Turning Pain into Purpose: How Caiden is Building His Inner Champion
How breathwork, visualization, and mindset training are helping one young athlete rise through adversity.
This week, I had the honor of working with a 13-year-old named Caiden, a young athlete who's been through more than most adults ever will. After tragically losing his mother, he’s now living with his grandfather and trying to find his way. And yet, in the middle of all that pain, he’s showing up—with a shot put in his hand and fire in his heart.
We met at a coffee shop. No gym. No field. Just two people having a real conversation. I gave him a copy of The Daily Stoic Journal, something that’s grounded me in my own journey. We talked. We connected. And then we started to train—not just the body, but the mind.
I guided Caiden through breathwork to help him slow down and settle into the present moment. We used the 4-7-8 breathing technique, a powerful tool to calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety before competition.
From there, we dove into mental rehearsal, visualizing his shot put performance using all five senses—feeling the weight of the shot, seeing the trajectory, hearing the crowd, smelling the field, and tasting that sense of success. This kind of visualization strengthens neural pathways and builds confidence before even stepping into the ring.
Then we took it a step further: alter ego work. Inspired by Kobe Bryant’s legendary “Black Mamba” mentality, Caiden created his own powerful version of himself—his personal champion—who he channels during competition. It’s a technique used by elite athletes across the world to embody strength, focus, and grit.
When we talked about pre-competition nerves, he admitted what many young athletes feel but rarely say: “I worry about what other people think… what if I mess up?”
I reminded him:
None of that matters.
What matters is that you're showing up.
You're improving.
You're preparing for something greater.
I gave him a mission:
Write down his goal for Nationals—how far he wants to throw
Put it somewhere visible as a daily reminder of what he's working toward
Practice visualization daily—before bed, before practice, and before meets
Helping Caiden shift from fear to focus, from pain to purpose, reminded me why I created Elite Mind Body Optimization. It’s not just about performance—it’s about building the mental tools to face life, sports, and setbacks with strength and confidence.
Caiden, we’re just getting started. You’ve already won in ways that can’t be measured. Nationals, here we come.
