Welcome to the Mindset Coach Academy podcast. I'm Lindsey Wilson and I am a high-performance Mindset Coach, a mom, a former professional athlete and an entrepreneur. I help coaches and high performers optimize their mindset to improve their coaching, their performance in those of their athletes and their lives. Here you'll learn all about Mindset, how to live it, how to teach it and how to sell it.
Hi guys, before we get into today's guest interview, I wanted to tell you real quick that mid-February, February 16th, applications open and they only open one time a year for our certification program. So if you've ever been interested in being a Mindset Coach, this is your path forward.
We have a four-month dual certification program, applications open February 16th and I hope to see yours come through. Alright, now today we have a very special guest. It is Stacy Dale. Stacy is currently a sideline reporter for the NFL Network and if you're a football fan, I'm sure you have seen her. She does amazing work in that realm.
But she also has a very interesting sports history. I met Stacy, gosh, we're gonna date ourselves, but about 20 years ago and we became fast friends. We were also opponents. I played Iowa State. She was at Oklahoma and you know, you just meet those people and you just see eye to eye. We were friends all through our 20s and got busy with our careers and things and talk here and there and just she's just a lovely, lovely person and I know you're gonna enjoy this interview. She has such an amazing source, such great insight. She is just a competitor. She is just a successful driven person that also has such great insight into doing it the right way and you know, I'll tell you a little bit about her history as an athlete. She was an Olympian. She played for the Canadian national team and prior to that, she played at Oklahoma. She was an All-American there. They played in the national championship game against Connecticut. She had all the awards.
I mean, just on and on, big 12 player of the year. She was, you know, all these things and then she got drafted third into the WNBA and had a great career in the WNBA and then started reporting and she was with ESPN. Now she's the NFL Network and again, she's just a lovely person and I know you're gonna get some great insight into this interview. So without further ado, Stacy Dales. Hi, Stacy. Dales. It is so nice to have you on podcast.
Speaker 2: Well, it's great to be with you old friend because we go way back to our big 12 days. I didn't get to play against you as much as I wanted to, but we did have a short stint in the WNBA, you know, in our pro basketball careers and got to know each other and you're just a phenomenal person. So I'm happy to be with you right now.
Speaker 1: Oh, thanks, Stacy. I could say the same to you. I know I also tell you, I've already told you this, but I think listeners, I did a whole bio to open up the podcast, but I told you my brother came over the other day and was like, you know, I'm freaking. So I rarely get to watch although last weekend with NFL playoffs, we didn't, football was on the entire weekend, but I don't get to see you as much as I would like to.
Every once in a while I do. But my brother, who was a big sports fan, he came over and he was like, man, your friend Stacy Dales, she is just, and he does not go on and on about people. He was like, she is just so smart and articulate and she's so good on camera. And I was like, yeah, I know, she's freaking awesome. She's a badass. She's a badass in everything that she does. It's so cool.
Speaker 2: Well, that's total flattery. I already love him. And next time he should do the pod with us.
Speaker 1: Yes, there you go. All right, let's get right into it because I know you have a busy day. We've been trying to get a whole, trying to connect our schedules all day. You know, I think one of the things that I love having athletes on is you are such a badass in NFL reporting and being a journalist, but you really hone those skills as an athlete. And I want to hear about like kind of like the thread of what is your mindset philosophy? Like what did you do actually as an athlete? I mean, you, you were in a national championship game.
You played in the WNBA like you were in the Olympics. Like when you're talking about mindset of performance, which I imagine you use those today, being on, you know, interviewing Tom Brady or whatever it is that you have to do. How does that mindset, how does Stacey Dale's mindset, how has it helped you? What are the things you honed over the years that has kind of been the common thread through sports and reporting?
Speaker 2: Yeah, Lindsay. So I've also learned a lot over the years. I think that should be said because, you know, I was just on a Zoom call with Aaron Rodgers. And I've been blessed to be able to cover some extraordinary people along the way. So I've learned from those experiences in my coverage and my job. But I think those are evolutionary parts of me where as being an athlete, 20 years ago, not to age myself that much, but as an athlete, some of the things even then 20 years ago, a couple of decades ago, I'm still doing now, they're just more refined and more enhanced in a completely different realm.
What do I mean by that? I believe that champions are made when nobody's watching. And I think back to when I was 17, 18, 19 years old, I was the kind of kid that wanted to be in the gym by myself, not for lack of wanting teammates, but for the drive and, you know, directive to craft and cultivate things that I could envision that I didn't necessarily think anybody else could see. So I would spend hours doing things in the gym by myself in my driveway when it was the middle of winter in Canada.
I would spend four hours in my driveway trying to be Magic Johnson, Akemi Lajuan, and Michael Jordan all in one person. So I believe that champions are made when nobody's watching, but I also would say confidence comes for me from demonstrated ability. So people think confidence comes from big moments. And that could be true because you could be in a big moment in life and excel and then the next time you do it, it's more normal and it's easier. But it's also the demonstration of doing things when nobody's watching and trusting those instincts in that time. And so that's kind of how I go about my business now with humility as a professional in television and journalism.
I don't know if that kind of makes sense. I think it would for somebody like you who's been such a high achiever through life as well. But it really is in the journey, in the footsteps you take, and they're not always right. And I think embracing the times when they're not is as important as the times when they're great because failure really is a tool for, I would say, just complete growth in so many ways.
Speaker 1: You know, I think so much of what performance mindset or high performance mindset or mindset training, whatever you want to call what I do and what you've done in your career, there's so much around fear and in particular fear of performance in performance. And you've done it at such a high level. And I think not a lot of people have done it at the level you did in the sports arena, but then to do it so publicly in your post athletic career. And I want to talk about that fear and how you deal with it and maybe some tricks or tips.
And I don't know if anybody taught you along the way or just Stacy Dales figured it out. But when you're going into the Final Four or you're going into coverage at the Super Bowl or you're going to interview someone that's supposedly really intimidating or, I know we talked about earlier, when you were put on game day at the NFL Network and you've never done that before. Like, how do you deal with, and then I think the second part of that is failure, which I want to talk about in a second, but how do you deal with fear?
Speaker 2: It's a real thing and you first, I believe, embrace it because it's so real. So those some of those moments you mentioned, jump being thrust into game day morning, never hosted studio show in my life, it's terrifying. You can feel the anxiety coming up, you can feel the pressure mounting, but it goes back to the very thing I said and I shared with you. The process is everything.
By the time you get to your moment, your fear should be mitigated because you've done everything necessary to prepare yourself for that moment. So as an example, when I'm preparing for a game during the week, so Football Sunday, I'm covering this week, I'm covering the 49ers and the Packers and the NFC divisional round in their respective pool. And I am doing all of the nitty gritty stuff Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I will have all of my work finished by Thursday to give myself a grace day for new information on Friday. I'll be ready for the game Saturday.
The game is on Saturday. So if you said to me, all right, Stace, you forgot your notes. We forgot everything. What are you going to do? I would tell you, perfect, because it's all right here banked because I've done the preparation, which mitigates the fear.
You embrace fear, understand that it may come, but you prepare yourself to mitigate it by taking the steps necessary to get there. And by the time I get to the performance, whether it's me or it's you with a huge speaking engagement or it's an orchestra, they've already put in those final tune, you know, sort of tunes, if you will, and updates to what they do before they get to the stage. And by the time they get there, they can do it without looking at their notes.
They can do it very naturally and that's to me how to mitigate fear. It's not that it's not ever going to come up for you. It's going to be there, but swallow it, embrace it, breathe through it, and know that you've put in all the stuff that is necessary to be great in that moment. You'll know fear is real if you haven't done all those previous steps.
Speaker 1: I love that. I was just talking on my podcast, you know, admitting that fear is going to happen, making an abnormal part of life and understand that it's part of growth and then really taking that action, which I think is what you're talking about, is like fear grows when we don't take action, when we just wait, right?
It just, it feeds it. Inaction feeds fear and I think that's what you're talking about is just working yourself through it. Do you have any like rituals or routines that help you? I mean, do you have, I'm sure you did as an athlete, but now you're getting ready for, you know, Saturday's games or Sunday's games. Like, is there anything that you do that sort of gets you ready?
Speaker 2: Yeah, there's lots of stuff I do. Physical exercise is critical for me. I'm a big Pelotoner. You have to find something to create balance and to eliminate that energy, the energy that I'm wanted.
So that's one thing. From a job standpoint, I'm pretty old school. I still transcribe all of my own interviews, there are tools out there now, technological tools, there are people you can hire. I do all my own transcription. So I'll have a book by game day this thick, but by transcribing it myself, I learned the language and I learned the tone.
And as an athlete, it's important to understand, a former athlete, to understand momentum and the energy of a locker room. And so as I listen to the interviews, whether they're via Zoom with the team, a presser or something I've done individually, a one-on-one, I listen to them, but I transcribe them. So I put those words down. And as I put them down, my stories come to life. And by the time I get to Sunday or Saturday, the stories are there. So simple is, you know, ritual is transcribing my own material is important. I still do it and I've done it for a long time. And it's basic stuff, like I mean, talking about journalism 101, but a lot of people don't do it anymore. And I think that it enables you to be a natural storyteller and to put yourself in the shoes of that team's locker room. And that's what I aim for. And I think part of my athletic background is a reflection of that.
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, it goes back to, you know, you probably had something as an athlete, you know, you made 100 shots at the shoot around the day, you know, the morning of the game or, you know, shot 10 free throws or whatever, like we get in the habit of doing those very basic things that give us the confidence, like, we know how to do this, right?
Speaker 2: Oh, there's no question. I mean, we all have our little idiosyncrasies as athletes. I mean, you know, whatever they are, whatever, however they get you in that zone, I think is really cool. But, you know, I don't think I'm right on everything. I think that you need to find what works for you. But you have to be willing to do that work.
And if you're not, it's not going anywhere. I think the thing that would help with that is who you are as a person, right? As you get older and you evolve in your career. Are you a good person? Are you leading with kindness in every walk of your profession? Do you have the right intentions? Are you surrounding yourself with the right people?
Where is that energy living? Especially when you consider some of the obstacles that you may have at work. So there's a lot that goes into it and a lot that I believe there are so many prongs to it all. But, you know, you and I have talked about too, just the idea of self-sabotage. Because one of the interesting things, we are all leaders. Even people that are followers are leaders, because if you don't lead yourself, who's going to? If you don't lead yourself to follow that person, meaning get yourself out of bed, make sure you're on time, be punctual this and that, you lead yourself.
And so, we've talked about podcasts that I listen to and you listen to, and I'm a big fan of the John Maxwell podcast, leadership podcast, and he literally talks about how leaders self-sabotage and there are 10. And I would encourage people watching just to go back and look at them because there's so many things that we do to counteract our level of achievement or success. And once you kind of can see those things and have awareness around them, you can start to come out of those holes where the fear lives.
Speaker 1: Well, I think, you know, I'm sure a lot of people look at your career and, you know, think you are, you are performing at such a high level. And I think when people are there, it often becomes easy to think that, I don't mean they have it all figured out like they're the smartest person in the world, but that you don't do these things. Or you're not constantly battling the same things that you battled as a 17 year old going into Oklahoma, right?
But it's like the same stuff comes up. So I'm wondering how you, you know, it's one thing to get to that level and it's another thing to stay there, right? Especially as a woman, like what do you see in yourself that you have to work on? And especially when you get knocked down, right? Moving into like this idea of failure, like what are the things that you're working on or you think are the biggest things for people when it comes to self-sabotage? And especially when you get knocked down with failure.
Speaker 2: Oh, it's such a hard question. So hard to answer in just a couple of minutes. I don't ever think we should expect failure, but we should know that it's coming at some point.
And that for me, that is the mental space that I live in. I don't expect to fail. I expect to be the best. And I expect to be extraordinary at whatever it is that I'm doing while I'm doing it. But sometimes your expectations can pollute your ability to handle when the expectation isn't met.
And I kind of go on that calculus or that formula. I expect greatness, but I'm also mindful and rational that maybe it's not going to be perfect. And by stripping and eliminating perfection, I temper my expectations. I used to be a perfectionist. I used to be, and I still, there's parts of me in life that want to be a perfectionist, but I temper that by understanding that it's not possible to be perfect.
So, for instance, if I do just a basic report and I can tape it, and it's gonna go on a show later on in the day, and I tape that report with the intention of perfecting it, it's not going to be me. I would rather have a little glitch in there. Maybe I pause for a little bit longer on one point. Because by trying to perfect it, it's going to appear that way.
And that's to me an inauthentic, so disingenuous. So I just think for me, it's been learning to live with flaws and learning to live with high expectations, but also realistic expectations that it isn't going to be perfect because imperfection could be deemed failure. And I don't think we ever fully fail. Maybe sometimes there's, you feel like you've maybe hit rock bottom, maybe that's complete failure, but if you can't look at imperfection in what you do and say, I can work on that a little bit more. But how do you think the greats got to where they are?
They were unrelenting in their pursuit of achievement, and they were able to perfect small things along the way, but they were never satisfied. Tom Brady's still playing football. I know, Tracy. He has how many super goals does he have? He is still chasing being better. And that means there was something that was imperfect there, which you could argue, that guy's perfect. But give me, he's got perfect life, he looks perfect, he's beautiful, beautiful wife, he's, you know, but he's still chasing greatness, which means it hasn't been just perfect enough. Maybe there's more there, which is really impressive and extraordinary. Absolutely.
Speaker 1: Don't you feel like that's, I mean, you already alluded to it being the same in sports, but as an athlete, did you ever feel that? I mean, what I see a lot with athletes is the drive for perfectionists, the drive to be great really gets them to another level, right? And that's often a critical piece to people being successful. And yet, when they're on the court or the playing field, being able to let go and not trying to be perfect. I mean, the difference between playing scared and like going for it. I feel like you were so good at going for it and having that high level of expectations. How do, I'm not exactly sure what the question is except that I just see so many parallels to what you just said. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think it's, what you're just telling me is we over complicate things. We just so over complicate them. Simplicity is the easiest way. It doesn't mean you don't work at it. It doesn't mean you don't work hard, but when you simplify things, you take away a level of stress and the inability to control everything.
Cause I think by nature, like in life where control freaks, we want, we play on a team, you were a point guard. You better not get out of position. I'm going to yell at you. You're like, if you can just simplify everything and understand here's what makes me good. Here's my process, what I do during the week to be successful at my job. By sticking to that simple guideline, whatever that formula is for you enables you to go and perform. And we, when we over complicate it, when teams struggle, when you see teams that are completely dysfunctional and discombobulated, it's many times to me that they're just completely complicating the situation.
They're not taking the people they have and saying, how can we make this work? If you were given a room full of five people and you had to do a project with them, the first thing that I would do is I would try to find out individually, what are your strengths? What are you good at?
What are you good at? Oh, you're good with the hammer? You're good with the drill? Okay, I'm gonna put the hammer in your hands.
I'm gonna put the drill in your hands and the wood, there's my carpenter right there. Let's come together with these ideas, understanding these are what you're good at, which is role definition. And so when you say that to me, simplify it.
Don't over complicate things. Look at what your strengths are and build on those and try to just tap away at what those maybe aren't so strong things about you are, that you can blend them in and make them work in the flow of what you're doing.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think, well, you were on so many great teams and I know you did that probably effortlessly with a lot of your teammates. A little bit of a segue, but I think it's something that's really, really important and isn't talked about enough is joy. Like you were such a passionate player and something I always loved about you.
We also talk shit to each other a little bit in a fun way. But also like now, like you are working so hard today. You know, like I know how busy you are today.
Appreciate your time. What's bringing you joy about your job? Like what is the, what are the moments that are, I mean, clearly being around sports must be really fun, but what brings you like pure joy?
Speaker 2: Learning, learning from the people I cover, study, telling their stories with authenticity and humility and integrity. Being integral in what I do, doing it the right way, that brings me a lot of joy. You know, I've covered some amazing athletes again, very humbly over the years and I wanna make sure I tell their story integrally with the dignity that they've given it to me. And that's another reason I transcribe because I don't wanna ever misquote somebody. So that brings me joy. Being a woman at what I do brings me a lot of pride because it's not easy for women.
It just isn't. And it has been quite the journey, but I'm very proud to be one of, you know, X amount of women that get to do what I do and do it in a powerful way. And I hope there's a little gal out there watching that thinks that she could do that. I'm at a stage in my career where I get asked for advice or help, journalistic, journalism tips, whatever. And it's very flattering to be receiving those because I hope somebody would help me like that when I was in my 20s. And now all these years later, it's very humbling when people ask you, how do you do this report? Or how would you able to strategize this?
Or how did you build that relationship? And, you know, it's funny in life. It always comes back to relationships, how you treat others. And I think when you're young, you can go through it, maybe a little bit like oblivious to who you are in your 20s, right?
None of us really know. And then you get to your 30s and you're starting to have a better appreciation but you're still not there. And then you can kind of get to your 40s and I made that mistake and I own it.
And I did this and I own it and I made that choice and it was great. And now you're a little bit more reflective. And that's where your work becomes really refined. And, you know, the moments may get bigger and you hope they do, but they're never too big for you because you've put all that work in.
Speaker 1: I got two final questions. What's one simple thing that, you know, you would tell your younger self or somebody that's really searching for success from a mindset standpoint or otherwise, what's one thing that you think that they should do or that you would tell someone to do, implement maybe in their daily life?
Speaker 2: Be early, be early always. Be early to the meeting, be early to practice. Be early on the assignment, meaning if the assignment is due on Monday, have it done Saturday. I have a two-day rule. If the assignment is due Sunday, if the game is Sunday, have the work done Friday. So be early because it just affords you so much more peace of mind to do that. I would say it's, you know, be a good person but it's hard to teach kindness. So people either have it or they don't.
Hopefully they have it because that helps you through a lot of down periods of time. And I would just say, what are you doing? I would ask a question. What are you doing when nobody's watching? And you can live with the answer. If you can live with the answer, if you say you wanna be a great athlete and you say you wanna be the number one team in America and be ranked in the top 25, what are you doing when nobody's watching? If you are okay with that answer and you can justify it and understand that it's right, then you're right on track.
Speaker 1: I have a question. What is the next area of personal growth for Stacey Bales? Oh gosh.
Speaker 2: I don't, just, I would say, it's a hard question because I think I'm always ready for something new and I love what I do. But the next area of growth would be another opportunity, a big opportunity in addition to the one that I have that I've loved and cultivated for the NFL, I just adore it and hopefully can build on that in some unique way. I just think, I really believe in the universe and I believe in the power of the universe. And so I don't know how to answer that. I just think that the journey will take me there.
But as far as personal growth, just always for me, it's reminding myself to be a little bit easier on myself because I do want more and more, achieve more and more and that can get exhausting. And so you've got to be really careful about not burning out and the flame tickering out because you went a little too hard.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I know you've got a really busy schedule, so I'm gonna let you go. Stacey, you are such a badass. I can't wait to have my daughters watching you on TV.
So there'll be those little girls that are watching you. And I just appreciate your candor and your vulnerability. You've always been so honest and I know you're paving the way for so many women in all different arenas, but certainly in journalism and in a very competitive arena. And I appreciate you taking the time. I know you're so, so busy today. So thank you. I adore you.
Speaker 2: So thank you for having me. Thanks, Dave. I love the work you've been doing. One of the things that impresses me so much about you, Lyns, is you had a mission all those years ago and you have built the mission. And the mission is continuing to ascend. And you're unrelenting in your pursuit. And I just admire that it's inspiring. So thanks for having me. I can't wait to do it again and your brother better be on next time.
Speaker 1: Let's do it. You're inspiring me. I can't wait to talk again. Thank you so much, Stacey Dales. Thank you. So there you have it guys. Wasn't she awesome? I just, every time I get to talk to Stacey, whether that's from a social standpoint or work, just sitting down and having a conversation with her, leading such an interesting and successful life, but she has that ability to be introspective and look at her own growth and the places that she wants to challenge herself. And I just, I love that in anybody, but certainly with Stacey, it's pretty special because I've known her for so long.
So I hope you enjoyed that interview as much as I enjoyed doing it. Hopefully we'll hear more from Stacey. And of course you can see her, although this may be out after the Super Bowl, but she is all over the NFL. And for good reason, she is blazing trails for females in that profession.
So go Stacey. All right guys, as I talked about earlier, the certification applications are now open. Link is in the show notes, so I hope you'll join us for that.
And what else? Oh, if you like this podcast, please, please, please share it with a friend. Leave a review. They really do help. They really do help. And I know sometimes you think I'm talking to somebody else, but I'm actually talking to you. And appreciate all the love on Instagram.
I'm Lindsay at Lindsay Positive Perform. And if you liked this show, you can post it on there too. All right guys, have a great day and we will see you soon. Bye.
