📚 How To Perform Under Pressure, 6 Lessons From Authors, and More.

In partnership with

👋 Hey everyone,

Here are a few popular posts you may have missed:

• Shopify founder Tobias Lütke on why he reads so many books.

• 40% of adults read 0 books a year (and more crazy reading stats.

• I hosted 2 author meetups in NYC last week–here are 6 lessons I learned.

PS: Want to give feedback on my book’s title, cover, and read early chapters? Apply to join my book launch team here!

This week’s newsletter was made possible by:

Fast, accurate financial writeups

When accuracy matters, typing can introduce errors and slow you down. Wispr Flow captures your spoken thinking and turns it into formatted, number-ready text for reports, investor notes, and executive briefings. It cleans filler words, enforces clear lists, and keeps your voice professional. Use voice snippets for standard financial lines, recurring commentary, or compliance-ready summaries. Works on Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Try Wispr Flow for finance.

Start flowing free

📚 Book Summary:

This week’s book is “Dialed In” by Dr. Dana Sinclair.

Dr. Dana Sinclair is one of the world’s leading performance psychologists. She’s worked with athletes in the NFL, NBA, and the Olympics, as well as surgeons and other high-level performers. In this book, she shares practical strategies that will help you calm and cool under pressure.

Here are 3 lessons from the book:

📖

1) Control Your Breath To Control Your Mind

Breathing is the most powerful and effective performance skill you can learn. It’s also the simplest.

It is an anti-anxiety remedy. Breathing correctly can help ease the tension in your body and mind in seconds.

It’s called 4-7-8 breathing.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds.

2. Hold your breath for 7 seconds.

3. Then exhale through your mouth with pursed lips (like you' are breathing through a straw) for 8 seconds.

4. Repeat this cycle 4 times.

You can use effective breathing to calm your nerves before a performance, but also to help you recover both physically and emotionally after a performance.

📖

2) How To Control Your Negative Self-Talk

Watch what you say to yourself.

Self-talk can have a significant impact on how you feel and perform.

When we choose negative self-talk, we’re often doing so to protect our egos.

Negative self-talk lets you off the hook from trying.

You accept failure before even performing because it hurts less than trying to succeed but coming up short.

Here’s how to change that:

1. Write down all of the things you tend to say to yourself before, during, or after performing.

2. For any negative statements, rework them so that they are constructive or neutral.

Here are a few examples:

• I’m nervous → I’m excited.

• I’m terrible at this → I’m still learning this.

• I’m bad under pressure → Pressure means this matters.

• I’m going to fail → I’ll see what happens and improve from it.

Give this a try before your next big sports game or business presentation.

📖

3) How To Build Your Confidence

Confidence isn’t built by shouting a list of affirmations in front of a mirror.

It’s much better to stick to the facts, says Dr. Sinclair:

“Facts are important because no one, not even you in a moment of doubt or fit of bad temper, can legitimately dismiss something you have achieved (even though you may try). Facts help you stay focused on what is true and real.”

So the next time you’re feeling nervous or doubting yourself before a big performance, make a Facts List.

Write down and read over a list of facts about your accomplishments. Include any evidence, data, stats, awards, reviews, grades, or anything else that is true and positive about yourself.

Here’s what Ty, a player in the NFL, wrote on his facts list:

• I play in the NFL and I love it.

• I have a really strong arm.

• I’m good at reading the field.

• My teammates and I work well together.

• I get paid a lot and am very grateful for my job.

• I have a conference championship ring.

Save your facts list in your wallet or on your notes app so you can reread it before any big performance.

✅ Actionable Advice

1) If you’re feeling nervous before a big performance, try this 4-7-8 breathing technique:

• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.

• Hold your breath for 7 seconds.

• Exhale through your mouth with pursed lips for 8 seconds.

• Repeat this cycle 4 times.

2) Rewrite your negative self-talk:

• Write out all of the negative things you might say to yourself.

• Rewrite those statements so that they become constructive or neutral.

3) To boost your confidence, create a Facts List:

• Write down a list of facts about yourself and your accomplishments.

• Reread that list before your next big performance.

💎 Weekly Gem:

Podcast: David Senra

My friend David Senra runs two amazing podcasts:

The first is called “Founders” where he reads a biography book every week and summarizes it. Check out his podcast about Elon Musk here.

The second is called “David Senra” where he interviews the world’s most successful business people. Check out his podcast with Daniel Ek–the CEO of Spotify.

If you’re into business, history, or achieving greatness, you’ll love his podcast.

Your opinion matters!

Thank you for your support,

Alex W.