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What can you do today to become stronger for tomorrow? How do you achieve and practice mental strength training through physical strength training? What are some of the best tips on how to build resilience and discipline through training?
In this podcast episode, Melissa Vogel speaks with Frazer Atkinson about how to get mentally strong.
Meet Frazer Atkinson
Originally from Manchester, England, Frazer moved to the United States aged 21 where he attended the University of Kansas as an international student and worked with collegiate athletes. After Kansas, Frazer moved to North Dakota to complete his master’s degree in Kinesiology at the University of North Dakota where he worked as a mental skills coach for hockey players.
Upon completion of his masters, Frazer moved to Detroit, Michigan to complete his Ph.D. in sport psychology. He now works as a lecturer at the University of British Columbia in sport psychology and as a mental skills coach for high school, collegiate, and professional athletes.
Connect with Frazer on Instagram.
In This Podcast
Summary
- Visualize who you want to become
- Have a mission
- Have a routine
- Meditate
- Celebrate the small stuff
- Action is greater than words
- Move your body
1. Visualize who you want to become
Sit down with yourself and be honest and open about where you would like to get to in your life, and who you want to be. Have your own image of exactly what you want to look like, and who you want to become in the next few weeks and months.
You cannot change something you are not aware of, therefore by visualizing who you want to become and evaluating where you are now, you are able to conceptualize the bridges you have to build between these two people so that you can work towards creating and being this person, not with blind actions, but with intention and drive.
Be realistic and fair to yourself as well, do not cause damage to yourself by striving for near-impossible goals that would cause you to resent where you are now simply because it would be almost impossible for you to achieve the unrealistic goal you have set.
Person first, athlete second.
2. Have a mission
Having a mission is not the same as having goals, because a mission is a vision, the end goal, the final hurdle, and the finish line whereas the goals are the individual steps you take daily, weekly or monthly. Therefore, goals help you to achieve the mission. The mission will change and the goals will adapt to compliment the mission.
When pain becomes bigger than purpose we give in to pain, and that’s why you have to have this mission there all the time so you can refer to it when things get hard, you can refer back to your mission. (Frazer Atkinson)
You have to have something to come back to when things get tough. Many people forget or leave out having a mission because they want a quick-fix or only focus on the next two or three weeks and then get easily put off when things get difficult.
3. Have a routine
This goes back to the mission and relates to your behaviors; ask yourself, do these behaviors help me achieve who I want to be? Set up a healthy routine and set up habits that will enable you to become the person you want to be through the mission.
4. Meditate
Meditate or create a practice where you can become observant of your inner dialogue and the narrative that you play out on a daily basis.
Get a pen and a notepad or open notes on your phone and write out what you are thinking, feeling, and notice the patterns, or try a 5-minute mediation. It is important to understand the thoughts you do have so that you can change them to help you get on track.
Evaluate the narrative you tell yourself currently so that you can change it because you cannot change it if you do not know it. Write down your values and principles to have them physically in front of you when you practice rewiring your thoughts.
5. Celebrate the small stuff
Celebrate the small victories that you make in the day, in the hour, in the 10 minutes because the little victories become the big victories. By celebrating the little things you create confidence and build momentum in completing your mission and create joy in the process instead of only focusing on the finish line.
6. Action is greater than words
Get your head down, put your left foot forward, and follow it with the right one, and focus. Only talking the talk does not get you far. Consistency and repetition are boring but so is doing nothing and not hitting your goals, so, you can pick your boring.
7. Move your body
There are ways you can achieve these goals and enjoy the life you visualize. You do not see many mentally tough people who sit all day. A good way to get to mental fitness is to move your body, the discipline you build from physical work is a discipline you can use in other aspects of your life.
Get in touch with Frazer for a free consultation.
Useful Links:
- The Kids Are Back! How to Raise Confident and Mentally Tough Kids! | BM 45
- BTBFM FREE EMAIL COURSE
- Sign up for Busy to Bomb Fit Mom
- Connect with Melissa on Facebook and Instagram
- Email Melissa: info@melissavogelfitness.com
Meet Melissa Vogel

Melissa Vogel is an energetic keynote speaker, business owner, certified personal trainer, certified group fitness instructor, 1st degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a mother of three, and a podcaster.
Melissa has been voted as the Best Personal Trainer for 2020 by Inland Empire Magazine, and Built the Busy to Bomb Fit Mom exercise system.
She is quickly becoming recognized for her expertise and influence in her field!
Melissa has contributed to numerous publications and has been featured in the Trail Blazer Magazine, and published in the April 2020 edition of Health Magazine. Her approach incorporates personal experience, energy, humor, and charisma.
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