Follow Us – Your Mindset

Recent Substack Posts

What we're up to on Instagram

jasondorland5441

Dad to a butterfly child & 2 rescues. Husband to an inspiration. Author. Olympian. High performance coach. Keynote presenter. Workshop facilitator.

Facing Fear Head-On: Strategies to overcome self-i

Facing Fear Head-On: Strategies to overcome self-imposed limits.

Oooh, this one's a zinger! It's one of the prickliest topics we come across when working with clients. Why? We're hard-wired to avoid things that threaten our well-being—it's a physiological response.

In many ways, it’s a good thing, too. In fact, we should be grateful for this response—it means our self-protective mechanisms are working overtime to keep us alive. Technically, it’s referred to as our negativity bias, which is a fundamental characteristic of the human brain: our tendency to give more attention to negative experiences, information, or stimuli than to positive or neutral ones of equal intensity. It's not just that we notice the “bad stuff” more—it's that it registers faster, we dwell on it longer, learn from it more deeply, and let it shape our emotions, decisions, and memories disproportionately. Man, ain’t that the truth!

There are some standard analogies of our negativity bias you may be familiar with; it’s like an overzealous smoke detector that responds the exact same way to a fire that could burn your home down and burnt toast that stinks up your house. Or it’s better to mistake a stick for a snake than a snake for a stick. Our hyper-alert defensive tendencies keep us on our toes, that’s for sure.

However, in today’s world that doesn’t have sabertooth tigers wandering through our neighbourhood parks, that same part of us that’s evolved over time is still looking day and night for threats. That’s why purposefully facing fear can be so triggering for some people. And yet, when we do, we open up possibilities that may not have been there prior.

Easier said than done—I hear ya! I’m not a fan of heights. And, I don’t often go looking for ways to face that head-on! But, in many instances, that’s precisely what needs doing.

Continued in my Substack—link below. Enjoy!

Ken Dryden will be remembered not just for his exc

Ken Dryden will be remembered not just for his exceptional goaltending but also for how he made us feel.

If you think about it, he's a shining example of the expression, people don't always remember what you do or say, but they sure as hell remember how you make them feel.

Maya Angelou was speaking the truth when she shared this little bit of wisdom, and I would agree with her. When I reflect on the people in my life whom I remember most prominently, invariably it’s for the way they made me feel, good and bad.

Having said that, Ken Dryden certainly did some remarkable things. He achieved incredible heights in many different aspects of his life that we certainly can and do recall, but more so through thoughtful memory than a felt sense.

For example, he helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cups. While doing so, he won the Vezina Trophy (best goalie as voted on by NHL General Managers), the Conn Smythe Trophy (most valuable player during the playoffs), and the Calder Memorial Trophy (the NHL’s Rookie of the Year)—just to name a few!

Along with all of those stellar accomplishments, it’s his role in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union that most Canadians who follow hockey and are old enough remember. He and the Russian goaltender, Vladislav Tretiak, battled from opposite ends of the ice while both teams put on a clinic of exceptional and exciting hockey.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

A Coaching Opportunity for Teens and Young Adults.

A Coaching Opportunity for Teens and Young Adults.

A couple of years ago, my alma mater reached out to its Alumni with a request for individuals engaged in a specific sector of the workforce. The School was looking for Alumni to coach current students in this field. It sounded like an interesting opportunity for graduates to give back to the School and support its young students.

I thought to myself, Nice ask—I hope they get a large response.

A week goes by, and I’m still thinking about this venture—I want to help, but I’m not sure how. Eventually, I arrive at this conclusion—I don’t know anything about that business sector, but I know how to coach. So, I reach out to the School and offer to coach a student in the realm of performance, pro bono. A short while after, I had my first “client.”

Wow, after our first session, I thought to myself, Man, who’s coaching who, here? This student is a rockstar—outstanding grades, articulate, thoughtful, involved in every aspect of school life, friendly, polite—I’m blown away. But the part that stands out is that despite their many achievements, they want better grades because there’s a particular university they’re desperate to get into. A classic case of chasing an outcome—for this young student, everything was about being admitted to this one school.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio. Enjoy!

#coaching #performance #athlete #sports #performingarts #academics #support

Redefining Success on Your Terms: Aligning goals w

Redefining Success on Your Terms: Aligning goals with personal values.

No, this isn't some flaky "everyone gets a trophy" perspective that dials down ambition so that no one feels they've underachieved and missed out on life. Quite the opposite, in fact.

When I look back on the goals I deemed worthy of my time—my pursuit, if I’m honest, all of them registered as worthy because of the value that others put on those goals, not just me. Sure, most of us would consider my goals as a younger man, especially my rowing ones, admirable and, most importantly, goals worth going after. But I can’t recall anyone ever telling me why. Or, for that matter, ever asking me why.

“Jase, going to the Olympics, that’s pretty ambitious—can you tell me why you want to do that?”

Hello, that would’ve been a good question for me to entertain!!! It would’ve very likely flexed some self-awareness that was frankly dormant at the time. An important conversation and some worthwhile self-reflection would’ve followed. Because if I could go back to that young teenager and crawl inside his fragile heart and awkwardly developing mind, my guess is his answer wouldn’t have been very convincing, for lack of a better term. Uhhh, cause I wanna win a gold medal?

Ya, but why?

That’s it! That’s the one question we don’t ask ourselves enough. Why does this matter to me? What will it do for me? Is this goal important to me or someone else? How will it change me for the better? What if things don’t work out? What if they do? The questions are potentially endless, and yet we’re rarely encouraged to ask them. It would take, what, 30-40 minutes of either writing down our responses or answering them to a trusted individual amidst an honest conversation.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

"… they're playing for each other. They love eac

"... they're playing for each other. They love each other. This is a team!"

That's it! I've now heard every kind of major professional sports team in North America—football, basketball, hockey, and, now, baseball—describe their team culture using the word LOVE!

I came across this video last week. It’s a keeper, for sure! Simply click on it to watch, and you might agree…

To give you some context, the Texas Rangers were in town playing the Toronto Blue Jays, and the colour commentator for the Rangers, Mike Bacsik, went off with an extended description of the current culture in Toronto. He was telling David Murphy, the play-by-play analyst, that every time the Jays scored five runs in a game, they were 52 and 3—unheard of in Major League Baseball! And these weren’t platitudes. His comments were genuine and heartfelt. He was reflecting on teams that he’d played on during his career, and that what the Jays had captured was pure magic!

I remember back to a coaching conference in Ontario in 2012, where I was presenting. It was the first time I used the term LOVE. I tried to convince those in the room that building a high-performing team culture required a foundation where the players truly loved one another. Oh my—you’d think I had just shared an off-colour joke!

To say that my comment was received with a few raised eyebrows would be an understatement. In fact, during the lunch break, an attendee came up to me and said, “That’s sure some interesting stuff—especially your perspective on love. No offence, but I think you may be a little ahead of your time on that one!”

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

The Forgotten Power of Breath: practical exercises

The Forgotten Power of Breath: practical exercises to improve health and focus.

Yeah, yeah, whatever ... Jason's writing about breath work—what is the world coming to, right? Well, even an old dawg like myself can still learn a new trick or two!

No surprise, I don’t have many stories relating to breathwork. It’s not something I’ve dedicated much, if any, time to over the years. However, there was this one time …

Robyn and I were attending a retreat on Cortes Island, one of the Gulf Islands off the West Coast of British Columbia. It was late August of 2000, and Robyn had recently withdrawn from the Canadian Olympic Trials due to a back injury suffered during a training session. Therefore, what would’ve been her third and final Olympics never materialized.

Predictably, we each resorted to our own hard-wired responses: Robyn was accepting, reflective, and sad. I, on the other hand, was angry—actually, pissed wouldn’t be a stretch. I figured her fate was undeserved. As a clean athlete who embodied the truest values of the Olympic Games, I believed she, more than her EPO doping competitors, had earned the right to finish her career at the peak of her readiness.

However, as you and I both know, life isn’t always interested in what we consider fair.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio! Enjoy...

GRIT is good, but I would argue that FLOW is bette

GRIT is good, but I would argue that FLOW is better.

And, it's not just my opinion, it's what researchers tell us...

Believe me, almost 40 years ago, when the race featured in the photograph took place, I would have never, EVER, shared that a race was easy, even if it turns out it was! Goodness, just writing that, even today, feels like a betrayal to the rowing Gods! And for good reason, I wouldn’t have wanted my teammates to think I hadn’t given my all. The idea of admitting that a race was “easy” was absolutely taboo.

All these years later, mind you, when I’ve asked my crewmates what their recollection of that race is, they all say the same thing, “Stangely effortless, as races go!”

Exactly my sentiment as well. From the first stroke, we lead the race. And every subsequent stroke only lengthened our lead. No matter what each crew threw at us, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and others, we just kept moving away.

Continued in Substack—link in bio. Enjoy...

"The point of the journey is not to arrive." This

"The point of the journey is not to arrive."

This is my last week of taking a break from writing. It’s been filled with visiting and, well, my Honey-do list! Lots of painting and the like—it’s all good. It gives me time to get caught up on some enlightening podcasts and breathe new life into tired parts of our home… I’ll take it!

This week’s dive into the archives highlights one of my favourites, for many reasons. Enjoy!

Today is Neil Peart’s birthday—he’d be 72-years-old.

Those of you who know me appreciate that I’m a huge fan of the Canadian rock trio, RUSH. I have been for decades. And Neil was, for the majority of those years, the drummer for the band. And not just any drummer, but one who could create mystic rhythms and pulsing beats with the precision of a surgeon. In fact, he would affectionately come to be known as The Professor. For what it’s worth, he reached a level of acclaim where many in the music industry considered him the best drummer in the world. And of course, those who knew Neil would know he hated those sorts of accolades. What does that even mean? And, more to his thinking, what does it matter? It’s not why Neil Peart played the drums—it’s not what drove him.

Of the many online interviews that exist regarding RUSH, one of my favourites describes the first time that Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, the two other members of the band, first witnessed Neil play the drums. It was at a “try-out”—their previous drummer, John Rutsey, had retired from playing for health reasons, leaving them without an integral part of what all good rock bands had … a solid drummer.

Continued in my Substack—link in bio. Enjoy!

Load More Follow on Instagram

Robyn on LinkedIn...

Checkout our work and follow us on LinkedIn...

Jason on LinkedIn...

Checkout our work and follow us on LinkedIn...

Robyn on Twitter...

Check us out and follow...

Jason on Twitter...

Check us out and follow...

Perform and Live Better.

Reach out and tell us what you’d like to create in 2025.