This Mother Means Business: Strategy, Advice, and Support for Mom Entrepreneurs · Laura Sinclair

How to Perform Under Pressure in Business and Motherhood with Dr. Amy Athey

·33 min·30 clips

Laura frames the episode around a simple question that is not simple at all: how do you use the 80% you have and still meet the moment well? She introduces Dr. Amy Athey as a psychologist and leader in sports performance psychology. From there, the conversation applies sports performance psychology to business pressure without getting stiff or overly clinical. They talk about arousal regulation, choosing a target, and deciding what deserves attention right now. When the discussion turns to adversity, it does not pretend mistakes can be avoided. Reactions are normal because that is how brains are wired. The goal is not to shut the reaction down. It is to notice it, regulate it, and keep it from taking over the parts of the brain that need to organize and decide. Breath work comes up as one way to do that. Refocusing matters too. The repeated cue is simple: what is important now? Amy pushes the idea that you can feel angry, disappointed, or overwhelmed and still move through it without getting stuck there. The conversation also makes room for courage, especially the courage to take the action that sits outside the comfort zone. That action might be staying present instead of overreacting. It might be bouncing back after something goes wrong. It might be asking what one thing you can do now, or what needs to change based on the new information in front of you. Laura and Amy keep returning to the same point: high performance is not perfection. It is staying regulated, re-anchoring attention, and keeping things moving. The episode closes in the usual show rhythm, with encouragement and a reminder that the work is both business and motherhood, not one or the other.

As heard by us

A practical reset for moms building businesses under load.

Dr. Amy Athey, a psychologist and leader in sports performance psychology, is used to connect performance tools with the realities of business and motherhood.

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Why you'd press play

When pressure hits, keep enough in the tank to make the next right move.

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