Most individuals and teams want to improve. They have areas where, if things were different, they’d achieve more in life and work. We’re all told breaking ingrained, ineffective habits is a slow, hard-won process, but it doesn’t have to be.
“The Mindset Playbook” podcast provides science-based, actionable guidance on how to think, engage, and achieve more effectively. Join the conversation with guests who have proven plays for moving beyond the often fleeting feelings of motivation and inspiration to instead leverage strategies and tools that sustain meaningful progress and growth.
About The Host
Larry Olsen has worked with top Fortune 50 companies and professional athletes to establish their vision and sense of purpose. He is the founder and CEO of Aperneo, an achievement acceleration company providing individuals and teams quick, actionable guidance on how to break ingrained, ineffective habits.
The Aperneo approach to professional development balances common sense, practical neuroscience, and personal accountability, enabling clients to gain insights and perspectives to live, work, and engage with more success. Learn more from HERE.
EMAIL US for questions, topic suggestions or to request being on Mindset Playbook as a featured guest.
Welcome to the Mindset Playbook Podcast with your host, Larry Olsen
EPISODE 48 Larry Olsen
In this recap episode, Larry shares the importance of thinking about what you’re thinking about, easy decision making when doing the right thing and learning how to move beyond judgement and into acceptance.
Title: Choosing Acceptance
EPISODE 47 with Sylvain Thauvette
Mr. Thauvette is owner of PCG, a Business Sustainability IT Solution Provider. You’ll hear why doing the right thing became their culture and listening to staff and customers is what sustainability is founded on.
Title: Doing the Right Thing . . . Always
EPISODE 46 with Schuyler Williams
Schuyler is an award-winning Digital Marketer helping his clients dig into ad acquisition and marketing analysis. His philosophy of work, life and handling setbacks is invaluable for getting a refreshed perspective.
Title: Decisions Made Easy — Vision Clarity
EPISODE 45 with Jaime Jay
Listen in to learn the techniques to regain your passion while expanding your business. Jaime shares his industry expertise with a service dedicated to business growth, processes and culture development.
Title: Breaking Through the Bottleneck
EPISODE 44 Larry Olsen
In this recap episode, we’ll discover how to take on doubt and fear through the power of our breathing, why we're all Olympic Gold Medalists at birth and why listening separates us from any and all competition.
Title: Leaving Doubt Behind
EPISODE 43 with Dr. David Perrine
In this episode with Dr. Perrine, we talk about how to make others feel like they’re the only ones in the room, discuss “it’s the who not the do” and many other enlightening conversations.
Title: Fine-Tune Your Life
EPISODE 42 with Breeja Larson
Breeja is an American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. In this episode we discuss how to recover and listen to your body to avoid burnout, continuing to work on your mental health and much more!
Title: The Making of an Olympic Gold Medalist
EPISODE 41 with Kreston Woods
Kreston is a certified personal trainer and breathwork coach who understands health is about balancing life’s stresses though breath, and gives us some helpful breathing techniques for a more vibrant / vital life.
Title: Breathing Makes it So
EPISODE 40 Larry Olsen
In this recap episode, you’ll discover that you can find a way to thrive while doing what you love, how to invite insight and delight into your life and others, as well as how to turn into something greater than yourself.
Title: Letting Your Future Out of the Past
EPISODE 39 with Luis Mendoza
Luis is the son of Mexican immigrant parents pursing their dreams, and his clothing brand provides scholarship money for education. Listen as we discuss a servant heart, beginning new dreams and much more!
Title: Moving Beyond the Past
EPISODE 38 with Caleb Porter
Caleb is the Head Coach of Columbus Crew SC, two time MLS Cup winner and recipient of the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year. We discuss how to create the right mind-set to win in life, power in being the underdog and more!
Title: The Championship Recipe
EPISODE 37 with Vivian Naranjo
Vivian is a successful visual artist from Chile, arriving in the US in '16 speaking no English and with no money. She earned her masters in '19 and now provides illustrations to brands including the Fortune 100.
Title: Unstoppable Me
EPISODE 36 Larry Olsen
Join Larry and we journey through the last 3 episodes discussing why we’d rather be right than successful, why internal conversations create outcomes, and how to be successful no matter the circumstances.
Title: Believing is Seeing
EPISODE 35 with Don Cawley
Don Cawley owns a set design and fabrication production house called ManShark. Listen as Larry and Don discuss finding the joy in discomfort, how fear creates courage, the importance of diversity and much more.
Title: Pulling Creative Out of Practical
EPISODE 34 with Meguire Heston
Meguire runs the global Thought Leadership Program for Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this interview we discuss the power of why, clarity over cleverness, and that you don’t have to be nice, but you do have to be kind!
Title: The Power of Authenticity
EPISODE 33 with Bijan Farhangui
In this episode I interview Mr. Bijan Farhangui, the Founder/CEO of SAMI-Aid, a telehealth company and online healthcare concierge. Listen as we discuss how to make the complex simple, the power of vision and the end to Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Kidney transplant wait.
Title: Passions Cures
EPISODE 32 Larry Olsen
In this recap episode, Larry discusses what it means to give a hand up not a handout, to succeed whether you like what you’re doing or not, how to stay open to all new possibilities and so much more.
Title: The Common Denominator of Success
EPISODE 31 with Rick Elmore
Rick is an entrepreneur, sales and marketing expert, and former pro football player. In our interview we discuss the power of discomfort and success, the importance of just getting started and much more!
Title: Where Passion Lives
EPISODE 30 with Mike Columbus
Mike is dedicated to changing the culture of sales organizations one-by-one. He's a thought leader, speaker, and top salesperson. In this episode you’ll learn how to be the best, see barriers as goal steps and much more!
Title: Winning by Heart
EPISODE 29 with Michelle Lochmann
Michelle ran for Secretary of State in 2010, and is an advocate for our environment and assisting others who need it the most. She is driven to see people succeed and seeks change when obstacles are in the way.
Title: Giving a Hand Up, Not a Handout
On the podcast with Tori Cawley, I thought the message was very clear and well said. I play golf for a university and it is a very a mental sport. For someone who has anxiety it makes it very easy to doubt myself and worry too much about things that will hurt my golf game instead of helping it. After listening to this podcast, it helped me realize that I should focus on giving myself the confidence saying “I can do this” and “You will do great today”, and also prepare for the steps ahead of me on and off the golf course. With this confidence, I just know that these positive words will help my golf game and help me be a better person.
Thank you Madison for the encouragement you’ve sent to others with your words. It seems so simple to believe in yourself first but so many allow doubt to enter their amazing minds. All the best in all you do and listen to your coach, because he is all about bringing out the best in you.
Yours in growth,
Larry
It is refreshing to hear from Gene Grabiec. A great teacher and a wonderful man. The last part of the interview is key to everything Gene teaches and preaches. Overall, I loved the interview.
Thank you Mody. I very much appreciate what you’ve shared . . . Gene is a great coach.
All the best with your game and life,
Larry
Gene Grabiec is a legend. He helps you not worry about how you are holding the club in your hand and instead he helps you understand that the game is more about how you are holding on to life. He makes the game crystal clear. Don’t just hit the yardage marker – hit the nail holding it up. Work like crazy, believe in yourself, the scores will come! I lost my ability to play at a level that I was accustom; he helped me find the joy of just playing. Gene makes winners!
Thank you Toby for your comment and great metaphor between holding the club and living your life.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the game again and all the best to you,
Larry
I am one of Gene’s former students who was fortunate to hit a hole-in-one. It wasn’t mentioned in the podcast, but one of the things I liked about Gene’s lessons also applies to life in general. He didn’t try to change my golf swing in a day. He laid a foundation and slowly built on it to create a strong structure. I likened it to stacking blocks. You wouldn’t put a third block up unless the first two were squared away and steady. You certainly would be careful adding a sixth or seventh block or everything might come tumbling down. This is also true in life. You can’t solve all of your problems in a day or a week, but you can do the next right thing. Sometimes it takes a while to get back on course, but you have to continue to do the next right thing to make that happen.
I wish Gene and his students the best. They are in good hands.
Hi Ginny. You are so right about change and thank you for listening to the podcast. Thanks for sharing what a wonderful coach Gene has been for you and the power in having a solid foundation in anything we do.
All the best,
Larry
I enjoyed the episode with Gene Grabiec. The episode was an easy listen, and I found Gene’s insight to be powerful. He relates his extensive golf experience to life in an accessible, touching way.
I want you to know that your review is appreciated and are grateful that you’re a listener. It’s nice to hear what a positive influence Gene has had on your life.
Yours in growth,
Larry
Gene is quite an extraordinary gentleman and friend. I don’t even play golf, but I’ve learned so many lessons from Gene. He is a careful and deliberate person who is ever prepared to express his love and enhance the lives of those with whom he engages. I’ve always sensed the joy that Gene possesses for golf as well as life. Again, I don’t play golf, but Gene helped me to understand the life lessons of golf. Sometimes, you get lucky, and sometimes unlucky. Remarkably, I’ve learned to appreciate golf through Gene, since the greatness of that game is until you hole the last ball on 18, you just hit the next shot. The position of your next shot is completely dependent upon how you performed on the last shot. Such is life. Where you are now, the shot you have to hit, and the score you currently have are all dependent upon what you did prior. Extraordinary game and Gene is an extraordinary ambassador.
Thank you Henry for your review of a most incredible man as well as golf instructor and coach. It was a pleasure doing a podcast with Gene and the feeling is mutual. Giving of your time in writing this review is very much appreciated and I know Gene will enjoy reading this as well.
Yours in growth,
Larry
The interview with Gene Grabiec is terrific!
As a sales rep for a major newspaper in Ohio, I found great material that is both inspirational snd practical. Gene is sn amazing example of focusing and moving forward to success. I’ll make sure everyone I know in sales is familiar with this outstanding message!
Thank you so much for getting this information out there. Thinking of the positives and not the negatives is a must. These thoughts will affect the way the brain processes things. Emotions and negative thoughts will make that pathway stronger if you keep processing these negative thoughts. On the other hand, if you reinforce your brain with positive thoughts that pathway in the brain will become stronger. It is kinda like a muscle if you only worked out your right arm with bicep curls that muscle will become stronger. SOo what pathway do you as a golfer want to strengthen? Your thought will decide that for you! Change Your Thoughts Change Your Game.
Dr. Ungar, we appreciate your insightful words as well as valued education. I’m glad you enjoyed listening to the podcast and that it resonate with your own thinking.
Yours in growth,
Larry
About the Gene Grabiec Podcast
It took me back to islands of thoughts about my life. I was standing on one island while In the trees, looking for my ball wondering where do I send it now.
Zip Zeigler came to mind reminding me that. If I think I can or or can’t, I am right! I was reminded of times past spent at listening to Earl Nightingales, “Lead The Field”
Both of you caused my ears to bend giving me anticipation of what would be said next.
I really enjoyed it and would enjoy listing to both of you together or separate again in fact, I plan to!
Best inspirational talk I have heard in years!
Rodney Bush
President
Motivational Speaker
RB Marketing
Thank you Rodney for your inspirational words. Gene and I very much enjoyed your review and just wanted you to know how much we appreciate what you’ve shared.
Yours in growth,
Larry
The Podcast with Gene was awesome! Gene is not only a great golf instructor but a dear friend. The way he teaches golf makes the game easier and the way he parallels it to life lessons is amazing. I would not be the golfer I am today without his teaching nor would I be playing competitive golf. With Gene’s help I have won six local amateur tournaments this year already! I had the pleasure of getting my first hole in one as he was playing along side me last fall. One of the best things about his teaching is that Gene did not dramatically change my swing but it is the mental side of the game that he has helped me with the most. The things he talks about in the Podcast is exactly the way he teaches. Picking exact targets, having more than one option and then committing to the shot. Life is very similar. If we don’t have a plan and work that plan you will most likely never be very successful.
Gene is one of the most genuine and caring people I know and I am very grateful for our friendship.
Look forward to hearing more Podcast with Larry and Gene. Well done guys.
Thank you Steve and I couldn’t agree more. We need more Gene Grabiecs’ in our lives.
Yours in growth,
Larry
Wow Larry! I absolutely love this podcast. The power of the mind is something everyone needs to learn, and honestly should be part of mandatory education. The episode with Diane really inspired me! What an intelligent, hard working woman! A friend of mine has been struggling with her career and seems quite paralyzed with all the choices and Diane’s quote “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me” has become her new motto! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Thank you Tori and you’re right . . . accountability is a wonderful thing. It was so kind of you to share your encouraging words.
Yours in growth,
Larry
Steve Gardner’s session was remarkable. His life experiences should be a part of every student’s learning in school. Though that won’t happen, Steve’s life teaches the essentials of integrity and the power of the mind’s perspective. A true inspiration— “good to great.”
Thank you for sending a message regarding Steve Gardner. You’re eloquent words speak to the heart of Steve’s message and everyone should download his podcast interview to also be inspired. Great to hear from you Keith and all the best to you and your family.
Larry
Episode 11 with Coach Grabiec is great! It really gives you more perspectives on how to always be bettering your game and understanding that mistakes are okay especially if you can learn something from them. An inspiration!
Thank you for your response and I’m glad you found value in our podcast. Please spread the word and all the best to you Jillian in all that you do.
Larry