PerformHappy with Rebecca Smith

Consistency under pressure can look effortless from the outside. But if you’ve ever stood there waiting to salute, you know it rarely feels that way. In this episode, I sit down with LSU freshman Haley Mustari to break down what actually creates that calm, confident performance.
After watching her stick her first collegiate bar routine, I wanted to know what was going on in her mind. Her answer was simple: “Do your normal.” She is not trying to be extraordinary in the moment. She is trusting the reps she has already done.
We talk about how visualization became part of her daily routine, not just something she turns on at meets. When mental skills are practiced every day, they feel natural under pressure. She also shares how she uses short, clear cues to stay focused one skill at a time, instead of letting her thoughts spiral.
We explore failure, too. From a Level 9 bar routine that ended in a fall and a score of 1, to years of repetition that built real awareness, Haley shows how mistakes become information. Frustration, for her, sharpens focus instead of creating drama.
If you struggle with overthinking or carrying mistakes from one event to the next, this conversation will help you reset. Confidence is not about being perfect. It is about trusting your preparation and narrowing your focus to what you can control right now.
In this episode, you will hear
 • Why “do your normal” is a powerful competition mindset
 • How daily visualization builds trust under pressure
 • How to turn frustration into focus
 • Why failure is part of long-term confidence
In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I share how trusting your training and simplifying your mindset can help you compete with more calm, clarity, and confidence.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: [email protected]

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

Waiting can be one of the hardest parts of growth. When things feel uncertain or out of your control, the urge to figure it out now can be overwhelming. Patience rarely feels exciting, yet it is often the skill that determines whether you keep going or give up too soon.
In this episode, I share why patience is one of the most powerful traits athletes and high performers can develop. I open up about my own struggle with impatience and the discomfort of not knowing how things will turn out. Like many athletes, I wanted certainty so I could feel safe and confident, but life does not work that way.
I reflect on my own journey and how my path was far from linear. From childhood dreams to dropping out of college and eventually finding my way back to the work I love, progress required far more time, support, and patience than I ever expected. What felt like setbacks were actually part of the process.
We explore the first key to patience: getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Building grit means continuing to show up even when things are hard, progress is slow, or results are unclear. Every fall, setback, or disappointment becomes another opportunity to get back up and try again.
The second focus of the episode is developing a growth mindset. Impatience thrives when we believe that if something has not happened yet, it never will. Adding the word “yet” shifts failure into progress and reminds us that improvement is still possible with effort and persistence.
Finally, we talk about keeping things in perspective. Long-term dreams rarely come with straight paths or perfect timelines. When athletes focus on the bigger picture instead of immediate outcomes, patience becomes easier and pressure decreases.
In this episode, you will hear
 • Why discomfort is essential for developing patience
 • How grit helps athletes stay in the process
 • How a growth mindset changes the way setbacks feel
 • Why focusing on the bigger picture reduces pressure
In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I share three practical ways to develop patience and why trusting the process can help athletes stay motivated, confident, and committed to their long-term goals.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: [email protected]

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

Watching your child struggle can be exhausting. You see how hard they are trying, yet small moments turn into big emotions, power struggles, or shutdowns. You may wonder why it feels so hard to stay calm when all you want to do is help.
In this episode, I talk with calm parenting expert Kirk Martin about how parents’ emotions and reactions shape their children’s behavior and confidence. Kirk works with families raising strong willed and ADHD wired kids, and he explains why calm, confident leadership creates more change than control ever does.
Kirk shares a pivotal moment from his own parenting journey. After a heated argument, he discovered his son was writing a school paper calling his dad his superhero. That moment revealed how deeply kids want connection and approval, even when behavior looks difficult or defiant.
We discuss why yelling, nagging, and over managing often backfire. When parents stay regulated, set clear boundaries, and give kids ownership within those limits, power struggles decrease and kids are more likely to step up.
A key theme in this conversation is how kids experience mistakes and pressure. One hard moment can quickly turn into I am bad or I am not good enough. Instead of fixing emotions, connection grows when parents reflect feelings, get curious, and normalize the experience.
We also explore nerves and anxiety, especially for young athletes. Feeling nervous usually means a child cares. Confidence is learning to move through discomfort with support, not making it disappear.
In this episode, you will hear
• Why calm parenting reduces power struggles
• What strong willed and ADHD wired kids need most
• How to respond when kids make mistakes
• Why normalizing nerves builds confidence
In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk with Kirk Martin about calm parenting, emotional regulation, and how connection helps kids feel safe, confident, and supported.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: [email protected]

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

Watching an athlete feel stuck can be painful. You see how hard they are trying. You see the fear and frustration building, and you may wonder why some kids break through while others stay trapped in the same place.
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Suzanne Pottratz, senior mental performance coach at PerformHappy, about what actually helps athletes move forward. Suzanne works closely with kids who struggle with fear and mental blocks, and she explains why openness is often the key to change.
Athletes who make big breakthroughs usually arrive willing to try something new. Many feel desperate after trying everything else, and that willingness leads to real progress. Even athletes who start out resistant can change when trust is built and they feel understood within the gym environment.
We also discuss why some kids stay stuck longer. Often, it is not the athlete. It is the environment. Pressure from parents or inflexible coaching can slow progress, even when intentions are good. Lasting confidence requires alignment between the athlete, parents, and coaches, along with helping kids develop a voice of their own.
Suzanne shares her personal story of quitting gymnastics because fear became overwhelming. That experience drives her work today. Instead of forcing skills, she helps athletes rebuild trust through emotional safety, patience, and very small steps forward.
A powerful theme in this episode is mindset. Fear does not have to disappear for progress to happen. Fear and action can exist together. Progress becomes data, not drama, when athletes learn to ask what they can do today instead of judging themselves.
In this episode, you will hear
 • Why openness leads to faster breakthroughs
 • How trust helps resistant athletes change
 • Why environment matters more than effort
 • How fear and action can coexist
 • The role of awareness, confidence, and self trust
In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk with Dr. Suzanne Pottratz about fear, mental blocks, and how athletes can rebuild confidence and self trust one small step at a time.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: [email protected]

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com

It can be really confusing to watch your child work hard in gymnastics and still struggle with injuries, low energy, or stalled progress. You see the effort. You know how much they love the sport. And yet something just does not seem to be clicking.
Many parents assume this is just part of gymnastics. That soreness, exhaustion, and constant setbacks are the price of training at a high level. When skills plateau or injuries keep coming back, it is easy to believe the answer is more grit or pushing through.
In this episode, we talk about a piece that is often overlooked. Nutrition. Both Taylor Krippner and Dr. Brittany Lapinski share how being under fueled affected their energy, power, recovery, and overall enjoyment of the sport. Taylor describes feeling hurt all the time, having no energy, and relying on talent alone just to get through training. Even though she loved gymnastics, it stopped being fun.
Dr. Brittany Lapinski reflects on growing up in a time when gymnasts often burned out young because their bodies were simply worn down. She shares her own experience of being under fueled and how it limited how far she was able to go in the sport. Not because of a lack of talent or effort, but because her body was not properly supported.
When athletes are not getting enough fuel, the body struggles to recover. Energy drops. Injuries become more common. Performance plateaus. Over time, athletes may start to feel frustrated, powerless, or disconnected from a sport they once loved. What looks like mental burnout often has a strong physical root.
The encouraging part of this conversation is that things are changing. There are more resources, more education, and more awareness now than ever before. When athletes are properly fueled and supported, they have a much better chance of staying healthy, enjoying the sport, and reaching their potential.
In this episode, you will hear
 • How under fueling affects energy, power, and performance
 • Why constant injuries are often a warning sign, not bad luck
 • How nutrition plays a role in burnout and enjoyment of the sport
 • Why today’s athletes have more opportunities for support than past generations
In this week’s episode of the PerformHappy Podcast, I talk with Taylor Krippner and Dr. Brittany Lapinski about how nutrition impacts performance in gymnastics and why fueling the body properly can make such a powerful difference in an athlete’s experience.
Learn exactly what to say and do to guide your athlete through a mental block with my new book "Parenting Through Mental Blocks" Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/g990Bur

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complete_performance/
Join my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/completeperformancecoaching/
Check out my website: https://completeperformancecoaching.com/

Write to me! Email: [email protected]

Ready to help your athlete overcome fears and mental blocks while gaining unstoppable confidence? Discover the transformative power of PerformHappy now. If your athlete is struggling or feeling left behind, it's time for a change. Are you ready? For more info and to sign up: PerformHappy.com