As parents, we often express our worries because we think we are helping our children reason, reflect, and prepare. But sometimes our questions introduce a doubt that wasn’t there before. “Are you sure you’re ready?” “What if the coach doesn’t play you?” “Do you really think you can make the team?” Our doubt usually comes fr...

What if doubt isn’t always the problem? What if it simply enters the wrong room at the wrong moment? Before a performance, doubt can help an athlete prepare. During the performance, the same doubt can create hesitation. The game keeps moving while the mind remains suspended between two possibilities. In this episode, we look at doubt from a different angle. The goal isn’t to eliminate it, but to g...

What if confidence wasn’t about feeling sure you can do something, but about trusting yourself enough to act even when you don’t feel sure? In this episode of Let’s Go Mental , we look at confidence from a different angle. Confidence is built through the beliefs you create about yourself and the evidence you collect through action . They all leave clues about who you are and who you are becoming....

We are constantly told, “Don’t compare yourself to others.” But what if comparison itself isn’t the problem? Athletes compare playing time, rankings, teams, opportunities, skills, results, college commitments — and social media gives us even more opportunities to look at what everyone else is doing. Comparison is natural. The difference is what you do with the information you collect. You can use...

One Mindset lesson from the FIFA World Cup 2026. Messi scored a hat-trick at 38 years old. Most people will talk about talent. I see a different lesson. The danger is not failure. The danger is becoming comfortable after success. Whether you're an athlete, a leader, or a professional, success can quietly convince you that what worked yesterday will automatically work tomorrow. It won't. Growth req...

One Mindset lesson from the FIFA World Cup 2026! Persistence vs Resistance. Sometimes the skill that changes the game is looking at things from a different angle. Where in your sport or life do you need to change perspective and find a different solution? Contact me if you want to know more on how to do it! B_cortella@yahoo.it

As another school year and sports season come to an end, most athletes immediately shift their attention to summer plans, camps, vacations, training sessions, and the next goal. But before moving forward, there is something powerful in taking a pause. Every season creates a loop. There is a beginning, a period of growth, challenge, learning, and performance, and then there is an ending. If we don'...

Celebrating my 50TH EPISODE with you! Thanks for We often look for the big moment: the win, the goal, the perfect game, the selection, the breakthrough. But what builds an athlete is not the big moment, it is what happens before it: the small repetitions, the invisible work, the habits, the recovery, the self-talk, the response after mistakes, and the way we keep showing up when the result is not...

Most people don’t realize they’re not thinking thoughts—they’re running beliefs. And those beliefs quietly shape everything: your performance, your confidence, your reactions, your identity, your limits. In this episode of Let’s Go Mental , Barbara breaks down how beliefs are formed, why they feel like truth, and how they can silently cap your potential in sport, school, and life. You’ll hear why...

This is a special episode and a collaboration with my daughter, Aurora. In the ?take your kids to work day' we built this episode together...maybe the beginning of a collaboration???? Breath is something we do automatically… but very few people actually know how to use it, or use it. In this episode, we explore Breathwork as a performance tool , not just a relaxation technique. Because breath is t...

When your child walks off the field after a tough game, you can often tell everything before they say a word. Shoulders drop. Head lowers. Movement changes. That’s not just emotion—it’s communication. In this episode of Let’s Go Mental , I break down one of the most overlooked performance tools in sport and life: body language . Because body language doesn’t just express how we feel… it actively s...

Over the last episodes, we explored several mindset concepts that intentionally start with the letter A : Awareness, Alignment, Attitude, Anticipation, Act, Accountability, and Adjust. Individually, these skills are powerful. Together, they form a practical mental toolkit that athletes and peak performers can use to navigate challenges, pressure, and growth. In this episode, I break down how combi...

Sometimes, the key to progress isn’t pushing harder—it’s adjusting smarter. In this episode we explore how small, intentional adjustments—both reactive and proactive—can transform your performance in sport and life. Learn how to: Recognize when your system needs tweaking. Make proactive adjustments before small issues become big setbacks. Train your mind to adapt quickly under pressure. Use reflec...

In this episode we dive into the single mindset pillar that makes all the others stick: accountability . Discover the three dimensions of accountability: Being accountable: owning your role and decisions. Staying accountable: showing up consistently, even when motivation fades. Allowing accountability: inviting a partner to reflect your commitment and keep your standards steady. Learn how accounta...

You can give 100%. You can be confident. You can even get good results. But if your goals, beliefs, and daily habits are pulling in different directions, performance will eventually feel heavy. In this episode, we explore alignment — the internal and relational harmony between what you want, what you believe, and what you consistently do. Alignment is not only an individual process. In youth sport...

Being Ready Beats Being Fast Some athletes always seem one step ahead. They’re already moving while others are still reacting. That’s not luck. That’s anticipation. In this episode, we explore anticipation not as expectation, but as a cognitive skill — the ability to predict, read, and respond before a situation fully unfolds. Anticipation is not magic. It’s presence in motion. We break down: The...

Awareness is just the start: real change happens when you act. In this episode, Barbara breaks down how acting is a trainable skill and how even small, deliberate actions can shift your energy, mindset, and performance. What You’ll Get: • How to move past overthinking and take effective action • Practical tips for athletes, parents, and anyone seeking growth • The ripple effect of tiny wins and mo...

In this episode we explore awareness as a mental state and a practical tool for processing information, navigating reality, and moving out of autopilot — in sport and in life. Awareness is the ability to notice what’s happening inside you and around you — thoughts, emotions, body signals, focus, environment — in real time. It’s like turning on a light: nothing magically disappears, but once you se...

Attitude is one of those words we use all the time — often in a negative way. “He has an attitude.” “She needs to change her attitude.” But what if attitude wasn’t a personality trait? What if it was a skill ? In this episode of Let’s Go Mental , we explore attitude as a controllable, trainable asset — something that shapes performance, relationships, and opportunities, both in sport and in life....

This episode is for athletes and parents who want to better understand pressure, fear, confidence, and how mindset is built every single day through language. We explore why words are never neutral — and how language shapes emotions, identity, and performance, especially in youth sports. 🎧 You’ll learn: Why the brain doesn’t just hear words — it responds to them The 3 things your brain does insta...

🎧 The One Word That Guides Your Season A Mental Reset for Athletes and Parents. What if this season didn’t need more goals…more resolutions…or more pressure? What if it only needed 'direction'? In this episode I invite athletes and parents to pause, reflect, and simplify. Instead of chasing motivation or adding more to your plate, you’ll explore the power of choosing one intentional word : a word...

🎧 Shownotes Behind every athlete, there’s a story no one sees — the thoughts, the doubts, the pressure. In this episode, we explore why mental training is essential for young athletes , and how parents and coaches can help build confidence, focus, and resilience — both in sport and in life. 👉 The goal isn’t to “fix” anything, but to train what’s invisible — emotions, awareness, and the ability t...