Podcast Summary: The Psychology of Athletic Excellence w/ Dr. Alex Auerbach

Podcast: The Psychology Podcast
Host: Scott Barry Kaufman (iHeartPodcasts)
Guest: Dr. Alex Auerbach
Date: September 11, 2025

Overview

This episode dives into the psychology of elite performance in sports and life, featuring Dr. Alex Auerbach—renowned counseling and sports psychologist. Discussing his book Called to Greatness: Your Personal Playbook for the Pursuit of Excellence, Dr. Auerbach and host Scott Barry Kaufman unpack the mental and emotional foundations of high achievement. Key topics include adaptive capacity, resilience, the hidden role of rest, self-awareness, the science of confidence, and how ordinary people (not just superstars) can harness these insights for greatness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Relationships as the Foundation of High Performance

[02:35][27:36]

• Quality relationships fuel performance, motivation, and personal growth—not just in sports, but in any high-achievement domain.
• The bond between athletes and coaches and among teammates cannot be overstated.
  • "The people around us are what give us the sort of fuel that we need to keep pushing when things get hard."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [02:35], [27:36]

2. The Role of Consistency and Creativity in Athletics

[05:59][06:46][09:43]

• Consistency (“showing up every day and giving 100% of whatever you have”) is fundamental to mastery.
• Creativity emerges from deep expertise—but expertise requires putting in the reps, which builds the foundation for creative, improvisational play.
  • "To show up every day and give as much as you can... is the foundation for getting good at anything."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [06:27]
  • Elite artists in sport (Jordan, Messi, Mahomes) are not "just" creative—they're also the hardest workers.
  • "Maybe you have to put in your reps in order to be able to have enough to improvise on."
    —Scott Barry Kaufman [09:43]

3. Responding to Adversity: Resilience and Recovery

[11:19][17:05][24:55][39:25]

• Techniques for in-game mistake management: “release, reset, refocus” to avoid spiraling after errors.
• The myth of the “obsessively passionate” athlete doing 3am workouts is debunked; true elite performers prioritize rest and recovery as much as training.
  • "I'm not sure I want him in the gym at 3am. I want him sleeping so that he can perform well the next day."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [17:05]
  • Obsessive optimization can lead to burnout, stress, and even unhealthy practices (e.g., unnecessary supplements).
• Trauma and lived adversity is common among elite athletes; timing and context are crucial when addressing deep psychological wounds.
  • "Many athletes come from a place of great hardship...You’ve got to find ways to do that work essentially in the off-season so that you can be as successful as you want to be and heal a bit."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [39:25]

4. Adaptive Capacity: Stress + Rest = Growth

[15:23][16:34][61:07]

• Adaptive capacity: The ability to grow by balancing periods of challenge/stress with adequate rest and reflection.
• Analogous to building muscle—overstressing without rest leads to breakdown, not improvement.
  • "Adaptive capacity is giving yourself the adequate amount of stress and the adequate amount of rest to consistently grow over time."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [16:34]

5. Foundations of Wellness (for Athletes and Beyond)

[25:06][25:15][27:28]

• Sleep: The single most important (and underrated) factor for wellness and performance.
  • "There's tons of great data about the value of sleep."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [25:15]
• Nutrition, Movement, and Play: Each is essential to well-being and peak performance.
• Connection: High-quality relationships with teammates, coaches, and even competitors are key to high performance.
  • "Relationships are one of the biggest predictors of resilience that we have."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [27:36]

6. Integrating Dominance and Relational Intelligence

[29:16][30:01]

• True team greatness requires balancing the drive for dominance with respect, trust, and connection—sometimes even ceding control for the team’s benefit (see example: Steph Curry and Kevin Durant).
  • "For someone to step aside and recognize it'll be best for the group and best for me... is quite uncommon, but speaks to a really high level of relational intelligence."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [30:01]

7. The Role of Self-Awareness

[32:41][34:18]

• Self-awareness allows elite performers to “scan” themselves for physical or mental needs and take action.
  • Example: Simone Biles withdrawing for well-being and safety.
• Self-awareness is built from clarity around values (“values identification”) and seeking/using feedback.
  • “If you’re unclear about what matters most to you, it’s going to be really hard to make decisions that serve you well in the long term.”
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [34:18]

8. Confidence and Self-Belief

[37:12][38:46]

• Confidence is built on two core pillars:
  1. Past successes (recognize strengths and how you achieved them)
  2. High-quality preparation
• Self-efficacy also supported by self-talk, physiological arousal, and learning from role models.

9. Performance Psychology: Passion, Perseverance, and Resilience (“PPR”)

[41:22][42:58]

• Endorses Angela Duckworth’s framework for grit but highlights that passion, perseverance, and resilience are interactive.
  • “You have to care about it... and you also have to be willing to push when things are not going well.”
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [41:22]
• Resilience is “seeking growth even when conditions don’t support it” (Keenan Sheldon).

10. Embracing Monotony as Mastery

[46:00][46:45][47:52]

• High performers reframe repetition (“boredom”) as a vehicle for mastery and expertise.
  • “The highest level athletes are motivated by trying to perfect their craft... it’s about becoming the best version of themselves, not just winning championships.”
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [47:52]
  • LeBron James: set out to be “the best I could be,” not to break records [47:52].

11. Mindset Architecture for High Performance

[48:53][51:20]

• Challenge Mindset: Viewing stress as a chance to grow and show capability, not as a threat.
  • (Ref: Dr. Alia Crum’s research)
• Growth + Fixed Mindset: Elite performers blend belief in improvement (“I can get better with effort”) with a sense of “specialness” or unique talent.
• Recovery Mindset: See rest as vital investment, not as lost time.

Empowerment Mindset

• Scott Barry Kaufman introduces the concept as an antidote to the “victim mindset”—emphasizing agency, responsibility, and adaptability when facing setbacks.
  • “When we have a victim mindset, we outsource all those problems to the world...Harnessing an empowerment mindset is very helpful.”
    —Scott Barry Kaufman [51:20]

12. Practical Tools for Empowerment

[53:59][55:40]

• Learned Hopefulness: Develop multiple strategies and plans (Plan B, C, D) to overcome barriers.
• Emotional Regulation: Recognize feelings without over-identifying (“I feel anxious,” not “I am anxious”).
• Cognitive Flexibility: Avoid cognitive distortions and catastrophizing after mistakes.

13. Principles of Peak Performance

[56:44][57:22][61:07]

• Preparation

• Immersion

• Adaptation: Core of psychological flexibility; learning to stay present, committing to values, accepting discomfort, and letting unhelpful thoughts pass.

• Energy Optimization: Managing arousal/stamina—getting in the right psychological state for the task, not only staying “motivated.”

• Resilience

  • "You’ve got to find ways to do things you don’t really feel like doing. Not being so hung up by the emotional response."
    —Dr. Alex Auerbach [60:33]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The people around us are what give us the sort of fuel that we need to keep pushing when things get hard."
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [02:35], [27:36]

• "To show up every day and give as much as you can... is the foundation for getting good at anything."
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [06:27]

• "Adaptive capacity is...giving yourself the adequate amount of stress and the adequate amount of rest to consistently grow over time."
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [16:34]

• "You can wake up and get in an ice bath all you want, but you’re still going to have to recover. Find the basic ways of doing it sustainably over time if you want to be great at anything."
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [23:33]

• "I've seen articles about Kobe’s 4:00am workouts, but less said about his naps. The best athletes are engaging recovery as part of practice."
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [17:53]

• "Healing is a big one that we don't give enough time and space. Who's got time for healing when your competition is shooting jump shots at 5am?"
  —Scott Barry Kaufman [40:32]

• “If you want to be great at anything, you’ve got to get used to finding ways to do things you don’t really feel like doing.”
  —Dr. Alex Auerbach [60:33]

• "You and everybody you know have the chance to be great. You just have to answer the call."
  —Scott Barry Kaufman quoting Dr. Alex Auerbach [62:49–63:31]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:35] Relationships and team connection
• [05:21–10:15] Consistency vs. creativity—building the foundation for improvisation
• [11:19] Responding to mistakes and resilience tactics
• [15:23] Defining adaptive capacity
• [17:05] Debunking the myth of obsessive work
• [25:15] Sleep and well-being fundamentals
• [27:36] Importance of high-quality relationships in teams
• [32:41] The power of self-awareness and values
• [37:12] Building and maintaining self-confidence
• [41:22] Passion, perseverance, and resilience (PPR & grit)
• [46:00–47:52] Embracing monotony for mastery
• [48:53] Mindset: Challenge, Growth, Fixed, Recovery, Empowerment
• [53:59] Practical empowerment tools and hopefulness skills
• [56:44] Principles of peak performance explained
• [61:07] Adaptation and psychological flexibility
• [62:49–63:31] Concluding message: “You just have to answer the call.”

Final Message

The path to excellence isn't a matter of natural genius or obsessive self-denial—it's a set of learnable, sustainable habits. Balanced rest, deep relationships, relentless self-awareness, a mindset that embraces challenge, and the discipline to recover and adapt are what set high performers apart. As Dr. Auerbach puts it, greatness is available to everyone—if you answer the call.