Today, I sit down with Dr. Mark Guadagnoli, a cognitive psychology and human performance expert, to discuss the science behind elite performance. Dr. Guadagnoli shares his journey from working with top athletes, including Olympians and professional golfers, to helping corporate leaders and medical professionals optimize their performance.

We break down key concepts like the Performance Formula (Ability - Interference = Performance) and how interference—mental distractions, self-doubt, or stress—limits our ability to perform at our best.  Dr. Guadagnoli explains how techniques like breath control, gratitude practices, and structured challenge-based learning can help leaders and professionals reduce interference and excel under pressure.

We also explore imposter syndrome, why most people spend too little time on recovery, and how the Elite Performance Cycle (20% training, 2% competing, 78% recovery) can be applied beyond sports to leadership and business. He introduces the Personal Legend Roadmap, a tool to align goals and values for long-term success.

If you’ve ever struggled with performance anxiety, imposter syndrome, or wanted to improve your leadership presence, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

Connect with Dr. Guadagnoli here: mark.guadagnoli@unlv.edu

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