High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - Getting to Know Cindra Kamphoff with Kevin King

Episode Date: August 26, 2015

Kevin King interviews the host of the podcast, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff. She is in the "hotseat" in this episode as Kevin interviews her using the same questions she will use to interview her guests on the show. Cindra gets real as she reveals her dreams as well as provides essential habits and traits of high performers.

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. Welcome to High Performance Mindset. This is Sindra Kampoff. And I'm really excited for today. We're going to do something a little different. And what we're going to do is Kevin King is actually here to interview me. So I'm in the hot seat today, which feels actually a little uncomfortable because as I reflect on the questions that I ask

the people that I'm interviewing on High Performance Mindset, I've recognized that these are some tough questions. So today you're going to see the real Cindra Kampoff and I'm going to get a little vulnerable. And I'm really excited because Kevin King is here to interview me and give you a little bit of background of Kevin, Kevin is a sport management professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He is also the player development and coaching staff consultant for UWL football. He has worked in the NFL and has worked with high performers. And so I thought he'd be really perfect to interview me.

And so I'm going to turn it over to Kevin. And I'm going to be in the hot seat today. Sandra, I'm so excited to do this. And I just want to give your listeners some feedback on how we how this came to be and how you and I, how we met. I was talking with Dr. Nicole Lavoie at the University of Minnesota, and in my player development role for our football team, I'm in charge of doing a lot of the leadership development for our football squad, and I wanted to find someone that could do some sports psychology with our football team. And so first person she said, she said, you know what, you need to talk to Dr. Cendra Camp off at Mankato State University. I was like, so have you heard of her? I was like, no, I haven't. And she says, well, here's her contact information. I remember I emailed you. You responded back later on that evening. We emailed back and forth. We scheduled a time. I drove two and a half hours

west to you to have lunch. And my goodness, we just hit it off. We probably spent three hours together that afternoon on a Friday, and we just came up with all these different cool ideas of how we could work together here in La Crosse with us, but also how I can work with you over in Mankato. And really, this has been a culmination of just us getting together and having some commonalities and wanting to talk to the same audience. So let's get started, Sandra. I have a few questions lined up for you, and again, we want you to be as honest as you

can be. So let's start with, give us a little insight into your passion about what you do and why. That is an awesome question to start with. My passion is really high performance and giving people the strategies and tools so they can really be at their best mentally. And I think that we get in our way in so many different ways. Sometimes we don't even recognize how we're in our own way. And I think that everything we do starts with our thought. And so I am really passionate about just helping people in general. And, you know, my sort of niche has started with sports psychology and working with teams and athletes and high-performing teams.

And then I've started to branch out more to business leaders and entrepreneurs. And so I'm really passionate about providing people the tools and the tools and how they can really be their best and be at their best self, that's how they come alive. Absolutely. I'm excited when you say that you talk to business leaders, athletic teams, entrepreneurs because they all intersect a lot of times. You have a lot of business and entrepreneurs who have played sports in the past. You have athletes who are going to eventually go on into the business world. And a lot of the skill sets that you develop are manifested at each platform. So that's really good to hear you say that.

I know this is your first podcast. And so tell us about what your vision is for this podcast. Where do you see it going? You know, I've named it High Performance Mindset. And the reason that I chose that is because, you know, probably the last five years, I've really had some aha moments where I've realized that these skills and strategies that I'm teaching sports teams to really be at their best are the same strategies we use in life and in business. And so what I'm hopeful is that with this podcast is that, you know, listeners really get these strategies and the tools that you can use. And my plan is to launch that every Tuesday, you get a new strategy and tool on high performance. And then every Thursday, I'm going to launch an interview with a high performer or somebody

who works in high performance. And so that way you get the expert opinion, you get the real world stuff, but then you also get these strategies and tools that really, really help high performance. And this is what I'm most passionate about. This is what I feel like is my life's calling. No, it is. It is my life's calling because and I've to get out of their own way and really master their mindset so they can live what I call a genius life where they're really living on purpose and with passion and they're doing what they're intended to do.

No, that's really exciting. You're going to help tons of people. I can already see you already have helped tons of people already. What's interesting as I've gotten to know you was I know that you had the opportunity to talk to so many people, so many high performers across the country. What do you think separates high performers from those who aren't? What I have done in the last six months is really study this and think thought a lot about what's the difference makers. And there's quite a bit of research in my field in performance

psychology that shows like what high performers do. And so I've studied this, you know, gosh, for almost 20 years, but really the last six months tried to put something together that reflects me. And what I put together is a list of top 10 traits of high performers. And those are the things that I think really separates those that are good from great or great to excellent or excellent to outstanding. And when you can really work to master these 10 traits, I think that allows you to really be in control of yourself and your destiny and your own thinking patterns.

And you can actually get this list on my website for free. And I'm developing an online course called High Performance University. I'm really psyched about that and the title, but it's going to help people learn to master these top 10 traits. And so I have 10 modules where I'm providing videos and exercises and activities so people can really do this on their own in a reasonable way. So this has kind of been the heart at what I'm doing is these top 10 traits. And so let me give you one example.

I think a really high level performer, they have mastered their thinking patterns. They're very self-aware and they know what they're thinking about when and they're a master of it. So they don't let their thoughts just go to chance, but they really control what they're thinking about when, and they're a master of it. So they don't let their thoughts just go to chance, but they really control what they're thinking, and they're thinking more in a productive way than an unproductive way. So that's kind of at the heart of these top ten traits.

Let me ask you just a follow-up question to that. How long does it take to develop that trait? You know, if someone doesn't have it, can someone develop it? And if so, how long does it take or are you just born with it? Awesome question. I don't think anybody is born with what I would describe as mental skills or mental toughness. It's not something that you're born with. It's something that you develop over time that you cultivate. And there are specific strategies and tools that you can use to help you in that process. And gosh, you know, there's so many ways that we get in our

own way. Myself as a performer, and what I mean by that as a performer, as an athlete, I got in my own way a lot when I was a college athlete, which got me interested in this field. And I've gotten in my way, you know, as an entrepreneur, as a public speaker, as a writer. You know, there's so many different ways we get in our own way. And I think you can learn. I know. I know you can learn these strategies because I've done it. I feel like I've mastered them. And, you know, everybody's a work in progress. But I think when you really learn to master your mind, then everything else follows.

Okay. Okay. So this could, this could help anyone. This isn't anyone with a certain personality base, but we all can benefit from mastering our mindsets. Absolutely. Okay. All right. So, you know, we talk about knowing your why and keeping that front and center and how that can be a powerful motivator to others and to yourself. Why do you do what you do? What's the driving force behind this, Sandra? Again, these are great questions, aren't they? Like, boom, here I go. Oh, why do I do what I do? I do what I do because our mind is incredibly powerful, more powerful than I think that we recognize. And when you really master that,

then I think you can really reach your ultimate potential. You can live your calling. You can live what you were designed to do. I had a really cool opportunity about six months ago or so, and I was in Florida attending a conference, a seminar. And actually, I was attending a Tony Robbins seminar called Date with Destiny. And it's actually one of the coolest things I've been to. And I really like Tony.

I see him as a leader in psychology and he helps so many people. And I was there at his event and one of the things that we had to do was actually write our purpose statement and, you know and the purpose of our life. And so I got to spend a lot of time really thinking about, gosh, what is my purpose and what do I do? Why do I do this? And what really am I here to do? And my purpose statement is to be authentic and to live passionately and to play big for myself and others.

And because I recognize like when I am myself, when I'm comfortable and when I am just me, you know, that you can I just can feel the energy coming out of me. Right. When I'm really myself and you can't stop my energy. And, you know, that's what fuels me. That's what makes me come alive. And when I play big, when I get comfortable being uncomfortable and do things that scare me

or do things that I fear, like I can be a good representative for other people to follow. And I see myself as a role model for mastering my mindset in my own athletic career, but in my business and my life, I see myself as a role model for mastering, you know, my mindset in my own athletic career, but in my business, in my life, I see myself as a role model that other people, you know, can see how to do it. Gosh, that's a big standard, you know, when you think about that. But I keep that front and center. It's like, gosh, what I do every day, Cinder, people are watching, people are listening,

and I want to be a role model so I can really help people get out of their own way and really live the life that they were designed to do and reach their ultimate potential. Now, that's interesting because, you know, asking yourself why you do what you do can change at different stages of your life, you know, from yourself why you do what you do can change at different stages of your life. You know, from a teenager to 20 or 30s, you may have kids or family or husband or wife. So, you know, you may change careers. And so there's so many people who have to ask this question, but they don't know how to get to the answer. They always come to a block of, like, don't know, like I have a job,

I like it, but I don't love it. Or, you know, I'm just kind of existing, but I'm not living. What are the things that are keeping them from taking that next step? When you really examine your why and think about what's motivating internally that can fuel you. And so that's why high performers really keep their why front and center. And they keep it there so they stay motivated and hungry when the going gets tough. And if you don't know why you do what you do, I think taking a hard look at where are you spending your time and is it really fueling you the way that you want? You know, I think about in my own running career, there have been times where, you know, gosh, my motivation really wasn't there. And but I could I could I could cultivate that motivation by thinking about the benefits.

Like, what do I receive from running and why do I love it so much? And when you you know, so you can really, you can cultivate that. But I think always keeping that why front and center and thinking about what really fuels you is really absolutely key just to reaching your best and your potential. Can you talk now, sticking with the why you do what you do, can you talk about how important a support system is in that to kind of support you and keep you on task? And a lot of times when you might have an off day or you're not feeling your best that you have a system in place that kind of keeps you front and center. How important is that to you, you think? I really like Jim Rohn's quote. And he's what I would

describe as one of the success gurus. And he describes that we are the average of our five closest friends. And I like that because it just shows you the power of having people around you that support you. And you can't go after what you want by yourself. You absolutely need people who are going to be there providing you positive energy, you know, not being an energy sucker, what really give you energy, help you let go of those failures or mistakes because if you dwell on them, you get stuck. And so the sooner that you as a high performer can think about what you've learned from

that mistake and move on and then return confidently. I think the more you're likely to stay on top of your goals and go after what you want and the people around you are really important to help you do that. So that support system is crucial in achieving your goals, whatever those goals are or that mental state of mind you want to be in. Okay, let's move on to, again, talk about yourself, which you have been. I know you're doing a great job at it, but what I want to know is we know that we learn

best from our failures. So talk a little bit about a time when you failed and what did you learn from that failure syndrome? failed and what did you learn from that failure, Sandra? The time that I would describe is probably the, you know, and this time is a little bit even difficult for me to talk about now. It happened within the last year. And so my wound is still pretty salty, right? And the failure that I would describe is I had to cut ties with a business partner. And it was really difficult.

Just lack of communication and, you know, it just wasn't really going the way that it was. We weren't really supporting each other the way that we could. And, you know, why it was so difficult is because this person was a really, really good friend of mine. And, you know, we fueled each other in a lot of ways. But, you know, there were things that weren't really helping either of us. And so why it was a failure, I think why it was a failure for me is because in the moment, you know, I was reading actually all these books about conflict and, you know, how to handle conflict. You know, my sort of like academic hat, I was reading actually all these books about conflict and, you know, how to handle conflict. You know, my sort of like academic hat, I was putting it on and, okay, how can I study

conflict so I can be better at this? And I think in the process, especially during the conflict, I was probably being somebody that I really wasn't. And, you know, if you know me personally, you know that I'm a very loving person who has a lot of energy, really approachable. And I think that in this situation, I was being kind of really stern. And it's like, well, no, this is the answer or nothing, right? And I really wasn't myself in that conversation. And I really didn't have the honest conversation from the heart. And that's what I really learned from it is especially in conflict, like to be honest and be real is really important.

And that's what helps kind of mend relationships, especially when the going gets tough. And we know just from research on authenticity, when you show up and you're real, like that's how you build relationships. And when you're somebody else, when you're phony, that doesn't allow you to build relationships. And I really take pride in like consciously working on bringing my best self and being authentic. And, you know, it was it was a difficult it was a difficult time. I think I've thought quite a bit about gosh, what could have gone differently. But I also know like things happen for a reason. And so I'm still kind of working through that. But I would describe that as,

as you know, my biggest failure so far, there'll be lots more. You mentioned, you know, when you talk about conflict and you know there's there's healthy conflict but people when they think of conflict is a negative connotation to it like there's a confrontation um that will ensue um but talk about how healthy conflict can actually help especially in terms of you becoming your authentic self? I think that failure is something that is inevitable. And, you know, we can't grow and we can't learn without failure. And there, you know, the fear of failure holds people back.

And so the more we actually are OK with sort of like failing and what, you know, people define failure differently. But what I really mean is just, you know, not reaching your goals or, or, or not, um, not good kind of getting what you want. And there's so much we can learn from failure. We know actually from the best athletes in the world that they're constantly learning from failure. You know, if it's a missed shot or if it's, you know, you miss the game-winning score, right? I mean, the best performers, they learn from that failure, and they learn from when things don't go great.

And I think as a performer, what we can do that doesn't help us is just discount that. You know, and what I mean by that is, is like not learn from it and just kind of brush it off and don't care about it because that's how we learn. We learn from the gems. And I've really been, you know, my own career as an entrepreneur, you know, taking risk, getting out there. And I recognize I will not be perfect. But you know what?

Like when you try to be perfect, you're also not real. And then you end up being somebody that you are not. OK. OK. All right. So now let's reverse it down and talk about some some great times and not failures. Let's talk about successes. So why don't you, Sandra, paint a picture for me of your best moment in your career and why it was so awesome.

And I can see your face starting to light up now because I know you have an awesome answer. So let's hear it. I would say there are two moments. And one has to do with me and one doesn't. And what I mean by that is last year I was able to work with several high-level football teams. And, you know, if you know me, you know, I'm kind of shorter. And so I don't really sort of like I stand out among football players.

And I've learned to embrace that, actually. And I got to work with this incredible opportunity to help one of the nation's best football teams make it to the national championship and then really reach their goals. And I worked with this team for three years. So it was just really outstanding seeing them reach their goals and knowing that, you know, you are a small part of it and teaching the mindset part and teaching them to really get out of their own way. So that was a really proud moment, just helping a team get there. And then I would describe as like, you know, my personal moment is actually something to do with my running career. And so, you know, I'm a marathoner, have ran, I think about like 11 marathons at this point. But a few years ago, I worked really, really, really hard in my training.

I ran 90 miles a week. Sandra, please. No, you can't. But you know what? I was the fittest I've ever been in my whole entire life. 90 miles a week? That's what I peaked at. Someone doesn't even do that in their lifetime.

Yeah, you know, but, you know, I really, I just knew, well, first of all, I love running. It's my passion, so it really fuels me, so I love it. Okay. But I had this goal of really, like, going after my marathoning goals, And I ran the Omaha Marathon. So Omaha is in Nebraska, for people that don't know, and my parents live there. So I went there, my parents were there. And I worked really, really hard to get ready for this, this race. And about halfway, I, I recognized my husband told me I was winning for women. So, you know, I was like, oh my gosh, you know, all this training is going to, you know, make a difference. And, um, just, just really fueled me.

And then there was a few moments in the race where, oh, it got really tough. And, you know, when you run 26.2 miles, it's not an easy journey ever. And about mile 18 or 19, the second place woman was right on my tail, right on me and approaching this really tough hill, really tough part of the race. And, you know, my self-doubt really just creeped in and, oh, you know, this isn't going to be my day. All this training, you know, my self-doubt really just creeped in and, oh, you know, this isn't going to be my day. All this training, you know, going to waste, you know, she's going to catch me, she's going to pass me. You know, all that. And when your body gets tired, it's very hard to control your mind.

Very hard. And she didn't pass me, but she was on my tail for several miles when I was feeling pretty miserable to be honest and there's a part in the race where it was about mile 23 it's a crazy part of the race where you had to run around a cone and then but the cool thing is you got to see who was behind you oh okay and and so it's like sort of like the switchback and so i ran around this phone she's right right on my tail but i could it was there was a moment in time where i saw her face um and i made eye contact with her and i recognized that she was in just as much discomfort as me. Oh. And I had this like aha moment

that I was like, oh my gosh, like this is what the marathon is about. You know, like everybody's feeling discomfort at this moment. So, you know, it's really about who can find that energy. And it just fueled me.

It fueled me. And so the last three miles were my fastest miles in my marathon at the end at the end when I had already experienced so much discomfort and I think my last mile was something like a 6 10 pace or something it It was so fast. I was just so, I don't know. And I ended up like, you know, beating her by. You ran a six minute mile in the 25th point two mile of a marathon. Are you kidding me? That's what that's what you can do when you train really hard.

I was very, very prepared and very fit. But, you know, what I loved about that? It was like I learned that I could control my mindset, and I always had this extra gear. And I think that's key in life, too, and in your business. It's going to be tough, but you can always find this gear. How did you know you had that gear? Had you used it before and you knew it was there, or was it you found out you had it in that moment? What was it?

You know, wow, I've never had that gear quite like that at the end of a marathon. And it was just like this aha moment that just switched my mindset, just like, it was like a snap of the finger, I saw her it triggered in my mind, like, oh, my gosh, this is a hard race, you know, but you you have what it takes to go after this, you know, and so I, you know, I just remember, like going from like negative, negative, negative thought, negative thought, negative thought, just like over my mind was my body was overcome by negativity for a couple miles. And then it was like this light switch went off and it was like positive, positive, positive,

positive. And so, you know, once when I saw her face, that was just like the trigger. And then I could just like it was all these like really empowering thoughts like, Sandra, you have this. You got this. You know, you ran 90 miles a week for this race, like get after it. You got it. You got this extra gear. Let's go.

You know, oh my gosh, you feel so strong. You look so strong, you know, just like all these really empowering thoughts. And what's amazing about our bodies is our body follows our mind. And so when we can place empowering thoughts in our mind, our body follows. And I kind of like this way to think about it as you shouldn't just listen to your mind. You should talk to it. And what I mean by that is like, when we just listen, we tend to ruminate, we can tend to have this negative, you know, just negativity in our mind.

But when we really like, put things into our mind, that that allows us to thrive. And so that was a really proud moment for me, because I was able to get over the negativity and finish strong. So I use that analogy in my life, you know, and in projects I work on in business. It's like you have that extra gear, Sandra. Keep on going. Right. No, that's awesome. Now, you mentioned an aha moment when you were turned around that corner and you saw it looked in her eyes and you knew that she was just as uncomfortable as you were. Give us another aha moment in your career that maybe you can share with us that could help us even more. more? You know, I've been doing quite a bit of public speaking and it's what I'm really passionate about because I think they can really help people just master their mindset and teach them these strategies and tools on how to do it. And my aha moment has come, this aha moment specifically came about probably about nine months ago. And, you know, I think when I work with teams or I work with

businesses and do quite a bit of, you know, keynoting or working with teams where I'm helping them master their mindset, I realized that like sometimes I try to be other people in my field. And so I had some really incredible mentors when I was working on my PhD. And one of them is a leader within my field. His name is Dan Gould. And sometimes I would work to meet Dan Gould or somebody else. Right. But I never felt very fueled when I left. Like I might have done a great job and, you know, got the point across. But I never felt quite fulfilled. But then I recognized, oh my gosh, the times that I am the most fulfilled

is when I'm the most alive. And then I started just really reflecting on when am I really at my best? And what it comes down to is this aha moment that I had is when you show up as yourself, when you're, you know, in everything, but especially in public speaking, when you show up in your present and you aren't judging yourself at the same time and you are real and you bring yourself, yourself, your full self. And for me, my full self is, you know, passionate, energizing,

love what I do, a role model, you know, for the mental, the mental game, and the mental side of business. And when I am ready to show up, like the real Cndra Campoff, that's when I shine, you know, and that's when I love it. And I finish the speech or the keynote or whatever, and I'm like, wow, that was amazing. And I make a connection with the audience that I wouldn't have been able to do before. And so my aha moment has really been this journey in my public speaking career of showing up as me. And, you know, that means like being comfortable in my own skin and realizing I am not perfect and laughing off times that I'm not perfect. Okay.

All right. No, I like that a lot. Now, listen, I tell you, I am the big dreamer and I dream big all the time. And so the question I'm going to ask you next, I never really thought about it this way, but I'm hoping you can shed some light. Get the high performance mindset. We believe that if your dreams do not scare you, then they're not big enough. And I never thought of it like this. So what is that if your dreams do not scare you, then they're not big enough. And I never thought of it like this. So what is one of your dreams that scares you, Sandra?

You know, the reason that I think that's so powerful is because if we don't dream big, we hold ourselves back without even recognizing it. And so one of my big dreams is I'm really passionate about working with football teams and the mental side of football. One of my big dreams would be to be the go-to person in performance psychology for football teams in the NFL. And that's a really big dream, but something that I'm going after. So that's a big dream I have. And then I have another big dream of helping some of the top corporations being, you know, their coach, really allowing them to be at their best and thrive, allowing their employees to thrive so they can work together and be a good teammate and a good employee, but also like fueled and purposeful. So those are the things that scare me.

Let's go back to the NFL part first. What scares you about that? I know it's daunting to think like, wow, 32 NFL teams, you're the go-to person for them. What's the thing where you're like, eee, when you say that? Oh, well, let's see. That's a great question, Kevin. I think it's really, you know, I would stand out. I think that's the scary thing is, you know, I would stand out. I think that's the scary thing is, you know, I would stand out, I would always have to be on. And, you know, it's just scary trying to work, work on working at maybe a place that you haven't, right? It's, you know, a little unfamiliar territory, the politics, that's probably what

scares me. But you know what, what like I know that in the moment I can handle anything so I will thrive okay all right and now and now translating this to to business what's that because it's a it's even though the NFL is a business but it's a different clientele so to speak so what scares you about the working with businesses, maybe your dream of working with different types of businesses? I think being out there and being comfortable with being out there. And I think as an entrepreneur, I think that can be something that really holds people back is, you know, like, what will people think, you know, and the criticism that could that could take place. But I think the key is not letting that stop you.

So I want to ask you this, too, because I know there's going to be a lot of women out here that are listening to you and you being a female. And when we talk about football and it being a predominantly male environment, how do you do you does that factor into the nerves or does that factor into the the scariness part because I know a lot of women out here and I know a lot of students who are sometimes they get intimidated by being in a male environment and that sort of subsides their dreams a little bit you know I would say I'm I'm really comfortable in that environment because I've already worked in it and worked in it quite a bit. But I do think that holds people back. I think that's one of of my other sort of whys is I want to change the prominence of what people understand about mindset and performance psychology and how it is, you know, useful every single day. But sure, I think, you know, that's kind of what I mean by

like standing out. All right. Five to female blonde hair. You know, I'm not you know, it's not like I look like everybody else. But but what I have learned in my journey is that that you have to embrace your uniqueness. If you shy away from that, then you're in your own shadow and you can't really be yourself and you can't really be alive. So I've learned to embrace that, you know, I can't change my height. So, you know, being really comfortable with that and knowing that I can make a difference regardless of the height difference. You know, one team I worked with that I was on the sidelines with, it was pretty funny because, you know, one of the guys said to me,

because, you know, they're like, you know, heads taller than me. And, you know, one person was like, Dr. Kampoff, you're really short. And to be honest, I did, you know, in the moment I was like, oh, how do I respond to that you know but I said well no you're really small he said and I said well um marathoners are usually small you know it is who I am so but I think that's important for all of us we can't be somebody that we're not and so um we're really working to be comfortable with that is absolutely key for us to be happy and to live a life of our true potential. OK. All right. So now you've developed this top 10 traits of high performance.

Right. And my next question for you is, is what trait of that top 10 traits of high performance do you exhibit the most? I would say number three, which is they master their thinking patterns. So that to me is really at the heart of our performance is our thinking patterns. And number four is, um, high, having high self-awareness. And I think, you know, that's what I do pride myself on that, like being able to, um, recognize what I'm thinking about and, you know, being able to, to change that when it, when I am really getting my own way. Sometimes it's more difficult than other times, but, um, that's what I would say is, is the trait that I exhibit the most. Okay.

All right. And in that same list, which one do you see yourself working on or need to work on more? Number nine, which is they are self-compassionate. This is something that, you know, it's been part of my own journey. That's really important. I know to performance and, you know, self compassionate to me means is just that high high performers know that people aren't perfect and they let go of their mistakes. They learn from them and then they return confidently, but they don't beat themselves up in the process. And I think that that's actually can look and get really get in our own way is when we beat ourselves up, you know.

You know, I was telling you about the podcast artwork, Kevin, and I know you've been really helping me with that, which I really appreciate. And that's gotten me stuck for like a month launching this podcast, you know. Just and not even, you know, for the whole month I haven't been able to make a difference with this podcast. You know, so but then sometimes I beat myself up. It's like, oh, Sandra, seriously, you know, get over it. You know, so just I think the heart of self-compassion is loving yourself and being, you know, laughing it off like not everybody's perfect. And actually, like we were just talking about how failure is a part of high performance. And so when you don't let go of those failures or those mistakes and you beat yourself up, it just cuts at your confidence.

Right. And that can happen on the playing field or in business or really just, as you said, in life. I mean, you know, one failure throughout the day can change the trajectory of your entire day or game or situation if you allow it. And so in terms of mastering that and being able to overturn it is critical. So we're going to move on to our next question is, what do you think are one or two things you do mentally to stay at your best? And this is going to be extremely helpful to us because obviously we look to you as the expert and we want to have some of those same qualities. The thing that I do as much as I can is run because I have recognized that that fuels me. That allows me to

kind of release some negativity that I have and also allows me to connect with other people. I really get fueled in that way. And so if I go for a run in the morning, I'm going to actually be more productive throughout my day. So that's something that is really important to me. When I don't do it, I recognize, you know, that I'm kind of a little off. I'm not quite myself. And we know there is an incredible amount of research about physical activity and how it releases positive endorphins. And so that's one of the things I do. How far do you run?

How far? Do you run like 10 miles a day? what are we talking here, Sandra? you know, it depends on if I'm training for a marathon so it really depends this morning I ran 6 miles so, you know that gives you like a snapshot

but you know what? when I'm training for a marathon you know, every Saturday I run a long run and that might be up to you know 20 miles 22 miles wow yeah yeah so I think for some people you're right like it's like what you do what right but for others it might be riding a bike for 10 miles or going for a walk for two miles right it could be yeah whatever is most comfortable to that individual, right? Yes. Yeah. And I've spent a lot of time really thinking about what does fuel me, what are the practices that I absolutely need so I can be at my best and physical activity and

running is one of them. I get so much just fuel from that. The other practice that I would say is I have thought quite a bit about, you know, when am I my best? When am I my best self so that I can really, you know, be fueled in that way and honestly get out of my own way. And so that's something that I consciously practice every day is, you know, how can I really be my authentic self? How can I really be, you know, my best self today so that I can impact people, positively impact people, and also feel good about life and feel good being happy because when you are yourself, like, that's really when you're at your best and you can reduce anxiety and depression and resentment and negativity. Okay.

Okay. So we're going to move on to the speed round here. So I'm going to ask you a question and I just want you to answer it with one word or as quickly as you can. And so this should be a lot of fun. I have four questions here. So it's going to be super quick. You ready? Yes. All right. So if you could recommend one book for our audience, what would it be and why? I like the book called The Seven Decisions by Andy Andrews. And Andy

was homeless for a part of his life. He was living under a tunnel. And if you read his book, he did all this research about how the greatest achievers think and their patterns. And I got to hear him speak actually a month ago. He was outstanding. But I love The Seven Decisions.

If you're an athlete listening, because The Seven Decisions is for anybody. Okay. And the other book that I would read if you're an athlete is The Champion's Code, or actually The Champion's Mind it is by Jim Aframow. It's one of my favorite books related to sports psychology. Okay. All right. All right.

What is one word that people describe you as, Sandra? Passionate. Really? I can't tell. No, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. All right. Passionate. All right. Next question. What is the best advice you've ever received? My cross-country coach in high school would tell us that we should go to the Liz Rolfsmeyer camp for the summer. Liz Rolfsmeyer was a very good high school runner in my high school. His point was that you don't have to go to all these fancy camps, but what you have to do is work hard every day. And what I liked about that analogy is that hard work every day is really what's going to allow you to get after your dreams and go after it.

And one summer, I went to the Liz Rossmeyer camp, which basically meant like you stay, you run every single day. You don't have to go to this fancy camp, you know, but it's the hard work that matters. And that year, I got second in state. So pretty cool, you know, but it's the hard work that matters. And that year I got second in state. So pretty cool, you know, that the Liz Rossmeyer camp can allow you to go after your dreams. So what that really means is work hard every single day to go after what you want and

be focused with what you want. Okay. All right. And now, Sandra, give us a success quote that you live by and really how it applies to yourself and to others who are listening. If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough. I had an awesome opportunity in a few months ago, excuse me, to give a commencement speech. And that's one of the things that I talked about is, you know, you have to have big dreams because if you dream small, you're going to limit yourself and your potential. But when you dream big, even if it's scary, you recognize that what you could absolutely do. And I think that's the key is, you know, one of my top ten traits is be comfortable being uncomfortable. And we know that the high performers, they deal with that discomfort.

And that discomfort could be the fear that gets in their way going after what they want or self-doubt. And what I've come to recognize in my own journey is whenever you're pushing yourself, whenever you're going after what you want, that fear isn't going to go away. Okay. And as a high performer, what I really mean by high performance is, you know, really you reaching your potential. That fear is not going to go away as long as you're pushing yourself. In fact, when the fear does go away, it probably means that you're settling.

So I absolutely love that quote. If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough. Okay. And then our final question for you, Cyndra, is what advice do you have for Performer Nation out there? We all have unique strengths and gifts. And when you embrace those unique strengths and gifts, that's when you flourish. That's when you're most alive. And when you embrace those unique strengths and gifts that's when you flourish that's when

you're most alive um and when you when you aren't yourself you kind of you get stuck in your own shadow and i think recognizing those own unique gifts and strengths is really important because the world absolutely needs your gifts and your strength so don't hold back. Well, listen, before I turn it back over to you for you to close down this podcast, as the host of the show, this has been an amazing experience for me. This has been so much fun to just sit here and have a dialogue with you and hope that I know that you're going to inspire and help so many people out there that's listening. So, you know, I just thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey and that our paths have crossed and that we'll continue to move forward together. Awesome, Kevin. Thank you so much for this opportunity for you to interview me.

This wasn't something that I really expected to do, but I really love this and I hope that the listeners got to know a little bit more about my perspective and what I hope to bring on this podcast. And, you know, I'd encourage you to follow this journey. And so you can really learn the mental tools and strategies of high performance in sport, business and in life. So as a reminder, every Tuesday, there will be a new sort of strategy session that will be released on a high performance topic. Every Thursday, we're going to release an interview with either a high performer or someone who works in high performance. So if you want that list of top 10 traits of high performance, you can visit my website, cindracampoff.com.

Or I got a fancy way you can also get it. You can text MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828. So that's MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828. And then you get on my email list, I video blog every week. So I send out a video on a high-performance topic. And then you also get delivered to your email the top 10 traits of high performers. So thank you so much for joining Kevin and I. I wish you the best for your week and get after it. If you enjoyed today's episode, jump over to iTunes and rate the podcast for us.

When you do that, it allows us to reach more great people like you who are interested in the high-performance mindset. It'll take three seconds or so, and I'd be so incredibly grateful. And today's episode is sponsored by Worldwide Access Solutions Incorporated, a 24-7 clear advantage, a call center providing inboard and outboard services, and a licensed life and health insurance agency. You can visit them at wasi.com. That's W-A-S-I dot com. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. Are you signed up for Sindra's weekly email with free mental tools and strategies for high performance? Why the heck not? Text MENTALLYSTRONG, all one word, to 22828 or visit sindracampoff.com.