In this podcast episode I interview Justin Foster, a mental performance coach who specializes in sport and performance psychology.

Justin shares his experiences working with the military, high achievers in various fields, and his approach to helping individuals and teams perform at their peak. He emphasizes the importance of contextual relevance, understanding unique challenges, and using data-driven approaches to develop cognitive performance training programs. Justin also discusses the connection between the mind and body, the importance of effective feedback, and practical advice for everyday people to perform better and reach their peak potential.

Link to the Excelling Edge: https://www.theexcellingedge.com/

Timestamps:

Introduction [00:02:15] Introductions and summer plans discussion.

Justin's background [00:04:00] Justin's bio, US Air Force experience, and coaching approach.

Justin's path to coaching [00:05:21] Justin's journey to sports psychology.

Military interest [00:06:38] Justin's path to military work and sports psychology.

Army experience [00:07:37] Justin's work with the US Army.

Maximizing military training [00:09:37] Efficiency in military training.

Higher Level Leadership [00:11:46] Leadership challenges and cultural alignment.

Ranger School Success [00:14:22] Increasing Ranger School graduation rate.

Air Force Fighter Pilots [00:15:45] Training fighter pilots.

Tech in training [00:15:50] Technology integration in mental performance training.

Training the mind [00:16:50] Development of the "mind gym".

Interdisciplinary teams [00:19:21] Importance of interdisciplinary teams in human performance.

Cognitive Training Program [00:22:05] Designing cognitive performance training programs.

Identifying Cognitive Demands [00:23:02] Determining cognitive demands and their relevance.

Mind-Body Training [00:24:57] Benefits of integrated physical and cognitive training.

Mental fatigue impact [00:25:49] Effects of mental fatigue on physical performance.

Implementation challenges [00:26:56] Implementing mental performance training in organizations.

Becoming a coach [00:29:18] Justin's journey to becoming a mental performance coach.

Data-Driven Psychology [00:30:11] Trend towards data in sports psychology.

Excelling Edge [00:32:12] Starting the Excelling Edge.

Digital Work Performance [00:33:48] Optimizing performance in digital work contexts.

Managing Attention [00:34:40] Importance of attention management.

Flow optimization [00:36:23] Setting conditions for flow-like experience.

Mental Performance Tools [00:37:51] Using tools for mental performance improvement.

Imagery and Visualization [00:39:12] Role of immersive imagery in success.

Insecurity and Self-Doubt [00:42:49] Managing insecurity and self-doubt.

Praising Effort [00:43:47] Importance of effort-praise over results-praise.

Praising the process [00:45:23] Praising process over outcome.

Undoing toxic conditioning [00:47:38] Overcoming toxic conditioning.

Embracing challenges [00:49:05] Value of stepping outside the comfort zone.

Performance Optimization [00:50:12] Practical advice on performance optimization.

High Performance Routines [00:52:45] High-performance routines benefits.

Morning Sunlight Benefits [00:51:12] Morning sunlight for health and performance.

Morning Routine [00:55:22] Description of Justin's morning routine.

Task Prioritization [00:56:21] Importance of task prioritization.

Evening Structure [00:57:20] Transition from work to home life.