Set your Mind

Dr. Stephen Ginsberg

5.0 (12)
Mental Health

Set Your Mind is a sport and performance psychology podcast about training the mind with the same intention we train the body. Hosted by Dr. Stephen Ginsberg, each episode explores mindset, courage, resilience, and the mental processes that help performers show up on the playing field and in life with courage, clarity, and commitment.

15h ago

Episode 31: Three P's in a Pessimistic Pod

Optimism and pessimism aren't personality traits: They're explanatory styles. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg walks through psychologist Martin Seligman's research on the three P's (permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization) and how they shape whether a setback stays small or spirals into something bigger. Featuring Seligman's college swim team study, where swimmers given false, slower-than-actual times either got measurably slower on their next swim or held steady if stuck in a pessimistic outlook. Dr. Ginsberg closes with practical language swaps to catch the three P's in your own self-talk and replace them with something temporary, localized, and action-focused. Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jul 27

Episode 30: The Beginner's Mind

A beginner gets invited to play one of the most anticipated golf course openings in the U.S. What his first-ever round taught three veteran golfers about curiosity, ego, and why experts have more to learn from novices than they think. Full Show Notes: It's not every day you get invited to play one of the most anticipated golf course openings in the United States. Rarer still: for that to be the first time you've ever stepped on a golf course. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg shares the story of a friend's very first round of golf — played at Rodeo Dunes, a Michael Keiser course that had been generating buzz for months. What could have been a disaster turned into a masterclass in mindset, as a total beginner's shrug-and-laugh approach to the game reminded a group of seasoned golfers what they'd lost somewhere along the way: curiosity, presence, and a total absence of ego. Drawing on Shunryu Suzuki's Zen concept of shoshin, or "beginner's mind," Dr. Ginsberg unpacks why expertise so often narrows our thinking instead of expanding it, and offers a practical challenge for approaching both the technical and mental sides of any skill — with playfulness instead of judgment. In this episode: What it looks like to play a bucket-list golf course with zero expectations. Why the golf world's obsession with score and identity sabotages the game before it starts. Shunryu Suzuki's "beginner's mind" and what it means for anyone who has ever gotten good at something. A practical exercise for bringing novice curiosity back to your own practice — technical and mental. Quote from the episode: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." — Shunryu Suzuki Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Set Your Mind and leave a rating — it helps more people find the show. Remember: mindset isn't something you have. It's something you set. Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jul 20

Episode 29: ME to WE

In 2011, SEAL Team Six carried out one of the most precise, anonymous missions in military history — until one member stepped forward years later claiming the kill shot. In doing so, he didn't just break a code of silence. He broke a bond. This week on Set Your Mind, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg unpacks what happens when we take individual credit for collective work — and what it looks like to do the opposite. From the Abbottabad raid to TJ Oshie's shootout heroics at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, this episode explores the coaches, caddies, parents, and teammates who shape every performance long before the scoreboard shows a single name. In this episode: Why elite teams operate on unspoken codes — and what happens when they're brokenThe difference between owning your performance and owning the creditTJ Oshie's response to being called a hero, and why it mattersA reframe for your next big win: shift from me to we*Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jul 13

Episode 28: From Oh No to Oh Yeah--What a Wildfire Evacuation Taught Me About Preparation

A river trip. A wildfire. 45 mph winds. And, a perfectly executed evacuation plan that had been built months, maybe years, before anyone needed it. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg breaks down why the Mike Tyson line — "everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face" — isn't a cynical take on preparation; it's the whole point of it. He shares how a national champion ultrarunner preparing for the Hardrock 100 built physical and mental cues for the exact mile where his brain would stop working for him, and why every golfer already knows their own version of that moment: the three-putt, the missed green, the bogey that shouldn't have happened. Dr. Ginsberg introduces resilience visualization — a five-senses tool for rehearsing your response to the bad break before it ever shows up — so that when it does, you're not scrambling for a plan. You're running one you already built. In this episode: The river trip that turned into a wildfire evacuationWhy "everyone has a plan until they get punched" is really about what comes after the punchBuilding mantras and physical cues with a national champion ultrarunnerThe golf version: bad breaks are guaranteed, your response doesn't have to be improvisedResilience visualization: a five-senses tool to rehearse your comeback before you need itRemember — mindset isn't something you have. It's something you set. *Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jul 6

Episode 27: Playground or Proving ground

Some stories stay with you long after you hear them. This is one of them. While consulting for a former professional hockey player who ran a youth development program, I heard a story that stopped me in my tracks. He described how his athletes—talented, driven, and highly trained—struggled when they were given one simple task: play. This episode explores how modern sport has quietly shifted from a playground to a proving ground—and why that shift may be hurting creativity, learning, and performance more than we realize. What This Episode Explores A youth hockey drill built entirely around freedom, creativity, and inventionWhy highly structured, adult-led sport environments can unintentionally limit imaginationHow early specialization and pay-to-play culture have replaced child-led playThe performance cost of stripping sport of experimentation and joyWhy athletes consistently perform best when their mindset resembles the playgroundKey Insight Play isn’t the opposite of performance. It’s the foundation of it. When athletes operate in an experimental, uninhibited mental space, learning accelerates. Skills sharpen. Adaptability improves. Decision-making becomes faster and more creative. Reflection Question When you think about your best performances—where was your mind? Were you trying to prove something… or were you simply playing? Practical Takeaway The next time you head into practice: Make up a gameBend a few rulesTry something just to see what happensBecause when pressure shows up, it’s your imagination, resourcefulness, and sense of play that open doors—and create new paths to performance. Ideal For Athletes, parents, coaches, and performers who want to rediscover creativity, freedom, and joy without sacrificing results. *Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jun 29

Episode 26: Live WITH Regrets

We’ve all heard it: Live with no regrets. It sounds inspiring—but in this episode of Set Your Mind, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg explains why that advice is not only unrealistic, but often counterproductive for growth, performance, and mental health. Regret isn’t a failure. It’s a signal. And when it’s processed correctly, it becomes one of our most powerful teachers. What This Episode Explores Why “no regrets” is an impossible and unhelpful standardHow regret naturally shows up when we care deeply about outcomes and relationshipsThe hidden cost of suppressing regret—hesitation, perfectionism, fear, and harsh self-talkWhy unprocessed regret doesn’t disappear—it leaksA practical framework for learning from regret without getting stuck in itKey Insight Regret isn’t the problem. Unprocessed regret is. When regret is metabolized, it liberates. When ignored, it quietly sabotages performance and confidence. A Helpful Reframe Think of regret like a lion behind you. Never looking back? You’ll eventually get caught.Only looking back? You’ll run into walls.The skill is knowing when to look backward and how to move forward. Learning is backward-facingLiving is forward-facingThe Three-Step Regret Framework Look BackWhat happened?What’s true?What part is mine?Look ForwardWho do I want to be next time?What matters now?Return to the PresentWhat’s the next playable moment?Final Takeaway Live with regrets—not by carrying them, but by letting them do their job. Learn from them. Thank them. And then put them down. Ideal For Athletes, leaders, performers, and anyone struggling to move forward after mistakes, missed opportunities, or hard decisions. *Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jun 22

Episode 25: Band Aids on Bullet Holes

In a culture obsessed with quick fixes, performance advice often sounds simple: Just breathe. Stay present. Think positively. Helpful? Yes. Sufficient? Not always. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg explores why surface-level skills—while valuable—can fall short when deeper psychological “wounds” are left unexamined. Using the metaphor of band aids versus bullet holes, this conversation challenges the idea that skills alone are enough to solve persistent performance struggles. You’ll hear why athletes, golfers, executives, and performers can do “everything right” and still come undone under pressure—and how long-standing patterns like fear of failure, perfectionism, shame-based self-talk, and anxiety often hijack performance before skills ever get a chance to help. Rather than abandoning performance tools, this episode invites you to dig deeper: to understand the story you carry into high-pressure moments, and how awareness of that story makes every skill more effective. In this episode, we cover: Why quick-fix performance advice is appealing—but incompleteThe difference between surface-level tools and deeper psychological woundsWhy performers can “know the skill” and still choke under pressureHow fear of failure, perfectionism, and negative self-talk undermine performanceThe role of awareness in unlocking the power of performance skillsWhy understanding your story changes how you show up under pressureKey takeaway: Skills matter—but they work best when paired with self-awareness. When you understand the deeper patterns driving your reactions, the tools you’ve been given finally get to do what they were meant to do. If this episode resonates, take a moment to reflect: What patterns show up for you when the pressure is highest? And what might change if you understood them more clearly? *Music Credit: “Kong” by Bonobo; Courtesy of Ninja Tune Records
Jun 15

Episode 24: Attention--The Other Half of Intention

Intention Without Attention Is Just Wishful Thinking We all set intentions. Few of us build the conditions to keep them. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Ginsberg breaks down why good goals fail — and why willpower is rarely the real problem. The culprit? Your environment. It wasn't designed by you, for you — but it's shaping your behavior every single day, whether you're paying attention or not. Billion-dollar retailers already know this. The question is whether you'll start using it to your advantage. Dr. Ginsberg shares the simple systems he uses to keep his own intentions front and center — from a whiteboard next to his toothbrush to a Sharpie on a golf glove — and explains why these aren't gimmicks. They're environmental design. In this episode: Why hope is a terrible strategy for behavior changeThe difference between intention and attention — and why both matterHow environmental design is already shaping your decisions without your consentPractical tools for golfers to stay mentally on-task from the first tee to the last greenHow to build a personal environment that supports what you actually want

5

out of 5

12 Ratings

Nice change!

Jan 26

Lulsla

So impactful to receive this kind of information in so little time. Love it..

Set Your Mind is a sport and performance psychology podcast about training the mind with the same intention we train the body. Hosted by Dr. Stephen Ginsberg, each episode explores mindset, courage, resilience, and the mental processes that help performers show up on the playing field and in life with courage, clarity, and commitment.

Creator

Dr. Stephen Ginsberg
Years Active

2026
Episodes

31
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Stephen J. Ginsberg
Show Website

Set your Mind