#150 - What Athletes Can Learn from Fighter Pilots with Boo Boucousis Artwork

Coaching Mind's Podcast: Perform at your best!

This podcast is designed to help people take back control of their mind and body in high-pressure situations. We primarily focus on athletic situations usually spend time talking with athletes and coaches about how to use these tools in an athletic setting. However, we firmly believe that these are tools and skills that you will be able to use for the rest of your life in any situation or setting that causes your mind or body to get off track. Whether that is losing focus to distractions, losing confidence, that little voice in the back of your mind creating doubt, or wondering if you have what it takes, we use tools and strategies backed by cognitive brain research and neuropsychology to help YOU take back control and perform at your best when it matters the most.

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Coaching Mind's Podcast: Perform at your best!

#150 - What Athletes Can Learn from Fighter Pilots with Boo Boucousis

April 28, 2026 • Mental Training Plan • Episode 150

0:00 | 41:35

What do fighter pilots and elite athletes have in common? More than you think.

In this episode, Ben sits down with Boo Boucousis—former fighter pilot and entrepreneur—to break down how high performers train, think, and respond under pressure. From the cockpit to competition, the principles of execution, accountability, and mental control remain the same.

Boo shares how fighter pilots use systematic debriefing, real-time feedback, and disciplined habits to accelerate learning and eliminate mistakes—lessons every athlete and coach can apply immediately.

If you want to perform at your best when it matters most, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most elite performance environments in the world.

Key Takeaways:

Performance is built on mastering the basics—especially when you don’t feel like it
Debriefing and reflection are the fastest ways to improve
Fear isn’t the enemy—it’s part of the process in high-pressure moments

Are you an ATHLETE looking to take your training to the next level? Check out our website to learn more about 1-on-1 training opportunities:
mentaltrainingplan.com/athletes

Are you a COACH looking for an affordable year-round mental performance training program? Check out the MTP Academy available through our website:
mentaltrainingplan.com/teams