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Ep. 164: Why You’ll Freeze in a Crisis... and How to Stop It
Manage episode 494688639 series 3661823
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What do elite performers, world-class cops, and Olympic athletes have in common? They train the mind as hard as the body. In this mind-expanding conversation, Travis Bader is joined by Jeff Johnsgaard, veteran police officer, Force Science Institute consultant, and founder of Training on Purpose by Design.
Jeff has taught use-of-force and high-stakes performance across four continents and multiple tier-one units. But in this conversation, he pulls back the curtain, not just on tactics, but on the mental software upgrades that determine who thrives in danger and who shuts down.
You’ll learn:
- How to reframe fear as fuel.
- Why most training creates failure under real pressure.
- The shocking truth about “slow trigger presses.”
- How elite operators pre-live critical incidents through mental rehearsal.
- Why your body can’t tell the difference between imagining and doing.
- What’s wrong with the way we teach cops, kids, and executives—and how to fix it.
This one isn’t just for shooters or law enforcement. It’s for anyone who wants to perform better when it counts.
🔗 Learn more about Jeff’s work: https://www.onpurpose.training and follow him at https://www.instagram.com/jeff_johnsgaard/
🎣 Silvercore Club members: Don’t miss 40% off Skeena Spey Lodge (act quick limited space) and Tiffany’s bacon recipe!
👉 Not a member yet? Visit Silvercore.ca/club
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Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav
Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors
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00:00 – Silvercore Club updates & member perks
02:00 – Jeff Johnsgaard introduction: Who he trains and why
06:45 – “I’m a software guy”: Why mindset beats gear
10:15 – Threat vs. Challenge: The mindset that rewires your physiology
14:00 – The turning point: When Jeff realized words were weapons
20:30 – Mental rehearsal saves lives: The traffic stop study
26:00 – Michael Phelps, Wayne Gretzky, and world-class visualization
32:30 – The trap of post-performance rumination
34:45 – Failure is feedback, not a flaw
37:15 – Motivation: The forgotten force multiplier
41:30 – Why “slow trigger press” ruined Travis’s shooting
45:45 – Own your grip, own your trigger
48:45 – The most dangerous training scar in law enforcement
52:00 – How Jeff taught his daughter to drive like a tactical thinker
56:45 – Translating this to business and leadership
01:01:00 – The power of pre-experiencing critical moments
01:06:30 – Feed-forward vs. feedback: Escaping toxic rumination
01:12:00 – Using emotion, breathing, and body anchors to perform
01:17:00 – Visualizing for peak performance vs. anxiety
01:23:30 – “Prehabilitation”: Training like a combat veteran—before the fight
01:27:00 – One truth Jeff would pass on if he had to start over
01:33:00 – The Circle of Excellence: Anchoring performance states
01:36:00 – Wrap-up and resources
164 episodes
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