Advertise on podcast: Your Mental Weight Room

A future national-team player spent her first week of college volleyball standing on a box for hours while coaches rebuilt her arm swing—and cried through the process. Desi talks with recruiting specialist Susan Forbes about what athletes don’t see coming in college sports: why coaches may recruit your potential, not the polished player you are now; how to spot a program where you’ll feel supported; and why committing to Division I isn’t always the best fit. They also get candid about coach feedback, recruiting myths (including the supposed need to post constantly on social media), and the small wins that can make a tough freshman year feel like it’s working.

In this episode of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi explores why athletes lose their joy for sports when they start playing for others rather than themselves. Drawing from her own experience of losing confidence and her starting position, she explains how external pressures gradually replace curiosity with fear of judgment. Desi highlights the "I'll be happy when..." mentality that prevents athletes from celebrating progress and shares a coaching example involving a gymnast overcoming mental blocks. She challenges listeners to ask themselves "Who am I playing for today?" and reconnect with their original love for the game.

In Episode 36 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, tackles the summer exhaustion many athletes and busy individuals experience when trying to do it all. She challenges the misconception that balance means perfect productivity, redefining it as prioritizing what truly matters each day without guilt. Desi highlights how mental depletion differs from laziness and emphasizes that rest is essential for performance, not just physically but mentally. She encourages listeners to redefine success, be kinder to themselves, and remember that ambition shouldn't be tied to self-worth.

In Episode 35 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, explores the transformative power of gratitude. She clarifies that gratitude isn't toxic positivity—you can feel pain and still be thankful. Backed by science, she outlines six key benefits: greater happiness, improved emotional well-being, better physical health, improved sleep, stronger relationships, and increased productivity. Desi warns against complaining, which raises cortisol levels, and encourages listeners to shift their mindset through gratitude practices like journaling or "gratitude rampages." She challenges listeners to find one thing to appreciate right now and build from there.

In Episode 34 of "Your Mental Weight Room," host and mindset mentor Desi uses a relatable personal story about feeling cold at home to illustrate a powerful mindset lesson. Rather than adjusting her thermostat, she bundled up and accepted the discomfort — mirroring how people often resign themselves to difficult circumstances. She explains that while we can't control external "weather," we can always adjust our internal "thermostat" — our thoughts. Through examples including her husband's college baseball experience and a client dealing with judgment, Desi encourages listeners to recognize and reshape limiting beliefs to regain control and improve performance.

In episode 33 of "Your Mental Weight Room," host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, tackles scheduling challenges faced by busy college athletes. She explains how proper scheduling reduces decision fatigue, increases productivity, and creates more downtime. Desi shares practical techniques, including writing down all tasks, estimating completion times, prioritizing non-negotiable commitments, and scheduling free time before homework. She emphasizes that schedules create freedom rather than restriction and encourages listeners to shift from a scarcity mindset around time.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, pleasecall to call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline In Episode 32 of Your Mental Weight Room, Desi opens up about a recent tough week battling anxiety and depression, describing the experience as a "low vibration" state where she functioned outwardly but struggled internally. She clarifies she's not a medical professional and encourages those with severe symptoms to seek help. Desi explores how anxiety, poor nutrition, and brain fog interconnect, then outlines what not to do—like toxic positivity, emotional avoidance, and self-judgment. She closes with seven practical coping tools, including mindful awareness, trusted conversation, quiet walks, and prayer, reminding listeners that experiencing difficult emotions is a normal part of being human.

In Episode 30 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi, a mindset mentor and certified life coach, explores the importance of how athletes show up mentally. She challenges college athletes to embody the mindset of the player they want to become, rather than defaulting to their current circumstances. Drawing from personal volleyball experiences and coaching calls, Desi explains how negative mindsets can become self-fulfilling prophecies. She encourages athletes to identify limiting thoughts, visualize their ideal mindset, and intentionally practice showing up as their future selves — because lasting confidence must be built from within, not dependent on external validation.

In episode 28 of Your Mental Weight Room, host Desi explores how athletes can mentally handle uncontrollable circumstances. Drawing from a personal experience playing in a sand volleyball playoff — where she battled strong winds and severe calf cramps — Desi shares four practical tips: Stop hating what you can't control Breathe into your experience Release uncontrollable factors to refocus your energy And identify what you can control She also highlights a powerful mindset moment from a ten-year-old baseball client. Ultimately, Desi emphasizes that accepting difficult situations, rather than fighting them, leads to better performance and personal growth.

In Episode 27 of Your Mental Weight Room, mindset mentor Desi tackles the overwhelming feelings many athletes experience. She clarifies that overwhelm stems not from the number of tasks but from how we think about them. Desi shares five practical tips to manage overwhelm: calming the nervous system through deep breathing, reflecting on what can be simplified or delegated, doing a thought download to separate facts from thoughts, giving yourself grace, and setting a clear intention. These tools help athletes regain focus, reduce stress, and perform at their best.

In Episode 26 of "Your Mental Weight Room," mindset mentor and certified life coach Desi shares four keys to building confidence for college athletes. She explains that confidence stems from practiced beliefs about oneself and outlines four strategies: being willing to question limiting beliefs, stepping outside your comfort zone, recognizing and validating personal progress, and reshaping your internal narrative. Through relatable examples, Desi demonstrates how applying these keys can transform self-belief and athletic performance. She concludes by inviting listeners to a free 30-minute coaching call and encouraging them to connect via Instagram at @ThisIsCoachDesi.

In Episode 25 of Your Mental Weight Room, host and mindset mentor Desi explores how college athletes can better handle correction from their coaches. She addresses common negative reactions—such as self-doubt and shutting down—and reframes correction as a sign of a coach's trust rather than inadequacy. Desi also distinguishes between constructive correction and emotionally-driven criticism, offering strategies to shift negative thinking. She encourages athletes to stay open to feedback, embrace discomfort, and view correction as an opportunity for growth to avoid burnout and maintain their love for their sport.

In Episode 24 of "Your Mental Weight Room," host Desi redefines mental toughness for college athletes. Drawing from personal experience playing volleyball through hairline fractures, she challenges the misconception that mental toughness means pushing through pain at all costs. Instead, Desi argues it's fundamentally about self-trust — knowing when to push forward and when to rest. She shares four practical tools to build mental toughness, including embracing vulnerability, questioning your limits, and countering negative thoughts. Through inspiring stories of athletes overcoming setbacks, Desi emphasizes that true mental toughness means finding hope in difficult moments and playing with nothing to lose.

In Episode 23 of "Your Mental Weight Room," host Desi explores the "Upper Limit" concept from Gay Hendricks’ book The Big Leap. She explains how people subconsciously sabotage themselves when they exceed their internal success comfort zone. Desi shares personal stories and examples from athletics and daily life, encouraging listeners to recognize and raise their own upper limits. The episode emphasizes self-awareness as the first step to accepting greater success and happiness, offering practical advice for athletes and anyone wanting to break through self-imposed barriers.

In episode 22 of "Your Mental Weight Room," mindset mentor Desi explores "The Model," a mental framework by Brooke Castillo rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy. Building on the previous episode about Byron Katie’s "The Work," Desi explains how The Model helps athletes and individuals gain awareness of how their thoughts shape feelings, actions, and results. Through practical examples, she demonstrates how shifting your mindset can break negative cycles and empower you to take control of your mental game, both in sports and life. The episode emphasizes self-awareness, responsibility, and practical steps for using The Model.