Jared Wolfe on Sporting Clays, Creativity & the Mental Side of Performance – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight

The Clay Lab Network Podcast

The Clay Lab Network Podcast
Jared Wolfe on Sporting Clays, Creativity & the Mental Side of Performance – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight
Aug 03, 2026 Season 3 Episode 15
Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights

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Jared Wolfe joins Dawn Grant on Clay Mastermind: Mental Excellence and Industry Insights for a thoughtful conversation on Sporting Clays, creativity, competition mindset, flow state performance, craftsmanship, and the mental side of peak performance. Jared is a competitive Sporting Clays shooter, instructor, craftsman, and lifelong outdoorsman based in Denver, Colorado. 

In this episode, Jared shares how his love for shooting began at an early age through family hunting trips, cap guns, hand-thrown clay targets, and recreational shooting with his father, brother, and grandfather. Although he briefly experimented with trap shooting as a child, he quickly became drawn toward more creative and dynamic target presentations. Jared explains how the variety and artistic nature of Sporting Clays immediately captured his attention once he discovered the sport competitively years later.

Dawn and Jared discuss the similarities between Sporting Clays, art, masonry, and other forms of human performance. Jared shares his background studying fine art and sculpture before eventually returning to work in his family masonry business. Throughout the conversation, they explore how creativity, craftsmanship, and instinctive execution apply both to building structures and breaking targets.

A major focus of the episode centers around flow state and the zone. Jared explains how he experiences the zone regularly not only while shooting, but also during masonry work and other focused activities that require complete presence and concentration. Dawn and Jared discuss how the zone is not exclusive to sports but is instead a human performance state that can appear in art, construction, theater, music, business, and everyday life.

The conversation also explores the balance between analytical thinking and instinctive performance. Jared explains how some shooters rely heavily on measurements, calculations, and conscious analysis, while others operate more from feel, rhythm, trust, and subconscious awareness. He describes how his artistic and creative background helped him develop a more intuitive relationship with movement, timing, and target connection.

Dawn and Jared also discuss the importance of practicing mental discipline outside of competition. Jared emphasizes that being present while driving, working, spending time with family, or handling stressful situations becomes part of training the mind for performance under pressure. He explains that shooters who only practice focus during tournaments often struggle because they have not developed those habits consistently throughout daily life.

The episode also covers gratitude, emotional control, and personal responsibility during competition. Jared shares why negativity, complaining, and fixation on external circumstances can quickly pull shooters out of the zone. Dawn and Jared discuss how gratitude, positivity, and appreciation for the sport, target setters, volunteers, and venues help competitors remain grounded and mentally present.

Jared also shares his experiences with competition shooting, instruction, target setting, and his time working with respected target setters including Joe Scull. The conversation highlights the creativity behind Sporting Clays target presentation and the challenge of balancing fun, fairness, difficulty, and artistic design.

This episode offers valuable insight for Sporting Clays shooters, instructors, competitors, artists, craftsmen, and anyone interested in flow state, instinctive performance, mindset, creativity, and the mental side of success.

 

Jared Wolfe Links

Website:
 https://jaredwolfe.com/

Instagram:
 https://www.instagram.com/jaredwolfeshooting/

Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/jaredwolfeshooting/

Phone & Email:
 Available through the website contact page:
 https://jaredwolfe.com/contact/

Location:
 Denver, Colorado

 

Dawn Grant Links  

https://dawngrant.com/ 

https://mindmastered.com/  

https://ameliashotgunsports.com/ 

 

Free webinar here: https://f.mtr.cool/wehmqlchqh

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Episode Artwork Jared Wolfe on Sporting Clays, Creativity & the Mental Side of Performance – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 54:31 Episode Artwork Fred Ferraro on Competition Mindset, Coaching & Clay Target Success – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 56:13 Episode Artwork Russ McElyea on the Mental Game, Flow State & Sporting Clays Competition – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 56:33 Episode Artwork Jon Parrish on Sporting Clays, the Zone & Coaching Competitive Shooters – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 57:13 Episode Artwork Cindi Hubbard on Women in Sporting Clays, Confidence & the Mental Game – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 53:02 Episode Artwork Scott Barnett on Sporting Clays, Mental Focus & UK Shooting Culture – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:02:33 Episode Artwork Marty Fischer on Wing Shooting, Sporting Clays & Mental Excellence – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:00:19 Episode Artwork Dean Blanchard on Confidence, Target Reading & Sporting Clays Success – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:05:00 Episode Artwork Will Van Dusen on Confidence, Focus & Competitive Sporting Clays – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 58:45 Episode Artwork Tom Fiumarello on Confidence, Coaching & Sporting Clays Performance– Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:16:57 Episode Artwork Thomas Grice on Olympic Trap Shooting, Focus & the Mental Game– Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 58:54 Episode Artwork Michael Maskell on Sporting Clays, Olympic Shooting & Mental Mastery – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:13:20 Episode Artwork Kerry Luft, Renowned Author, on Sporting Clays, Mental Mastery & Conservation– Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 1:01:57 Episode Artwork Stephen Biello of Clays N' Wings Shotgunning: Mastering Focus, Resilience & Joy in Sporting Clays – Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence and Industry Insight 54:01 Episode Artwork Unleashing Potential: Big Hoss on Sporting Clays Shooting & Mental Mastery 58:12 Episode Artwork Jonny Carter TGS Outdoors: Questing Dawn Grant on Mental Training Aspects in Sporting Clays & More - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insight 1:12:19 Episode Artwork D.C. Whitman Custom Gunsmithing – Shotgun Parts Fabrication, Gun Fit, Antique Firearms & Upland Shotguns - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 53:10 Episode Artwork Ed Preckel, Top Gun Shooting Sports - Humble Beginning in 5-stand, Make-A-Break, Family Shooting Business - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 58:44 Episode Artwork Bruce Potter, Blackjack Sporting Clays – From Sporting Clays Passion to Profession – Competing Against Yourself, Target Setting, & Overcoming Fear - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 52:54 Episode Artwork Don Currie, NSCA Chief Instructor – Evolution of a Sporting Clays Shooter, Mental Process & Excessive Confidence - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 1:03:31 Episode Artwork Bill Davis of Pure Gold Chokes – Pure Gold Chokes Origins, Quality Chokes Matter, Persistence in Business & Industry Cohesion - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 1:18:34 Episode Artwork Matthew Gay - Quiet Eye, Finding the Zone & Understanding Spatial Intelligence in Clay Target Shooting - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 1:21:53 Episode Artwork Michael Biore - Manifesting Success in Sporting Clays, Life, and Quail Creek Sporting Ranch + A New Concurrent - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 55:17 Episode Artwork Owen Haas - Breaking Out in Master Class Through Practice Meditation & Focus in Sporting Clays - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 56:55 Episode Artwork Carson Lingle – Focusing During Shooting, Recovering from a Miss & Shooting Preparations - Clay Mastermind with Dawn Grant: Mental Excellence & Industry Insights 48:07