Top of Your Game Michael Locasto

That's a wrap for Season 1! Before we move on to Season Two, our host Michael is reflecting on the growth he has had by sharing his experiences here on the podcast and what let him onto his growth journey in the first place. A single podcast episode, listened to by the right messenger can have a huge impact on a person's life. Michael share’s how that has been true for him, how we can learn from fear, and not allow our external environment to shake up the internal one. Ultimately, growth and healing has a lot to do with connecting with yourself. The answers and feelings you seek are already within you! Cheers to an incredible first season, and the beginning of a whole new growth journey!
 
02:30 Reflecting on season 1! Plus, what is coming next!
08:15 What do I REALLY want beyond being a major league strength and conditioning coach?
13:00 The moment I realized my environment didn’t have power over how I felt inside.
16:15 Where do I look to find “the answers”?
18:00 The podcast episode that felt like fate.
21:00 Is love something you need to “find”?
23:40 Everything we want to have in our lives, is simply wanting a feeling.
27:00 How do we attract things into our lives that will help us grow?
29:30 What can I do to be in my body when fear sets in?
 
 
Check out this podcast mentioned in the episode with Dr. Joe Dispenza & Ed Mylett 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NhnVlfE4Go
 
Schedule a Connection Call with Michael:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20293215&appointmentType=19426944
 
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Follow Michael on Instagram: @michael.locasto
https://www.instagram.com/michael.locasto/?hl=en
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/

Mindset affects every aspect of life. In this special part two episode with guest Ryan Atkinson, we’re diving into the power of training our mindset. Ryan is a former professional baseball player turned entrepreneur. In this episode, both our host Michael and Ryan share the power of being present, being able to sit with the uncomfortable parts of ourselves and the power that comes with the combination of self-love and personal growth. Tune in to hear how meditation and presence apply to the game, but more importantly, how they apply to life.



00:40 Recovery is necessary, both physically and mentally!
03:00 Listening to your “feel-good meter”.
06:50 How can I get into flow state?
08:30 How does practicing being present affect your game?
13:00 Meditation is “becoming familiar with”.
16:20 What is your relationship with anger?
19:00 How can we train our emotional state of being?
23:00 Are you chasing an outcome or a feeling?
27:15 How have you had to reroute changing from being a strength coach to being a mental skills coach?
29:00 Lessons I learned from a girl that broke my heart.
32:00 How can I stop pushing away the things I need to work through?
35:15 What does training the mind mean to you?
37:50 The power of asking yourself “Who am I?”
44:00 Finding unshakable confidence.
46:00 What has the transition been like from being a pro baseball player to gym owner?
49:40 What advice do you have for those that want to become a pro baseball player?
54:00 Advice for living the best life you can TODAY.
 
About Ryan
 
One to motivate, one to drive, one to grow and become greater than his circumstances. A loving, caring, passionate, and ambitious man who seeks failure, to learn and experience from. Spreading his wealth through performance of strength and nutrition, inspiring others through his life experiences. Ryan is a former AAA baseball player with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is currently the co-owner of Performance House Gym in Newport, KY.
 
IG: @ryan_atkinson14
IG: @performancehousegym
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Follow Michael on Instagram | @michael.locasto
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/

The journey to becoming a professional baseball player is a lot like any other part of life you want to become successful at! It’s consistent work, being coachable, and having fun along the way! After all, the journey, whether it’s being a professional baseball player, or a business owner, or mastering a skill, it’s in the work of becoming better that life is happening and memories are made! Tune in to hear Ryan’s story of becoming a professional baseball player, detours he had along the way, and what it felt like being able to live his dream!
 
02:00 We’re hard-wired to push back from painful feelings.
06:30 Is there a place or benefit of “having an ego”?
09:15 How can I show up and bring my entire self to my interactions?
10:30 What did “cool” look like for you as a kid?
14:40 From college baseball to being signed by the AZ Diamondbacks!
20:00 Having 5 days to prepare for tryouts!
23:15 What was that moment like hearing the Diamondbacks wanted to buy your contract?
26:00 The beginning of a career as a professional baseball player!
30:00 What did it feel like being in the room with high level athletes and realizing your dream?
33:15 Finding a groove as the 5th starter and building success!
36:00 Moving up in the Minors!
40:00 Playing in the Arizona Fall League!
43:00 What advice do you have for athletes that want to play in the minors and major league baseball?
46:00 Getting into the details and becoming a professional in the game!
48:15 What was your first big league experience of spring training? 
51:00 Lessons and benefits of transitioning from starting to the bullpen.
53:30 What was your experience like overcoming the need to be the hardest worker?
58:00 The power of embracing meditation and slowing down.
 
About Ryan
 
One to motivate, one to drive, one to grow and become greater than his circumstances. A loving, caring, passionate, and ambitious man who seeks failure, to learn and experience from. Spreading his wealth through performance of strength and nutrition, inspiring others through his life experiences. Ryan is a former AAA baseball player with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is currently the co-owner of Performance House Gym in Newport, KY.
 
Follow Ryan on Instagram | @ryan_atkinson14
Follow Ryan's gym on Instagram | @performancehousegym
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Connect with Michael on Instagram | @michael.locasto
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/

What if talking about mindset and mental health was common practice? What if it wasn’t taboo? In this episode, our host Michael is joined by former Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Player turned entrepreneur, Austin Byler. Austin is the co-founder of Major League University, a top-tier mindset and leadership company. As someone who previously used pain medications to cope with stress and anxiety, Austin knew there was a better way and has dedicated himself to helping others find healthy ways to handle life's challenges and move forward towards their purpose! Tune in to hear his story, how he has built his business, and how his life has changed because of the fulfilling work he does!



01:15 What was life like growing up to play professional baseball?
04:30 Why did you begin taking prescription painkillers?
06:40 How did abusing painkillers affect your career as a pro baseball player?
09:15 What has helped you work through depression and anxiety?
10:00 What was it like being hired for your first workshop to help athletes with mindset?
15:30 What are some steps people can do to work through anxiety and depression?
18:00 How would the world change if speaking about mental health wasn’t taboo?
22:00 What I’m learning through breathwork?
24:15 How do you help guide your clients to find what their purpose is?
28:00 How can you let go of fear, and stop living for what other people think about you?
35:25 What is the importance of strengthening your mindset, just like you work in the weight room?
38:00 How can I be present and focus on the current moment?
41:00 What is “powerful thinking”?
45:00 What is your process to help people break through their limiting beliefs?
47:15 How do you shift from thinking short-term, to focusing on long-term goals?
49:00 What is your final advice for listeners?



Follow Auston Byler on all platforms at @austinbyler
 
About Austin:
 
Austin is the co-founder of Major League University. Former MiLB baseball player with the Arizona Diamondbacks
 
Major League University is a top-tier mindset and leadership training company.  Our mission is to inspire student-athletes to become the best versions of themselves by training in three major areas: mindfulness, character, and personal development.  We believe these pillars lead to sustainable success on and off the field.



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Follow Michael on Instagram: @michael.locasto
https://www.instagram.com/michael.locasto/?hl=en
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/

Our host Michael is finally sharing his experience completing a 100-mile Ultra Marathon Race, with friend and running partner Chris Schepel. The two Ultra Runners share the same experience having grown up avoiding running whenever possible, to finding a passion through the experiences running uniquely brings! Chris and Micheal share what their training looked like leading up to their race, what got them through it, and what that experience felt like from pain to flow state! Tune in to hear their 100-Mile story and a big announcement of what they’ll do next!
 
06:15 What was your first Ultra Marathon attempt like?
08:40 How far into the race did you take a wrong turn?
11:00 How did you change from avoiding running to running a 100-mile race?
15:15 What was your first thought when you learned about Ultra Marathons?
22:00 How would you explain what you enjoy about running to someone who hates running?
24:30 What does flow state feel like when you’re running?
29:15 What did it feel like re-committing to running 100-miles after not finishing the first attempt?
33:20 How did you train for an Ultra Marathon in the Arizona Summer heat?
36:50 What is the difference between training and the actual race?
40:00 Advice from the winner of the 100-mile Ultra Marathon!
42:30 What was it like running through the Grand Canyon?
45:40 How did you handle times when running became painful?
49:00 What was going through your mind on race day?
52:40 What was that moment like crossing the finish line?
55:30 What is the mindset you have to tune into throughout a race of that intensity?
57:15 The running metaphor that applies to life!
1:00:00 Why I ran an Ultra Marathon.
1:04:30 What got me through the night?
1:08:00 Our commitment in 2022! 



About Chris:
 
Chris Schepel is an Ultramarathoner/enthusiast, human movement specialist, and member of the Bandito de Fuego running group. He is also a former minor league athletic trainer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chris and Michael completed the Javelina Jundred on Halloween 2020, a 100-mile ultramarathon in the McDowell Mountains of Arizona.
 
Follow Chris on Instagram | @schepelc
 
Check Out this book mentioned on the episode | Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
 
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Follow Michael on Instagram: @michael.locasto
https://www.instagram.com/michael.locasto/?hl=en
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/

Your perspective and level of awareness affect every experience you have! Yet so many of us still are walking through life unconscious of how our perspective uniquely shapes how we perceive the world. In this episode, our host Michael is joined by friend and previous colleague, strength and conditioning coach Logan Jones! These two share their common experiences working with the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as their journeys with self-awareness. Tune in for questions you can ask yourself, and ways we all can learn to connect with ourselves and dive into deeper awareness!
 
01:00 Meet Logan Jones!
02:00 What got you into strength and conditioning?
04:50 How have you grown on your journey from the first day working with the AZ Diamondbacks to today?
11:00 What has been some of the work that has helped you strengthen your awareness?
16:40 The strength and conditioning principle applies to everything in life.
19:15 How do you make the conscious decision to be in a space of love?
23:00 The experience that sparked the desire to recreate myself.
26:40 Are there specific moments that ignited your desire to be self-aware and come from a place of love?
33:50 How do you keep your focus on the present moment?
39:15 Ask yourself, what does your best self look like? How do they show up?
44:00 What is keeping us from being in alignment with our best self?
47:10 What is your relationship with your “low self”?
51:00 How would your world change if you stopped labeling experiences “right” and “wrong”?
58:50 The power of awareness and owning the feelings we create within ourselves.
01:06:20 How can we protect ourselves from the energy of people around us?
01:11:00 What is your relationship with fear?
 
About Logan
A Guilford College graduate, Logan Jones, is in his fourth year with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a strength and conditioning coach. While at Guilford, Logan earned his degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences & Health Sciences and was a member of the Quaker’s baseball team. He completed strength and conditioning internships at the University of Kentucky and Wake Forest University with a variety of sports including volleyball, soccer, track & field, field hockey, and baseball. With the Diamondbacks, he is assigned to the Class-A Visalia Rawhide located in Visalia, CA. Logan is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA, a Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting, and a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Arizona.
 
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Follow Michael on Instagram: @michael.locasto
https://www.instagram.com/michael.locasto/?hl=en
 
Check out his eBook High-Performance Awakening by Michael Locasto
https://www.michaellocasto.com/product/high-performance-awakening-by-michael-locasto/
 
Find out more about Michael and book a coaching session on his website:
https://www.michaellocasto.com/