Today Matters Podcast With Steve Pinkston

Steve Pinkston
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Daily

Today Matters with Coach Pinkston delivers daily motivation and mental performance strategies for athletes, coaches, and high achievers. Each episode gives you tools to build confidence, resilience, and focus—so you can perform your best and make every day count.

  1. 18h ago

    Ep 398 Win the Moment — A 3-Minute Mental Imagery Practice for Self-Control

    Self-control is a skill—and skills improve through practice. In this guided mental imagery episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston leads athletes through a three-minute visualization designed to rehearse composure, emotional control, and intentional responses under pressure. You’ll mentally experience adversity, notice your emotional reaction, create a small gap, and choose a response that matches your standards. Use this exercise before practice, competition, school, or any high-pressure situation to train yourself to respond rather than react—and become the competitor you want to be when emotions run high. Today’s Action Step:  Mental workout with this 3 minute Mental Imagery About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  2. 1d ago

    Ep 397 Your Talent Isn’t the Problem — Master What’s Getting in the Way

    What if reaching the next level doesn’t require more talent? Sometimes athletes already have the physical ability, but inconsistent thoughts, emotions, reactions, and choices keep that ability from showing up consistently. In this episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston challenges athletes to rethink what improvement really means. You’ll learn why self-control is a performance skill, how uncontrolled reactions can interfere with talent, and why becoming a better competitor may begin with gaining greater control over yourself—not adding another skill to your game. Today’s Action Step:  For the next 24 hours, pay attention to one thing: Where do you lose control most often? About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  3. 2d ago

    Ep 396 Win the Gap — Where Self-Control Changes the Game

    Between what happens to you and how you respond, there’s a small but powerful gap. That gap is where self-control lives—and where great competitors separate themselves. In this episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston explains how athletes can stop reacting automatically to mistakes, bad calls, pressure, and frustration and instead choose their next response. Athletes, coaches, and sport parents will learn why mental toughness often comes down to recognizing one brief moment of choice and learning how to win it. Today’s Action Step:  Whenever you feel yourself getting frustrated, angry, embarrassed, nervous, or impatient, practice one simple thing: Pause for one breath before you respond. About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  4. 3d ago

    Ep 395 Who’s Driving? — Let Your Standards Lead

    Emotions are part of competition. Anger, frustration, excitement, fear, and disappointment are going to show up—but they don’t have to determine your behavior. In this episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston uses a simple driving analogy to teach athletes how standards can become their internal compass when emotions run high. Athletes, coaches, and sport parents will learn why self-control isn’t about suppressing feelings. It’s about allowing yourself to feel while still choosing actions that match the person, teammate, and competitor you’ve decided to become. Today’s Action Step:  Choose one personal standard for the next 24 hours. About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  5. 4d ago

    Ep 394 Own the Next Play — Control What Comes Next From You

    Sports will never give you complete control. Bad calls happen. Teammates make mistakes. Opponents make great plays. Weather changes, shots bounce the wrong way, and sometimes your best effort still doesn’t produce the result you wanted. In this episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston teaches a powerful mental-performance principle: you may not control what happens, but you always have influence over what happens next from you. Athletes, coaches, and parents will learn why the next response—not the last event—is where personal control and mental toughness really begin. Today’s Action Step:  Whenever something doesn’t go your way—at practice, in a game, at school, at work, or at home—I want you to immediately ask yourself: “What happens next from me?” About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  6. 5d ago

    Ep 393 Feel It, Don’t Follow It — Take Back Control of Your Next Decision

    Every athlete experiences anger, frustration, fear, embarrassment, and disappointment. The difference isn’t whether those emotions show up—it’s who gets to make the next decision. In this episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston explains why self-control isn’t about eliminating emotion. It’s about creating enough space between what you feel and what you do next. Athletes, coaches, and sport parents will learn a simple mental-performance principle for staying composed, responding intentionally, and making better decisions when emotions run high. Today’s Action Step:  You’re going to feel a strong emotion.  Take one breath and tell yourself: “I can feel this without following it.” About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  7. 6d ago

    Ep 392 Where Are Your Eyes? — Focus Your Faith on Christ

    Focus isn’t only a performance skill—it can also be a spiritual discipline. In this faith-based episode of Today Matters, Coach Steve Pinkston uses the biblical story of Peter walking on the water to show what happens when our attention shifts from Christ to the storm around us. Athletes, coaches, and parents will learn how faith and awareness work together: notice the fear, pressure, mistakes, and distractions—but deliberately return your attention to what matters most. When life gets loud, faith gives us somewhere to place our focus. Today’s Action Step:  Whenever worry, pressure, or distraction grabs your attention today, quietly ask yourself: “Where are my eyes?” About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

  8. Oct 24

    Ep 391 Back to the Breath — A 3-Minute Focus & Awareness Meditation

    Focus is a skill—and skills improve through practice. In this special three-minute Today Matters meditation, Coach Steve Pinkston guides athletes through a simple 6-2-8 breathing exercise designed to slow the body, settle the mind, and train present-moment awareness. The goal isn’t to stop thoughts or eliminate distractions. It’s to notice when your attention wanders and practice bringing it back to your breath. Use this exercise before practice, competition, school, sleep, or anytime you need to reset your attention and reconnect with the present moment. Today’s Action Step:  Take 3 minutes to this Meditation About Today Matters Today Matters is your 4-8 minute daily boost of motivation for athletes, parents, and coaches. Hosted by Coach Steve Pinkston, each episode delivers a simple mental performance strategy to help you win the day. Learn More & Work with Coach Pinkston 👉 CoachPinkston.com for strategies, skills, and drills to improve your mental performance. 1-on-1 Coaching Programs Team Consulting Leadership Development Sign up for the Trust The Process Newsletter, so you can wake up every Monday morning to a message that will motivate you all week. Stay Connected Instagram: @Mental.Strength.Coach X: @CoachPinkston Facebook: Steve Pinkston Enjoying the Show? Share this episode with someone who needs a lift today. And don’t forget to hit Follow so you never miss your daily motivation.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Today Matters with Coach Pinkston delivers daily motivation and mental performance strategies for athletes, coaches, and high achievers. Each episode gives you tools to build confidence, resilience, and focus—so you can perform your best and make every day count.

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