I Am Mentally Tough Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this insightful episode of I Am Mentally Tough, hosts Coach G (Gladine Frasso) and Coach David Anderson take a closer look at the current state of AAU basketball. They discuss the growing challenges athletes face with commitment, consistency, and the often-missed connection between talent and purposeful training.

The conversation explores how complacency can hold young athletes back, why basketball IQ is just as important as physical skills, and what it means to truly develop as a player. Coach G and Coach David offer guidance on how athletes can rise above distractions, stay focused, and approach the game with a mindset built for long-term success.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The challenges athletes face in AAU basketball today.
• Why commitment and consistency are critical for growth.
• How a disconnect between athletes and their training can hinder development.
• The role of coaches in motivating and guiding young players.
• Why developing basketball IQ is essential.
• How mental toughness separates good players from great ones.

Top Takeaways:

• Focused training matters more than flashy moves—quality over quantity.
• Athletes must commit to the process, not just the outcome.
• Complacency is a silent killer of potential—stay hungry and curious.
• Coaches have a responsibility to build relationships that challenge and inspire.
• Developing basketball IQ helps athletes make smarter decisions on and off the court.
• Mental toughness is about being different—choosing discipline, focus, and resilience every day.

🎧 Listen now for practical advice and tough love from two coaches who care deeply about helping athletes unlock their full potential.

Visit Coach Gladine’s Website ⁠HERE.⁠

Follow Gladine on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Twitter.⁠

Want Gladine to work with your athlete or team? Click ⁠HERE.⁠

Want to bring Gladine in as a Keynote Speaker for your event? Click ⁠HERE.⁠

Credit: Intro and Outro ⁠⁠“Aurora”⁠⁠ by Jeff Kaale

In this episode of I Am Mentally Tough, host Gladine Frasso welcomes Coach Bianca Campbell for a powerful conversation on the role of mindfulness in sports. Together, they unpack how mindfulness helps athletes stay grounded in the present moment, reach peak performance, and recover from setbacks with greater resilience.

Coach Campbell breaks down the true meaning of mindfulness, dispelling common myths—like the idea that mindfulness is soft or passive—and explains how legendary and elite athletes are using it to elevate their game.

The discussion dives deep into topics like emotional regulation, self-compassion, non-judgmental performance evaluation, and how mindfulness strengthens mental toughness. Coach Campbell also offers practical techniques that coaches and athletes can integrate into training and team culture, as well as reflections on the lifelong journey of self-discovery through mindfulness.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What mindfulness really is and how it benefits athletic performance.
• How flow state helps athletes perform at their highest level.
• Why emotional awareness and self-compassion matter in sports.
• How mindfulness helps with emotional regulation and mental recovery.
• Tips for integrating mindfulness into training and team culture.
• How to use language that reduces emotional attachment and anxiety

Top Takeaways:

• Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention on purpose.
• Flow state is the optimal performance zone, achievable through mindfulness.
• Self-compassion and non-judgment improve an athlete’s ability to bounce back from setbacks.
• Emotional regulation leads to better decision-making and mental clarity during competition.
• Coaches should model mindfulness to create mentally strong teams.
• Using neutral, fact-based language can reduce stress and enhance focus.
• Mindfulness allows athletes to respond rather than react to challenges.
• Embracing emotions—rather than ignoring them—builds long-term mental strength.
• The journey through mindfulness is continuous and deeply transformative.

Mindfulness isn’t just a trend—it’s a mental toughness superpower. Whether you're an athlete, coach, or someone striving for peak performance, learning to harness mindfulness can unlock greater focus, resilience, and emotional mastery.

🎧 Listen now to discover how mindfulness can be the game-changer in sports performance and personal growth.

Visit Gladine’s Website HERE.

Follow Gladine on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Want Gladine to work with your athlete or team? Click HERE.

Want to bring Gladine in as a Keynote Speaker for your event? Click HERE.

Visit Coach Bianca's website HERE.

Follow Coach Bianca on Instagram

Credit: Intro and Outro ⁠⁠“Aurora”⁠⁠ by Jeff Kaale

In this episode of the I Am Mentally Tough podcast, Coach G interviews her dear friend Charlie Smith, a keynote speaker and mental performance coach, about his motto "My Life, My Pen." Charlie shares his personal story of overcoming a violent childhood and substance abuse by taking control of his life's narrative. He discusses his five pillars of personal development, starting with knowing who you are and setting realistic goals. Coach G and Charlie emphasize the importance of building confidence, maintaining healthy habits, and practicing self-compassion. Together, they highlight the significance of understanding one's core values and principles to become the best version of oneself while pursuing excellence.

Charlie Smith, a national keynote speaker and mental

performance consultant, leverages 30 years as a

commercial real estate investor with a compelling

personal journey of overcoming adversity in his life. His

mission is to impact, educate, and empower others to

become fulfilled in every aspect of their lives, through his

work. He wants you to change your life for the better by

changing the way you think. Charlie's professional career

includes over a billion dollars of real estate transactions

allowing him to combine practical business experience

with cutting-edge mental performance skills. Focused on

mindset and leadership development, he imparts

strategies for creating unshakeable self-confidence and

the resilience to elevate through adversity. Charlie's

impactful influence spans Fortune 300 companies,

high-level executives, leadership teams, athletes, and

Academy Award Winners. Through his signature

platform, ‘My Life, My Pen,' he inspires you to own the

pen and become the intentional author the life you not

only want, but deserve. Too often we let other people

and circumstances dictate our path forward. It's your life.

You should own the pen! Here are Charlie's 5 Pillars:

The 5 pillars of the PEN

1. Know who you are.
2. Know where you are going.
3. Know how you will go there.
4. Know who you become on the way there.
5. Know who you will go with.

Click here to follow Charlie on Instagram

Click here to view Charlie's website and to contact him!

Tajah Muhammad is the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer  of W.I.N.N. Network. She is also a Mindset Performance Coach, Motivational Speaker & Mentor. In this episode Tajah defines what is a growth mindset, the importance of it and how to build a growth mindset. Tajah has over 10+years coaching & mentoring youth, student-athletes, and  corporate clients. She is currently a Doctoral Student of Management-Executive Leadership (2024).

You can follow Tajah on IG HERE

You can follow Tajah on LinkedIn HERE

You can visit Tajah's website HERE

Melissa Boufounos is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist in the Ottawa area. A lifelong athlete, she specialize in sports nutrition and mainly work with teen and adolescent hockey players in her virtual private practice.

Her mission is to help the next generation of hockey players optimize their diets and health so they can perform their best on and off the ice and avoid the mistakes she made growing up that cut her playing career short.

In this episode Coach G. and Melissa discuss the importance of nutrition for athletes. Melissa not only dives into the importance of proper nutrition before games, but also during and after games. As an expert Nutritionist, Melissa shares the best type of foods to eat to help prepare for competition and the best foods to eat to help with performance recovery.

Follow Melissa on Instagram HERE

Visit Melissa's website HERE

In this podcast episode we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tywanna Smith. She has an extensive and comprehensive background in sports as a retired professional athlete, award-winning sports manager, and award-winning sports researcher. In this episode she discusses the conversations around confidence as it relates to an athlete's transition through and out of sports. She has honed processes and created programming to address this mindset shift and the necessary readiness to transition smoothly into the next chapter of their lives.

You can visit her website HERE

You can visit her Instagram HERE

Monique A.J. Smith, is a Leadership Strategist that guides Athletics Departments/Sport Organizations and Individuals who wish to advance in Athletics Administration/Sports Management careers through her company, Seeds of Empowerment LLC. Smith, a Sports Management veteran of 30 plus years, was

Adjunct Faculty at Hampton University teaching Sports Management Courses. Spring 2023, Monique published her 5th issue of Significance in Athletics and Sports, that features Black Women sharing their ‘Specialized Knowledge’ in the Industry. All issues can be found it www.seedsofempowermentstore.com

or Amazon. She is most known for her 9 seasons as the host of the internationally recognized weekly podcast "A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith”, that spotlights Women of Color in Athletics/Sports to her 2.9K Followers. Smith time in Collegiate Athletics includes a 13 year tenure as athletic conference executive for the historic Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). She also served in various athletic administrative roles on the campuses of Saint Paul’s College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore within a ten year period. Smith was a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. With the understanding that knowledge is the key to success, Smith customizes her presentations to provide clients with leadership tools to prepare them to make informed decisions. Monique has dedicated her life to marketing the success of others, developing opportunities for the underrepresented and influencing decision makers to embrace diversity and inclusion. These actions have led to extraordinary opportunities to facilitator change and see strives in the development of

others.

Learn more about Monique and her services HERE

In this episode, Coach Ebony Hood (Coach E.), talks about having confidence and how to confidently be your authentic self. She shares her personal stories how she grew her confidence and how she moved on from situations that could've broke her spirit and confidence. She also shares how to be your authentic self.

Ebony Hood (38), a DC native, she’s a certified IMPACT Basketball Player Development Coach and USA Basketball Youth Development Coach; with a M.S. in Recreational Sports and Coaching Education. She is currently the new 2 nd Assistant Coach of Gwynn Park High School JV Girls Basketball Team in Brandywine, MD, and founders (E.B.B.) Elite Beyond Basketball, LLC for Specialized Player Development. Serving as a youth basketball coach 10yrs, she deems her passion for basketball as more than personal gratification, but an inevitable source of hope. A continual student of the game, Coach Hood is well versed in basketball fundamentals. She values the fulfillment of sharing her game philosophy and life lessons. Having a firm belief in solid foundation, her

mission (deconstructing player skillsets, eliminating grey areas, and reintroducing vital mechanics) allows the development of effective habits and higher levels of efficiency. Much like many basketball greats before her, Coach Hood strives to prepare her players for excellency

and nothing less. As a young black female, 90’s grown, Coach Hood’s specialty intertwines both a simplified style of play with a hint of flash. Understanding the evolution and where Women’s Basketball is headed, she prides herself on elevating the next generation’s skills set. With the right repetitions, female players have the divine potential to perform without limitations. “Cultivate habits that account for SUCCESS! To commit to a standard, you must first adjust to

the Culture. Be willing to make the necessary adjustments, then hold yourself accountable to them”. ~Coach E. Hood’s Philosophy

You can follow Coach E on instagram HERE

Coach Dorian Lee, one of the most sought after Professional Skills and Development Basketball Coach shares his 8 Keys to maximizing your young athlete's potential.

For nearly 2 decades, Dorian Lee has been considered one of the foremost authorities in basketball player development. Having worked with over 4,500 athletes worldwide. Our clientele represents a who’s who of basketball notables that include nationally ranked high school talent, elite college players, International, Olympic, WNBA, and NBA athletes. Dorian’s training is rooted in explosive movement, functional movement (movement that directly impacts in-game performance), quick release shooting, seamless transitional ball handling, explosive post play, and explosive finishing. Holding a degree in Health Science and a NESTA certified Speed, Agility, and Quickness trainer, Dorian incorporates cutting edge physiological research with his training techniques that offer athletes a complete explanation and understanding of what it is that they do and why it works. 

Author of two of the best selling instructional DVDs, the Art of the Quick Release and Explosive Finishing Moves Dorian’s unique training style and techniques has been sought out by sports agencies and professional athletes from around the entire world. Having trained all levels in 6 countries, Dorian has been lead trainer for professional camps in Spain and France while serving as lead trainer for elite youth camps in Japan, France, Belize, and Colombia

In his new book Titled "Could You Be The Reason Your Kid is Trash" Coach Lee gives parents the answers that they so desperately need to navigate the treacherous landscape of youth basketball. There has been no book written, until now, that tackles the complexity of the subject matter. This book is about "the talk," the talk that author Dorian A. Lee has had with nearly every parent since he started the journey of developing young athletes back in the early 2000s. 8 Chapters of "Do's and Don'ts" that ultimately gives parents the resources and knowledge to help their young athlete develop "ironclad" confidence. From understanding your parenting style to understanding the politics to getting the absolute most out of your child to how to select the right trainer or coach for you young athlete this book, insightful and reflective. The author shares some of the most incredible success stories that you will ever hear. This book proves that success leaves clues. These clues provide a blueprint for success on and off of the court. Get a copy of his book HERE

Follow him on Instagram HERE

Follow him on Twitter HERE

Contact him and view his website HERE

Dan Rigby is a public school teacher of 14 years and a recently retired wrestling coach. As a coach Dan spent more than 15 years coaching High School wrestling in public schools across Delaware. He has experience in rebuilding teams that had 0 wins before he became involved and also taking the most prominent program in the area and trying to maintain their winning ways. He was voted Delaware Coach of the year 3 times and although he is done formally coaching, we all know coaches never stop. Recently Dan has been working with numerous sports programs in the area and trying to help them build a winning culture. In the last few weeks he has published the Win the Day Planner a planner specific for student athletes and is already working on the next "off season edition." 

You can find Dan on Instagram ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

You can order a Win The Day Planner ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

You can order Win The Day Planner in Bulk ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

Interested in one on one or group Mental Performance Coaching? Click ⁠⁠HERE ⁠