Shows / The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
Ready to train your brain like you train your dog? This podcast is for dog handlers who know mindset matters—but don’t always know how to build it. I’m Julie Bacon, The Q Coach, and every week, I’ll bring you real-talk coaching, stories from the ring, and tools you can actually use to build a stronger performance mindset. Whether you’re dealing with ring nerves, inconsistency, fear of leveling up, or just want to feel more confident out there, this podcast is your weekly dose of support…
Episodes
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#112: How would you score your walk-throughs? (Hint: I think we can do better.)
Many sports have a walk-through of some sort. It’s that chance to create a plan and get up close and personal with the obstacles and sequences. But are you…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#111: Can ring nerves remind you to breathe? (Let’s build better associations.)
The fancy term would be neuropathways, but basically we want to have better responses to getting nervous or triggered by a situation. We want to use the…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#110: In defense of superstitions. (And jinxes and lucky shirts.)
Many of us are superstitious about one thing or another - it’s how we grasp for predictability in an unpredictable world! And while for decades I considered…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#109: Trouble bouncing back? (You’re not alone.)
My Q-Members will recognize this episode from our February lessons :) Everyone has trouble “bouncing back” from setback or disappointment - few of us just pop…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#108: 5 Ways to strengthen your mindset. (Everyone loves lists!)
These aren’t necessarily “hacks,” but this episode talks about five things you can do to strengthen your mindset and improve your mental game. They also just…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#107: Is your mental stamina affecting your performance? (Did you say, “What mental stamina?”)
Mental stamina is not a phrase I hear often but I think is crucial to being able to perform both for ourselves and our dogs. Normally we - and our dogs -…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#106: Could you be confusing excitement for nerves? (Hear me out on this.)
If ring nerves are an issue for you then you might be nervous you’ll get nervous, which obviously only makes things worse. But it’s possible that you’re also…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#105: Are you giving rockstar vibes? (Why we all need an alter ego.)
There’s always a gap between who we are and who we want to be - in life or dog handling! And one fun way to bridge the gap is to image you’re the person…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#104: Need a few hacks for ring nerves? (You’ll still need to practice.)
I know everyone wants a quick fix when it comes to slaying ring nerves, and while you’ll still need to practice the skills, I’ve got a few things for you to…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#103: Can you get into The Zone in a snap? (Want to?)
Whether you call it getting into “flow” or “the zone,” the result is the same - you are fully in the present moment and able to execute your plan. This is a…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#102: So you say you want “connection,” eh? (What does that mean to you?)
Most clients at one time or another tell me they want to have more/better connection with their dog. Yet, “connection” is really personal and means different…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#101: Ever wonder why some mistakes carry more emotion? (Small-T-triggers are a real thing!)
Ever have a surprisingly big reaction to something that happened in the ring? Like a minor mistake that causes a full meltdown? Been there! Sometimes…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#100: Where are my multi-passionate handlers? (Sometimes it’s hard to be us!)
Those of us who play multiple sports or venues with our dogs sometimes have issues getting clarity on our priorities - do I enter agility that weekend or run…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#99: Are you sabotaging your next run? (Time to tell a new story.)
Sabotaging ourselves can take on a lot of different looks - from not eating well to telling ourselves a story that’s just not true. The thing is, we all…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#98: Ever been in a slump? (Let’s shift that perspective.)
Slumps suck. Also, slumps are something we define - we decide what is a slump or even that they exist. This episode is a lesson pulled from the Q-Membership…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#97: Are you hanging on to toxic comments? (It’s not your story.)
Unfortunately, trial and show environments can be a tad toxic at times. It seems that competition doesn’t always bring out the best in everyone! If you’re…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#96: Why everyone needs a mantra. (Yes, all of us.)
While your experience with mantras may be “woo-woo,” I’m here to convince you that a good mantra can improve your confidence, quiet ring nerves, and replace…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#95: But do you love the hard parts? (Fall in love with the work.)
Some handlers, if they’re being honest, don’t love the work. They’d rather skip practice and cut corners on preparation and just walk into the ring and Q. And…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#94: Are you a fellow perfectionist? (Yeah, we’re going to fix that.)
Are you evaluating your runs against the stand of “perfect?” I get it, we are so very hard on ourselves and often take our performances - especially our…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#93: But do you have an energetic goal? (I do now!)
Happy New Year! This is a very special episode with guest Dee Montie about how we build connection with our dogs with our energy. Now before you think this is…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#92: Remix - The power of the pause (I promise it works!)
First, I report-out on how my weekend went when I made FUN my process goal. Next, I share that I was glad I paused and chose my response to someone who…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#91: Remix - How do your failures reflect on you? (Good news, you get to decide.)
One of the clear things that separates elite handlers from struggling ones is mindset, of course. Specifically, they have a growth mindset and believe that…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#90: Remix - Are you measuring to build confidence? (Well, you will be after this!)
We can gain a LOT of confidence and clarity by looking backward in the *right* way. This week I challenge you to give yourself a little credit for how far…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#89: Remix - Do you even know what success looks like? (It’s about time you did!)
In business, one of the most common cliches I hear is, “What does success look like?” It’s a fair question when approaching a project and it made me wonder…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#88: Remix - Where do ring nerves even come from? (And how you wave goodbye!)
Performance anxiety. Ring nerves. Butterflies on steroids. No matter what you call it - or to what degree it happens to you - we all get a little nervous when…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#87: Do you have a gratitude practice? (Time to start one!)
It seems appropriate that we spend a little time talking about the power of gratitude in honor of Thanksgiving weekend. Gratitude is one of my favorite ways to…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#86: Trouble focusing or remembering? (Your stamina is showing!)
Having trouble focusing, or remembering courses, or just generally staying present is a pretty common challenge among my clients. With so many things vying for…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#85: Is every run “precious?” (Hint: maybe not.)
Sometimes we put too much pressure on a single run. Sound familiar? I call these runs “the precious” after the precious ring in the famous tome. Sometimes runs…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#84: Are you your cheese? (Seriously, how’s your relationship?)
We rely on our reward systems a whole bunch (treats, toys, etc.). Yet when we walk into the ring, it’s just us and our dogs. Is your relationship strong enough…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#83: Ring nerves have their own lifecycle (And you’re further along than you think!)
Do you remember the first time you walked into a ring to compete? Were you doing it for fun? Were you carefree or completely afraid? The thing is, we no longer…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#82: Has “competitive” gotten a bad rap? (Turns out being competitive is personal.)
A friend recently told me, “I’m not as competitive as I used to be,” and that got me thinking. Being competitive doesn’t (necessarily) mean you need to beat…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#81: Are you making an alternate plan? (Plan on success but prepare just in case!)
You know I love to visualize everything going perfectly. But that’s not always how things end up going (understatement!). The best handlers are able to see…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#80: Do you have the right support system? (It could be time to level up.)
They say we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. While I’m still not sure about that, I do agree that we should be choosy about those in…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#79: Shutting down in the ring? (Maybe that’s not the right question.)
If you asked me a few months ago, I would have told you that yes, my dog shuts down in the ring. But I’ve had a bit of a “ah-ha!” moment and now I have a…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#78: Work on your handling without your dog (Yes, it’s possible!)
I get it, sometimes it’s hard to motivate to practice. Heck, even I need group classes to hold myself accountable! And sometimes the reason we don’t work on…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#77: Setting goals for confidence (Yes, confidence IS a skill!)
People seem to think that some just HAS or IS confident. Nope. They developed confidence over time and through a series of experiences. That means you can…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#76: A self-talk intervention (Stop being the mean girl!)
Without question, one of the most common issues clients bring me is their self-talk. They will say it’s because they’re just hard on themselves, and that they…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#75: Riding the strugglebus? (Here’s your reason to jump off.)
Struggling repeatedly with your performance is NOT fun (understatement!). But unless you understand WHY you feel this way, you will continue to ride that bus…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#74: How do your failures reflect on you? (Good news, you get to decide.)
One of the clear things that separate elite handlers from struggling ones is mindset, of course. Specifically, they have a growth mindset and believe that with…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#73: Are your beliefs helping or hurting your Q rate? (Both, maybe)
Beliefs are powerful stuff. Like hidden-superpower-level. What we believe about ourselves we create in our lives, so we need to be careful what we think…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#72: Want to help your dog’s soft tissue? (Interview with canine massage therapist Kim Bennett!)
So excited to talk to my friend, Kim Bennett of Stablemate Massage for this episode! Kim launched the Canine Bodywork Membership to help all of us be able to…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#71: A refresher on rituals (Have yours gotten away from you?)
Call them rituals or habits, just make sure you are protecting those things you do that help set the tone for your day. Most of us have things we do without…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#70: Don’t let the bullies win! (Why are we still talking about them?!)
I’m kinda fired up about this one. I hear WAY too many stories about people being bullied in the dog world. Are we still in high school? Mean girls. Cliques…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#69: Why the negative stuff is so darn sticky (And how to get that goo gone!)
There’s actually science to explain why it’s easier for us to believe the negative things easier than the positive (in short, scanning our environment for the…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#68: I realized my post-run ritual sucked (But I’m fixing it now!)
The concept of our “post-run rituals” came up in a recent member workshop, and after giving it some thought I realized that mine sucked. Now, I LOVE my pre-run…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#67: Stress might actually be helping your performance (Yes, that includes your ring nerves!)
Last month in the Q-Membership we had a special event in the form of a workshop led by special guest Lizzie Larock. Lizzie walked us through the ways stress…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#66: Getting in the zone means staying in the present (I’ve got a practice for ya!)
It may sound cliche, but the present moment is the only one we can do anything about. Elite athletes and handlers know this - it’s the key to getting into that…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#65: Ever need a pep talk? (Don’t we all?!)
Dog sports can be a surprisingly lonely endeavor in that we often are the ones who have to pick ourselves up on tough days. Well, this week I give you a little…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#64: Dealing with unsolicited advice (and how not to be that person!)
Ever walk out of the ring and directly into some unsolicited “observations?” While the person giving the advice probably means well, timing is everything and…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#63: Feeling down? In a funk? (My 2 favorite ways to get back into positivity.)
It’s easy to get into a funk: take a less-than-stellar weekend, add a bad night’s sleep, and top it off with a sobering news story and it’s a wonder we are…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#62: Got performance jitters? (I’ll bet one of these 5 sources is to blame.)
Call it ring nerves or performance anxiety or a case of the jitters … whatever your name for your nervousness, it’s likely based in one of five common sources…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#61: Is your self-worth measured by Qs? (We’re going to look at that.)
It’s not uncommon for people to measure their self-worth by their external successes - be those from the dog ring, career, or home. But when we tie our…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#60: I’m betting you’re over-valuing your mistakes (And under-valuing your successes.)
According to really smart science types, we are wired to focus on the negative. And while that may have saved our lives in the forest, it’s less handy when it…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#59: Are you measuring to build confidence? (Well, you will be after this!)
We can gain a LOT of confidence and clarity by looking backward in the *right* way. This week I challenge you to give yourself a little credit for how far…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#58: Awareness as a superpower (A totally learnable skill!)
Our ability to be truly aware and present to what is happening is critical to shaping the choices we make. Our dogs live in this space - present and aware -…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#57: The power of settling in (Or, managing successful transitions!)
Okay, I’m just a lot excited about this episode as it stems from a great talk an author gave about her new book (link below). It gave me a whole new outlook…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#56: But do you have mindset goals? (Because I know you’ve got outcome goals!)
We are awesome at setting goals - especially results-oriented ones. We know the titles and Qs we want, and we have it all planned out. But what about our…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#55: You need a good Plan B (Even if you plan to be perfect!)
Having a “plan B” is NOT about thinking you might “fail.” On the contrary. A good Plan B means you recognize there are variables in your environment that you…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#54: Think you need to be mentally tough? (Or could soft be the answer?)
People tend to equate having a good mental game with being mentally tough. I can get behind resilient, but the word “tough” trips me up. This week I had a…
- The Q Coach Pod | Mindset Coaching for Handlers with Julie Bacon
#53: The changing face of good sportsmanship. (Who are you striving to be?)
When I was a kid, to say that someone was a “good sport,” has a ver specific connotation. Today, I’m not sure that we would agree on that definition as words…