Conditioned to Win

Lisa Mitzel
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Lisa Mitzel is rethinking high performance and young athletes. With an urgency for young athletes to train and compete with autonomy, mental health and wellness, she advocates for the athlete's voice, more education, and moving the sports culture forward. Conditioned to Win is a hybrid podcast with interviews and monologues. Lisa's work is rooted in mindfulness, compassion, sport psychology, and child development. With a successful career competing and coaching at the club and D1 college levels, Lisa believes you gotta dig deep, ask hard questions, and fight for mental health & wellness for every child.

  1. Nerves Need Movement, Not Silence S3. E2.

    5D AGO

    Nerves Need Movement, Not Silence S3. E2.

    If you’ve ever watched your child or yourself or any young athlete get a stomach ache, feel nauseous, shaky, frozen, or overwhelmed before competition—I want you to hear this clearly:  1) nothing is wrong with them.  2)  a nervous child does not equal poor performance.  In this show, learn the signs and varieties of how nervousness behaves. What a "safe adult" can say and do to help athletes. And learn real effective methods through simple and fun somatic actions to relieve nervousness and anxiety for athletes. These work.  Lisa also reads an inspiring excerpt of a story from "Focused and On Fire: The Athlete's Guide to Mental Training & Kicking Butt" by >> Lisa Mitzel. A great book for ages 10 and up - or parents can read to younger kids. Some teams have used this as their team book for a year.  If this episode resonates with you - check out Lisa's Live Online Clinics.  Upcoming!  Sunday, Jan 25 - "Calm Under Pressure"  For parents - coaches welcome too!  If you can't attend, a recording will be available. SEE details HERE  or see below to contact Lisa through Conditioned to Win IG.  $29 per individual / family - payment is the registration and you'll receive the zoom link.   This show is 15 min for your convenience - enjoy!  Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    16 min
  2. How to Compete Well

    JAN 17

    How to Compete Well

    Starting in 2026 - short episodes! Starting now, Lisa changed the format to 10-15 min shows so it's easier for listeners to get helpful information, easy conversations and support. Lisa integrates wonder, humor and joy, because it's important to have fun. But for driven competitors, it's often deep and hard and full of emotions. So to prepare athletes for the training and challenges competing well, starts with yourself.  Lisa talks about the narrow goal of focusing on outer success vs the groundwork for high achievement, which is the inner process: being a kind person, feeling good inside, self-compassion and much more. She reads a short excerpt from the great book, "Sacred Hoops" by Phil Jackson. She discusses the crazy competitive story and film, "Marty Supreme," and Lisa takes you through a 1-minute exercise to do with your kids.  ONLINE CLINIC - CALM UNDER PRESSURE  Strategies, disussion & exercises to help kids compete well under pressure.  Jan 19, 2026 - REGISTER - send a payment $29 with a note: your name & email - and Lisa will send the zoom link. Send send payment via PayPal to paypal.me/mitzelcoach - thanks!  Enjoy! And thanks for listening!  Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    15 min
  3. I Give You Permission with Vanessa Atler, Part 2, S2E2

    07/02/2025

    I Give You Permission with Vanessa Atler, Part 2, S2E2

    Vanessa Atler, US National Champion, World Team member, and Goodwill Games gold medalist, is authentic, bubbly, and humble. She is also determined to follow her heart and care for the kids she coaches and teach them how to use self-compassion and mental health skills for life.  Vanessa talks about her own healing process with self-compassion, seeing a dietician, and learning to overcome the big emotions she felt growing up in gymnastics. She is also inspired by her dad and how he influences her to keep learning new things and be the best person she can be. Finally, she discusses how she is using the Resilience curriculum (by Zen Tiger Mind) with her team - Vanessa says it's helping her too! They practice short exercises together to build inner strength, clarity, and self-awareness. Some of the kids are resisting, which is normal, and Vanessa is opening up to them with patience and teaching the kids patience. What she's most excited about is showing them how much she loves them and helping them to grow up to be happy adults.  Vanessa is eager to do this good work for herself and the kids, and she encourages everyone to buy Resilience and practice mental health exercises for sports and life. Follow Vanessa's weekly journey learning and teaching the Resilience program to the gymnasts on her team! Preview!  2 Free Tutorials for the Resilience Curriculum    Self-Compassion Practice   Breathwork & Inner Calm - Butterfly BreathingBIG DISCOUNT - If interested - get $80 off Zen Tiger Mind's Resilience Essential  Curriculum with 44 exercises. For a limited time, Use code: Vanessa80  You get a tracking sheet, instruction and best practices, free consulting and support from the author, Lisa Mitzel, plus 6 tutorials. Elevate your staff and change your life and the kids you coach. You can also promote your business with mental health education. Take deep breaths! We support you! Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    29 min
  4. I Give You Permission with Vanessa Atler, Part 1

    06/25/2025

    I Give You Permission with Vanessa Atler, Part 1

    The world of coaching is shifting. We're in a new era. Athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have spoken up and drawn the line. Mental health matters. In gymnastics, there have also been many national team members who have spoken up about their elite experience, negative coaching, abuse, and how important mental health is. But Vanessa Atler may be the first former National Team member and US National champion to ever teach Mental Health skills to her gymnastics team. Vanesa is on a journey of her own, healing, and learning to accept herself and embrace herself. It's called self-love.  And she's taking a stand - to follow her heart and care for the kids in a way that they can be mentally healthy and learn to love themselves. Vanessa talks about how she's coaching the whole child and shares some of her thoughts and practices. She's endorsing and using the Resilience curriculum (by Zen Tiger Mind) with her team and they are practicing short exercises to build inner strength, clarity, and self-awareness.  Her end goal has changed - as a young person it was all about pleasing people and winning, but now it's about loving the kids, taking a personal interest in who they are, and helping them grow up to be happy adults. Exactly what she wished for herself. Now, she’s nurturing the loving connection in sports that we all need in life   Follow Vanessa's weekly journey learning and teaching the Resilience program to the gymnasts on her team! BIG DISCOUNT - If interested - get $80 off Zen Tiger Mind's Resilience Essential  Curriculum with 44 exercises. Use code: Vanessa80  You get free consulting and support from the author, Lisa Mitzel. This can change your life and the kids you coach. You can also promote your business with mental health education. Way to go! We support you! Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    39 min
  5. How to Practice Resilience

    06/11/2025

    How to Practice Resilience

    Welcome to Season 2 of the podcast! We are calling it:  Build the Athlete Inside and that will be our north star, INSIDE the mind and spirit. We can increase focus and motivation by practicing mindfulness, identifying and managing emotions. How an athlete experiences challenges on the inside, is a lesson for us adults and then together we can be better.  This is the first episode of Season 2 - How To Practice Resilience. Isn’t that cool? Have you thought practicing resilience? Well you can! But some people think a child IS resilient or is not resilient. or a child IS confident or is not confident. but the fact is they are learning it. In the podcast, Lisa Mitzel and guest, Belisse Casey, do a couple exercises from Zen Tiger Mind’s new Resilience exercise program. Belisse Casey is a former soccer player, now a student at University of California Berkeley, and a new intern with Zen Tiger Mind. We go into her experience as a soccer player, the challenges she faced and what helped her to be resilient.  Here are 5 skills we will touch on to practice resilience:  recognizing & validating feelingsemotional awareness creating feelings of safety & stabilityself-regulation and self-compassionpositivity and self-kindnessWhat we hope for is that maybe we can open up some new thoughts and new perspectives to think about HOW you can teach resilience,  because expecting a child or teen to just be more resilient is not in alignment with their mental-emotional development - they need to learn and practice the skills -  and if you think about it, it’s really a gift to be able to help them. So let’s gooo! Info  BUY ZTM's  RESILIENCE e-Curriculum with 44 exercises for kids and coaches to do together - to reduce anxiety and stress and increase healthy brain development, emotional wellness and boost performance. Every child activity center benefits in business as you elevate your staff and create a mentally healthy environment.  Use code: RESILIENCE  at checkout to get $25 OFF Follow Lisa Mitzel, the podcast, and Zen Tiger Mind on social media  IG @mitzel_coach  FB LisaMitzel IG @zentigermind  FB zentigermind IG @conditionedtowinpodcast GAC National Conference - Gymnastics Clubs of Australia IACDP International Conference - International Association of Child Development Programs Mosaic Diversity Consulting - Tiffany Mills offers services in Youth Sports 3rd Level Consulting - Business growth, professional education, and expansion Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    37 min
  6. Reduce Mental Blocks, Part 2, Deeper with Lisa Mitzel

    05/25/2024

    Reduce Mental Blocks, Part 2, Deeper with Lisa Mitzel

    Lisa Mitzel decided to add a bonus and do a Part 2  for this episode "Reduce Mental Blocks." You get to hear tips for parents, coaches, and a step-by-step story about Maddie with a mental block on her flyaway on bars, and Molly with a mental block on her RO BHS Back Tuck. No matter the challenge, when you collaborate and open yourself up to working together - coach, athlete, and parent - the gymnast will feel more ease when everyone is on the same page. When the athlete is afraid and struggling, their voice is the guide. They are the pilot. Make sure the child feels safe, first. When coaches learn more about psychology, they will be able to understand kids' emotions and guide the children much better.  Fear and mental blocks are just challenges. Normalize them and get the support you need. For those seeking help with fear and mental blocks - feel free to reach Coach Lisa Mitzel at zentigermind@gmail.com For more tips, follow Coach Lisa's instagram: @mitzel_coach Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum! Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz. For the Mental Power Station ~ Check our online store HERE and you can follow ZTM on instagram. Thank you for listening!  Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    19 min
  7. Reduce Mental Blocks, Normalize Fear with Lisa Mitzel

    05/17/2024

    Reduce Mental Blocks, Normalize Fear with Lisa Mitzel

    Mental Blocks and fear occur in practically every gymnastics club and in every sport that has flipping and twisting. Tumbling, trampoline, acro, cheer, dance, and more. In the 5th episode, you will learn it's easy to educate athletes and coaches on the signs of nervousness and fear - these early emotions and physical reactions (stomach aches, thoughts racing, feeling overwhelmed) are the heart of where mental blocks begin. Talking about fear and mental blocks can normalize these challenges, and prepare kids to notice their thoughts and feelings. Catch it early. Be in tune with yourself, and learn how to FEEL SAFE and IN CONTROL. That's the key! If a gymnast has positive support from their coaches and parents, anyone can overcome a mental block, you just need time, a good mental trainer, and lots of mental practice. For those seeking help with fear and mental blocks - feel free to reach Coach Lisa Mitzel at zentigermind@gmail.com For more tips, follow Coach Lisa's instagram: @mitzel_coach  Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum! Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz. For the Mental Power Station ~ Check our online store HERE and you can follow ZTM on instagram. Thank you for being here! Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    29 min
  8. Issues in Changing Gyms, Lisa Mitzel

    05/01/2024

    Issues in Changing Gyms, Lisa Mitzel

    Have you ever felt confused about staying at a gym, or been afraid to leave a gym? Lisa Mitzel reviews how kids, parents and coaches get attached to each other, they may perceive that they are family, or that there should be loyalty.  But gymnastics clubs are businesses that provide a kind service. If there is ever a question about a child's health, then take a step back and evaluate. Is this gym the right place?   Lisa discusses different aspects of the parent's experience and the gymnasts' experience. She gives suggestions on how to think about honoring yourself and your child, and to express gratitude for the gym teaching your child and for they gym's service. And most of all, when your child has signs of depression, anxiety and fear - inform the gym that your child's mental health is a priority. If they don't promote mental health in the gym, or support your child in a kind way, and they don't make changes, it's likely better to choose a healthier training environment. This show gives parents a view through the lens of a child's mind and specific thoughts to consider when you are thinking of leaving a gym. Always put your child's mental health first. You are a role model, you are inspiring, you are brave. Thank you! Thanks to our sponsor Zen Tiger Mind for mental health products & curriculum! Your kids will love our cute characters - Zen, Aura, Athena, and Oz. Check our online store HERE Thank you for being here.  Find us on Instagram: @conditioned_to_win_podcast Follow the host, Lisa Mitzel on Instagram: @lisa.mentalperformance Follow our sponsor: @zentigermind Our Home webpage is LisaMitzel.com/conditioned-to-win-podcast Find our show on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music This is your journey to guide yourself toward transformation and to promote mental health for every child ~ I’m Sending you good vibes, deep breaths, and peace.

    19 min
See All (13)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Lisa Mitzel is rethinking high performance and young athletes. With an urgency for young athletes to train and compete with autonomy, mental health and wellness, she advocates for the athlete's voice, more education, and moving the sports culture forward. Conditioned to Win is a hybrid podcast with interviews and monologues. Lisa's work is rooted in mindfulness, compassion, sport psychology, and child development. With a successful career competing and coaching at the club and D1 college levels, Lisa believes you gotta dig deep, ask hard questions, and fight for mental health & wellness for every child.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Mitzel
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Conditioned to Win
  • Show Website
    Conditioned to Win