Episode #239 Adversity

Hey there everybody, your listening to the Mindset Matters Podcast, I’m your host, Riley Jensen—and today I want to talk about something every athlete, every coach, every parent, and every high performer deals with: Adversity. Here’s a truth you need to hear: Every great team, every elite performer I’ve ever worked with—they all hit adversity. Not once a lifetime. Not once in a career. Every. Single. Year. Sometimes it’s a slow burn—a dull pain that drags you down. Other times, it hits like a sucker punch you never saw coming. But the best of the best? They don’t wait to get lucky. They have a plan for when adversity shows up. Let’s pause here for a second. I want you to think: What’s the adversity in your life right now? Is it physical? Emotional? Financial? Something you’re hiding from the world? Got it in your head? Good—hold that thought. Now, here’s where we separate winners from whiners. The elite performers I work with—they manage their body language when things get tough. That might sound simple, but it’s powerful. Why? Because the science is clear: 👉 Body language affects your self-talk 👉 Self-talk affects your body language And vice versa, back and forth, it’s circular in nature. When you’re slouched, sulking, and defeated—your brain picks up on those cues and feeds more negativity. But when you roll your shoulders back, stand tall, breathe deep—you’re telling your brain, “Hey, we’re still in this fight.” Let me give you a simple coaching principle I love: The next play is the most important play. That’s true in football. It’s true in life. Dwelling on the last mistake doesn’t make you tougher. Getting back to business does. And when adversity strikes? Positive people don’t fake it. They work the plan they already made when they were clear-minded. When things weren’t emotional. Here’s one of my favorite quotes. It’s from Thomas S. Monson: “Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” That leads perfectly into one of the wildest studies I’ve ever read: 📚 The Biosphere 2 Project at the University of Arizona is fascinating to me. Scientists created this perfect little world in a biosphere—controlled weather, no pollution, no storms. And guess what? The trees inside? They grew exceptionally fast... but collapsed under their own weight. Why? No wind. Turns out, trees need wind to develop what’s called “stress wood”—it’s what makes them strong, resilient, and able to grow toward the light even when things aren’t perfect. No stress means no strength. So let me ask you this: Could the “wind” in your life right now be helping you grow stronger in ways you can’t see yet? Interactive Moment: Reflect or Journal Take a second—or if you're listening while driving, just mentally work through this. Ask yourself: What is this particular adversity trying to teach me? What outcome do I really want from this? Who do I know who’s overcome something like this before? Will this thing I’m stressing over even matter in five years? Write it down. Talk it out. Send this episode to someone who needs to hear it. Here’s my Final thought: Adversity is not the enemy. Adversity is the wind. And if you’re intentional about how you respond to it? You don’t just survive—you grow into something stronger. You develop Pure Unadulterated Guts. Until next time—keep going. Your wind is working.