He Said "Screw This" and Got His Confidence Back — How to Stop Overthinking Who You Are

What happens when everyone around you believes in you — but you don't believe in yourself?

Cole LaCrue knows. He was Colorado's 4A Player of the Year, a state champion in two sports, and had scholarship offers from programs most athletes only dream about.

Then he got to college and spent the next two years buried — two surgeries, an injury report he couldn't escape, and the slow realization that being "the guy" in high school meant nothing anymore. When he entered the transfer portal, school after school looked at his medical file and passed. He found himself in a dark place, asking a question no competitor ever wants to ask: Is this it for me?

This episode is about the moment between giving up and getting back. Cole doesn't just talk about what happened to him — he walks you through what it feels like to lose your identity, to watch people invest in a version of you that you're no longer sure exists, and to make the decision to stop performing and start being yourself again.

If you've ever been stuck in your own head, chasing a version of success that keeps moving further away, Cole's story will hit different.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• How losing his father at 16 forced Cole to choose between self-pity and becoming the man he was raised to be
  
• The coaching conversation that stopped him in his tracks: "If I believe in you and you don't believe in yourself, what am I believing in?"
  
• What it felt like to go from the top of the world to the bottom of the totem pole
  
• The exact practice where he said "screw this" and decided to go back to being himself
  
• Why he believes consistency — not talent — is the habit that separates people who make it from people who don't
  
• How controlling what you can control as a quarterback taught him to stop overthinking outcomes
  
• His advice for anyone who feels like they're one foot away from quitting: keep digging
  

Key quote: "If I believe in you and you don't believe in yourself, what am I believing in?"

Connect with Cole:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacruecole18/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lacruecole18

X: https://x.com/lacruecole18

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lacruecole18

Connect with Sam: samnott.com

Subscribe to Simple Wins on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.

What happens when the thing you've built your entire life around suddenly goes quiet — and no one's calling?

D'Andre Bernard was ranked the number two basketball player in Canada coming out of high school. What followed wasn't a straight line to the top — it was multiple college transfers, a redshirt year, a senior night where his family watched him sit on the bench, and a full year after graduation with no professional contract in sight.

His own brother told their mother, "I've never seen him like this." But instead of walking away, D'Andre got a job, poured every dollar he earned into training, and decided to bet on himself when no one else would.

That bet eventually took him professional — playing across Canada, overseas in Germany, and all around the world.

This episode is for anyone who has ever been stuck in the gap between where they are and where they thought they'd be by now.

Whether you're an athlete who can't stop replaying the last game, a professional obsessing over a career move, or someone whose identity has become so wrapped up in what they do that they've forgotten who they are without it — D'Andre's story will challenge everything you believe about talent, comparison, and what it actually takes to perform when the pressure is real.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why D'Andre spent his entire freshman year comparing himself to peers at bigger schools — and how it held him back more than any opponent ever did
  
• The senior night moment that broke him down in tears in front of his family — and the message he gave his younger brother through it
  
• What happened during the year no one signed him and how he pulled himself out of the lowest point of his life
  
• His framework for separating who you are as a person from what you do as a performer
  
• Why he believes over half the battle is the mind — and how players with "ugly" technique outperform textbook-perfect competitors through pure belief
  
• The lesson he learned from an NBA coaching family about the power of decompression
  
• His advice to anyone stuck in the comparison trap: "Run your race"
  

Key quote:

"Over half the battle is the mind. If you believe that you're that good, if you believe that you can make that shot, you've won half the battle."

Connect with D'Andre:

TikTok: @deandreweigh22

Instagram: @deandreweigh

Connect with Sam: samnott.com

Subscribe to Simple Wins on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.

Adam Timbrook | "If You Want This, Prove It" — How to Build Confidence Through Discipline

Everyone has a version of "normal" they think you should want. Adam Timbrook stopped listening.

Adam is a record-holding powerlifter and the coach behind Timbrook Training System. He's squatted 600 pounds, deadlifted over 600, and built a coaching business — all before most people his age have figured out what they want to do. He doesn't drink. He doesn't go out. He skips the parties, turns down the invitations, and stays locked in while everyone around him says he's missing out.

His response? "That's not the experience I'm seeking."

But here's the thing about Adam — underneath all of that discipline is a guy who puts an insane amount of pressure on himself to prove that the sacrifices were worth it. His mom tells him she's proud of him no matter what. It doesn't matter. He still feels like he has to show her, show his family, show himself.

That pressure has been there since middle school, and it's the engine behind everything he's built.

If you've ever been the one who stays home while everyone else goes out, or if you've caught yourself wondering whether all the discipline is actually going to pay off — you're going to connect with this one. And if you're a parent watching your kid sacrifice everything for a goal and wondering what's really going on in their head, Adam might just tell you.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why Adam says "that's not the experience I'm seeking" when people tell him he's missing out
  
• The self-imposed pressure he's carried since middle school — and where it actually comes from
  
• How he flips a switch and becomes a completely different person in competition
  
• A story he's almost never shared publicly that changes how you see his entire journey
  
• His approach to finding a win even when everything in a session feels off
  
• What he tells his coaching clients when their actions don't match their goals
  
• The three daily habits he refuses to skip no matter what

  
  

Key quote: "If you want to not be average, these sacrifices have to occur at some point."

Connect with Adam:

Instagram: @adam.timbrook10

TikTok: @TimbrookTrainingSystems

Coaching: Timbrook Training System

Connect with Sam: samnott.com

Subscribe to Simple Wins on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.

She Got Cut, Transferred Twice, and Still Bet on Herself

What do you do when you've found your people, built a life that looks great on the outside — and still feel like you don't belong?

Sianna Savarda has represented Team USA in open water, trained alongside Olympians since childhood, and earned her spot at the Division I level. But when she got cut from her first program during the NCAA settlement, she had to face a question most people spend their whole lives avoiding:

What now?

She found a new team, built deep friendships, reconnected with her faith — and then realized she was too comfortable. So she entered the transfer portal again. Not because things were bad, but because she knew they weren't aligned.

Her grandmother gave her a word early in life — buscando, meaning "searching" — and Sianna has carried that restlessness into every decision she's made since.

This episode is for anyone who has ever stayed somewhere too long because it was easier than leaving.

If you've ever confused comfort with purpose, or talked yourself out of a leap because the timing wasn't perfect, Sianna's story will challenge everything you think you know about when to stay and when to go.

What you'll hear in this episode:

— Why Sianna left a place where she'd found her closest friends — and how she knew it was the right call — The moment after her last race when everything became clear

— How her grandmother's word buscando became the compass for her life

— Her mantra "be here now" and how it pulls her out of overthinking in real time

— Why she believes most people never reach their potential — and the one word she uses to explain it

Key quote:

"It's not easy, but you should do it anyway. Bet on yourself — because you never know if you're truly where you're supposed to be or not."

Connect with Sianna:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sianna.rose6

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siannarose.s/

Connect with Sam: Website: samnott.com

Subscribe to Simple Wins on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.

Matthew Choules left everything he knew in Canberra, Australia to chase a dream he'd never planned on — playing college football in America. New country, new culture, new pressure, and a time zone that made it nearly impossible to stay connected to the people he loved most.

In this episode, you'll hear the two-word mental reset Matthew uses the moment things go wrong — and why the more you replay what you did wrong, the more you guarantee you'll repeat it. If you've ever been stuck in your own head after a bad moment, this one's for you.

Connect with Matthew:

Instagram: @Choulesy

TikTok: @choulesyy

Connect with Sam:

SamNott.com

What you'll hear in this episode:

• How Carson beat Adam Scott in a long drive contest — and what that pressure taught him about performing in front of a crowd.
  
• Why five second-place finishes weren't failures — they were the foundation for a record-breaking win.
  
• The mental shift from "living and dying by every shot" to enjoying the bad moments and trusting the process.
  
• The audible cue technique Carson uses before every drive, iron shot, chip, and putt — and why speaking your intention out loud overrides the mental demons.
  
• Why Carson believes bogey avoidance and course management matter more than chasing birdies — and how that applies to every area of life.
  
• What "Simple Wins" means to a college golfer who learned that getting 1% better every day matters more than winning every week.

"Why line up a putt if you're not going to trust your line?"

• Instagram: @carsonbaez2005

• Instagram: @thebaezboys
• TikTok: @carsonbaezgolf
  

• Carson is also available for freelance graphic design work for college athletes and athletic programs — DM him on Instagram.
  

• Resources: https://www.samnott.com

• The Stretcher Moment: Umar had an injury so gruesome it literally made people throw up, but he used small wins to get back on the court.
  
• The Jump Shot Rule: Trusting God means doing everything in your power until the ball leaves your hand—then letting go of what happens next.
  
• From D3 to Pro: How he did whatever it takes to go from a D3 college to a professional contract in Europe.
  
• The Post-Game Journal: The simple routine Umar uses to clear his head so he doesn't stay stuck in a bad mood after a loss.
  
• Being Replaceable: The raw truth about playing overseas where you have to perform every day or lose your job.
  
• Loving the Work: Why his biggest message is to stop rushing and learn to love the daily process.
  
• Faith and Focus: How his belief in God helps him stay level-headed when things are going wrong.

• Instagram: @umar.overseas

• TikTok: @umarrashidd

• Resources: https://www.samnott.com

• The 1-0 Mentality: How Cam’s dad taught her a simple way to win the day, no matter what the scoreboard says.

• A Family of Leaders: How watching her "girl boss" mom and her dedicated dad gave Cam the blueprint for success.

• The Big Sister Spark: Why Cam worked so hard to set a path for her younger brothers to reach their own dreams in sports.

• Doing Whatever It Takes: Why she worked multiple jobs and put a flight to Spain on a credit card because she believed in her dream.

• Collecting Data: Why a mistake on the field is just a lesson to learn from, not something to worry about for hours.

• The Power of Faith: How leaning on her relationship with God gave her a sense of peace and purpose.

• Instagram: @_cameronrenee

• TikTok: @_thisiscamscorner

• Resources: https://www.samnott.com