EPISODE 1 — THE NEW YEAR TRAP

Why Motivation Spikes Fail — and What High Performers Do Instead
Season 2 · Week 1 of the 10-Week Cognitive Athlete Training Cycle

Every January, motivation spikes.
And every February, it fades.

In the opening episode of Season 2, Clint Rahe explains why this isn’t a discipline problem — and why relying on motivation is one of the biggest traps high performers fall into at the start of the year.

Drawing on his experience as a Physical Training Instructor in the RAF and decades working with leaders under pressure, Clint introduces the foundation of this season:

👉 Motivation is a spike, not a strategy.

This episode marks Week 1 of a structured 10-week cognitive training cycle — and the focus isn’t pushing harder.
It’s stabilising your pace before the year runs away from you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why New Year motivation always fades (and why that’s biology, not weakness)

• The real New Year trap most leaders fall into: starting too fast

• Why high performers rely on rhythm and structure, not willpower

• How elite performers pace energy instead of sprinting into burnout

🎯 Week 1 Training Focus:
Stabilise your pace. Stop the energy bleed.

You’ll be guided through three simple, practical actions:

• Remove one unnecessary commitment

• Set one hard stop each day

• Write one sentence that accurately describes the year you’re entering

⚠️ Important rule for Week 1:
Do not plan the year yet.
This is about getting your bearings before deciding where to go.

This episode sets the foundation for the entire season — helping you slow down just enough to build sustainable momentum.

🎧 New episodes weekly.
Welcome to Season 2 of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast.

Order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores NOW👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠thecognitiveathlete.com.au ⁠for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

The Cognitive Athlete Podcast — Season 2 Trailer

What if this year wasn’t about pushing harder…
but about training smarter?

Welcome to Season 2 of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast.

Hosted by Clint Rahe, coach, speaker, and author of The Cognitive Athlete, this season is built around one simple idea:

High performance isn’t accidental. It’s trained.

Season 2 follows a 10-week cognitive training cycle designed to help you reset after the holidays, rebuild focus, manage energy, and create sustainable momentum — without burning out by February.

Across the season, you’ll explore:

• Why New Year’s resolutions fail (and what actually works)

• How to plan your year like an elite athlete

• How to rebuild focus, manage stress, and protect your energy

• Why recovery, transition, and rhythm matter more than motivation

• How to make this year sustainable — not just impressive

This isn’t about hacks.
It’s not about hustle.
And it’s definitely not about doing more.

It’s about training your brain the same way athletes train their bodies — with intention, structure, and recovery.

If you’re a leader, thinker, or doer who wants to perform at your best without running yourself into the ground, this season is for you.

New episodes drop weekly.
Welcome to Season 2.

Priming for Big Moments: How Cognitive Athletes Switch On When It Matters Most

Big moments don’t reward last-minute adrenaline.
They reward preparation, composure, and state control.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint explores one of the most overlooked skills in high performance: priming — the ability to deliberately switch on, slow down, and show up ready when the pressure is on.

Drawing on experience from elite sport, the military, and neuroscience, Clint shares a powerful story from working with St Helens Rugby League — where championship performance wasn’t left to chance, superstition, or motivation, but built through intentional pre-performance rituals.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why you can’t cram your way into clarity
• How your nervous system determines performance before skill kicks in
• What the RAF taught Clint about arriving early and state management
• The neuroscience behind breathwork, visualisation, and focus
• How the first 30 seconds in a room shape your entire performance
• A simple 5-minute priming ritual you can use before any high-pressure moment

Whether you’re walking into a presentation, a difficult conversation, a pitch, or a keynote, this episode will help you stop rushing, start priming, and perform with calm confidence.

Because you don’t rise to the level of the moment.
You rise to the level of your state.

Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ⁠⁠

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

Energy > Time: Why Managing Your Energy Beats Managing Your Time

Most people think productivity is about squeezing more into the calendar.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need more hours — you need more energy.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint breaks down one of the biggest mindset shifts in high performance: stop managing the clock and start managing your cognitive energy.

You’ll hear a story from early in Clint’s corporate career — a day where he learned firsthand that time means nothing if your brain isn’t switched on. Then we dive into the neuroscience behind energy peaks, cognitive fatigue, circadian rhythms, and why your “brain battery” drains so quickly in modern work.

In this episode you’ll learn:

✅ Why time is constant but energy is cyclical
✅ How your prefrontal cortex (your mental engine) tires across the day✅ The role of circadian rhythm in shaping your performance
✅ Why certain tasks drain you more depending on your cognitive style
✅ How to map your personal energy rhythm using the 3×3 Energy Mapping Method
✅ How aligning tasks with your peak energy windows can transform your output

Clint also shares his own peak-performance window and how one expensive filing-cabinet disaster proved the importance of timing your deep work.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re brilliant at 3:30 p.m. but useless at 9 a.m., this episode explains why and how to finally work with your brain, not against it.

Because the secret to high performance isn’t managing your minutes.
It’s managing your energy.

Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ⁠

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

Think you can perform at your best on five hours of sleep? Think again.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint dives into one of the most underrated performance tools leaders have: sleep.

Drawing on military experience, NASA research, and the neuroscience of high performance, Clint breaks down why sleep isn’t rest — it’s repair.

You’ll hear a story from his time on deployment in the Middle East, where loadmasters mastered the art of “strategic napping” long before corporate life glamorised exhaustion. Then we unpack why elite performers treat sleep as a competitive advantage — and why you should too.

In this episode you’ll learn:

✅ Why the famous “NASA Nap” boosts performance by 34%
✅ How sleep transforms memory, creativity and emotional control
✅ Why your brain literally cleans itself overnight
✅ The hidden link between poor sleep and poor decision-making
✅ How to build a simple, science-backed sleep system to improve daily performance

Whether you’re leading teams, running a business, or juggling a high-pressure workload, this episode will help you upgrade your energy, sharpen your thinking, and stabilise your mood — all by mastering the habit you already do every day.

Because great days don’t just start with great intentions.
They start with great sleep… and occasionally, a well-timed nanna nap.

📘 Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

Why do you always get sick the moment you slow down?
The holidays start, your stress finally drops… and suddenly you’re wiped out.
This isn’t bad luck — it’s biology. It’s called The Let-Down Effect, and it’s one of the biggest reasons people crash at Christmas.

In this episode, Clint breaks down:
✅ Why your body suppresses symptoms during stress
✅ Why everything hits you the moment pressure drops
✅ Why December is the perfect storm of exhaustion and illness
✅How to transition from performance → recovery without crashing
✅The 7-day glide path to avoid getting sick on holidays

If you want to finish the year with energy — not collapse into Christmas — this episode is essential listening.

Listen now and glide into recovery instead of crashing into it.
Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

📘 Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ

Most people think recovery happens only after big efforts — holidays, weekends, or the yearly break we convince ourselves will “reset everything.”
But the truth is far simpler: your performance is shaped by the micro-recoveries you build into your day.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint breaks down the science and strategy behind micro-recovery, the small, deliberate resets that protect your energy, sharpen your focus, and prevent burnout long before it hits.

Drawing from neuroscience, real workplace examples, and lessons from high-performance environments, Clint explains why professionals are running on fumes — and how just a few intentional minutes can completely change the way your brain functions throughout the day.

You’ll learn:

✅ Why micro-recovery matters more than long holidays
✅ What happens in your brain when you don’t take breaks (decision fatigue, stress accumulation, emotional reactivity)
✅ How elite performers build recovery into training and how to translate that into knowledge work
✅ The easiest daily resets you can implement in under 60 seconds
✅ How micro-recovery restores creativity, clarity, and calm

Whether you’re a leader, a busy professional, or someone stuck in back-to-back meetings all day, this episode will help you reclaim your cognitive performance through small actions that compound into massive gains.

Small breaks create big gains.

Start adding 1–2 micro-recoveries into your day a short walk, a moment of stillness, a breath reset, or simply stepping away from the screen. You’ll think clearer, work smarter, and have more energy for what matters.

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

📘 Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ

Do you ever feel like your brain never switches off?

You’re not alone.

In this episode, Clint unpacks the science and psychology of cognitive overload — and why being constantly “on” quietly erodes your focus, creativity, and wellbeing.

Drawing on research from neuroscience and Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab, plus stories from high-stakes environments like the RAF, Clint reveals what really happens when we push our brains without rest: decision fatigue, emotional reactivity, and creativity collapse.

You’ll learn:

• Why multitasking is a myth that kills deep focus
• What your brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN) does when you rest — and why it’s vital for problem-solving and innovation
• The early warning signs of mental burnout
• Simple recovery habits that protect clarity and energy — from micro-breaks to cognitive resets

Takeaway:
Protect your focus like an athlete protects recovery days. Even short mental breaks restore clarity, reduce stress, and make you more effective.

Key idea: Sustainable performance isn’t about squeezing more hours from your day — it’s about designing rhythms that keep your brain sharp and resilient.

New episodes every Monday — helping you train your brain for sustainable peak performance.

Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete book — in stores 29 December 2025👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ⁠

Take the free Cognitive Athlete Self-Assessment at thecognitiveathlete.com.au