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<\/p>\nLindsey Vonn’s Sacramento-based mental performance coach speaks out<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWELL, THE WINTER OLYMPICS HAVE CONCLUDED AND IT WAS A TOUGH RUN FOR OLYMPIC LEGEND LINDSEY VONN AFTER MAKING A COMEBACK AT 41, SHE BROKE HER LEG AND UNDERWENT SURGERY AFTER CRASHING INTO A GATE JUST 13 SECONDS INTO THE OLYMPIC DOWNHILL COURSE. AND AFTER SEVERAL SURGERIES, VONN IS BACK HOME IN HIGH SPIRITS AS SHE IS BEGINNING HER REHAB. BUT JUST THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS TO EVEN GET BACK UP THERE AND COMPETE IN THAT LAST RACE IS ASTONISHING TO ME AND EXTRAORDINARY TO ME, AND TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF IT AND ABOUT THE RESILIENCE, THE PAIN, WHAT IT TAKES TO REALLY COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. VONN\u2019S LONGTIME MENTAL PERFORMANCE COACH, DOCTOR ARMANDO GONZALEZ, WHO HAS HELPED HER SINCE 2020 REALLY, AFTER SHE HAD RETIRED INITIALLY, DOCTOR MONDO, WE CALL HIM FOR SHORT LIVES HERE IN SACRAMENTO. THE FOUNDER OF CHEAT CODE, WHICH IS FOR ATHLETES. HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH LINDSEY VONN? BECAUSE I KNOW EVEN AFTER THE ACL TEAR, GETTING HER BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, THAT MENTAL STRENGTH WORK STARTED BACK IN 2020, RIGHT? YEAH. AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, I GOT FORTUNATE WITH LINDSEY. A LOT OF THE WORK THAT I DO WITH MY ATHLETES IS ALL ABOUT GETTING THEM PREPARED TO PERFORM UNDER BIG MOMENTS WITH LINDSEY. SHE\u2019S ONE OF THE ONLY ATHLETES I HAD IN THE LAST 5 OR 6 YEAR RUN OF WORKING WITH MLB CHAMPIONS, SUPER BOWL WINNERS. YOU KNOW, TOP OF THEIR GAME ATHLETES. WHERE SHE WAS ASKING ME, YOU KNOW, SHE SAID. I GOT THE PERFORMANCE SIDE. I NEED HELP INTEGRATING MY LIFE WHEN I COME OFF THE MOUNTAIN. SO OUR WORK BEGAN IN 2020 WHEN SHE STOPPED SKIING. WHEN SHE CAME BACK TO ME, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THIS PROCESS ABOUT SIX, NINE MONTHS AGO AND SAID IT\u2019S GETTING CLOSER TO NOW. ME COMPETING AT THE OLYMPICS. IT BECAME THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY WE HAD TO REALLY GET INTO THE PERFORMANCE MINDSET, AND IT\u2019S BEEN A LOT OF FUN WORK. AND SO WATCHING OBVIOUSLY WHAT OCCURRED FOR HER, IT WAS DEVASTATING. BUT LINDSEY WAS AT PEACE NINE MONTHS A YEAR PRIOR TO COMPETING WITH WHATEVER SHE ENCOUNTERED ON THE MOUNTAIN. AND I THINK THAT WHEN YOU LOOK ABLE TO DO IS THEY MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, AND WHATEVER NOISE COMES UP, PAIN IS A VARIABLE. THAT\u2019S NOISE, WHETHER IT\u2019S OUTSIDE NOISE FROM COMMENTATORS OR PEOPLE ON TWITTER, THAT\u2019S NOISE THAT THE ATHLETE MAKES THE DECISION, LIKE LINDSEY, THAT SHE\u2019S GOING TO MANAGE HOWEVER SHE HAS TO. AND THAT\u2019S PART OF WHAT I\u2019M HELPING HER DO, IS BOTH MANAGE ANY OF THE NOISE, PAIN INCLUDED. AND SO AT THAT POINT, EVEN AFTER THE ACL TEAR, YOU DIDN\u2019T HAVE TO SAY MUCH TO HER. SHE\u2019S GOT A HIGH TOLERANCE FOR PAIN. YOU\u2019VE TOLD ME. YEAH. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US FOR? FOR THOSE OF US MAYBE THAT HAVE TEEN ATHLETES OR THOSE OF US WHO ARE WEEKEND WARRIORS OR ATHLETES, WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE US TO HAVE MENTAL TOUGHNESS? I THINK PAIN IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEVER HAVE HAD A FULL EXPLANATION OR UNDERSTANDING OF. WE DON\u2019T GET REALLY. WE DON\u2019T GET SAT DOWN AS CHILDREN AND REALLY TAUGHT THE LESSONS OF THE SCIENCE BEHIND PAIN AND TEARS AND ALL THE THINGS THAT IT MIGHT PRODUCE. THE REALITY IS THIS THE WAY TO IT IS THROUGH IT. SO WHEN YOU\u2019RE GOING THROUGH PAIN, IT CAN BE A VARIABLE THAT WILL TURN ON AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF DYSREGULATION DISTRACTION IN YOUR MIND, AND IT WILL MAKE IT REALLY HARD TO ACCESS YOUR SKILLS AND PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL. BUT SOMEONE LIKE LINDSEY LEARNED FROM A YOUNG AGE THAT THE WAY TO IT IS THROUGH IT THAT WHEN SHE ENCOUNTERS PAIN, HER FIRST JOB ISN\u2019T TO TRY TO ANALYZE IT OR MAKE SENSE OF IT, OR FIGURE OUT WHAT\u2019S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. INSTEAD, IT\u2019S TO BREATHE AND ACCEPT IT. AND THAT PROCESS OF RESPONSE TO PAIN IS TYPICALLY WHAT DICTATES WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WITH PAIN INCREASE, OR THE PAIN SENSORS START TO GO DOWN A BIT. AND WHAT LINDSEY HAS DONE OVER HER CAREER, BECAUSE SHE HAD SO MUCH EXPOSURE TO PAIN AND SURGERIES, IS SHE DEVELOPED A SUPERHUMAN ABILITY. EVEN WHEN I WOULD WATCH RACES WHERE SHE CRASHED, SHE\u2019D HAVE A HARD TIME EVEN REMEMBERING ANYTHING OTHER THAN JUST SEEING IT FOR WHAT IT WAS, THE LOGICAL NESS OF IT SO QUICKLY. WHAT ABOUT THE MENTAL GETTING MENTALLY OVER OUTSIDE NOISE, WHETHER IT BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR FROM COACHES? WHAT CAN YOU TELL US FOR FOR ATHLETES ON THAT? THAT\u2019S A, THAT\u2019S A, THAT\u2019S A, THAT\u2019S A TOPIC THAT I\u2019M, I\u2019M, I\u2019M HIGHLY INVESTED IN. I\u2019M BACK HOME IN SACRAMENTO WRITING NOW FOR A BOOK CALLED THE AGE OF NOISE. AND IT\u2019S REALLY ABOUT THIS THAT WE\u2019RE ALL JUST LIKE ATHLETES HAVING TO DEAL WITH AND MANAGE THE NOISE THAT THIS WORLD HAS BROUGHT. WITH CELL PHONES BECOMING AS ADDICTIVE AS THEY ARE, THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN IS NOT SET UP TO TRULY ALLOW US TO BREAK FREE FROM THE NOISE. SO WITH MY ATHLETES, THEY HAVE REALLY BIG GOALS AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF NOISE THAT COMES WITH IT. AND I TELL THEM WE HAVE TO HAVE A REALISTIC, SCIENTIFIC LOOK AND UNDERSTANDING. IF YOU LET THAT NOISE INTO YOUR LIFE THAT IT WILL IMPACT YOUR PERFORMANCE WHEN THE LIGHTS GET THE BRIGHTEST. SO WHAT DO WE DO? YOU KNOW, I HAD AN ATHLETE, CHRIS GODWIN, WHEN HE WENT INTO A SUPER BOWL RUN WITH TOM BRADY, THAT WE DEVELOPED WHAT CHRIS CALLED A BRICK PHONE MENTALITY. I USED IT WITH CADE KLUBNIK, A CLEMSON QUARTERBACK THIS PAST YEAR AS WELL. THE BRICK PHONE MENTALITY IS I\u2019M GOING ANALOG. I\u2019M GOING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BLOCK OUT THE APPS AND REALLY BE IN CONTROL OF WHAT INFORMATION IS COMING INTO MY BRAIN. 93% OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE TAKE INTO SUBCONSCIOUS, AND SO MUCH OF WHAT THIS AGE OF NOISE IS DOING WITH CONSTANT STIMULATION IS FEEDING INFORMATION THAT\u2019S MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE ATHLETE. IF WE DON\u2019T HAVE A SYSTEM TO PUT BOUNDARIES WITH IT, IT WILL TAKE OVER. AND THE GREATEST ATHLETES ARE FINDING THAT REGULATION, FOCUS AND GETTING CONNECTED BACK TO THEMSELVES AND THEIR COMMUNITY IS REALLY THE ANTIDOTE. IN THIS AGE OF NOISE. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR, I COULD TALK TO YOU FOR A WHOLE HOUR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. WE\u2019LL PUT A LINK TO CHICO ON KCRA.COM.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Lindsey Vonn’s Sacramento-based mental performance coach speaks out<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 4:09 PM PST Feb 26, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n