The Mindset Masterclass That Changed Everything: Lessons from Dr. Colleen Hacker
After nearly 300 interviews with Olympians, world champions, and top experts, I can say without hesitation that my conversation with Dr. Colleen Hacker was one of the most illuminating and transformative interviews I’ve ever done on mindset. That’s saying a lot. Her wisdom quite literally changed how I prepare for every race—and how I approach life.
Meet Dr. Colleen Hacker
Dr. Hacker is a six-time Olympic team consultant and author of Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life. She’s worked with elite athletes across every major sport—Major League Baseball, the NFL, PGA, LPGA, and USA Swimming (yay!)—and she’s been inducted into seven different halls of fame. ESPNW even named her one of the 30 women who changed the way sports are played.
Her credentials are jaw-dropping, but her insights? They’re game-changing.
The Six Inches That Matter Most
Dr. Hacker’s philosophy centers around the idea that “the six inches between our ears” are the most important real estate in any competitive environment. Whether you’re racing in a pool, pitching a deal, or running a marathon, your mindset determines your outcome.
She reminds us that confidence is not fixed—it’s always under construction. Olympians struggle with it, Masters athletes wrestle with it, and so does every high performer. Confidence ebbs and flows based on what we focus on, and her mantra, “Confidence follows focus,” hit me like a lightning bolt.
When you lack confidence, she says, look at your focus. Are you thinking about missed workouts, past mistakes, or who’s in the next lane? Shift your focus to the present and trust your training. That’s where confidence lives.
Easy Speed and the Art of Letting Go
One of the most profound takeaways from this interview was the concept of “Easy Speed.” Dr. Hacker explained that during competition, many athletes tighten up because they’re trying too hard. The magic, she says, happens when you relax, trust your training, and allow excellence to flow naturally.
Her phrase—“Don’t swim heavy”—stuck with me. When we carry emotional baggage, we’re essentially racing with a weighted vest. Letting go is what allows our true potential to rise to the surface.
Pain as a Separator
When I asked about fearing the pain that comes in a tough race or long endurance effort, Dr. Hacker smiled and said something I’ll never forget:
“The pain is the separator. You love it and you hate it, but it’s the hook that keeps you coming back.”
That reframed everything for me. The pain isn’t the enemy—it’s proof that I’m in the arena, giving my all. It’s a privilege to feel it.
The Four Pillars of Peak Performance
Dr. Hacker breaks success into four key pillars:
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Technical – The mechanics of your sport or skill.
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Tactical – Your race strategy or execution plan.
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Physiological – Sleep, nutrition, hydration, recovery.
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Psychological – The mental skills that tie everything together.
She makes one point crystal clear: neglect the mental pillar, and you’ll never know how good you could truly be. The best athletes, she says, train all four consistently, systemically, and scientifically.
If You’re Green, You’re Growing
My favorite Dr. Hacker quote from this episode:
“If you’re green, you’re growing. If you’re ripe, you’re rotting.”
That line embodies the Masters athlete spirit—the drive to keep learning, to stay curious, and to love the challenge even as we age. Whether you’re chasing a world record or swimming your first lap, the pursuit itself keeps you young.
From Knowing to Doing
Dr. Hacker closes the conversation with a powerful reminder:
“You get no benefit for knowing what to do. The benefit only comes when you do what you know.”
It’s not enough to understand mindset theory—you have to live it. Apply it. Practice it daily.
Final Thoughts
If you only listen to one Champion’s Mojo encore episode, make it this one. Dr. Colleen Hacker’s insights will transform the way you think about competition, confidence, and the mental side of excellence.
This conversation reshaped my own approach to racing—and to life. I hope it does the same for you.
Kelly Palace
Host
Best Selling Author. Breast Cancer & 9/11 Survivor. Former NCAA D1 Head Coach & All-American. World Record-Setting Masters Swimmer. Award-Winning Podcaster. Former Pfizer Pharmaceutical Manager. Top Producing Sales Professional.
Kelly is passionate about leadership and peak performance, that’s why she loves talking with champions. She has lived leadership and learned it, first as an NCAA D1 champion athlete and coach, then as a writer for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals’ magazine and the host of their audio show to motivate its 12,000-member sales force. As the current host of the award-winning podcast, Champion’s Mojo, she gets access to the secrets of champions through interviews with Olympians, Olympic coaches, journalists, celebrities, physicians, and other inspiring leaders. She’s also has been an executive coach who has worked with top-level executives, medical experts, entrepreneurs, elite athletes and coaches. In 2021 Kelly was ranked FINA World #1 in four individual events for Masters Swimming.
Her book Take Your Mark, LEAD! hit #1 on the Amazon Best Seller Lists in 2021 in 5 categories (Swimming, Sports Essays, Women’s Sports, Sports Broadcasting and Olympic Games) and was published in April 2021. Kelly broke glass ceilings in NCAA Division One coaching, received seven promotions in ten years at Pfizer (earning a record-high sales bonus), and built a successful real estate business. She also co-founded ITSAN.org, an international charity that is changing the way the medical condition of eczema is being treated, helping millions of peop… Read More
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