In this episode of Set Your Mind, we explore the Red Brain–Blue Brain model popularized by Sir Graham Henry of the New Zealand All Blacks—and why it’s not the full story. Learn why the best performers don’t just escape emotion but integrate it with intention, creating what I call Purple Brain: the ability to feel, think, and act with focus under pressure.

Discover practical strategies to notice your emotions, breathe, merge thinking and feeling, and stay present when it matters most—whether it’s a four-foot putt, a penalty shot, or a crucial free throw.

Mindset isn’t something you have; it’s something you set.

*Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records

Mindset is something we hear about constantly in sport and performance—and it’s often misunderstood. It’s treated as something you either have or you don’t, a fixed quality that defines success.

In this opening episode, I introduce Set Your Mind and share a simple but powerful reframe: mindset isn’t something you possess, it’s something you practice. Drawing on research from Stanford psychologist Dr. Alia Crum, I explore mindset as the “settings of the mind”—beliefs shaped over time that influence how we think, feel, and perform under pressure.

Set Your Mind is a sport and performance psychology podcast focused on mental training, resilience, courage, and performing when it matters most. Each episode offers insight into how athletes, executives, and high performers can build mental skills that actually hold up under pressure.

If you want to improve performance, manage pressure, and train your mind with the same intention as your body, this is where it starts.