Episode 10

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Published on:

22nd Jun 2023

The Power of Mindfulness: Lisa Widmark’s Approach to Coaching Athletes and Poker Players

Coach Lisa Widmark makes a difference in the lives and performance of athletes and poker players alike. Her expertise in sports psychology, mindfulness, and positive reinforcement has helped her clients improve their performance and handle stress gracefully. Lisa's passion for her work can be heard in her radio program, The Present, where she shares insights and wisdom on mindfulness and how it can enhance one's performance in high-stress scenarios. With her unique combination of skills and experience, Lisa Widmark empowers athletes and poker players to achieve peak performance with calm and focused minds.

Coaching strategies for increased mindfulness and self-compassion

Coaching strategies that help individuals develop mindfulness and self-compassion can increase self-awareness, resilience, and overall well-being. These approaches often involve guiding clients in meditation and mindful exercises, fostering self-kindness rather than harsh self-criticism, and understanding that failure is a natural part of growth and development. By incorporating these strategies into their practice, coaches can support their clients in overcoming obstacles, improving performance, and cultivating overall emotional health. In her work, Lisa Widmark employs various coaching techniques, including mindfulness and positive psychology, to help her clients achieve peak performance. She helps athletes learn to evaluate themselves healthily, emphasizing self-compassion and recognizing their efforts. During the interview, Lisa shared her experience working with different athletes and how she personalized her approach for each individual's needs and preferences. By teaching self-compassion and mindfulness, Lisa enables her clients to become more resilient, focused, and successful in their respective disciplines.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

  • Join The Mindful Coach Association at themindfulcoachassociation.com to list your services for free and receive invitations to community meetings.
  • Consider taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course to improve your well-being and coaching abilities.
  • Check out End Abusive Coaching for resources on social-emotional learning and mindfulness in coaching.
  • Work with Lisa Widmark, a performance coach with over 20 years of experience helping athletes and performers access their best through mental coaching techniques, mindfulness, and positive psychology. Contact her for more information on her services.
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About the Podcast

The Mindful Coach Podcast
Turning ordinary conversations into extraordinary experiences
Imagine you could uplevel every conversation you will ever have for the rest of your life. What would be the impact—professionally and personally?

How we show up in conversations—our presence, communication, and awareness—is the fastest way to improve the quality of our personal and professional lives. Yet, few people are ever taught how to cultivate this presence intentionally.

That’s what The Mindful Coach Podcast is all about.

In each episode, we explore the power of mindful communication—how awareness, somatic intelligence, and deep listening can turn ordinary conversations into extraordinary experiences. Through real conversations with coaches, leaders, and professionals, we uncover practical ways to build resilience, reduce reactivity, and create deeper connections with those we serve.

This podcast is also a gateway to a supportive professional community—the Mindful Coach Association (https://mindfulcoachassociation.com)—where mindful professionals gather to learn, connect, and grow in a space dedicated to authentic connection and skillful presence.

If you're ready to take this work further, check out my flagship program:
Mindfulness Communication and Presence for Professionals—an immersive training designed to help you cultivate presence, master communication, and transform your interactions in work and life.

If you're a coach, leader, or professional who values mindful communication and presence, visit The Mindful Coach (https://themindfulcoach.com) to learn more.

Join us as we explore what it truly means to show up—for ourselves, our clients, and the world.

Together, we are a mighty force.
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About your host

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Brett Hill

I'm a mindful somatic coach and coach trainer. I'm on a mission to help coaches be the best they can be, and the best way I know to do that, is to promote and encourage coach mindfulness. I created the Mindful Coach Method to help coaches learn the many great techniques and practices I've had the good fortune to learn and employ over the years.

But my interests go beyond training coaches and private practice.

I founded the Mindful Coach Association so coaches and other helping professionals who value mindfulness in their work can connect and collaborate. To help members be successful and tell their stories to the world. I launched the Mindful Coach Podcast.

Strangely enough, my interests in mindful communication align with my passion for technology.

After graduating with a degree in interpersonal communication, I became a technology expert and enjoyed a distinguished technical career. I frequently presented at technical conferences worldwide for companies like Microsoft, authored books, and was awarded Microsoft’s distinguished “Most Valuable Professional” award for nine years.

All my life I've been fascinated with how things actually work. That means looking deeply and seriously inside as well as at the world. How do our minds work? What are the limits of the human capacity to learn and understand? What creates unhappiness or joy?

I studied many inner practices, from common forms to very esoteric. I taught mindfulness and meditation in many forms. One of my most immersive studies was in Hakomi, a mindfulness-based somatic psychology, with founder Ron Kurtz. Also group dynamics under the guidance of Amina Knowlan, creator of Matrix Leadership. In addition, I taught beginning and advanced meditation for several years at the Lotus Center in Okla. City and established the Quest Institute meditation center in Dallas.

After obtaining several coach certifications, I created and teache The Mindful Coach Method to help “bridge the gap” so coaches can experience and use coaching presence, coach-centered mindfulness, and the somatic techniques he has found so essential in his work, yet are often missing in coach training.

I'm on a mission in my work as a coach, teacher, speaker, and author to help people be more present and connected to their authentic voice, and the world itself. I specialize in mindful communications and coach training so we can connect authentically, speak truly, and listen deeply. What does the world need more than this?

Certifications include International Coaching Federation, Somatic-Wellness & Mindfulness Coach, and Mindful Facilitator by the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness. He’s also an alumnus of the Inner MBA by Sounds True, and has hundreds of hours of training in Hakomi, Matrix Group Leadership, Martial Art, Contact Improvisation, and others.