You’re Not Choking—Your Identity Is Collapsing Under Pressure- Brandon Sprout

Most athletes don’t lose because they lack talent.
They lose because their internal system collapses under pressure.
 

They dominate in practice.
They prepare, train, visualize…
Then the lights come on—and something shuts down.
 

In this episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast, we dive deep into the real mental game of performance with Brandon Sprout, a mental performance coach who works at the intersection of identity, subconscious programming, hypnosis, and NLP to help athletes perform consistently when it matters most.
 

This isn’t surface-level “mental toughness.”
This is about why athletes choke, what’s actually happening in the mind–body loop, and how to rewire the internal operating system that drives confidence, focus, and execution.
 

In this episode, we cover:

• Why athletes perform great in practice but fall apart in games

• What “choking” really is—and the fastest lever to interrupt it

• How athlete identity forms, fractures, and controls performance

• Why confidence disappears after mistakes—and how to rebuild it fast

• A simple 3-step framework to turn mistakes into information, not identity

• How hypnosis and NLP are actually used in high-performance settings

• What Brandon targets in the subconscious—and how progress is measured

• The clearest signs an athlete’s identity is fragile and outcome-dependent

• How to build a stable performance identity that holds under pressure

If you’re an athlete, coach, or high performer who feels like your talent doesn’t always show up when it counts, this conversation will change how you think about confidence, pressure, and mental training.

This episode is for anyone asking:
“Why can’t I do in competition what I do in practice?”
 

About the Guest
 

Brandon Sprout is a mental performance coach specializing in subconscious reprogramming, identity development, and pressure performance. He works with athletes across youth, collegiate, and professional levels, using tools such as hypnosis, NLP, and cognitive-behavioral strategies to help athletes align identity with execution. Brandon’s work focuses on building stable confidence, emotional regulation, and repeatable performance under stress.
 

Learn more about Brandon Sprout and his work:
https://brandondsprout.com

We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.
 

Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast