In this month's CTC Circle Guest Workshop, we had the opportunity to hold a fireside chat with Executive Coach David Karasek.
Ry and I only got to know David quite recently but were blown away by his demeanor, his presence, and what he had to share about his professional work as a high-performance coach for entrepreneurs.
In my line of work, I've had the privilege of getting to know many high-performance coaches, many of which have made the claim of having worked with Olympic athletes.
What is remarkable about David's story, is that he himself has had a very successful swimming career, having competed in the 2012 Olympics in London.
About David Karasek
David qualified for the men's 200 m individual medley at the 2012 Summer Olympics, breaking a Swiss record in the process.
He is also a 10-time Swiss swimming champion, a multiple-time medley record holder, and a former member for the swimming team for Virginia Cavaliers. He attributes his success to having developed a strong mental game through his training.
After giving up competitive swimming, David began coaching and teaching others about how to achieve success in athletics and business. Today, he coaches athletes and entrepreneurs around the world while sharing insights into mindset and transformation.
Talking Peak Performance with David Karasek
David's work focuses on helping individuals find out what motivates them, and helps them become better leaders, entrepreneurs, and employees. In our CTC Circle interview, we ask david the hard questions about business and life:
What was the experience if being a professional athlete in the Olympcis like?
David:
It was nerve wracking. was always anxious before a competition, especially when I knew it counted because I wanted to make my parents proud.
I put in all these hours and and sometimes it turned out well, sometimes it didn't.
And the thing was, when I was little, I had that anxiety. And then you win, your first local competition, let's say, and you move on to, say, the Swiss age level.
Then it's the same thing again, still feeling sacared. And then you win that and you go on to Swiss champs in the open space, and the fear is still there right?
All the way up to the world level, still scared.
And then you get to the Olympics and you are still scared. After 15 years of training, putting in hours, days, months, you indentify as being a swimmer. And then you have that one moment, and it's two minutes right?
And then it's over.
How do you make those two minutes count? How do you feel the fear, and show up anyway?
David Karasek:
It's really remembering that the thoughts and feelings that you have in those hours, even the night before, that they don't mean anything in terms of your performance, because I just look back and I remind myself, there's been times when I felt really, really bad and my performance was really, really good, and there were other times where I felt, "wow, the stars are aligned, and I'm going to get my best time, and I completely bombed it".
I think it's interesting also to think in life, not just in competition, that we think we screwed up, and the end result is amazing.
And so that's what it was. I had all these thoughts and feelings, and I was scared, I was sweating.
I was seeing Michael Phelps, sitting there in his headphones and all that, but I just walked out and then I reminded myself, it doesn't mean anything.
Then I got on the box, and I don't remember the racing from that point on. It's a good sign if you don't remember, because you just get into flow.
And I got on a box and I don't remember the racing. That is a good sign if you don't remember because you're just in flow, right?
You just touch the wall.
A Few Other Questions We Explored with David:
- What are your thoughts on how necessary a perfectly optimized routine is versus allowing magic and flow to happen?
- Walk me through what you would see as an optimal balance between enough structure and routine while creating enough space for creativity to flow ...
- Where is it that you feel people need to get a bit more dialed in and become more ambitious?
- What are your thoughts on The Gap vs The Gain by Dan Sullivan?
- What was the transition like going from being an olympic swimmer to working with entrepreneurs as a mindset coach?
- How to you help your clients prepare for intense peak performance experiences?
- How important is the mental game to success?
This was a fascinating conversation that covered so much ground, even delving into terttory covering aspects like the law of attraction, mindset mastery, self-awareness, and how to get started with making meaningful changes in your life.
The replay is waiting for you inside CTC Circle.
If you're not yet a member, you can activate your membership for just $97/mo and get immediate access to David Karasek's session and 7+ programs, 4x/week coaching calls, and a host of other collaboration and community-building opportunities.
Links For Learning More About David Karasek:
Official Website for David Karasek (link)
Connect with David on LinkedIn (link)
Excerpts from elsewhere on the web:
Excerpt:
I tell them, “What happens if you go to the gym once a month?” They'll tell me. “What happens if you go once a week?” They'll tell me. “What if you go every day?” They'll tell me and then the bridge is, “Your mental skills are exactly the same.” Most of them get it.
Source: retreatboss.com
Excerpt:
He was so used to getting immediate and direct feedback from sports, so he never fully developed that mechanism to cope with the more complex and indirect nature of the workforce.
Source: jointhenewschool.com
Excerpt:
Retrieved 20 April 2013. "Swiss National Championships: David Karasek Downs Swiss Record on Final Day".Swimming World Magazine. 18 March 2012.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Excerpt:
Launching a one-man venture as an online mindset coach, the Founder and CEO of Tribe of Athletes supports his athlete clients by helping them to strengthen their minds arguably the most overlooked aspect of leveling up their game.
Source: experience.mcintire.virginia.edu