Selections weekend is not just about medals, rankings, or who makes the team.

It’s about nervous systems on overload, expectations running wild, and athletes trying to perform while their brain is screaming louder than the speakers in the stadium.

And yeah… the music was banging. But so were the emotions.

In this episode of The Champions Corner, I unpack what really goes on behind the scenes of high-pressure competition, the stuff no one prepares athletes or parents for.

The overstimulation.The self-doubt.The comparison spiral.The silent stress carried by parents trying to “stay calm” while their kid steps into the ring.

I talk honestly about mindset not the fluffy kind but the kind that decides whether an athlete freezes or fires when it matters most.

We dive into:

Why you don’t need to prove shit to anyone except yourself

How expectations can either sharpen performance or completely derail it

What supportive parenting actually looks like on competition weekends

Why kindness and respect between competitors isn’t weakness, it’s strength

And how resilience is built after the result, not before it

Because here’s the truth most people avoid saying out loud:You can train your body to exhaustion…

But if your mind isn’t trained to handle pressure, it will hijack the whole performance.

Whether you’re an athlete chasing your next opportunity, a parent navigating the emotional rollercoaster of youth sport, or a coach supporting kids under pressure, this episode is your reminder that one competition never defines you.

You showed up.You put your body under stress.You stepped into the arena.

That alone matters more than most people realise.

🔥 Key Takeaways

Competition environments overload the nervous system faster than people expect

Mindset is the difference between potential and performance

Athletes perform best when they focus inward, not outward

Parents don’t need to fix outcomes, they need to be a safe place

Expectations should guide effort, not control identity

Growth doesn’t disappear just because the result wasn’t what you wanted.

If this episode hit home, share it with an athlete, parent, or coach who needs to hear it.And if you’re ready to build real mental resilience not just hype follow

The Champions Corner and stay in the conversation.

Pressure is part of the game.How you respond to it is the real work.

In Episode 3 of the When It’s Just You and the Mat mini series, Kate Elizabeth tackles the invisible opponent most athletes don’t see coming:

Drift.

This is the phase where comparison creeps in.
Where everyone looks sharp.
Where confidence starts leaking sideways instead of staying anchored in preparation.

This episode is about pulling attention back into your lane and understanding that, right now, focus beats intensity.

Athletes don’t underperform two weeks out because they’re unprepared.
They underperform because they abandon what’s been working and start reacting to noise.

This episode helps athletes:

• Recognise when comparison is sabotaging performance

• Understand why looking sideways kills execution

• Narrow focus instead of adding more

• Stay anchored in their role, standards, and preparation

• Trust what they’ve built instead of chasing reassurance

This is a critical listen two weeks before selections, when staying centred becomes a competitive advantage.

As selections approach and competition pressure rises, many athletes assume nerves and pressure are the problem. In this episode of The Champions Corner, we flip that belief on its head.

Pressure isn’t what breaks athletes.

Confusion does.

In Episode 2 of Just You and the Mat mini series, Kate Elizabeth breaks down why pressure actually sharpens performance when an athlete is clear on their role, standards, and identity — and why unclear expectations, comparison, and noise create the spiral athletes fear most.

This episode is designed for athletes who are:

• Feeling the weight of selections

• Managing expectations from coaches, parents, and themselves

• Training hard but feeling mentally scattered

• Wanting clarity instead of chaos as competition approaches

Rather than trying to eliminate pressure, this episode teaches athletes how to use pressure as feedback, strip things back to what matters, and compete with direction instead of doubt.

This is a must-listen episode three weeks out from selections, when mental clarity becomes a competitive edge.

• Pressure doesn’t break athletes — lack of clarity does

• Confidence comes from knowing your job, not feeling calm

• Clear standards reduce anxiety under pressure

• Noise increases when identity is unclear

• Pressure sharpens performance when focus is narrow

In this 4 part mini series on The Champions Corner, this episode kicks off the Just You and the Mat series with a hard truth most athletes, parents, and coaches avoid:

Motivation is overrated. Decisions are everything.

This conversation dives into what happens when the noise drops away, no crowd, no hype, no validation or all of the above at extra volume, just you, your standards, and the choices you make when it gets uncomfortable.

We unpack:

Why chasing motivation keeps athletes stuck in cycles;

The difference between feeling ready and deciding anyway;

How pressure exposes your standards, not your talent;

Why safety, regulation, and leadership matter before performance ever does;

What it really means to lead yourself when no one is watching.

This episode isn’t about pushing harder for the sake of it.

It’s about owning your decisions, protecting your nervous system, and understanding that real growth starts long before competition day.

If you’re an athlete waiting to “feel motivated,” a parent watching your child battle inconsistency, or a coach trying to build resilience without breaking trust — this one matters.

Because when it’s just you and the mat… there’s nowhere to hide, and no one is coming to save you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

Motivation fades; decisions hold.

Standards show up when emotions don’t cooperate.

Leadership starts with self-regulation.

Pressure doesn’t create character, it reveals it.

Progress requires clarity, not hype.

Share this episode with someone who’s been waiting for motivation instead of making a decision.
And if you’re part of the athlete, parent, coach ecosystem and want to be involved in The Champions Corner, reach out! This space is about building the village, not pretending you can do it alone.

Reflection isn’t soft. It’s data.

High-performance athletes don’t guess their way forward. They review footage, track metrics, assess behaviours, and get honest about what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to stop.

In this episode, we unpack how athletes and coaches should reflect on the 2025 season using performance data, standards, and identity-based decision making. This process is especially relevant for taekwondo athletes, competitive performers, and coaches preparing for the 2026 season.

If you don’t review 2025, you don’t improve in 2026.

You repeat it.

If you’re setting 2026 goals without reflecting on 2025, you’re already behind.

This episode is for athletes, coaches, and high-performance environments that are done repeating seasons and ready to raise standards.

Upgrade your identity.

Upgrade your behaviour.

Upgrade your 2026.

What We Cover:

Why athlete mindset reflection in 2025 must come before 2026 goal setting

How sports performance data reveals patterns athletes can’t afford to ignore

The connection between identity and performance under pressure

Why goal setting fails when behaviours don’t change

How coaches should reflect on leadership, communication, and consistency

What it actually means to upgrade your identity for the 2026 season

Key Takeaways for Athletes and Coaches

You can’t out-goal a lack of reflection

Athlete goal setting for 2026 fails without reviewing 2025 performance

Data exposes strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots

Identity drives behaviour when pressure hits

Leadership standards directly shape team culture

Coaches set the tone whether they like it or not

Growth requires honesty, not hype

Reflection should be ongoing, not seasonal

Standout Moments

“Who did I say I wanted to be in 2025?”

“You don’t get new results with the same identity.”

“Upgrade who you are and 2026 follows.”

Chapters

00:00 Why 2025 Reflection Comes First

01:54 Reviewing Athlete Performance Data From 2025

04:39 Identifying Patterns, Habits, and Gaps

08:42 Accountability Over Excuses

12:55 Identity and Performance Under Pressure

16:45 Upgrading Identity for 2026

In this episode of The Champions Corner, Athlete Mindset Coach Kate Elizabeth breaks down the three pillars that shape every high-performance Taekwondo athlete: identity, courage, and bravery. If you’re serious about competing in 2026, this is the episode you needed months ago.

Kate explores why identity isn’t just who you are today. It’s who you’re choosing to become, and how your behaviours, habits, and performance naturally rise or fall to match that identity. She dives into why some athletes consistently improve while others stay stuck, and why your values and standards determine your results long before comp day rolls around.

Drawing inspiration from legends like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Simone Biles, Kate shows how the world’s most successful athletes use courage and bravery as intentional tools , not accidental emotions.

You’ll learn:

• Why identity must guide your goals, not the other way around.

• How courage and bravery shape performance under pressure.

• Why values and standards matter more than motivation.

• What separates consistent athletes from inconsistent ones.

• Real courage looks like: action in fear, discipline in discomfort, and making decisions aligned with who you want to become.

• Why 2026 will look exactly the same unless you change the system behind your season.

This episode closes with a powerful invitation to the 2026 Athlete Playbook Workshop. The only space designed for Taekwondo athletes who want to plan their season like champions instead of winging it.

If you’re ready to build your identity, raise your standards, and commit to your goals with courage… this is your episode.

🎯 Join the 2026 Athlete Playbook Workshop build your goals, mindset, structure, and competition plan like a high-performance athlete.
🔗 Register here: [insert link]

taekwondo, identity, courage, bravery, athlete mindset, playbook, goals, performance, discipline, mindset coach, champions corner, sports psychology, athlete development, competition mindset, kobe bryant mentality, michael jordan mindset, growth, athlete identity, taekwondo australia, olympic taekwondo, athlete planning 2026

In this episode of The Champions Corner Podcast, I am talking directly to you, the parent in the corner.

I am Kate Elizabeth, Athlete Mindset Coach, mum of an elite Taekwondo athlete, mum of an 8-year-old and owner of one very spicy brain. After 13 years in Taekwondo, travelling the world for comps and investing stupid amounts of time, money and energy into this sport, I have seen one thing clearly:

Most kids are not crumbling under the pressure of competition. They are crumbling under the pressure of their parents.

This episode is about how to actually support your Athlete on comp day, grading day and every sweaty training session in between.

We cover:

• Regulate the environment, not the Athlete How to set up the day, the food, the bag, the logistics and the vibe so your Athlete can stay clear, focused and calm.
• Why you are not their coach Where your role stops, where the coach’s role starts, and why your TED Talks and pep talks are doing more harm than good.
• Conversations that should happen weeks before comp day What to ask, how to plan together and how to give them responsibility without throwing them in the deep end.
• Space, silence and zero micromanaging Why following them around all day, asking what court they are on and reminding them of everything is frying their nervous system.
• Breathing, hugs and emotional safety What your Athlete actually needs from you when they lose, when they win and when it just did not go their way.
• Stop living through your kids The spicy truth about parents putting their unfulfilled dreams on their children and how that pressure shows up on the mats.
• Raising emotionally intelligent Athletes and humans Why the way you respond after a loss matters more than the medal and how you can help them become better competitors and better people.

This episode is especially for Taekwondo parents, carers and support people who are:

• Driving to training 6 nights a week.

• Spending thousands on comps, flights and gear.

• Wanting the absolute best for their kids, but not always sure if they are helping or accidentally making it harder.
  

If you care about your Athlete’s mindset, mental health, performance and long-term love of the sport, this one's for you.

🔴 If this landed and you know you have some habits to clean up, you are not a bad parent. You are a parent who cares.

💬 Screenshot this episode, share it to your stories or send it to another Taekwondo parent who needs to hear it.

📩 Got questions or want support with your Athlete’s mindset? Send me a DM on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thekateelizabeth/ or https://www.instagram.com/thechampionscornerpodcast/ and let’s chat about what is really going on behind the scenes.

In this episode of The Champions Corner Podcast, Kate Elizabeth breaks down the real backbone of elite performance, the beliefs athletes carry into training, competition, and everyday life.

She unpacks how deeply held beliefs can shape self-worth, influence motivation, and directly impact performance, especially in high-pressure sports like taekwondo.

Kate dives into why so many athletes push harder in training not out of passion, but out of fear — fear that they’re not enough, fear of failing, fear of disappointing coaches or parents. She reframes gratitude as more than a feel-good exercise — it becomes a performance tool that grounds athletes in who they are becoming, not just what they achieve.

This conversation is fuel for anyone wanting stronger self-identity, healthier mental habits, and true personal growth in sport and life.

• Beliefs we carry into training and competition often aren’t ours; they’re inherited and unchallenged.
• Gratitude is a mindset tool that anchors athletes in growth, not fear-based performance.
• Athletes frequently tie self-worth to outcomes wins, selections, scores, or praise.
• More training doesn’t equal better performance if the belief system underneath is broken.
• Challenging limiting beliefs strengthens mental health and on-mat confidence.
• Self-identity in taekwondo can get distorted by external validation coaches, parents, rankings.
• Pressure affects perception; mindset determines whether it builds you or breaks you.
• Awareness of false beliefs is the first step toward powerful mindset change.
• Personal growth comes from shifting how you think, not just how you train.
• Gratitude rewires focus from fear to possibility, from scarcity to self-trust.

If you haven't listened to the episode yet with Olympian Leon Sekranovic then check it out here.

If this episode hit hard, it’s because you’re meant to hear it. Let it shift you. Let it sharpen you. And keep training your mind like your performance depends on it.

Because it does!