237. IGNITE Your Mental Game | Stacy Ingram

August 11, 2026

Mental performance coach Stacy Ingram reveals why teen athletes with the most talent still hit a wall when they haven’t trained the mental side.

Talent gets an athlete to the starting line, but mental toughness is what decides who’s still standing at the finish. Dr. Andrew Fix sits down with Stacy, founder of Catalyst Mental Performance, to explore why so many young athletes build their entire mindset around results and what happens when injury, a slump, or the end of a season pulls that identity out from under them.

Ingram breaks down her IGNITE framework and explains why the difference between coaching and therapy matters more than most people realize. She and Fix dig into a question worth sitting with: what actually happens in your brain and body when the pressure is highest, and are you training for that moment or just hoping to survive it?

From free throw lines to final exams to high pressure moments at work, the conversation makes a compelling case that nervous system regulation and self-talk are skills, not personality traits. Ingram also gets honest about the gap between wanting to change and being ready to do the work, and what parents and coaches can do to spot the difference.

Whether you coach athletes, raise one, or just want to perform better under your own version of pressure, this episode offers a practical look at what separates those who thrive under pressure from those who crumble.

Quotes

“Without the sport or like a big job you might have had or a career, if you don’t know who you are as a person, you take that away and all of a sudden you have this huge gap of confidence because what made you you, at least in your mind, is gone.” (12:54 | Stacy Ingram)
“Therapy is really all about sort of how did you get here and looking a little bit more backwards, where coaching is all about how do like you’re here, no matter how you got here, how do we move you forward?” (20:01 | Stacy Ingram)
“We often aren’t playing our best game when we’re only focused on the score. And again, it doesn’t mean we don’t always want to win. Of course we want to win. But we want to do the things that give us the best chance.” (34:37 | Stacy Ingram)
“If you do nothing or implement nothing I teach you, nothing will change.” (49:36 | Stacy Ingram)
“Being intentional about our actions and our life instead of just letting things happen to us, kind of guiding that path and how we do that ourselves intentionally versus letting other people pick and choose it for us.” (54:23 | Stacy Ingram)

Connect with Stacy Ingram:

Visit the Catalyst Mental Performance Website

Follow the Catalyst Mental Performance on Facebook

Stacy Ingram is a dedicated Mental Toughness coach specializing in empowering young

athletes and performers to overcome the invisible barriers that often hinder their performance. With a focus on the mental side of the game, her programs are designed to equip athletes and performers with the cognitive tools and resilience needed for success both in sports/the arts and in everyday life.

Programs are also available for teams, coaches, and parents. In addition, she coaches

business leaders in Peak Performance, Team Dynamics, Change Management, Leadership,

Culture, and more.

In addition to Stacy’s 30-year business career, she has specialized training in Mindset

Coaching, Positive Psychology, the High Sensitivity Trait, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Positive Intelligence (PQ), Neurofeedback and Hypnotherapy.

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