This episode isn’t just a story, it’s a masterclass in mindset, belief, resilience, and refusing to give up on a dream even when everything around you says don’t bother.

In this conversation, Esteban Benítez Valle takes us behind the scenes of qualifying for the Olympics, navigating heartbreak, dealing with insane pressure, and then - somehow - stepping into the legendary Hamburg Derby and doing what nobody expected him to do.

But the REAL power of this episode? It shows that elite-level mindset is not magic. It’s a skill. A skill ANY rider can learn.

Inside, Esteban shares:

• How he stayed certain about the Olympics even when everything went wrong
• Why he hired a sports psychologist before he needed one
• How he dealt with a season full of injuries, pressure, and travel
• The exact mindset shift that kept him focused instead of overwhelmed
• His process for shutting down negative thoughts instantly
• How he used visualization to ride a 160cm course before he ever rode it
• Why belief must come before evidence
• How he built a relationship with a horse he barely knew, days before the Derby
• Why treating the moment as a “gift” removes fear
• The mental routine that kept him calm, grounded, and razor-focused
• How he created a “tunnel” of focus in front of a stadium full of spectators
• And the one thing every rider should stop apologizing for when competing

This episode isn’t about talent or luck. It’s about mindset, belief, consistency, and the courage to think bigger than your circumstances. If you’re a rider who:

✔ overthinks every mistake

✔ doubts yourself more than you admit

✔ feels like you’re not progressing fast enough

✔ wonders if you’re ever “good enough”

✔ freezes under pressure

✔ dreams big but feels small

…this episode will show you what’s possible when you back yourself; fully, unapologetically, and consistently. And more importantly: It will show you how your mind becomes your biggest advantage when you train it like athletes in every other sport do.

Resources Mentioned:

🧠 Receive our weekly mindset & performance hacks: https://www.mindeq.eu/weeklyhacks

🧠 Be a part of the Mindeq Community: https://www.mindeq.eu/offers/djg9H2Bf

Follow Jocelin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelinlillienau

Follow Lorna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lornahogarth_coaching/

Esteban's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebenitezeventing/

If you’re an ambitious rider trying to juggle horses, work, family, goals, money, fitness, and your sanity… this episode is going to feel like a deep exhale.

Today, I and Lorna dive into one of the biggest struggles riders face: How do you manage everything without feeling overwhelmed, guilty, or constantly behind? And the honest answer? You don’t “balance” it. Because balance is a myth, an illusion we keep chasing, then beating ourselves up for not catching.

Inside this episode, we explore:

• Why riders don’t actually have a time problem, they have a thinking problem
• How overwhelm isn’t failure… it’s the abundance of everything you once wished for
• The link between your to-do list and your limiting beliefs
• Why your mind becomes a “washing machine” of pressure, and how to stop feeding it
• The REAL reason you procrastinate (hint: it’s not laziness)
• How to recognize when your subconscious is trying to protect you
• Why some days you glide through 80 tasks and others you can’t handle five
• The secret difference between an “incapable rider” and an “incapable state”

This episode gives you the awareness, the metaphors, and the mental models to finally understand:

1. why you feel overwhelmed
2. why your brain spirals
3. why you keep recreating the same stress patterns
4. and how to start shifting out of them with compassion instead of criticism

Whether you’re riding six horses a day or squeezing in one evening ride after work, this conversation will help you stop fighting your mind and start working with it.

Resources Mentioned:

🧠 Learn more about the Mindeq Community: https://www.mindeq.eu/offers/djg9H2Bf

Follow Jocelin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelinlillienau

Follow Lorna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lornahogarth_coaching/

In this inspiring and deeply honest conversation, we sit down with Sara, a dressage coach who blends technical training with mindset work to help riders show up with confidence, clarity, and calm.

Sara shares how her own struggles with pressure, frustration, and self-doubt led her into mental performance work, and how she now teaches riders to overcome the exact challenges she once faced herself.

We dive into:

1. Why dressage riders struggle more than they realize
2. How to build confidence as a rider (the real way)
3. Creating a warm-up that actually works
4. Her unusual secret to staying present
5. Why fun and relaxation must come before results

You’ll learn how self-talk:

• Reduces tension

• Keeps you in the moment

• Helps you respond to your horse

• Stops the “little men running around in your head

Resources Mentioned:

🧠 Receive our weekly mindset & performance hacks: https://www.mindeq.eu/weeklyhacks

Follow Jocelin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelinlillienau

Follow Lorna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lornahogarth_coaching/

Sara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saravangool_dressuurcoach/