The Mindset Athlete with JAMES OWEN ROBERTS

Today I’m joined by James Owen Roberts, a ParaOlympian athlete, entrepreneur, and Tedx speaker who is here to share his story of triumph and resilience. James is a fellow podcaster, with the “Mindset Athlete” podcast, as well as an author with more than 15 years experience in exercise and diet mindset. 

James comes from a stubborn family. When he was born with his disability, there was doubt surrounding how he would navigate an able-bodied world. Throughout his life, James learned how to “overcome the monkey bars” and participate in all the things his peers were able to do. Whenever someone told him no, he couldn’t, James responded with, “Watch me.”

In his early adulthood, James went unexpectedly from swimming to rowing as his main sport. He was hesitant to start something new, but a conversation with his mom pushed him to try. In her eyes, it was a win-win situation: either he’s good at it, or he’s not, which means he can try something else. James found the motto, “I don’t know for certain, but why focus on next year when we have now?” 

When people ask him how he was so successful, James explains that he learned to thrive off the competitive environment of athletes. The sporting environment encourages athletes to push others by pushing themselves. He took things one step at a time, climbing each rung of the ladder until he made it to the Paralympics. In spite of setbacks, he learned that there’s always room to look at the bigger picture. 

Despite his successes, James is no stranger to failure. His business experienced ups and downs as a result of his inexperience with running a business. But losing clients, transactions falling through, and not making any money taught James the valuable lessons he needed to not let it happen again. Whenever James struggles with motivation, he reminds himself that he’s not just showing up for himself--he’s showing up for his community, too, like a lighthouse: if there’s no light, other ships are going to hit the rocks. 

Now, James is a coach that focuses on mindset as much as on physical aesthetics. He believes that in order to change a person for the long-term, you have to change their habits, behaviors, and self-confidence. He chips away at underlying beliefs in order to teach clients that just because they may have failed at something, they’re not a failure, and motivation isn’t everything. 

James teaches his students to make the conscious choice to persevere rather than relying on motivation. Through this, he teaches resilience. James hopes that listeners will take away that if you want change, you have to make the choice. It’s no one else’s fault or responsibility. If you look at yourself in the mirror, and aren’t happy with it, James says that it’s your choice to make that change. 

Listen in to hear James’ journey to the paraolympics, his story with sports with a disability, and his experience with TedX. 

Resources Mentioned

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Learn more about James’ coaching on his website 

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