196. Guest: Kate Allgood - From Pro Ice Hockey to Elite Mental Performance Coach

Join us for a compelling conversation with Kate Allgood, renowned mental performance coach and CEO of Quantum Performance Inc., who takes us on her transformative journey from ice hockey player to elite athlete coach. As we explore the profound role of mindset in personal development, Kate shares how sports can be a powerful platform for nurturing essential life skills such as teamwork, communication, and perseverance. Whether it's on the ice or in the UFC ring, Kate unveils how mental toughness transcends physical endurance, incorporating elements like mindfulness and meditation.

Kate opens up about her personal transition from athlete to coach after the folding of her hockey league, a pivotal moment that challenged her to redefine her identity. The conversation digs deep into the resilience required to navigate such life changes, revealing insights into mental toughness that are applicable both in sports and beyond. Kate's story emphasizes the importance of attitude, focus, and habits in cultivating a robust mindset, encouraging listeners to embrace change, no matter how daunting it may seem.

In this episode, we also explore practical strategies for personal growth and mindset enhancement. From journaling and goal-setting to mental rehearsal and visualization, Kate shares techniques tailored to individual preferences, reminding us that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. We discuss the significance of attention control in achieving peak performance and satisfaction, drawing parallels between athletes and military professionals. As a special treat, Kate introduces her books, "Get Into The Zone" and "The Athlete Within," as valuable resources for those eager to delve deeper into mental game development. Whether you're a high performer, entrepreneur, or athlete, this episode is filled with invaluable insights to help you overcome limiting beliefs and achieve your goals.

https://www.qpathlete.com/

Chapters

• 0:11 Developing Mindset Through Sports
• 6:39 Transitioning From Athlete to Coach
• 14:59 Personal Growth Through Mental Rehearsal
• 27:40 Sports Fandom and Mental Performance
• 34:54 Training Attention for Quality Experience
• 40:31 Empowering High Performers Through Knowledge

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

What is up, guys? Welcome to another episode of the Mindset Cafe podcast. It's your boy, devin, and I'm excited to welcome Kate Allgood to the episode of the Mindset Cafe podcast. It's your boy, devin, and I'm excited to welcome Kate Allgood to the episode today. She is a mental performance coach, she's a bestselling author and she is the CEO of Quantum Performance Inc.

Speaker 1: 0:35

I mean, honestly, you guys already know that the Mindset Cafe is all about your guys' personal development, your guys' journey, because it is a personal journey, but learning from other people's stories and bringing on people that are really aligned with helping, and that's something that you know Kate is really specialized in. She has, you know, she has been from a standout ice hockey player in Canada, which is so cool, cause, I mean, I'm in California and we don't have ice hockey like you guys do out there, but I love watching hockey and she's, you know, coached some of the top athletes in the NFL, the NHL, the UFC and so many other areas. So, with that being said, kate, I just want to take the time to say again, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to hop on and, you know, give the audience some knowledge.

Speaker 2: 1:19

No, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to this.

Speaker 1: 1:22

So where did your let's dive straight in, like where did your journey begin with? You know?

Speaker 2: 1:32

mindset? It's a very good question. I think you know, without really realizing it, I think it really started when I first started playing sports and you know I was the kid that would be, you know, out in my backyard ring growing up, you know, taking shots, trying different moves, and I would, you know, want to get like 10 in a row perfect. Probably a little bit perfectionist in there, but you know, 10 in a row perfect. Before I could go inside I had a, you know, basketball hoop when I was three years old, learned to skate when I was two.

Speaker 2: 1:54

So I think, as soon as you get into the world of sports and wanting to excel and really enjoying what you're doing, mindset obviously is naturally, you know, go ahead, goes hand in hand with it. And so I think that's truly when it when it started. And then you know, as I got further along in my hockey career, um, you know, dealing with politics, dealing with, you know, maybe overly exuberant parents, um, getting cut from a team, all of these things right, they start to play a role and your mindset starts to show through, whether you're aware of it or not. And I think you know, for me I knew even my first time I got caught out. I think I was only seven or eight years old, so I was pretty young. In my immediate response to it was okay, great, let's go and let's get better and work harder. So I think that started to show what kind of mindset I had from a pretty, pretty early age.

Speaker 1: 2:42

No, that's so awesome. So I want to ask, you know being I was the first of you know three boys, and so my parents made me do every single sport you know under the sun. I mean, I even did fencing, right, and my, their whole thing for me was like you have to at least try it once and if you don't like it after that you don't have to do it. But I think that I learned so much from mindset and fitness and you know the demand I wanted for myself. Like you said, you're out in the backyard, you know, and you had to make you know 10 shots before going in. What do you think like the importance of you know kids in sports? You know is. Is it important? Is it, you know, crucial for their development or no?

Speaker 2: 3:24

I don't think it has to be sports.

Speaker 2: 3:25

I think there's a lot of different things that can help develop the mindset and maybe some of these tools that are going to help you beyond these different endeavors.

Speaker 2: 3:32

I think sport is definitely a great tool to use to develop yourself as a person, and before it became a multimillion dollar industry, before people could make a career really out of it and make lots and lots of money, that was really the whole point of sports was to develop yourself as a person, to develop things like teamwork, communication, hard work that you would then take with you when you went and had your career and the rest of your life, and that those would be things that you would have developed through doing sports. And obviously you could do, you know, music, do an instrument or different things that could also probably do that, because there's still a performance element, still needing a certain mindset and learning how to develop something. But sports is just one of those great tools and I think, because there's just so many different sports, you can generally find a sport that's going to probably fit. You know the different people and personalities that are out there.

Speaker 1: 4:23

No, I think that is actually that it makes a lot of sense. There's the performance aspect, but learning a skill that takes time to get better at, and and everything is so, is crucial. I do want to ask about your hockey career. I mean, you were one of the top ranked ice hockey players, and so did you get into any fights. I mean, I know, when I watched the NHL itself, like those are all that always happens, or was that just you know? Is that just at certain levels? That? How did that? Did that play any role in your career?

Speaker 2: 4:50

We didn't have huge fights, not like the NHL. That wasn't actually really allowed, like even in men's hockey. I think at the college level you're not allowed to get into fights like that. You are in the NHL, it's. It's generally frowned upon, but there's definitely, definitely you know some pushing and shoving and some, you know punches thrown with gloves on, and for us especially, we all had masks on, so you're not going to want to drop your gloves because you probably hurt your hand in the process.

Speaker 2: 5:12

But yeah, I got in a handful just because I was very good and so you get a little extra attention. You get a push or shove here or there. So it would take a lot. I think at most ever got maybe 12 or 14 penalty minutes in a year. So anybody who knows the game that knows that it's very, very low. So it took a lot for me to get to a point where maybe I want to swing a punch. But definitely, you know I had some people on my line who would come to my defense and maybe some things would get going from there.

Speaker 1: 5:38

No, that's awesome, I do. I mean just as a curiosity question and I know it's a little bit of a tangent, but you know, when you're, when you're watching ice hockey and stuff, and someone gets slammed into the glass, you know, especially, it's like someone is coming across ice and it looks like full speed, like even with the pads on, like how bad does that really hurt?

Speaker 2: 5:57

Um, I mean, it just depends. It depends on if you know how to take a check or not. Right, and if someone is coming full speed speed and obviously there are rules in hockey you can't charge someone which is kind of you know, almost doing that and then like going full full speed into somebody, but it definitely can can hurt, especially if you get hit the wrong way or stick gets involved. You know, I got a few cross checks to the ribs on the on the occasion, so that definitely can can hurt if you hit the boards in an awkward way on the occasion. So that definitely can hurt if you hit the boards in an awkward way. But generally if you've learned how to take a check, it's not too bad. But yeah, if it's coming full across the ice and someone's slamming into you, you can imagine like we get up pretty fast in our speed, so that's yeah, that hurts.

Speaker 1: 6:37

That's what I'm saying. Sometimes some of the checks look like I'm like dang, that was hard, and then you watch the player just get up like it was nothing. I was like there is no way that that didn't phase you a little bit because, like even football I mean I played rugby and obviously with no pads that it sucks when you got hit or tackled or slammed, but with football it's like those hits still hurt, like you know, to a degree. It's like if you get hit the wrong way, it's like it still knocks the wind out of you. It still you, you know give you a concussion even though you have a helmet on. So sometimes I'm amazed at the players and their resilience to just get up and like like it was nothing. I was like, dude, you are, you are tough, you know you are a tough individual, but I do want to, you know, kind of dive in from your athletic experience and stuff. What was the point where you transitioned from being a player to being a coach? What was?

Speaker 2: 7:24

the point where you transitioned from being a player to being a coach. I transitioned actually right after university. So I was on track and my goal had been to be a member of the 2010 Canadian Olympic team. And I'd finished my undergrad and I was actually down in California training and doing what we call our off-ice training so all our strength and conditioning in the off-season and league. I was supposed to go back and play and folded. So the professional league had folded and obviously, for anyone who's followed women's sports up until pretty much right now, women's sports in the leagues, you know, haven't been very sustainable and it hasn't been really a great place. Women can't really play professionally unless you were a golfer or a tennis player, but obviously that's changed.

Speaker 2: 8:08

So because it folded, I was kind of in a point where I had a momentary pause and just kind of going full steam ahead and I think just through my journey and being in California, being separate from being the hockey player everybody knowing me as the hockey player it made me decide to retire and so I am in San Diego now. I live in San Diego. So I decided to stay down in California and kind of move on with the next phase of life. But before I had even, you know, made that decision again because of being, you know, a woman's ice hockey player, even if I was going to be playing professionally, which I had done in the past you don't make money, so you still have to think about what are you going to do for a career, how are you going to make money? And so I'd already started to think about that, and just helping people and helping athletes had always been something that was kind of underneath the surface and that's kind of how I made that transition.

Speaker 1: 8:58

So when you were making that transition I know because I mean from my personal training background and stuff one of my clients was a professional boxer and for her transitioning when she did retire, it was you know, this huge identity shift. Right, you know, going from I am a professional boxer to I was, and now it's like what am I and us having to have a few conversations like, look, you have a successful business and you've had this the whole time you were boxing? You're not just a boxer, that's not your only identity. Did you go through any identity shift? You know issues when you went from being a pro athlete to you know doing what you're doing now?

Speaker 2: 9:34

No, absolutely. I think any athlete generally has some type of transition and shift and obviously there are things you can do proactively to make that more minimal and making not quite as harsh of a adjustment. But I think there's always a little bit there because you've put so much time, energy and effort into this one singular thing and it's something you're very good at. Right In my 20s I had excelled to a very high level in one thing and where most people are just starting, maybe the thing that they're going to now excel at, I'd already done that in something.

Speaker 2: 10:02

So you, you kind of, are making this shift from going from being very, very good at something to not going back to the beginning and that can sometimes be be hard and just saying who am I without, without this sport? And do people still like me if I'm not this, this athlete, in this person who's really good? And you know, it's one of the reasons why, you know, I decided to make a life in California I think initially at least, because it was a place where people didn't know me as a hockey player and, as you know, california hockey is not really a big thing, so I could just be a person and kind of navigate and develop that part of myself away from the game. But yeah, there's always going to be a little bit of that adjustment.

Speaker 1: 10:40

Awesome. So I want to dive into you non-mindset and stuff and really understanding what mental toughness is and everything. Can you define what mental toughness is in your words and then why is it crucial for success in both sport, but mainly in life?

Speaker 2: 11:03

gets thrown around a lot, especially in the world of sports. You know, you got to be more mentally tough and it's such a big kind of umbrella term like what does that mean? If you tell somebody be more mentally tough? I think that that's very hard for somebody then to go do anything with really, and I think it really is a combination of many things. It's a combination of, you know, your attitude, your mindsets, your focus, your habits, literally every single thing that makes you be able to, I guess quote unquote be tough in a moment.

Speaker 2: 11:29

And I think for me it's really being more mindful of that toughness. Really, you know, not just grind and go hard and burn yourself out and do you know, obviously doing very difficult physical things can show an element of toughness, but doing meditation is also very tough and it's a different type of toughness. And you know, I think a lot of people don't think of it from that perspective. They think of, like I'm going to go do this really hard physical thing and somehow grind my way through it, and almost that can sometimes be easier than sitting there for five minutes in stillness. So I think it's really a combination of everything that's going to allow you to have that in a moment when you need it, but it has to be cultivated every single day and every facet of your life.

Speaker 1: 12:14

I love the way you define that, because mental toughness is thrown around so much, especially on social media right now, and it's one of those things where let's say, david Goggins, right, you're running this extensive amount just because it's tough, just because it's hard. It's like that's not always what toughness means, it's not. You know, let's say, in ice hockey, you getting hit and getting back up, that's yeah, that's tough, that's, that's, that's hard. But mental toughness it goes so much more than that. Like you said, meditating for five minutes. I guarantee you that I've done it and it's.

Speaker 1: 12:49

It's tough to sit there and not and try to relax your brain, especially being an entrepreneur, and my brain is going. Even when I'm sleeping I wake up with a new idea and it's like, you know, just being able to quiet your mind and everything for five minutes, let alone a minute. You know is can be hard, but I think it is so true because I've been being in the gym industry. I'd tell people that mental toughness is, you know, showing up on the days that you don't want to show up. I mean, I work in the gym, I own a gym and I don't want to work out every single day, right, and it's doing the things that you know you need to do when you don't want to do them. Is that what you kind of align with with that, in a sense?

Speaker 2: 13:19

Yeah, I think that's definitely, I think would be one of the facets of it. I think it said that there's so many different facets to it. I think it's really bringing it all together. So, yeah, doing the things you don't want to do right, which, to me, creates that consistency that is needed, and I think you're right.

Speaker 2: 13:32

I think there's the physical element, and I think for most athletes, they're always going to use that, have days where they don't want to show up and maybe do practice or do their weight training, to show up and maybe do practice or do their weight training. But then you also have to think about all the other parts that make you great, whether it's meditating or journaling or any of those other things that are more subtle, that athletes need to do or people need to do to help them be able to be tough in those moments, because toughness really comes from. Are you really grounded, are you able to make choices and to be stable in your focus and in your decision making in those really key moments? And have you developed that, have you trained that? And I think that's also a very important thing.

Speaker 1: 14:15

So I want to ask you about journaling, because you just mentioned it right now. Now, like meditation, I've done, I've done breathwork, I've done these other things and I tried journaling and I don't. I've done breathwork, I've done these other things and I tried journaling and I don't think I gave it enough time to make it actually make sense for me. But do you think that it's a crucial role in personal development or do you think that it's you know a case by case scenario.

Speaker 2: 14:40

What's your take on journaling? I think most things are case by case. I think there's no one tool that fits absolutely every single person. I may argue that with meditation, I think meditation is a fantastic tool, but when you look at any of the other tools, it really is what works for you. So I think for a lot of people journaling can be very, very beneficial and I think with any tool as well. It also comes down to maybe how do you do it right.

Speaker 2: 15:01

There's obviously, I guess, the traditional form of journaling, where you have a blank page and just kind of throw your thoughts on a page, and I think for some people that works beautifully and for some people that just doesn't work because they need direction. They don't know, like, well, what do I do, what do I write? Like I don't understand this. And maybe they just need some prompting questions, some questions that just kind of help make them get a little bit more introspective, think a little bit, and so like that's what I do with my, my clients. I do have it where there are questions to create more of a formal reflection and give them a little bit of guidance with their introspection.

Speaker 2: 15:32

And for most part. I think most of them do like it, but again, for some of them they really grab ahold of it and they really embrace it and they find that really is extremely valuable for them. And for other people it's, it's okay, but it's not maybe the as big for as it is for other people. So there's no one size fits all. It really is, when you come down to developing your mindset and training your mind, is really finding the tools that work for you and being very, very consistent with those tools.

Speaker 1: 15:59

No, that does. That does make a lot of sense. Have you heard of like the? I mean, I like the fact that you make you do questions and like diving into a question and explaining your answer and diving that way. That makes sense to me and like I would be. You know more. I think, receiving to that.

Speaker 1: 16:14

I think the journaling the journaling that I've been told and is the is the journaling where it's like you talk about your goals in, let's say, for 2025, talk about your goals in the present tense of you achieving them and do it every single day. And it's like for me. I was like why? I know I'm literally working at those goals every single day already. Why do I have to write it in the present tense? And I don't know if, again, maybe I'm just looking at it the wrong way or if I'm just if I was just journaling wrong. I guess maybe that does work for some people. But you know, sitting there and writing essentially almost like I review it as like standards back in school, and you got in trouble and you had to, you know, repeat your standards. You know I will not do this, I will not do this, and it's like you know writing your goals in present tense. Do you think that is beneficial? Or case by case? Or you know, know, have you seen anything? Or do you do that?

Speaker 2: 17:04

you know, I think it's funny and again, I for me I feel like it is always case by case, because I think there's research that can go either which way, like there's um, for example, there's research that says that telling people your goals is really beneficial and really good, and then there's there's things out there that says actually no, keeping it to yourself and and not telling people is good. So I think it's one of those things where, again, it is very personal. I think, again, if you understand, because a big part of mindset is knowing yourself and knowing how you work and how you operate and then again finding the things that help to support you and help you to use your strengths to really get you where you want to go and obviously help you to understand your vulnerabilities and where the things that maybe there are some gaps and how do you support yourself to help make sure those gaps really don't get in your way, or whether that's getting somebody else to help you or, again, just it's not always about you by yourself having to work on this quote-unquote weakness, but maybe being able to give yourself the environment that helps make sure that that doesn't really interfere with what you're trying to do. So, to your point.

Speaker 2: 18:04

I was kind of the same way where I didn't. You know, everyone says write down your goals. When I was growing up, I never wrote down my goals, I never for me. That just didn't seem like it worked for me. I always just knew what I wanted and I would. I could see it Like I would do the more of the mental rehearsal and see it and feel it and embody where I knew I wanted to go, and every day I would then just focus on doing the work that I knew was a part of the steps towards it. But I never sat there and, you know, wrote down I'm going to the Olympics in 2010,. Right, but I had that embodiment in me once. I knew that was maybe a realistic opportunity for myself.

Speaker 1: 18:41

No, I think the part I took away from that too is like what you were just saying is you know it's case by case. So, you know, try it out. It may work, it may not work. For me, like just similar to you, like I can visualize it, like I can see these things and I'm so almost not, like, I guess, obsessed, but like I am thinking about it day in, day out, so it's like writing on a piece of paper just seemed for me like a waste of time. But I have heard other people saying it works for them. Do you do any like visualization, like techniques and stuff with, like your clients or even for yourself? Have you done it in the past where you're, like you know, seeing, let's say, for, like Kobe Bryant I know he used to talk about, you know him doing his free throws, but then when he wasn't doing his free throws in practice and before practice, like he was literally watching, like you know, visualizing him making the shot, the shot actually going in and stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 19:31

Yeah, no, I do it with my clients, I've done it, I still do it. So I think mental rehearsal and I like the term mental rehearsal because it's more than when we use the term visualizing people think you got to see it like a movie in your mind, which again it's some people do and some people it's more feeling based, like that was for me for the longest time. I didn't really. I saw it like big kind of images, but it was more. I could feel things really deeply. I could feel the same you know feeling and sensation after you know, as if I just scored a goal, for example, and I could feel that really greatly. So I like the term, yeah, mental rehearsal, so I do use it.

Speaker 2: 20:04

I think the the pre-performance mental rehearsal is really important. I think most athletes and most people understand that going into a certain event and kind of doing that mental rehearsal. But I have my athletes also do it every day because I think one if you do it for five minutes every day, that adds up over time. Again, just building that habit and not just putting it just when you're about to, just putting it just when you're about to go perform, because again, everything you're doing every day is setting you up to be able to perform in that moment when you want to. But then it also opens the door for different types of mental rehearsal. Because most people will do the mental rehearsal of seeing just their ideal performance, which is important, especially right before you're about to go do it.

Speaker 2: 20:41

But it's also mental rehearsal can also be used to see how do you want to respond to maybe something not going according to plan, you know. Or how do you want to respond to after you make a, you know, quote, unquote, mistake or slip in the middle of the game. And you can then do that a little bit away from the actual maybe game or performance. And that also is important because that's a part of mental preparation, a part of having a good mindset is preparing for distractions or things not going according to plan. And sometimes you can do a little bit of mental rehearsal around that and around your different action plans and what you want to do in different scenarios.

Speaker 2: 21:12

So that opens that door. You know for that. But you know, with mental rehearsal there's so many different ways you can, whether it's seeing the performance, seeing how you want to feel after the performance I mean you could sit there the first thing in the morning and kind of just, you know, do a little bit of rehearsal around. How do you want to see your day kind of flow, with again the idea that just because that's how you've seen it doesn't mean it's exactly going to go that way. It's just saying you're kind of setting that intention, but then you still have to be open and adaptable to how things actually unfold.

Speaker 1: 21:40

No, that's so awesome. I like that terminology flip, like I like mental rehearsal better, you know, because visualization even though I said it like that's it is so broad and there's so many things that can get categorized under that and mental rehearsal is a lot better terminology, so definitely going to be using that. That's way, way better. What are some common like mental barriers that not just athletes have, but high performers, entrepreneurs face, and then how do you help them overcome these?

Speaker 2: 22:09

Confidence is a big one. I think a lot of people get surprised by that sometimes if they're not the athlete. I think athletes understand confidence is a, and even high performers understand it can be one of their mental barriers, and a big part is because for many people and many high performers, confidence is coming from external of themselves, and so it's. You know how many goals have I got? Did I win? Did I not win? Did I make this team? Did you know this happen? Does my coach like me? Does my coach give me lots of playing time, whatever it might be? And really having to flip that and really drive it from within them. So saying like, yeah, like you scoring goals or getting a certain time or winning something, or your coach now gives you more ice time, whatever it might be, like that's great, that can align with what you already know about yourself, but it shouldn't be the thing that makes or breaks your confidence. Your confidence shouldn't be a roller coaster. It shouldn't be going up and down depending on how things in your external world are going. It should really be steady and consistent if you've developed it from within yourself, and so I think that's really a big thing is just helping people, whether they're high school athletes, as you said, entrepreneurs.

Speaker 2: 23:13

I've worked with people in the military, I've worked with professional athletes and that seems to always be there. That's something we're always working on, because even if somebody has a decent, or seemingly decent level of confidence generally again, because it's dictated by things outside of themselves there's always that opportunity for it to then get impacted negatively if something changed in their situation. So we always want to make sure that they're developing it so that it is steady, comes from within them, and that's what they can lean on. So I think that's one of the biggest things. And then just consistency. I think, especially with um training the mind, I think the consistency sometimes is locked. People dabble in it, they like it, they do it a little bit, or they do it to the point where now they're seeing success in what they're trying to do and then they decide oh, we're good, let's just focus again only on our physical game and we'll be done.

Speaker 1: 24:09

No, that's so true. Make sure you guys took those notes down if you're listening. No, I honestly I didn't expect the confidence one that was. That was a huge, you know, perspective change. It does make a lot of sense though, you know, and because things you are, you are super confident when things are going right. And then when things don't go right, you know, even if it is an external thing that you did have, you had no control over it can hit your self-confidence a little bit to. You know your self-belief, and, like man, like I thought I was the rockstar, that nothing could happen to me, and all of a sudden it does. And then you're like is am I? Am I the one you know? So I wasn't ready for that one. That was. That was a cool little twist on on what I thought maybe a common mental barrier would be Now sidebar with athletes, you know, and you can't choose ice hockey because I know you already have a bias towards it. What's your favorite like sport athlete to train? Do you have one?

Speaker 2: 25:03

That's a. That's a good, it's an interesting question. Just, favorite sport? That's a totally different question than one to train. You know it's funny, I have had that question asked before and I really don't have a favorite sport or athlete based off of their sport. I have a favorite athlete based off of their own mindset and bias towards self-development and self-improvement. I think the ones that really buy into wanting to improve themselves and are curious and are constantly trying to become better internally and within themselves and really buy into my process, or maybe my process, just the process of developing and training your mind, those are the ones I love to. So whether they're 16 years old or they're 36 years old professional athlete, whether they're UFC or they're a football player or they're a tennis player or whatever they might be, to me that doesn't really matter. I love just having somebody who's really truly engaged in the process.

Speaker 1: 26:00

Okay, I feel like that was a political answer. In the process, okay, I feel like that was a political answer.

Speaker 2: 26:04

It really isn't because, like I mean, yeah, I guess it sounds like a political answer, but, like I've been doing this now for 15 years and that's what you start to realize that it really is. For me and my position, the enjoyment comes from being able to really help somebody and seeing them, you know, grow and but that, but that comes from them, right, like I'm just here to guide them, and so they have to really truly be invested, and if they're not, then um, then it's really hard for me to guide them. So, um, that really it really truly is. I mean, I I've loved, um, I will say I've loved working with different athletes. Like I work with a lot of motocross and supercross athletes, and there's one of the reasons I love it because it's different.

Speaker 2: 26:49

It's something that I'm a hockey player and growing up I played all the other traditional sports soccer, baseball, basketball, all those different things but I never got on a dirt bike. I've tried it now as an adult, so to work with athletes for sports that I didn know, I didn't play or didn't you know, and to learn about it and to see it. And I was just actually I went to the Supercross race here in San Diego this past weekend, so to see it and to see what they do. You know, I have such a you know, just admiration for any athlete I always have for what they do, because every sport has their own challenges, um, that you wouldn't think of or don't know, um, and so it's always it's very cool to to learn more about, you know, these different sports and, and so I always loved kind of getting the new, the new sports. But now I've I've pretty much worked with every sport, so but that's always been fun.

Speaker 1: 27:36

No, that's awesome. So we'll switch the question to what is your again. Besides ice hockey, what is your favorite sport to watch?

Speaker 2: 27:45

oh no, that's a good question. I do like watching sports. Um, currently, what is my favorite sport to watch? It's hard because I like I like tennis, I've always liked tennis and I like watching like a good tennis match is is a lot of fun. I do actually really like watching the the supercross and motocross races now, cause again it's it's something I've um got very invested in with, with the number of clients that I've worked with.

Speaker 2: 28:09

Um, obviously, hockey is one sport that I always love to watch. Like you can't like that's. I always like to watch hockey, that's a given. So I'd say, like, if I'm looking at it, definitely, like you know, a good tennis match or a super cross race, I think is really, or motocross race is really fun. And obviously football playoffs. I do like football playoffs, I think, just because there's more on the line and you get to see some really great moments. You get to see some mental skills and action. How do they? How do they, what do they do under pressure? Because when someone makes a mistake, you know, in a high pressure moment it's not a physical thing, it's not that they can catch the ball or anything like that. Like you kind of get to see really truly what's going on between their two, their two ears that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 28:49

So do you have a favorite hockey team in the nhl?

Speaker 2: 28:52

I don't have a favorite, you know it's. It's changed since I've worked with players. Now I'm obviously I like and cheer for the players, and they've now moved around and are on different teams, so I'm always kind of you know, kind of seeing what their teams and what they're they're doing. I grew up, though, and because I'm from Toronto, so I did go to the Leaf games, and then my dad's from Montreal, so I also like the Habs, which for hockey, people say you can't do that. You can't like Leafs and Habs because they're huge rivals. But if it comes down to it, usually I will cheer for the Habs if it's Habs versus Leafs. But you know, obviously it'd be great to see either one of them go far and maybe even win, especially the Leafs, since that's never happened in my lifetime. I have got to see Montreal win a Stanley Cup when I was very young. But yeah, one of those two teams is obviously teams I kind of keep a little bit more of an eye on.

Speaker 1: 29:36

No, that's awesome. So I want to, you know, pivot and dive into your book a little bit. Right, you know you wrote a book. You know, get into the zone and it became a bestseller. Now, from your book, what was the reason that you wanted to write a book and can you explain, you know what, what the book's about? A little bit, you know, and and we'll you know, make sure that we put the link in the bio and everything so that people can get it.

Speaker 2: 29:58

Yeah, so that people can get it. Yeah, so that one. I guess it's now been 10 years ago when I wrote that one, so it was a while ago. That one was really at a time because this was even still. I mean, obviously some social media existed back then, but it wasn't quite the way that it is now. It was writing a book and having something.

Speaker 2: 30:15

When I went and spoke to maybe local youth organizations and just to kind of get my philosophy and my thoughts, you know, down and get it out there and a little bit of a lower price of entry for people maybe getting to know me, that was a big, you know, point to it. And then also just to educate people because again, even in the last 10 years, mental performance, you know, coaching, or mindset coaching in the world of sports has gotten a lot bigger and much more of a thing people understand and know about. But 10 years ago even that was still something you know. To educate people, to help them understand what it was and what it wasn't, was a big thing, and so that was another big part of writing that book is just trying to help people to understand what my role was what I did and what that looked like, but to make it very beginner based. It is a, you know it's a very small book I think it's not even like maybe 100 pages and so it was all designed to say, hey, here's like a beginner's guide to training your mind. Here are some things you maybe want to think about. Look at, what does this mean? Where does this play a, you know, kind of a part in the whole picture of sports and athletes? And that was really the big thing, and I think you know a big part of it.

Speaker 2: 31:25

The name is why I picked the name. People like that name get into the zone. Everyone's trying to do that. So that was really the reason I did it. And then, you know, I actually wrote a book two years ago, another one that was much more in depth. So I always tell people, if you're kind of just beginning, wanting to explore it, wanting to understand this, want maybe a really quick read, like something you can read within a day or two or on a plane ride somewhere, get into the zone is a great place. But if you want something a little meatier and a little bit more in depth and really diving further into your mental game, then the Athlete Within is a great book, which is you can see it behind me. Actually, if you're watching this, then that's a really great book, which is you can see it behind me. Actually, if you're watching this, then that's a really great book, cause it really, as I said, it goes much deeper and is an evolution from my own experience and and really diving, you know, much deeper into the topic.

Speaker 1: 32:12

So both of those books guys will be in the show notes. So if you guys are interested, you know, definitely check that out. Can you explain what the zone is or you know what is?

Speaker 2: 32:26

out. Can you explain what the zone is? What is the zone? The zone is just.

Speaker 2: 32:27

It's a term that was coined generally in the world of sports for the flow state. It has a lot of different terms from different avenues of life and different areas of life and it really the flow state is the best way to describe it is for people who have experienced this. Really, when you get into that place where you are, you know, 100% locked in and and things almost seem effortless and your ability to make decisions and so for an athlete, like being out there, it's almost like I don't say you're on autopilot, but you're so in the moment. There's no, there's not even thought about the second before the second coming up. You're just so immersed in. Everything seems effortless. Sometimes for some athletes, time seems to almost shift, like things slow down, and so it really is a. It's a place most athletes are trying to continuously get to. Is this kind of flow state where, as the term kind of states, you're in this very flowy place, you're loose but engaged, and and everything seems to be coming a lot easier than it usually does.

Speaker 1: 33:22

No, yeah, exactly, and I was going to say flow state, but then I was like wait. Earlier I said you know visualization and you had a way better term. So I was like I'm going to use your word this time.

Speaker 2: 33:31

No, it is the flow state. That is the term coined by the person who kind of did the initial research and everything on it.

Speaker 1: 33:38

But it's just it's gotten different names and different avenues. The zone is just the one the world of sports seems to use. No, definitely so. I mean you've trained, you know athletes, but then you also mentioned you train military professionals and stuff. Is there a difference in the approach that you take or the mindset training you would do with an athlete versus someone that's in the military?

Speaker 2: 33:59

no, because it's in one sense again same thing with you know all the different sports.

Speaker 2: 34:02

Every sport needs its own different, I guess, mindset or approach, different depending on the demands of that sport. So it's the same with the military right. The demands obviously are different than a sport. But my approach in terms of how I approach a client does not change. But obviously you have to adapt to what are their demands, understand what is needed out of them to in their performance arena and then kind of help them be able to perform in that arena. But the, I guess, the framework of how we're going to do that and the different tools and techniques and stuff, that part doesn't change Because again, same thing. Going back to what we said earlier, even if you took two athletes from the same sport, what is going to work for them, what tools they need, what framework they need to be at their best in terms of their mental game and training their mind could be very, very different. So whether it's within the same sport or, you know, a sport versus military, that for me doesn't change how I approach it.

Speaker 1: 34:53

I mean that's interesting. It's. The reason I was asking is because I, you know, thinking about it and stuff. One it's first for athletes. It's like they're in a cage or in a you know an ice rink, they're in a on a basketball court and then it's like a military professional. It's like they might be on the battlefield, they might be in the back office, you know, commanding troops, and it's like.

Speaker 2: 35:09

I don't know if that maybe dictated how you had to approach it or like the thought process behind it, but it does make sense because if you just think about their office or war room or the battlefield as an arena, the approach is still the same, if that makes sense yeah, and for for me, like with them when I've done a lot of the military, a lot of it's a part of they're more focused on helping them with their training maybe, and that coincides usually with something you know physical or, as you said, maybe behind the scenes, like conducting a brief if they're an officer.

Speaker 2: 35:36

So it's nothing where we've really sat there and spoke specifically about. If they are out there in their actual, real, true arena, it's usually just helping them. If they're maybe going through buds as a Navy SEAL or something like that, to try and help them you know, kind of overcome or just become the best version themselves for that part of the experience. So in one sense, it's not. That's where it becomes a little bit more similar to an athlete, like, obviously, when they're doing you know a lot of stuff for Navy SEAL training, there's a lot of physical um stuff that they have to do, um, but yeah, at the same time, like I've done a Marine fighter pilot and again, but it was more specific to their training and helping them just, you know, be their best while they were up there, but nothing to do with actually being over there and actually being in their true, true arena.

Speaker 1: 36:19

Okay, that makes I mean that does make a lot of sense. Do you have you found some common traits, you know, I mean across the different athletes and sports that you've trained? You know military high performers and all that kind of stuff. Is there maybe some common traits that you've noticed amongst the most successful performers that you work with?

Speaker 2: 36:38

Yeah, it probably goes back to when you asked the question of who do I like to work with? The ones that have a really deep desire, like almost a developmental bias, like they want to develop themselves. They have a growth mindset, they have the desire to be introspective, to understand that there's no end point really to this journey, that you know they may come see me, but for a period of time, but they know that it's gonna their work is gonna, you know, extend. They may come see me, but for a period of time, but they know that it's going to. Their work is going to, you know, extend beyond our time and they're really using it to, you know, to kind of help them as a platform to go there, or they keep coming because they know that they're always wanting to become better. So I think that's really the biggest thing is the people who understand there is no end point, so they're not just dabbling in this, they're really investing in it and as soon as they get to a point where they feel like they've got a good thing, there's always something more that they want to develop.

Speaker 2: 37:27

So, in one sense, the way that most athletes kind of approach their physical game, where they're constantly trying to become better with the technique, right, like it's a never ending cycle. Like they never get to a point where they think, oh good, like if you take, like a tennis player, like my forehand is perfect now. Like they're always. You look at the Federer's and the Nadal's of the world, right, they were always perfecting that part, like until the very end, until they retire, and the greatest athletes also do that with their mindset. They understand that like if they're constantly trying to refine it to become better and better.

Speaker 1: 37:58

No, that's, that's perfect. So I want to ask a final question Now. This question I don't like to give ahead of time, because I want the most authentic answer. What first comes to mind? Right, this is the Kate Allgood's legacy wall, and on this legacy wall it could be any lasting message. It could be short, it could be long, and I will preface saying it's not a tombstone, right? So some people give a tombstone answer. I'm like no, no, hold on. Let me rephrase that so it's your legacy. Well, what would that lasting message be for the up and coming generations? You know, within sport, within just life, what would that message be?

Speaker 2: 38:34

It's a good question. So lasting message would be to train your attention and to focus on the quality of the experience. So why train your attention?

Speaker 2: 38:43

Your attention is your most important skill. It basically feeds into everything. So if you can really have great control over your attention, you're going to be able to control your emotions. You're going to be able to have the mindset that you need. You're going to be able to have the thoughts that you need. You're going to be able to have the thoughts that you need. You're going to be able to take the actions that you need, make the decisions that you need.

Speaker 2: 39:05

So your attention is absolutely paramount and I think it's one of the most important things and it kind of feeds into, you know, the quality of the experience where, when you look at the most, I guess, successful, even happiest people, they focus on and understand that the quality of the experience and the experience itself is enough and really focusing on making that quality the best it can be. They don't worry about the outcome, they don't worry about what's next, they worry really truly just about the quality of the experience, and that goes helps them immerse themselves into that flow state and when you're there, you don't. You don't care about what's going to happen. You're enjoying where you currently are.

Speaker 1: 39:40

Okay, you can take your mic and just do a mic drop right there. That's awesome. I love that one. That is a first for the Mindset Cafe Guys, write that one down. If you didn't catch it, rewind it, listen again and write that down. Where can people find what you got going on? I know I'm going to put the show notes for the books, but if people want to connect with you and learn more about what you're doing, where can they find you at?

Speaker 2: 40:04

Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the best places is the website, which is qpathletecom, and then that's also my handle on Instagram, which is one of the platforms that I'm probably most active on. I do do YouTube videos as well, which is under Quantum performance, but yeah, those are probably the three best places to find me, but definitely the website will have the most information on myself and have all the books and all the various things that I do.

Speaker 1: 40:30

Awesome. Well, guys, make sure you guys share this episode with a friend. You know if you have a kid, if you have a friend that's a high performer or you know entrepreneur and athlete or just needs that you know reframing of. You know their mental toughness, their own perspective, their limiting beliefs, send this to them. You know Kate has just dropped an episode of knowledge for you guys. So with that, kate, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day and everything you got going on to. You know, give us a little bit of knowledge.

Speaker 2: 41:04

Thank you so much for having me.