Ep. 90: Adrienne Carter: Shifting Your Mindset

04/21/25 • 93 min

The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players

My guest today is Adrienne Carter. She claims to be an aspiring bridge player. I know her from working with her as a performance coach and mindset specialist. She has worked across industries with everyone from CEOs to poker players, and has seen a recent uptick in interested golf players following her appearance on the Chasing Scratch podcast.

I reached out to Adrienne’s company, Primed Mind, in September of 2022 at the recommendation of my friend and former Setting Trick guest Nabil Edgtton, who used Primed Mind’s hypnosis services to improve his performance. You can listen to my conversation with Nabil here: https://www.thesettingtrick.com/episode-26-nabil-edgtton

You can learn more about Adrienne’s work here: https://primedmind.com/adriennecarter/

Here’s an affiliate link to Primed Mind for Setting Trick listeners: https://primedmind.com/thesettingtrick/

Subscribers to The Setting Trick email list check your email or to subscribe click here: https://www.thesettingtrick.com/

Episode Highlights:

4:44 – Adrienne likes working with professionals across industries and getting a taste of her clients’ work.

7:47 – “The methodology matters, but less than you think.”

14:21 – Adrienne says that every board should be treated as practice for the next one, and to avoid ruminating on mistakes.

20:16 – Evolving alongside the game

21:09 – The path to the Bermuda Bowl

30:31 – How hypnosis helps you tune into the reactions in your body

36:23 – Setting your expectations and process

44:30 – Adrienne started her career as an occupational therapist, but fell in love with poker.

53:33 – Hypnosis deals with the part of your brain that processes feelings before you consciously notice them, making hypnosis a deeply emotional process.

57:04 – The difference between occupational therapy and hypnosis

1:05:59 – Adrienne’s mother is a bridge player.

1:10:21 – “I’m so grateful to have found poker when I did.”

1:13:29 – Adrienne says that regret happens when you make a decision out of obligation, and that decisiveness helps to prevent regret.

1:20:53 – The bar for success moves throughout a tournament as you advance and increase your expectations.

1:28:31 – Adrienne’s kids are also learning through sports and games. She sees both as an opportunity to teach them about decision making.

You can learn more about Adrienne’s work here: https://primedmind.com/adriennecarter/

Here’s an affiliate link to Primed Mind for Setting Trick listeners: https://primedmind.com/thesettingtrick/

Subscribers to The Setting Trick email list check your email or to subscribe click here: https://www.thesettingtrick.com/

Episode Highlights:

4:44 – Adrienne likes working with professionals across industries and getting a taste of her clients’ work.

7:47 – “The methodology matters, but less than you think.”

14:21 – Adrienne says that every board should be treated as practice for the next one, and to avoid ruminating on mistakes.

20:16 – Evolving alongside the game

21:09 – The path to the Bermuda Bowl

30:31 – How hypnosis helps you tune into the reactions in your body

36:23 – Setting your expectations and process

44:30 – Adrienne started her career as an occupational therapist, but fell in love with poker.

53:33 – Hypnosis deals with the part of your brain that processes feelings before you consciously notice them, making hypnosis a deeply emotional process.

57:04 – The difference between occupational therapy and hypnosis

1:05:59 – Adrienne’s mother is a bridge player.

1:10:21 – “I’m so grateful to have found poker when I did.”

1:13:29 – Adrienne says that regret happens when you make a decision out of obligation, and that decisiveness helps to prevent regret.

1:20:53 – The bar for success moves throughout a tournament as you advance and increase your expectations.

1:28:31 – Adrienne’s kids are also learning through sports and games. She sees both as an opportunity to teach them about decision making.

Previous Episode

Ep. 89 Stefan Scorchev: Getting IntoBridge

My guest today is Stefan Scorchev, a bridge player, friend, and the creator of IntoBridge. For those who are unaware, IntoBridge is a free platform for online bridge games. In his childhood, Stefan learned the value of online bridge as he spent hours playing bridge every day, and found that playing bridge online encouraged him compete at in-person tournaments.

Stefan is the first Bulgarian guest I’ve had on the show, and I fist met him in 2012 when he played on the Bulgarian team in the Junior Nationals. We talk about in-person and virtual bridge, the unique features of IntoBridge that borrow from modern gaming, and what it’s like to run a bridge startup.

You can learn more about IntoBridge on its website: https://intobridge.com/

Subscribers to The Setting Trick email list check your email or to subscribe click here: https://www.thesettingtrick.com/

Episode Highlights:

4:58 – Stefan played bridge online constantly in his childhood, and moved into in-person tournaments at seventeen. He says he played bridge as much as fifteen hours a day.

12:05 – Stefan says he is the strangest looking person at tournaments because he always wears his IntoBridge merchandise.

16:05 – “We focused on inventing something that has the potential that you close it immediately and continue whenever you can.”

17:35 0:54 – Ranked matchups on IntoBridge

24:17 – The Daily exists to give people a reason to return to IntoBridge every day.

28:47 – Stefan has a lot of ideas for new bridge formats unique to IntoBridge

32:45 – Some unfortunate mis-clicks

40:12 – Bridge marketing is difficult, so word of mouth has been the best marketing channel for IntoBridge

48:22 – Running a startup is difficult as investors and employees rely on the performance of the business

56:46 – Having access to a free bridge platform as a kid was game-changing for Stefan.

57:59 – One great aspect of online bridge is that it naturally leads people into in-person bridge, encouraging them to meet more people.

1:02:41 – Stefan’s Fiance, Desi, is coming to the US Nationals for the first time.

Next Episode

Ep. 91: Dennis Bilde – The Danish Ace

In this episode, John sits down with Dennis Bilde, one of Denmark’s top bridge talents and a player with a reputation for being both formidable at the table and fun to be around. Dennis shares stories of missing flights, winning world championships, and his early card-playing days before discovering bridge. The conversation dives into partnership dynamics, life with two young kids, and how Danish coffee might be the bridge world's best-kept secret. From his time on the Lavazza team to his upcoming appearance at the Bermuda Bowl on home soil, Dennis reflects on what it means to grow, both as a player and a person.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🏆 Dennis won the 2008 Junior World Championship—after failing to qualify for the under-21 trials

🍷 Known for being a slow drinker, he’s still a favorite drinking buddy of Zia’s

🎲 He and Zia played 5NT in each of their first two tournaments together

🇩🇰 He’ll represent Denmark at the 2025 Bermuda Bowl, alongside his longtime partner Martin Schaltz

🧸 Father of two, Dennis talks candidly about balancing bridge with family life

🧠 On his first try at Rubber Bridge in New York, he walked away with $3,500 after reluctantly agreeing to play $1 per point

☕️ What’s a Danish coffee? Let’s just say you might need a solo cup...

🎄 His time with the Lavazza team included Christmas dinners at Maria Teresa Lavazza’s home

Resources & Next Steps:

🎧 More Stories Like This – Subscribe to The Setting Trick wherever you listen to podcasts for more deep dives into the world of bridge.

📱 Follow @thesettingtrick – Stay connected on Instagram and for episode drops, tournament pics, and more.

Andrew Robson describes Dennis as the best player in Denmark

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