What is Confidence? Ep 2 | Pt. 2

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10/04/24 • 32 min

This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast:

Join Mat and special guest Kayla, a sports psychologist, as they explore the theory of confidence and offer practical strategies to improve it. Building on the foundation of their previous episode, Mat and Kayla dive deeper into how athletes and individuals can enhance their confidence through a mix of internal and external approaches.

In this episode, they break down key concepts like verbal persuasion, self-talk, and the importance of prioritizing what matters most to you. Mat and Kayla discuss how athletes can recognize that their needs are valid, and how learning to understand and meet those needs is crucial to boosting confidence.

They also explore the role of relationships in building confidence—who we choose to surround ourselves with, and who we listen to, has a significant impact on our self-belief. The discussion includes a fun exercise with Venn Diagrams, where Mat and Kayla illustrate how different areas of life intersect with confidence, offering listeners a visual tool to assess their own experiences.

Throughout the episode, they provide actionable strategies for increasing confidence, including how to challenge your inner critic and focus on the positive influences around you. Mat and Kayla emphasize the importance of learning who you are and accepting where you're at in your journey, because true confidence comes from self-awareness and self-compassion. They also touch on the importance of emotional states, encouraging listeners to recognize and accept their emotions rather than push them aside.

One key insight that is discussed: reframing anxiety as excitement and preparation can transform how we approach challenges, making it less about fight-or-flight and more about growth and readiness.

Whether you're an athlete, coach, or someone interested in improving confidence in yourself or others, this episode is packed with practical advice and powerful insights. Tune in to The Mindbuffs Podcast for an enlightening discussion on the theory of confidence, and learn how to take actionable steps toward building it in your life.

This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast:

One key insight that is discussed: reframing anxiety as excitement and preparation can transform how we approach challenges, making it less about fight-or-flight and more about growth and readiness.

Previous Episode

What is Confidence? Ep 2 | Pt.1

This Week on The Mindbuffs Podcast:

Join Mat and special guest Kayla, a sports psychologist, as they dive into the multifaceted nature of confidence in sports. Building on their previous episode that laid the groundwork for understanding confidence, Mat and Kayla take a deeper look into what confidence really means for athletes and how they can harness it for optimal performance.

In this episode, they break down the various types of confidence, exploring how each plays a role in an athlete's journey. Mat and Kayla also discuss the significant impacts of lived experiences on confidence levels, emphasizing that the road to becoming confident is often nonlinear and may require resilience.

Listeners will learn about the essential concepts of self-efficacy and mastery experiences. Kayla highlights the importance of the zone of proximal development and how being aware of who you are can make a profound difference. They also discuss how overcoming adversity can serve as a powerful catalyst for building confidence.

Mat and Kayla delve into the role of external influences on confidence, illustrating how the responses of coaches, teammates, and peers can impact confidence. Additionally, they emphasize that confidence is complex and influenced by both internal and external factors, exploring the necessity of a supportive environment. As they wrap up, Mat and Kayla provide practical tips for navigating the confidence journey, encouraging listeners to grab their notebooks.

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or someone who wants to learn more about confidence, this episode will equip you with valuable strategies to enhance confidence in yourself and those around you. Tune in to this enlightening episode of The Mindbuffs Podcast to unravel the intricacies of confidence in sports.

Next Episode

New Years Resolution: Audit Your Friend Group

Friendship and Loneliness: Why your New Year's Resolution should be a time to adapt and change your social networks!

With New Year’s resolutions in mind, this episode features insights from Mindbuffs’ psychologists Mat de Moissac and Kayla Unrau to address the loneliness epidemic. They shed light on the complexities of friendships and western society’s symptoms of loneliness through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory. Recalling lessons learned from last year’s experiences, they express why this topic is especially important to them.

This nerdy pair unpacks the many impacts that loneliness has and its unfashionable detriment on its victims. Referencing research and personal discoveries, they bring forth critical evidence on the benefits of friendship and just how many friends it takes to stop this known health issue recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO)..

As they proceed to break down the different types of relationships, they also debunk some toxic and popular myths about which relationships are worth investing in. Both echo similar sentiments that the goal is not just investing in good people but people who are also willing to invest in you. They offer specialized words of wisdom on the internal family systems and how to avoid the greatest risk of them being polarised.

Using vivid imagery of the developer's model, they take listeners on a ride on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems’ microsystems, mesosystems, and ecosystems. Poignantly explaining how these different layers of our social environments impact our experiences of connection and isolation.

In this episode, listeners will enjoy learning a lot on topics varying from ways to strengthen social ties to how to gain a deeper understanding of human connection. Through this compassionate, research-backed conversation, we hope you get a great start to your year.