Ep: 157: Full Send: Paralympic Powerlifter Ashley Dyce on Persistence and Progress

In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Matt sits down with Team USA para powerlifter Ashley Dyce, who was born with spina bifida and has fought her way onto the world stage through a decade of relentless commitment.Ashley shares how she went from discovering the Paralympics on TV to representing the United States, what it really looks like to stick with one path for 10+ years, and how she’s handled injuries, surgeries, missed lifts, and seasons that felt like setbacks instead of breakthroughs. She talks about chasing a 300 lb bench, preparing for the Paralympic Games, and using both her faith and sports psychology tools to stay locked in when progress isn’t linear.We get into:Choosing a lane and committing fully to para powerliftingComing back from injuries and health issues without quitting on the dreamHow faith and sports psychology work together in her mental gamePractical tools: visualization, music, and routines to manage nerves on the big stageCompeting as a woman with a disability and why representation mattersIf you’ve ever wondered how far you can go by going “full send” on one goal—and refusing to back off when it gets hard—Ashley’s story is a powerful example of what persistence and progress really look like.Subscribe for more conversations on mental toughness, mindset, and high performance from athletes, coaches, and performers at the highest level.Timestamps (approximate): 00:00 Intro00:40 Ashley’s journey into para sports03:30 Discovering para powerlifting05:00 From 135 to chasing 300 on bench08:00 Failing in the gym and building real resilience11:30 Injuries, surgery, and non-linear progress18:00 Training, recovery, and daily life as a Team USA athlete19:30 Faith as a foundation for mental toughness21:30 Working with a sports psychologist24:30 Visualization, nerves, and reframing anxiety as excitement28:30 Competing on the Paralympic stage31:00 Representation, purpose, and lifting for something bigger than medals34:00 Ashley’s goals and final thoughts on persistence and progressFollow Ashley: www.instagram.com/ashley_dyce/To learn more about the American Paragons Foundation:americanparagons.orgFor more information about Mental Mettle Coaching:Sign up here for the FREE Resilient Parents Playbook:www.resilientparentsplaybook.comContact:[email protected] for a free coaching session with Coach Thomannwww.mentalmettlecoach.com