Dr. Erin Ayala – Psychologist, Mental Performance Coach & Endurance Athlete

Meet Dr. Erin Ayala, a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant from Minnesota, specialising in supporting female endurance athletes. With over a decade of research and clinical experience, she's a published author, sought-after speaker, and advocate for mental health in sport. In this episode, Erin shares insights on: Building mental resilience for endurance challenges Strategies for coping with performance pressure and burnout Balancing high-level competition with wellbeing Lessons from her own journey as a competitive cyclist A must-listen for anyone looking to strengthen their mind while chasing big goals. ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Dr Erin - Licensed Psychologist and certified mental performance coach  Being based in the twin cities, Minnesota, USA Her love for working with female athletes Her backstory and being a multi-sport athlete in High School Getting to grad school and starting to get into running  Joining a run club and getting the running bug Working her way up to marathons Meeting her spouse and getting into cycling, triathlons and doing Ironman Moving to Minnesota in 2016  Joining a cycling club and being encouraged to start racing bikes Gravel racing for the past 10 years Growing up in a small, midwestern town. Wanting to look after herself better  Being a workaholic and not prioritising her health or wellness  Stretching herself to thin and not feeling proud of what's going on inside Being very achievement driven Needing to match the internal to external  Being consistent with therapy since undergraduate  Why running and riding can be therapeutic but it can never replace working with a licensed therapist.  Thoughts while running and how they have changed over the years  Being a smoker, waking up coughing and not feeling good Starting running to be healthy and fit again Why it became so much deeper so much quicker  External motivation can only get us so far  The internal motivation is what keeps us going  How running helps her prioritise her "me" time Figuring out the WHY Wanting to get off Strava, not following anyone on it, and not worrying about the social comparison game Getting sucked into the world of social media Starting with your WHY and what does that actually mean  What words do you want people to use to describe you as a person Setting herself up for success  Why her favourite clients are women in their 50s Getting the balance right between going after your goals and managing a relationship  Being supported on her bike adventures, both on and off the road    Doing really long road trips and going back country hiking together  Doing 2 big events per year Planning a race strategy and what the mental side of a race strategy looks like  Nothing new on race day and why the same applies to mental work and mental skills It's never too soon to start.  Doing meditation every day via a free app 3/4 weeks out and getting series about her race goals  Being ready to reassess her goals based upon life circumstances  Taking into account- life - when setting race goals  Life gives us training scores too Tips and tricks while being on the start line to get into the zone. The cognitive piece and psychological piece  Here are my pre-race jitters Feeling anxious at the start line e.g. going to the bathrooms multiple times before the start. Take a deep breath? Breathing  The importance of low and slow breathing and how it helps to balance out the nervous system. The concept of the pain cave  Courtney Dauwalter Taking it to the next level- finishing strong - the final push over the finish line Figuring out - What is the most difficult or most important part of the race? Visualising success…. Toxic positivity  How am I going to respond once the feeling hits? If - then - situation  Responding and dealing with failure and set backs  Letting the disappointment settle in  Reminding yourself that just because you didn't reach your goal didn't mean you are a failure and did anything wrong  Doing everything right and still not hitting your goals  Outcome goals are how we compare to other people  Set process goals and why they are more effective than outcome goals Starting a new podcast with Fiesty Media  Focusing on what she can do The noise on the internet The Feisty Women's Podcast - January 12th 2026 was the launch date - with weekly episodes going forward. Women and sleep and why women are more efficient sleepers than men Focus on the basics Taking on the more taboo topics Book: The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells us about the Power of the Female Body. By Starre Vartan  Sports psychology and why there is so much work to do in this space for women  Research which is specific for women The lack of large scale studies in sports psychology for women How to connect with Erin online  "Skadi"- The Norse Goddess of ice, snow and mountains Words of advice to motivate and inspire other women and girls  Being willing to ask the hard questions around where our expectations are coming from  Why it's ok to make our own rules and break them  Going back to your value system Does leaning into this experience make sense for me?   Social Media Website: www.skadisportpsychology.com  Instagram: @skadisportpsychology @feisty_womens_performance Fiesty Media Podcast: feisty.co/podcasts