Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch!

Topic: Episode 9: Opening Day Mindset—Starting the Season Strong

Starting Strong: Setting the Right Mindset for a New Season

In this episode of Confident Common Clutch Car Ride Conversations, host Valerie Alston provides parents and young athletes with strategies to build mental toughness, resilience, and confidence as they begin a new sports season. She focuses on mental preparation, visualization techniques, setting effective goals, and managing expectations. Valerie also shares dialogue prompts for parents and athletes to discuss their goals and support each other in maintaining a balanced perspective. Join us to make your car rides more meaningful and strengthen relationships while fostering lifelong skills.

00:00 Introduction to Confident Car Ride Conversations

00:34 Opening Day Mindset: Starting the Season Strong

02:12 Mental Preparation and Visualization Techniques

06:26 Setting Effective Goals for the Season

10:33 Managing Early Season Expectations and Pressures

14:41 Dialogue Prompts for Parents and Athletes

18:04 Conclusion and Additional Resources

Discussion questions:

1. Athlete: How do you mentally prepare for the excitement and nerves associated with the start of a new season?​ Follow-up: Can you share specific techniques that help you stay focused during high-pressure moments?​
2. Parent: Reflecting on your own experiences, how have you managed the anticipation of beginning a new project or phase in life?​Follow-up: What strategies did you use to set positive goals and handle early expectations?​
3. Together: Discuss the importance of setting both short-term and long-term goals at the start of a season. How can these goals influence performance and motivation?​ Follow-up: How can we support each other in maintaining a balanced perspective on expectations and pressures?

Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.

For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology

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Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch!

Topic: Episode 8: Switching Gears—Transitioning from Regular Season to Postseason

Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch!

Topic: Transitioning from Regular Season to Playoff Mindset

In episode 8 of Car Ride Conversations, the focus is on navigating the critical transition from regular season to postseason play in sports. With the arrival of March and the playoff seasons for sports like college basketball and hockey, athletes need to prepare not just physically and tactically, but also mentally. The episode highlights the need for maintaining perspective, embracing increased intensity without feeling overwhelmed, and sticking to pre-established routines. Inspirational stories from athletes like Olivia Miles and LJ Cryer, as well as practical advice for parents and athletes to handle high-pressure situations, are shared. The episode concludes with conversation prompts to encourage deeper discussions on mental preparation and routine maintenance during high-stakes games.

00:00 Introduction to Car Ride Conversations Episode 8

00:04 Transitioning from Regular Season to Post Season

01:12 Mental Shift and Focus in High-Stakes Games

02:23 Keeping Perspective: Lessons from Athletes

05:57 Embracing Pressure and Intensity

08:08 Maintaining Routines and Habits

09:54 Interactive Discussion Questions

12:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Discussion questions:

• Athlete: Reflecting on your season, how do you mentally prepare for the increased intensity of postseason games or tournament elimination games?
• Follow-up: What specific strategies have you found effective in staying focused under pressure?
• Parent: Can you share an experience where you faced heightened pressure in your endeavors? How did you manage to maintain consistency?
• Follow-up: What advice would you offer to help handle high-stakes situations?
• Together: Discuss how establishing pre-game routines can aid in managing postseason pressures. What routines could be beneficial to implement?
• Follow-up: How can we support each other in maintaining these routines and managing stress during high-pressure times?

Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.

For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology

Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here.

Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch!

Topic: Episode 7: How to Handle Conflict with Teammates or Coaches

In this episode of Confident Calm Clutch Car Ride Conversations, host Valerie Alston focuses on handling conflict with teammates and coaches, emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong relationships. Valerie discusses why conflict is normal and offers two actionable pieces of advice: pausing to reflect and cool down before responding, and using empathy and perspective-taking to understand others' points of view. She provides practical steps on using 'I statements' to communicate feelings without blame. Valerie also encourages families to discuss and brainstorm strategies for resolving conflicts more calmly and respectfully. The episode wraps up with thought-provoking questions for parents and young athletes to deepen their understanding and improve their conflict resolution skills.

00:00 Introduction to Confident Calm Clutch Car Ride Conversations

00:23 Understanding Conflict in Relationships

01:20 Why Conflict is Normal and How to Manage It

02:29 Actionable Advice: Pause, Reflect, Cool Down

06:10 Actionable Advice: Empathy and Perspective Taking

09:49 Discussion Questions for Athletes and Parents

11:55 Conclusion and Additional Resources

Discussion questions:

1. Athlete: Can you think of a time when you had a conflict with a teammate or coach? How did you handle it? Follow-up: What would you do differently next time?
2. Parent: Have you experienced a conflict in your own life that you resolved in a productive way? What did you learn from it? Follow-up: How can you share those lessons with your child?
3. Together: What are some strategies we can use as a family to address conflicts calmly and respectfully?
4. Together: How can understanding someone else’s perspective help you resolve conflicts in the future?

Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.

For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology

Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here.