Overcoming The Top-10 Mental Obstacles In Sport - https://go.sportmind.io/Mastery
The SportMind Portal - https://go.sportmind.io/Portal
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Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Welcome to the next episode of the podcast series. Today, I’m joined by Kai Laird.
If you’ve felt the joy drain out of your sport—burnout creeping in, pressure piling up, and that sense you’re chasing someone else’s scoreboard—this conversation will help you fall back in love with the game while actually performing better. Kai grew up in Trinidad & Tobago, now based in Richmond, Virginia, with a background across swimming, hockey, football, and more. He coached youth soccer for over a decade, then trained as both a certified mental performance consultant and a licensed counselor—a rare blend that lets him support athletes on the field and as humans off it.
We get practical fast. Kai walks through how to shift from white-knuckling results to building an internal scoreboard you can win every day. He shows how to spot the early signs of burnout and bring fun back as a performance tool—not a luxury. We break down simple resets under pressure (including breathwork that actually changes your state), a tidy notice–name–neutralize loop for awareness, and a fresh way to use self-talk—swapping the inner Hulk and the anxious Scientist for the Best Friend who keeps you in the moment. We also get into resilience as something you build—via perspective, motivation, and confidence—plus Kai’s “future self” lens and the idea of moving toward your North Star with consistent eights and nines, not just chasing perfect tens.
It’s grounded, it’s actionable, and it’s the kind of mindset work that scales—whether you’re a junior, a college athlete, a coach, or a parent. All the links are in the show notes. Let’s dive in—here’s my conversation with Kai Laird.
Website - https://theperformancepursuitconsulting.com/kaimarelaird-bio
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-laird/
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