Mental Sweet Spot

Signed & Ready

Sports EN ↓ 172 episodes

Signed & Ready is the go-to podcast for college-bound athletes and their families navigating the recruiting process—and preparing to thrive once they get there. Hosted by Alicia Smith, head coach, recruiting mentor, and mental performance expert, this show pulls back the curtain on what really moves the needle in college recruiting: leadership, composure, and confidence under pressure. If you're a parent wondering how to support your athlete without overstepping—or an athlete who wants to feel ready, not just look ready—you're in the right place. Each episode delivers practical strategies, rea...

Author

Mental Sweet Spot

Category

Sports

Podcast website

www.mentalsweetspot.com

Latest episode

Dec 30, 2025

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Get Your Team To Compete Every Day -- w/ Author, Speaker & former baseball player, Jake Thompson 31.08.2020

What will it take to get your girls to COMPETE? Jake Thompson of Compete Every Day has an idea! First of all, thank you for your patience with this episode release. Been all-consumed by our Bootcamp, but now I'm back! And man do I have a great guest for you today :) We often hear from coaches how frustrating it can be that this generation just doesn't seem to COMPETE. But is it really just the way...

Creating A Culture That Feels Home-Made -- w/ University of Alabama's Patrick Murphy 17.08.2020

You're probably noticing a trend in coaching... Coaching the PERSON before the PLAYER It might be a little intimidating at first. Your reaction may even be like mine was: "I just wanna coach softball!" But then when you step back and realize why you're doing this... To help develop strong young women on & off the field To teach them life lessons through softball To make a difference Then you r...

What Does A Gold Medal Mindset Look Like? -- w/ 2-time Olympian, Gold medalist & National Champion for UCLA, Natasha Watley 10.08.2020

Tips from one of softball's GOATs: Natasha Watley! Your players may not know today's guest as well as I do because she played before the softball on TV boom... But they SHOULD!  She's the type of person you  want  your athletes to emulate. She's Hard-working and committed to getting her job done - even when it's hard! Great at staying focused on the present and the task at hand Conf...

How To Take Your Team To The Next Level 03.08.2020

In this episode, we share an overview of Alicia's Team Bootcamp! Sweet Spotters have big aspirations for their teams. They usually revolve around working on 3 main things: Getting (and keeping) our girls motivated Holding them accountable for the work it takes Building their confidence in their ability to execute This is where the momentum seems to slow for most people. We have great intentions an...

Progress Faster With A United Team -- w/ Emerging powerhouse, University of Illinois' Head Coach, Tyra Perry 27.07.2020

One superpower I think we have in the sports world is the ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together for a common purpose. That skill is why I'm proud to be a part of the softball community. We are one of the most inclusive groups I've ever seen, and I hope to continue that trend. Because if we don't, we could miss out on amazing softball minds like today's guest! Listen in as she sh...

Getting Your Team Play to Their Potential -- w/ Kent State Head Coach Eric Oakley 20.07.2020

Regardless of who's in the other dugout I'm willing to bet you've been here before... You have a strong team that's experienced success before, but now... They're falling short of expectations Nobody is really sure what the issue is, and You're starting to wonder if you can get out of the rut Fortunately - we all know that last one is just frustration. Of COURSE we can get out of the rut! It...

How To Build Female Athletes' Confidence -- w/ Girl Mindset Mentor and former DI Northwestern Standout, Paige Tonz 13.07.2020

Do you have that player (or players) who Is super hard on herself Doesn't handle failure well Feels really bad when she makes mistakes I'm pretty sure we all have! That's exactly what Paige Tonz helps players overcome in her programs for female athletes :)

Real-Life Experiences In The Coach Bootcamp 02.07.2020

In this episode, two of our former bootcampers share what they got out of our 5-day bootcamp and how they're now using their Dream Team Blueprint. Want to create your own blueprint for your dream team culture in this coaches clinic meets coaching mastermind? Head to our site to join our next bootcamp!

Get Your Girls To See The Importance Of The Mental Game 29.06.2020

Wish your girls would understand how IMPORTANT the mental game is? We've come up with a simple process to do so! If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you  know  how important the mental game is.  Unfortunately, that doesn't guarantee that your players will get it right away too. Today, we're sharing our new process for getting your girls to see first-hand how impactful a st...

How To Build And Sustain A Championship Culture -- w/ Michigan's Hutch & Bonnie Tholl 22.06.2020

Do you ever feel like the coaches who've made it to the highest level are in a league of their own? You're not really wrong. The best of the best have worked their butt off to get there and they've put a lot of hard lessons to good use to stay there. But they're not so different from the rest of us! Take Hutch & Bonnie Tholl of Michigan... Are they softball rockstars? Absolutely. Are they coac...

Building A Program That Fits Your Personality -- w/ Longwood Head Coach & "Next softball coaching star," Dr. Megan Brown 15.06.2020

Your culture won't work If you're not being true to yourself Most of us want to be authentic, but it's not always that easy, right? » Second-guessing if we're doing all we can for our girls » Constantly looking for ways to improve, sometimes forgetting the strengths we already have » Falling back on trying to be like the coaches we had or look up to It's all well-meaning, but it's not going to get...

Get Your Girls to OWN It -- w/ Michigan pitching standout & Central Michigan pitching coach, Sara Driesenga 08.06.2020

Have you ever wondered how some teams just seem more bought in? That magical team that seems to play for each other and put the team first? Well today's guest shares some practical tips on HOW to cultivate that type of culture! From star pitcher and national runner-up at Michigan to full-time pitching coach, Sara Driesenga is about to bring you a great episode in developing ownership within your p...

Mastering The Little Things For Big Success -- w/ Director of Coaching for 5Tool Softball in Florida, Amy O'Brien 25.05.2020

Mental training can feel like a big topic - there's so much to cover! From confidence to competitiveness, courage to composure... It can quickly become overwhelming trying to figure out what to cover first. If you've ever felt lost on where to start, today's guest shares some GREAT ideas that are simple, usable with any age, and wildly impactful!

Getting Rid Of Cliques & Team Drama -- w/ High school counselor and team consultant Jessica Nelson 18.05.2020

Team cohesion is one of the things every team needs, but it's not so easy to come by. Maybe you can take a page out of one of our former guests' books and bring in a ringer! Today's guest is the school counselor at Waskom High School. Sound familiar? It's where former guest Iyhia MacMichael works! This is a great example of making use of the resources you have access to and getting creative in ord...

Insider Tips For Building A Winning Culture -- With National Champion, Florida State's Head Coach, Lonni Alameda 04.05.2020

In this episode we take a closer look at Coach Alameda and her Florida State team - one of the most successful and CONSISTENT programs in the nation. They have classroom time once a week, they focus on tracking "one more," they take advantage of opportunities the game presents. She even says, "[The mental game] is the next factor of being successful. If you live it and work on the skillsets mental...

Supporting Your Players AND Pushing Them -- w/ former Ball State Head Coach turned Texas Assistant, Megan Bartlett 28.04.2020

  If there's one thing we know about kids these days... It's that they need to know you care about them! You've heard this before about this generation, right? They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care? Creating a team culture that feels like family isn't just about love and hugs though. It's about - Setting a high standard, - Holding them accountable, and then - Hav...

Coaching Is Who We Are -- w/ Mississippi State Standout, softball and life coach, Dr. Iyhia McMichael 20.04.2020

We make an impact regardless of the situation. Even during COVID! It was a ROUGH spring for coaches. We miss our girls, we're having to adjust to being off the field for the first time in  forever , and all we want is to get back to what we love! » Watching our girls' hard work pay off on the field » Seeing the look on their face as they have that aha moment » Going home exhausted but happy a...

How To Build Your Dream Team Part 2 05.04.2020

In this episode we share more details on the actionable Culture Bootcamp Almost every coach who has joined our group has said they want to build a united culture but haven't focused on it as much as they'd like. They've simply been busy with a million other things. That is the main focus of our Coach Bootcamp - to create an easy-to-follow culture blueprint that you can implement all year long!

How To Build Your Dream Team Part 1 30.03.2020

Today we share our process for building the team culture you've always wanted. In 7 simple but impactful steps, you can:  » Revolutionize the way you develop the whole person in every practice » Have a purpose for each and every practice » Make an even bigger impact on your girls - even if we can't meet in person!

Making A Difference When You Can't Get On The Field Part 2 23.03.2020

(This episode was released when everything was first shut down from COVID, but it applies to any time we're kept from the field) This has been a grief process as we deal with the loss of so many things we're used to doing and enjoying. Hopefully you're starting to come out of that low feeling, to the other side of loss, realizing - We have a unique opportunity to spend more time on intangibles - T...

Making A Difference When You Can't Get On The Field Part 1 16.03.2020

(This episode was originally released when softball & the country was shut down by COVID, but it applies to any time we can't be on the field where we'd prefer to be!) --- We have to prepare our girls for any challenge that comes our way. But now most of us our wondering... How could we have we prepared them for this? Much of what is happening now with battle against the spread of Coronavirus...

How To Make Winning Fun -- w/ Pitching Coach to An NCAA DIII Pitcher Of The Year, Nikki Miller 09.03.2020

This game should be fun, right? And what's more fun than performing our best and winning!   Many coaches, players and teams struggle to balance having fun and being competitive. It sometimes seems like you can't have both, but today's episode shows that's not the case. You can have fun competing You can have fun stretching past your comfort zone You can have fun because you've put in the work...

Helping Your Girls Be Where Their Feet Are -- w/ Central Michigan University Head Coach McCall Salmon 02.03.2020

How can we help our players BE WHERE THEIR FEET ARE? Because we get so little time with them, we can't waste any! Admit it. You've complained about this before.  "They're just not checked in." "I need them to focus now." "Those damn phones!"   We ALL have! Because it's frustrating when we feel like we have so little time with them and it's being wasted.  So what in the heck can we d...

How to Improve Player Commitment -- w/ Wisconsin-Eau Claire Head Coach & Founder of More Than A Game Performance, Leslie Huntington 24.02.2020

Today we discuss how to improve player commitment. From daily distractions like weather and bugs to the sucky stuff like losing... a lot. Because let's face it. We're all guilty of losing that motivation mid-season! No matter how strong we start, there are going to be challenges that make us want to pull back. The trick is how to catch yourself in the moment, readjust, and get back at it. That's w...

How to Get Players to Buy In -- w/ University of Oregon Head Coach, Melyssa Lombardi 17.02.2020

Get players to buy in. That's one of our biggest goals, right? But it's trickier than it seems, because you can't force anyone to buy in to anything. They have to want it themselves. So how to do you get a team of 11-25+ young women to all buy in to one team goal? That's what we discuss today with the Oregon Ducks head coach Melyssa Lombardi! From team building to building relationships, today's e...

Listen to the Signed & Ready podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.