The Sporting Mindset Show

Dwayne Nestor

This show is all about helping athletes, coaches and parents better understand the mental side of performance.

  1. 6d ago

    ALAN KOCH: Flush It. Alan Koch on Process, People and Coaching Without Burnout

    Alan Koch has spent more than twenty years in professional and university football, including a stint as a Major League Soccer head coach. He joins Dwayne to talk about what it takes to coach well when winning and losing carry real consequences.In this episode: Why fun has to be part of the training environment, especially after a run of lossesStaying focused on process rather than outcome, and how being fired reinforced thatCoaching every player differently, and why knowing their background, language and family mattersThe daily handshake check-ins and the player positional profile meetingsThe hidden planning behind a 90-minute sessionTwelve-hour days, burnout, and protecting your staff's family timeThe one mental skill he's nailed: flushing it, whether it's a win or a losshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-koch-1175093/

    ALAN KOCH: Flush It. Alan Koch on Process, People and Coaching Without Burnout

  2. Oct 17

    RYAN TYRRELL: The hidden cost of being excellent at rugby and lost in life

    From rugby and policing to coaching men through life's challenges, this conversation exposes the gap between looking in control and actually feeling it. Ryan Tyrrell, known as Tiz, opens up about the nickname passed down through the Brisbane rugby community, the younger self who was thrown into East Rugby Union at 18, and the fierce support that helped shape him. But the heart of this episode is the deeper story: what happens when a high-performing athlete can dominate in chaos, yet struggle with intrusive thoughts, self-worth, relationships, and basic life admin outside the game. You’ll hear Ryan and Dwayne unpack: how OCD and ADHD showed up long before the diagnosiswhy rugby and policing created structure, but also masked the real strugglethe role of trauma, hypervigilance, and fight-or-flight in shaping identitywhy intrusive thoughts are not character flaws, but experiences to be understoodhow coaching, self-awareness, and support networks help men move from survival to stabilityRyan shares what it felt like to live in the “wilderness” after professional sport, why medication and therapy became a turning point, and how sharing openly with other men became one of the biggest healing tools in his life. He also explains why so many men are brilliant at turning up for everyone else while quietly burning themselves out. This episode matters if you have ever looked successful on the outside but felt chaotic underneath, or if you work with men who are hard on themselves, resistant to help, or stuck in self-criticism. It is a raw, practical, and deeply human conversation about identity, regulation, trust, and the work it takes to become at peace with yourself. Perfect for anyone drawn to mental health, masculinity, rugby, coaching, or stories of hard-earned self-understanding. If you need a reminder that strength can include vulnerability, this one is worth your time.

    RYAN TYRRELL: The hidden cost of being excellent at rugby and lost in life

  3. Oct 10

    PATRICK DART: How France Is Rebuilding an Australian Athlete’s Game

    Confidence is the hidden edge in elite sport, and Patrick Dart is learning how to build it from the inside out. From the pressure of French pro water polo to the mindset shifts that can make or break performance, this conversation is for athletes, competitors, and anyone who knows what it feels like to freeze when the moment gets big. Patrick opens up about the massive jump from Australian sport culture to life in Bordeaux, where training is twice a day, the standards are higher, and the game is more professional. He also shares what it really takes to settle into a new country, adapt to late-night sessions, and keep developing when you’re far from home. We break down the mental side of high performance - journaling, self-review, work ethic, and the brutal cost of overthinking mistakes. Patrick explains how a few bad experiences in senior sport changed the way he approached big moments, why that led to paralysis by analysis, and what he’s doing now to rebuild trust in himself.You’ll discover: why French water polo feels so different from the Australian gamehow daily journaling is helping Patrick shift focus from results to effortthe role coaches can play in either building or breaking confidencewhy training for pressure is just as important as training for skillhow competitiveness can become a strength, or a trap, if you don’t learn to channel itThis episode is a sharp reminder that talent alone is never enough at the highest level. If your confidence has taken a hit, if you’ve ever second-guessed yourself under pressure, or if you want to understand the psychology behind elite performance, this one will hit home. Essential listening if you want the real story behind confidence, resilience, and what it takes to keep showing up when your own mind becomes the toughest opponent.

    PATRICK DART: How France Is Rebuilding an Australian Athlete’s Game

  4. Oct 3

    ATHLETE SERIES: How Elite Athletes Use Isolation and Community to Get Better Faster

    The fastest way to get better might be the thing most athletes misunderstand: you don’t choose between grinding alone and training with the crowd—you need both, at the right time. Dwayne Nestor breaks down the psychology of high performance and shows how to use solitude and group energy as two different tools for mastery. Using examples from Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, CrossFit, and elite runners in the Rift Valley, this episode reveals why isolation can unlock deep flow, fearless experimentation, and stronger self-regulation—but also how it can become an echo chamber that hides flaws, skews effort, and quietly burns you out. On the other side, training with others can supercharge motivation, accelerate learning, and expose blind spots—until social pressure makes you perform instead of improve. You’ll discover: Why being watched changes how you move, think, and take risksWhat Dr. Adam Fraser’s “strive state” and “third space” mean for performanceHow cognitive friction disappears when you train aloneThe Kohler effect and why difficult work gets easier inside a strong groupHow mirror neurons, real-time feedback, and shared suffering speed up progressWhy performance bias, comparison, and ego can sabotage group trainingThis episode makes the case for “periodizing your environment”—using isolation to deconstruct your skills, then using the group to stress test them under pressure. If you’ve ever felt stuck between needing more alone time and needing better competition, this conversation gives you the framework to know exactly which one to choose next. Essential listening for athletes, coaches, and high performers who want to stop guessing and start building the right environment for real growth.

    ATHLETE SERIES: How Elite Athletes Use Isolation and Community to Get Better Faster

  5. Sep 26

    LAWRENCE MOHIUDDINE: Why Great Leaders Win Before the Game Starts

    What if the real edge in business is not more logic, but better storytelling, stronger trust, and the courage to make the right call when no one is watching? Dwayne sits down with Lawrence to unpack the psychology of high performance across business and sport, from CEO pressure to advisory influence, and why the best leaders think less like managers and more like head coaches. If you lead teams, make decisions, or want to understand how great organizations actually win, this conversation will change how you see leadership. Lawrence shares why logic is a poor form of persuasion compared to passion, emotion, and narrative, and why so many businesses fail because they never define a true North Star. He breaks down the difference between keeping score and building a clear identity, showing how the most successful teams create momentum by aligning people around a destination, not just a set of KPIs. You'll discover: Why respect is often given before it is earned, and how that changes team dynamicsHow CEOs and advisors play very different roles, even when both are trying to influence outcomesWhy the most important work happens in the margins, long before the spotlight turns onHow storytelling helps teams visualize the end state and make better decisions under pressureThe practical value of decision-making matrices, retrospectives, and rapid decision modelsWhy trust and autonomy matter more than over-managing the people closest to the actionLawrence also shares a powerful example from private equity and a vivid rugby story about “golden thread” decisions, showing how tiny moments can decide massive outcomes. From a $150 million project environment to the lessons of elite sport, he makes the case that success is rarely built in the moment everyone sees—it’s built in the preparation nobody sees. This episode is a must-listen if you're a leader, coach, consultant, founder, or anyone responsible for helping others perform under pressure. You will walk away with a sharper understanding of how to build culture, empower decision-making, and create the kind of conditions where people can thrive when it matters most.

    LAWRENCE MOHIUDDINE: Why Great Leaders Win Before the Game Starts

  6. Sep 20

    COACH SERIES: Why Most Team Themes Fail—and How to Make Them Real

    Most team themes fail because they feel fake, forced, or too late. Alex Stajka and Dwayne unpack what actually makes a team identity stick—and why the best versions are usually simple, specific, and lived every day. Using real examples from Rotherham and a painfully memorable Western Australia experiment that fell completely flat, they reveal the difference between a theme that changes behavior and one players instantly see through. If you coach a team, lead a group, or shape culture in any high-performance environment, this conversation will hit home fast. You'll discover:Why a team theme is useless unless it connects to actual behaviorsHow Rotherham used hard work, standards, and consistency to build a promotion-winning cultureWhy a six-minute “quiet professionals” video got laughed at, and what that teaches about authenticityHow a single word like “hunt” can become a powerful trigger when every player knows exactly what it meansWhy player buy-in matters more than coach-driven slogans, and how to win over the skeptics before you present anythingAlex also explains why the best themes are often the ones rooted in the group’s real identity, not borrowed from army jargon, dynasty sports teams, or flashy motivational language. The wrong theme can split a group, invite mockery, and kill momentum. The right one creates clarity, ownership, and accountability that holds up under pressure. This episode is a sharp, practical reminder that culture is not something you decorate a team with—it’s something you reinforce constantly. Perfect for coaches, captains, performance staff, and anyone trying to get a group aligned around something that actually means something.

    COACH SERIES: Why Most Team Themes Fail—and How to Make Them Real

  7. Sep 12

    HARVEY BILJON: Why Great Coaches Give Players What They Need, Not What They Want.

    What if the biggest edge in coaching is not tactics, but knowing how to handle the human being in front of you? Harvey Biljon reveals how relationship-first leadership, self-awareness, and brutally honest conversations shape winning rugby environments - and why the best coaches give players what they need, not what they want. Dwayne digs into the real work behind the scenes: building trust with new players on the first video call, helping semi-pro athletes balance rugby with jobs and family, and creating a culture that fits the identity of Rotherham instead of trying to overwrite it. Harvey breaks down how informal conversations, shared meals, and reading the room can tell you more than any rigid process ever will.You'll discover: Why "caring" sometimes means delivering uncomfortable feedbackHow to spot when a player needs support, space, or a hard resetThe difference between coaching behavior and managing emotionWhy culture is often already there, waiting to be enhanced rather than inventedHow the best leaders stay present when the pressure, disappointment, and chaos hitHarvey also opens up about the emotional fallout after Jersey Reds' championship win, the collapse that followed, and the lonely reality of trying to support players when everyone is scrambling for answers. That story alone shows why resilience is not a slogan in sport - it's a requirement for survival. Harvey Biljon is the head coach at Rotherham Titans and a long-time rugby leader known for his emphasis on identity, communication, and player support. Dwayne brings the sharp questions that push the conversation beyond rugby basics and into the psychology of leadership. Essential listening if you coach, lead people, or want to understand how high-performing teams actually hold together when the pressure gets real.

    HARVEY BILJON: Why Great Coaches Give Players What They Need, Not What They Want.

  8. Sep 5

    ATHLETE SERIES: 5 Reasons Young Athletes Lose Motivation - And How To Fix It.

    Motivation is not magic, and if yours keeps disappearing, this episode gives you the exact system to rebuild it. Dwayne Nestor breaks down how young athletes can create motivation from scratch, protect it when life gets messy, and use it to unlock confidence and self-efficacy. He shows why motivation is a skill you train, not a personality trait you either have or don’t. You’ll learn the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, why one keeps athletes in the game longer, and how to find the right balance without relying on praise, trophies, or hype to get you moving. Dwayne shares a practical, science-backed framework for building motivation that actually lasts: set clear, bite-sized goals that create quick winscelebrate small progress to trigger dopamine and persistencebuild routines that remove decision fatigueaudit your inner circle because motivation is socially contagiousHe also gets real about why motivation drops in the first place. Burnout, invisible progress, toxic pressure, social media comparison, and life stress can all drain an athlete’s drive, and understanding the warning signs is the first step to fixing them. If you’re stuck in a rut, the recovery plan here is especially valuable. Dwayne walks through how to take strategic rest, reconnect with your “why,” inject novelty into training, talk openly before isolation takes over, and shift your focus back to effort and controllables. He also explains the neuroscience behind why action comes before motivation, and why the five-minute rule works when you feel completely flat. This is essential listening for young athletes, parents, and coaches who want a smarter approach to performance mindset. If you want more drive, less burnout, and a clearer way to build confidence from the inside out, this episode delivers the roadmap. Dwayne Nestor is the host of the Sporting Mindset Show and works with athletes and coaches through SISU Life, helping them develop the mental skills that support long-term performance and growth.

    ATHLETE SERIES: 5 Reasons Young Athletes Lose Motivation - And How To Fix It.
See All (27)

About

This show is all about helping athletes, coaches and parents better understand the mental side of performance.

Information

  • Creator
    Dwayne Nestor
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dwayne Nestor
  • Show Website
    The Sporting Mindset Show