Let's Go Mental!

Podcast by Barbara Cortella

Let's Go Mental!

Mental training is not just about becoming tough. It is about learning how to work with your thoughts in a way that helps you grow. In Let’s Go Mental we train together the skills you need, you will find your own different angle, and incorporate it into your lifestyle so it becomes part of who you are, your identity. We will build your persona first, and performance will come! Because everything is trainable! I am Barbara, Family and Mental Performance Coach. I am Italian and you will love my accent!

Latest episodes

21 October 2026

Parents: from our Expectations to Their Aspirations

What if your athlete walks onto the field carrying a picture of the game you created for them?

As parents, we see their ability, know their effort, and want opportunities for them. But sometimes our hopes become expectations, and what we intend as belief feels like a result they need to deliver.

In this episode, I explore a different angle: noticing what we expect from our athletes and choosing what we want to practice ourselves as parents.

We explore:

How our expectations can appear in reminders, expressions, and post-game questions.
Why our picture of their journey may be different from theirs.
The difference between supporting responsibility and demanding results.
How to give athletes room to choose their own focus.
Two simple sentences to turn awareness into intentional support.

Your takeaway:

“Today, I notice I’m expecting my child to…”

“Today, I aspire to be a parent who…”

Choose one action that reflects the parent you aspire to become.

While they practice becoming an athlete, we can practice becoming a parent.

Follow Let’s Go Mental and share this episode with a sports parent who might appreciate a different angle.

If you want more or if you want to share your story, write at b_cortella@yahoo.it

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13 October 2026

Transform Expectation into Aspiration.

What if the dream that keeps you moving forward becomes the anchor that holds you back?

You work hard. You want to score, win, make the roster, and reach the next level. But somewhere along the way, “I want this” can become “This must happen”—and your ambition starts feeling like pressure.

In this episode of Let’s Go Mental, Barbara offers a different angle on expectations: transform them into aspirations that give your ambition direction and your daily actions purpose.

How expectations can turn a performance into a test of your worth.
The difference between “This must happen” and “This is what I’m working toward.”
How to approach practice and competition as opportunities to grow.
A simple sentence to guide your next performance: “Today, I will…”
Why reviewing your actions helps you decide what to practice next.

Your takeaway:

Expectation → Aspiration → Action → Review → Action. Before your next practice or competition, ask:

“What can I do today to become the athlete I aspire to be?”

You don’t have to prove your whole future today. You have an opportunity to build a little of it.

Listen, share with an athlete who needs a different angle, and follow Let’s Go Mental for more ways to make mental training a lifestyle.

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06 October 2026

Discipline is Cool.

The medal is cool. A spot on the team is cool. But the choices that created them often aren’t.

People admire disciplined athletes after the results appear. Before that, the same athletes may be called boring, too serious, or obsessed because they sleep early, eat differently, repeat the same exercises, or say no when everyone else says yes.

In this episode, we look at discipline from a different angle: not as punishment, obedience, or something imposed from the outside, but as the ability to choose what supports the person you want to become.

We explore:

Why discipline still carries a negative image
The conflict between belonging and becoming
How social approval can interfere with our goals
Why discipline can help us choose our environment
How repeated choices become part of our identity

The next time you feel caught between your goal and fitting in, ask yourself:

"If nobody were judging me, what would I choose?"

Discipline is a skill. The courage to be different is also a skill. And like every skill, they can be trained.

Listen, subscribe, and share this episode with an athlete, parent, or coach who needs a different angle on discipline.

For more: b_cortella@yahoo.it

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29 September 2026

Parents’ Doubt has a Time and a Space.

What if your child isn’t doubting themselves, until they hear your doubt?

As parents, we often express our worries because we think we are helping our children reason, reflect, and prepare. But sometimes our questions introduce a doubt that wasn’t there before.

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“What if the coach doesn’t play you?”

“Do you really think you can make the team?”

Our doubt usually comes from love. We want to protect our children from failure, rejection, and disappointment. But love mixed with fear can sound like a lack of trust.

In this episode, we explore why parents need their own mental room for doubt—separate from their child’s performance room.

You’ll discover:

How parental worry can become an athlete’s self-doubt
Why parents and athletes have different domains
How children may begin performing to reassure their parents
Why timing and language matter
One question to ask before sharing your concern: “Does my child need this information—or do I need reassurance?”
How to communicate trust without guaranteeing success

We are not ignoring problems or pretending everything is fine. We are processing our doubt before asking our children to carry it.

Sometimes the most supportive message is communicated silently…./with a hug and a smile, trust me it is the best strategy!

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22 September 2026

Doubt has a Time and a Space.

What if doubt isn’t always the problem? What if it simply enters the wrong room at the wrong moment?

Before a performance, doubt can help an athlete prepare. During the performance, the same doubt can create hesitation. The game keeps moving while the mind remains suspended between two possibilities.

In this episode, we look at doubt from a different angle. The goal isn’t to eliminate it, but to give it the right job at the right time:

Question before. Commit during. Review after.

You’ll discover:

Why confident athletes still experience doubt
How doubt can support preparation
Why hesitation is already a decision
The three mental rooms: preparation, performance, and review
A simple instruction for managing doubt during performance: “Not now. Next action.”

Question of the day:

Where does your doubt belong right now: in preparation, performance, or review?

Doubt asks. Trust decides. Action answers.

Contact me for more: b_cortella@yahoo.it

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14 September 2026

Confidence is Built through Action.

What if confidence wasn’t about feeling sure you can do something, but about trusting yourself enough to act even when you don’t feel sure?

In this episode of Let’s Go Mental, we look at confidence from a different angle.

Confidence is built through the beliefs you create about yourself and the evidence you collect through action.

They all leave clues about who you are and who you are becoming. The goal isn’t to wait until you feel confident enough to act.

Grab your journal and ask yourself:

What have I already accomplished that proves what I am capable of?

Then look at what you are working on right now. What actions can you take today that will give you another piece of evidence?

Start scanning for the evidence instead of waiting for the feeling.

Because confidence is a habit built through action, strengthened by evidence, and sustained by the beliefs you choose to practice every day.

Build your persona first, and performance will come.

Contact me for more: b_cortella@yahoo.it

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