Boosting Athletic Confidence Through the Power of Hypnotherapy with Melissa Corsiatto

“Think going in with a mindset of being an athlete, showing up like an athlete, and treating the sport seriously and just not double down.” —Melissa Corsiatto

One common hesitation among athletes is the fear of failure. This can hinder their ability to take risks and explore their full potential. By reframing beliefs and instilling a positive mindset, athletes become more willing to step out of their comfort zones and push their boundaries. This newfound resilience allows them to stay focused, persevere through challenges, and emerge stronger than ever before. 

While physical training and mental focus are essential, there is another powerful tool in the realm of sports psychology— hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy taps into the unconscious mind, reshaping negative beliefs, and promoting positive thinking. By accessing the subconscious, hypnotherapy can help athletes address mental blocks, overcome self-doubt, and boost their confidence.

In this episode, we delve into an uplifting discussion with bodybuilder Melissa Corsiatto, who shares her incredible journey of transforming from a hesitant competitor to a confident athlete with the help of hypnotherapy. Melissa opens up about the obstacles she faced, balancing motherhood and her budding career in competitive bodybuilding, and the importance of hiring a posing coach and treating the process as a committed athletic pursuit.

Connect with Sherrie: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrie.massiakapach 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mindbodysoul_hypnothetapist 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrie-kapach-b5bb26243 

Email: skapach40@gmail.com 

Episode Highlights:

01:17 How Hypnotherapy Impacts Confidence

02:22 Early Competition Struggles and Creating New Habits

03:06 Competing with a Family

03:34 The Benefits of Hiring a Posing Coach

05:07 Advice for New Competitors

07:03 The Impact of Switching Coaches

Transcript

Sherrie Kapach: Welcome to Beyond The Prep. I'm your host, Sherrie Kapach. I'd like to welcome today, Melissa Corsiatto. I know it's a very busy day, and I really appreciate you taking time out to join me on my podcast today. So how long have you been competing for?

Melissa Corsiatto: So I have started competing back in August of 2021 when I decided to step onto the stage,

Sherrie Kapach: So what made you decide to step onstage?

Melissa Corsiatto: Ironically, I've been wanting to compete for many, many years, but I had something that held me back. I didn't believe in myself. I didn't feel that that was pretty enough or good enough to notice up on stage. And I started going through hypnotherapy, going through hypnotherapy sessions. I had a hypnotherapy session that took me back to a time that really allowed my conscious mind to be aware of why I didn't feel good about myself, and why I wasn't confident about myself. It was from that moment, three days after that hypnotherapy session, I signed up for my first competition.

Sherrie Kapach: That's wonderful. Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to use, especially when you're competing in bodybuilding, everything like that. I'm a Clinical Hypnotherapist myself, I understand exactly how that can change your life.

Melissa Corsiatto: It's completely amazing how it shifted everything.

Sherrie Kapach: That's great. So when you were first competing, what did you find? Did you have any struggles? What was the hardest part?

Melissa Corsiatto: I think the hardest part for me at the very beginning was creating new habits, eating habits, going to the gym habits. I've always been really active and loved fitness, but I never took it to the point where I had to really dial in. Also having kids at the same time, and really being disciplined and giving them their food, but also sticking to my food.

Sherrie Kapach: How was that? When you have a family and you're into bodybuilding and you're going to compete.

Melissa Corsiatto: It makes the beginning specs. It was hard, because there's a shift that I had to shift within myself. But I think it just comes down to having the discipline and knowing what your goal is. And yes, the kids are going to eat this. This is what I'm going to eat, but I'm still going to make it the same atmosphere. That is very different. I think getting it was quite hard. But I think just over time and creating these habits really helped me get through it and help my boys understand what I was doing.

Sherrie Kapach: Okay. It's good to know because there's a lot of them out there that do have young kids and thinking I'm gonna wait. The older, make it easier. It can be done.

Melissa Corsiatto: Absolutely. It is huge.

Sherrie Kapach: What do you know now that you wish you would have known when you started this journey?

Melissa Corsiatto: Great question. For me, I wish I would have no one to hire a posing coach. That has been my huge shift. Going into it, not really knowing how to pose, how to walk, what the judges are looking for kind of blindsided. Hiring a posing coach that can work with you and really help bring out different uniquenesses within yourself, but also doing the posing properly really brings on the presentation. So I've seen a huge change from my first two competitions to these competitions. They have a posing coach and how that's really boosted my confidence, not only in the gym as eating that whole aspect to it, but also being able to present myself.

Sherrie Kapach: Because posing can be the key. You didn't have everything it takes, but if you don't nail those, that can be a big step. So that's wonderful. That's good advice. So for someone just starting out, considering it, what kind of advice would you give them?

Melissa Corsiatto: Think going in with a mindset of being an athlete, showing up like an athlete and treating the sport seriously and just not double down.

Sherrie Kapach: It's a lot of work.

Melissa Corsiatto: You have to either be all in, you can't just happen. So I think going in with that attitude and that mindset of being that athlete and showing up that athlete every single day.

Sherrie Kapach: It's great advice. Great advice. It's a lot of commitment. Your social life, you kind of dwell away from that when you're in competition. Sometimes, you may miss a family function, because it's just easier.

Melissa Corsiatto: You have to do what you have to do.

Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. So there's a lot of mindset that you see there.

Melissa Corsiatto: Yes, you need to have support going on this journey. Because if you don't have that support, it makes it really difficult. I couldn't imagine not having my kids to support.

Sherrie Kapach: Absolutely. Yeah. And that makes it. That family support scheme. It's hard for them to understand sometimes.

Melissa Corsiatto: We just have to do it if it's best for you. Focus on you and focus on your family.

Sherrie Kapach: Yeah. Wonderful. Last question I have, you're going on stage, how are you feeling?

Melissa Corsiatto: I feel fantastic. I feel really good. This prep has been one of the best prep I've ever had. Switching to a coach that knows what he's doing, and it has been a great transformation losing 31 pounds. Bringing my body fat down to 4.4% has been incredible. I feel amazing backstage. I'm confident.

Sherrie Kapach: That's what it takes. You said switching coaches or having a new coach. Did you just recently?

Melissa Corsiatto: I switched my coach back in August. So I had six months of offseason with him where we use muscles, and then 20 weeks of prep. Have a grip posing coach, and you need to have a good coach helping you with the workouts.

Sherrie Kapach: Perfect. On that note, we'll end it here. I want to thank you again for coming. Good luck, and I'm hoping to get out there and watch you on stage.

Melissa Corsiatto: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.