The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon

Those of us who play multiple sports or venues with our dogs sometimes have issues getting clarity on our priorities - do I enter agility that weekend or run FastCat? Figuring out what to do next month likely goes back to what your wrote down for your goals at the beginning of the year. Let’s dig in! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com...

Sabotaging ourselves can take on a lot of different looks - from not eating well to telling ourselves a story that’s just not true. The thing is, we all self-sabotage once in a while, but that doesn’t make it any less bad - ha! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if you want more support, check out the Q-members...

Slumps suck. Also, slumps are something we define - we decide what is a slump or even that they exist. This episode is a lesson pulled from the Q-Membership archives and I thought it was a perfect topic for this episode! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if you want more support, check out the Q-membership! ht...

Unfortunately, trial and show environments can be a tad toxic at times. It seems that competition doesn’t always bring out the best in everyone! If you’re having trouble dealing with toxic comments, bullies, or worse, this is your episode. We need to start being the examples we want to see at trials! If you want more on this topic, here are some other episodes you might want to check out: #70 (bul...

While your experience with mantras may be “woo-woo,” I’m here to convince you that a good mantra can improve your confidence, quiet ring nerves, and replace negative self-talk. Yes, they are THAT powerful! I will unpack why you need a mantra (or two) as well as brainstorm a few that you could use this weekend! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymea...

Some handlers, if they’re being honest, don’t love the work. They’d rather skip practice and cut corners on preparation and just walk into the ring and Q. And while we can probably all relate. If our dog lives were a pie chart, less than 25% of our time would be spent in the ring. So that’s why falling in love with the work is so important! The good news is, the work pays off in Qs later :) Really...

Are you evaluating your runs against the stand of “perfect?” I get it, we are so very hard on ourselves and often take our performances - especially our mistakes - to heart. But holding “perfect” as your idea of success is going to kill your confidence and potentially make you question all sorts of things about your handling, most of which aren’t true! Let’s reframe what success means in the ring...

Happy New Year! This is a very special episode with guest Dee Montie about how we build connection with our dogs with our energy. Now before you think this is too “woo-woo” for you, consider the simple issue of “connection” with our dogs - what if there was a better way of getting that connection AND solving training issues? This is a powerful conversation that I urge you to listen to more than on...

First, I report-out on how my weekend went when I made FUN my process goal. Next, I share that I was glad I paused and chose my response to someone who inadvertently pushed my insecure button (yup, I have one!). I was super happy I had the “pause” tool in my kit! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if you want m...

One of the clear things that separates elite handlers from struggling ones is mindset, of course. Specifically, they have a growth mindset and believe that with effort, they can improve. Let’s all be more like elite handlers and adopt a growth mindset - I’ll show you how. Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if y...

We can gain a LOT of confidence and clarity by looking backward in the *right* way. This week I challenge you to give yourself a little credit for how far you’ve come and create a framework from which to improve in the next 90 days! The book I reference: The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Several formats are available, and there’s a workbook too. Really like this episode?...

In business, one of the most common cliches I hear is, “What does success look like?” It’s a fair question when approaching a project and it made me wonder about how that question applies to dog sports. Let’s try to answer that question for you, your dogs, your upcoming trial, and the year ahead. Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/the...

Performance anxiety. Ring nerves. Butterflies on steroids. No matter what you call it - or to what degree it happens to you - we all get a little nervous when we step to the line. But why? And how can we manage our nerves so they don’t get in the way? Glad you asked ;) Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if you...

It seems appropriate that we spend a little time talking about the power of gratitude in honor of Thanksgiving weekend. Gratitude is one of my favorite ways to lift myself out of a funk and science says it works so, there’s that! Plus I am super-grateful for all of you!!! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach Don't forget, if y...

Having trouble focusing, or remembering courses, or just generally staying present is a pretty common challenge among my clients. With so many things vying for our attention in any given minute, it’s no wonder we remember to bring our dog to the trial! Thankfully focus is a skill we build. Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach...

Sometimes we put too much pressure on a single run. Sound familiar? I call these runs “the precious” after the precious ring in the famous tome. Sometimes runs become precious because we don’t play that sport very often. Other times it’s because we only have a couple trials left to get a title. It comes down to the pressure we put on any given run and why. Let’s have a chat about it! Really like t...

We rely on our reward systems a whole bunch (treats, toys, etc.). Yet when we walk into the ring, it’s just us and our dogs. Is your relationship strong enough to see you through a tough moment in the ring? We tend to repeat our relationship style because it’s what we know - makes sense. Meanwhile we know that every relationship is unique. Let’s dive in! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a...

Do you remember the first time you walked into a ring to compete? Were you doing it for fun? Were you carefree or completely afraid? The thing is, we no longer feel that exact same way - we have a lot more experiences under us. What once terrified us, now is no big deal, yet we have new fears each time we level-up. Stress has it’s own evolution, but the good news is you’ve made a LOT of progress!...

A friend recently told me, “I’m not as competitive as I used to be,” and that got me thinking. Being competitive doesn’t (necessarily) mean you need to beat someone else, but it does ask what you’re willing to do to get what you want. Let’s dive in and discuss the ways we are competitive! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theqcoach D...

You know I love to visualize everything going perfectly. But that’s not always how things end up going (understatement!). The best handlers are able to see lots of possibilities and responses to things that might come up in the ring. Can you do that too? How flexible are you? It’s a skill we can all improve upon!! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.bu...

They say we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. While I’m still not sure about that, I do agree that we should be choosy about those in our inner circle - they should be rooting for us! We also have to make sure we have the right people around us to achieve our big goals. Let’s make sure we are doing just that! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of...

If you asked me a few months ago, I would have told you that yes, my dog shuts down in the ring. But I’ve had a bit of a “ah-ha!” moment and now I have a completely different perspective. Spoiler alert: the solution has a LOT to do with mindset and our perspective of the situation. Oh, and this shutting down problem? Yeah, it also happens to us - we just call it “freeze.” Really like this episode?...

I get it, sometimes it’s hard to motivate to practice. Heck, even I need group classes to hold myself accountable! And sometimes the reason we don’t work on certain skills is because we think we need our dogs to participate. But there are a least four ways you can work on YOUR skills even as you dog takes a nap. Listen up! Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https...

People seem to think that some just HAS or IS confident. Nope. They developed confidence over time and through a series of experiences. That means you can LEARN confidence! Yippee! One way we do that is by setting the right types of goals so that we are always building up instead of tearing down. Really like this episode? Say thanks with a coffee or slice of pizza! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/the...

Without question, one of the most common issues clients bring me is their self-talk. They will say it’s because they’re just hard on themselves, and that they just want to achieve their goals. I get it! All of us high-achieving handlers got stuff to do! But your negative self-talk is killing your confidence and therefore your progress. Let’s fix that with this lesson straight from the Membership l...