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The Athlete's CompassYour guide to endurance training, nutrition, and recovery. Author: Athletica
The Athletes Compass Podcast is your compass for navigating endurance training and health. In this show, we explore the cardinal directions of training, nutrition, recovery, and mindset, delving into the dynamic relationship that drives athletic success. Athletes are more than numbers; they're individuals with unique lifestyles and mindset challenges. Coaches who understand these personal nuances play a vital role in their athletes' journey. While training details and data are important, tools like Athletica provide a solution to streamline the technicalities, allowing coaches to focus on the human connection which makes the human coaches the best they can be. Each week, renowned sports scientist and researcher Paul Laursen will be our teacher and guide as we break down training principles so you can understand how best to train for your sport! We take a no-bullshit and practical approach to support age-groupers, masters, and everyday cyclists, runners, and triathletes like you as you find your direction as an athlete. The hosts are Paul Laursen, sports scientist and founder of the Athletica.ai training platform, Marjana Rakai, coach, sports scientist, and triathlete, and Paul Warloski, coach and cyclist. Language: en Genres: Fitness, Health & Fitness, Sports Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Train Your Mind Like You Train Your Body with Ashley Eckermann
Episode 105
Thursday, 4 December, 2025
In this episode, the Athletes Compass team talks with Ashley Eckermann, a seasoned sports psychologist and Ironman athlete, about how athletes can shift from chasing motivation to building mental skills that actually work under pressure. Ashley debunks common myths about mindset, explains how to reframe fear and discomfort, and shares science-backed strategies to push through pain, race-day anxiety, and performance blocks. Drawing on her personal experiences and her work with athletes from youth to age 70+, Ashley shows how mental training can close the gap between practice and performance—and why “ready” is always a decision, not a feeling. Key TakeawaysMental performance is a skillset, not a personality trait or a feeling like motivation.“Ready” is a decision—you don’t have to feel ready to be ready.Athletes often underperform not due to fitness but because of emotional overload and mental unpreparedness.Motivation is unreliable—it fades when things get hard. Discipline is a decision.Physical discomfort is normal; learning to push through it (safely) is trainable.Performance blocks (like freezing or anxiety) are neurological disruptions, not signs of weakness.Language matters: Shift “I have to” to “I want to” to create a sense of choice and control.Fear of failure in youth athletes is often rooted in fear of looking like a beginner, not true failure.Emotions last 90 seconds—what prolongs them is rumination.Reframing isn’t toxic positivity—it’s productive thinking.Maximize the Mind | Ashley EckermannPaul Warloski - Endurance, Strength Training, YogaMarjaana Rakai - Tired Mom Runs - Where fitness meets motherhood.
