This episode features one of the most decorated and dynamic voices in softball today, Nicole Mendes. A two-time national champion and three-time WCWS All-Tournament Team selection at Oklahoma, Olympic athlete with Team Mexico at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and now a softball analyst for ESPN, Nicole is proof that the mental tools you build on the field will follow you everywhere you go in life.


Episode Highlights:

• What being homeschooled and practicing alone taught her about self-motivation and discipline
• The moment Patty Gasso told her to relax, and why it still took years for that lesson to actually sink in
• How the Olympics impacted her mental game
• The mental technique she uses to stay neutral after mistakes
• How one phone call to Amanda Scarbrough launched her ESPN career

Connect with Nicole:

IG: @nicole_mendes__

More ways to work with Fearless Warrior

• Learn about our proven Mental Skills Program, The Fearless Warrior Program
• Book a One on One Session for your Athlete
• Book a Mental Skills Workshop for your Team or Organization

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In this week’s episode, we break it down with Jade Hewitt, Director of Photography for Athletes Unlimited and the AUSL. Jade works exclusively in women's sports and made history as the first official photographer for a Topps trading card deck featuring all professional female athletes.

In this episode, Jade unveils what it takes to build a career behind the lens in professional softball, why the mental game of photography mirrors everything we teach our athletes, and why she believes it is cool to care deeply about something and just go for it.

Episode Highlights:

• A full day in the life of the AUSL Director of Photography
• How playing the game made her a better photographer and why anticipating the play is everything
• The mental battle of imposter syndrome and comparison
• The physical cheat sheet she keeps in her camera bag to reset her mindset
• How to find your passion first and then adapt it to a career in sports

Connect with Jade:

IG: @jadehewittmedia

Website: https://www.jadehewittmedia.com

More ways to work with Fearless Warrior

• Learn about our proven Mental Skills Program, The Fearless Warrior Program
• Book a One on One Session for your Athlete
• Book a Mental Skills Workshop for your Team or Organization

Follow us on Social Media

• Facebook @fearlesswarriors.org
• Instagram @fearlesswarrior
• Instagram @fearless.coach.ab
• X @CoachAB_
• YouTube @fearlesswarriorcoaching
  
  
  

Welcome to our brand new series on Cool Careers in Sports! Karis Hudgins is a student sports broadcast director at UNC Greensboro, where she directs live ESPN+ productions for Spartan Sports Network, and recently went viral for giving the world a behind the scenes look at what it actually takes to call a live college softball game. In this episode, Karis pulls back the curtain on the mental load, the fast decisions, and the relentless live pressure that goes into every broadcast — and how she landed a gig with the Savannah Bananas straight from an Instagram DM.

Episode Highlights:

• What a sports broadcast director actually does and why the mental load is way bigger than it looks
• How Karis went from taking photos at a soccer game to directing live ESPN+ productions as a student
• What it was like to work a Savannah Bananas game with 12 cameras and two directors in her ear at the same time
• Why the failure reset routine she uses in live broadcast is exactly what we teach our athletes on the field
• The reality of being a young female in a male-dominated field and how she is changing that
• How she landed a Savannah Bananas contract straight from an Instagram reel
• Her best advice for any young person curious about a career in sports media

Viral Reel behind the scenes: https://www.instagram.com/p/DW7sYtYgN6z/

Connect with Karis:

IG: @veggies.and.books

More ways to work with Fearless Warrior

• Learn about our proven Mental Skills Program, The Fearless Warrior Program
• Book a One on One Session for your Athlete
• Book a Mental Skills Workshop for your Team or Organization

Follow us on Social Media

• Facebook @fearlesswarriors.org
• Instagram @fearlesswarrior
• Instagram @fearless.coach.ab
• X @CoachAB_
• YouTube @fearlesswarriorcoaching