Mental Performance Coach Vera Jo Bustos on Confidence, Pressure, and Training the Athlete's Mind

What does it really mean to train your mind like you train your body? In this episode of The Gametime Guru Podcast, I'm joined by Vera Jo Bustos, also known as Coach VJ, a mental performance coach, keynote speaker, former professional basketball player, and former college basketball coach. Vera Jo brings a powerful perspective on confidence, pressure, performance anxiety, self-talk, and the mental side of sports. Coach VJ shares her journey from growing up as a multi-sport athlete in Las Vegas, New Mexico, to playing college basketball at Adams State, competing professionally in Greece, coaching at the Division I and Division II levels, and now helping athletes, coaches, executives, and high performers strengthen their mental performance. We break down the difference between mental health and mental performance, and Vera Jo explains why mental performance is like the weight room for your mind. Just like athletes train their body and their craft, they also have to train their mindset, focus, confidence, resilience, and ability to stay present when pressure hits. This conversation is especially valuable for athletes, parents of athletes, coaches, and leaders who want to better understand how confidence is built, why self-talk matters, and how to respond when mistakes, nerves, or doubt show up in competition. In this episode, we discuss: How mental performance helps athletes and high performers The difference between mental health and mental performance Why confidence is something you can train How athletes can handle pressure and performance anxiety Why butterflies before a game may actually mean you are ready The role of self-talk in athletic performance What it means to be mentally tough Why athletes need to find the right fit at the next level How coaches can balance high challenge with high support Why the complete athlete trains the body, craft, and mind Whether you are a youth athlete, high school athlete, college athlete, coach, parent, or business leader, this episode will help you look at performance through a different lens. Connect with Coach VJ: Mentality Solutions: mentalitysolutions.com Coach VJ Speaking: coachvj.com Subscribe to The Gametime Guru Podcast for more athlete interviews, coaching conversations, leadership lessons, and sports stories that help you see sports through a different lens.