I had the great honor of hosting Dr. Gio Valiante for a conversation that had me thinking from the moment he started talking. Something about the way Dr. Gio explains things makes me feel like golf is on the one hand deep and rich and complex, but on the other hand incredibly simple and fundamental to who we are as humans. His grasp of human psychology is aspirational, so it's no wonder he's been a pillar of the golf psychology arena for decades.

I know you'll enjoy this episode, and I'm confident you will leave this episode with a deeper understanding of your golf game as well as yourself and why you do what you do on and off the course.

Topics:

• Is Fear the Root of Most Mental Game Problems in Golf?

• Fear, Flow, and the Full Spectrum of Golf Psychology

• What Fear Does to Skill, Decision-Making, and Performance

• Why Golf Creates Fear: Social Judgment and the Human Brain

• Mastery Orientation vs. Ego Orientation in Golf

• How Golf Shifts from Love of the Game to Results and Approval

• Embarrassment, Shame, and the Conditioning of Fearful Golf

• Why Ego-Driven Golf Makes Flow States Unlikely

• What It Means to Compete in Golf—and Who You’re Really Competing Against

• Playing the Golf Course: Targets, Process, and Task Focus

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Dr. Gio Valiante's books on Amazon:

Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

Golf Flow: Master your mind, Master the course

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📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement.

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🏋️‍♂️ Get the Free MVP Golf Workout from Nerd Fitness here!

📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

👨🏻‍🏫 Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

🏌️‍♂️ Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

⛳️ PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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🏋️‍♂️ Get the Free MVP Golf Workout from Nerd Fitness here!

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I worked with Matt Myers at Nerd Fitness for the entirety of 2025 as my personal trainer. But far beyond building workout plans and keeping me accountable to nutrition goals, he was a partner on a journey. I know for a fact I would be so far off course from where I started 2025 had I been trying to go it alone. I can say without exaggeration that Nerd Fitness has changed my life.

Matt and I want to do quarterly updates through 2026, so this is Q1 2026 Update.

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📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement.

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📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

👨🏻‍🏫 Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

🏌️‍♂️ Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

⛳️ PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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I've done a goal-setting episode at the end of every year for the past 6 years, but I don't think I've ever done a review of the year that just ended. This episode will show you a simple, proven way to review your year (or your day or your round of golf) that you can and should use. And I of course set some golf and podcast goals for 2026, which I think can help you do the same.

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📊 FREE Mental Game Assessment: joshnicholsgolf.com/assessment - identify your mental strengths and areas for mental game improvement.

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🏋️‍♂️ Nerd Fitness: Head to nerdfitness.com, and when (not if) you go through onboarding just mention Josh at The Mental Golf Show sent you.

📧 The Mental Re-Grip Newsletter: Sign up for weekly mental game tips at joshnicholsgolf.com/newsletter.

👨🏻‍🏫 Josh Nichols Golf (1-on-1 Mental Coaching): Email josh@joshnicholsgolf.com or visit joshnicholsgolf.com for sessions.

🏌️‍♂️ Divot Board: Get 10% off at divotboard.com/mentalgolfshow using code 'MentalGolf10'.

⛳️ PutterCup: Get 15% off your PutterCup order by going to puttercupgolf.com/mentalgolfshow and signing up for the PutterCup newsletter.

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