Dr. Lenny Wiersma with Dr. Andy Galpin Explains: Why Confidence Is Overrated and Mental Toughness Is Trainable

In this episode of Perform, Dr. Andy Galpin, a leading human performance scientist, sits down with Dr. Lenny Wiersma, a sports and performance psychologist working with elite athletes at UC Berkeley.

👉 Before diving in, you’ll want to watch the full conversation. The depth of insight and real-world examples make it worth your time.

This isn’t your typical “just be confident” advice. What unfolds is a grounded, research-backed breakdown of how top performers actually think, prepare, and execute under pressure.

And here’s the twist: most of what people believe about confidence, fear, and mental toughness is either incomplete or flat-out wrong.

The Big Idea: Mental Toughness Is Built, Not Born

Let’s kill a myth right away.

Extreme performers, whether it’s big wave surfers or climbers like Alex Honnold, are not fearless mutants. They’re highly trained decision-makers.

They:

• Start small

• Make mistakes

• Learn relentlessly

• Build confidence over time

Even more surprising, they’re not chasing adrenaline.

They’re chasing mastery.

Insight #1: Confidence Can Actually Be Dangerous

This is where things get interesting.

In traditional advice, confidence is everything. But in high-risk environments, too much confidence is a liability.

Elite performers are constantly asking:

• “Am I getting away with something I shouldn’t?”

• “Is this skill actually ready under pressure?”

When confidence spikes unrealistically, they pull back, not push forward.

👉 That’s the opposite of what most people do.

Insight #2: The “Wipeout Plan” Changes Everything

Top performers don’t just train for success.

They train for failure.

Big wave surfers, for example:

• Visualize wipeouts in detail

• Practice breath-holding

• Rehearse exactly how they’ll survive

This creates what Wiersma calls a psychological safety net.

The fear doesn’t disappear.
But it becomes manageable because there’s a plan.

Translation for real life:
If you’re nervous about a presentation, interview, or exam, ask:

• What could go wrong?

• What will I do if it does?

That alone reduces anxiety dramatically.

Insight #3: Visualization Isn’t What You Think

Most people use visualization wrong.

They only imagine success.

But the most effective approach has three distinct uses:

1. Confidence Visualization

See yourself performing well. Build belief.

2. Coping Visualization

Rehearse problems and your response to them.

3. Familiarization

Mentally walk through the environment before it happens.

And here’s a key upgrade:

• Keep sessions short (around 10 minutes)

• Add emotion, not just visuals

• Use real-world cues (clothing, environment, sensory details)

Also, don’t do it before bed unless you enjoy staring at the ceiling for two hours.

Insight #4: Your Self-Talk Is Your Real Coach

Forget “positive vs negative” thinking.

That’s outdated.

What matters is:
👉 Is your self-talk effective or ineffective?

Here’s the game changer:

Switch from “I” to “You”

Instead of:

• “I’m messing this up”

Say:

• “You’ve handled this before. Focus.”

This creates psychological distance, which:

• Reduces emotional overwhelm

• Improves decision-making

• Increases performance under stress

Even better:

• Use your name or nickname

• Or imagine advice from someone you trust

It sounds simple, but this is one of the most powerful tools in performance psychology.

Insight #5: Confidence Is Fragile. Belief Is Not.

This distinction is gold.

Confidence:

• Changes moment to moment

• Depends on how you feel

• Easily shaken

Belief:

• Built over time

• Based on preparation

• Stable under pressure

Think of it like fishing:

• Confidence = seeing the fish

• Belief = knowing they’re there even when you can’t see them

Elite performers rely on belief.

Insight #6: Build “Robust Confidence”

The best performers don’t rely on one source of confidence.

They build it from multiple pillars:

• Physical preparation

• Mental training

• Recovery habits

• Self-care routines

• Past experiences

• Support systems

This creates robust confidence, meaning:
👉 It doesn’t collapse when one thing goes wrong

Actionable Takeaways

Here’s what to actually do with all this:

Start Doing

• Spend 10 minutes daily on structured visualization

• Practice coping scenarios, not just success

• Use second-person self-talk (“you”)

• Build confidence from multiple sources

Stop Doing

• Chasing “feeling confident” before acting

• Ignoring worst-case scenarios

• Labeling thoughts as just positive or negative

Change This

• Shift from confidence → belief

• Replace “be comfortable” with “handle discomfort better”

• Treat your self-talk like coaching, not criticism

The Reality Check Most People Need

You’re not supposed to feel comfortable under pressure.

That expectation is the problem.

High performance feels:

• Uncertain

• Intense

• Uncomfortable

And that’s not a bug.

That’s the environment where growth happens.

If you want more breakdowns like this, grounded in science but built for real life, you already know what to do.

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Because the difference between average and elite isn’t talent.

It’s how you think when it actually counts.