What separates the world’s top athletes is not training, determination, or endurance. It is how they react to stress and pressure in the game. And this isn’t a simple mindset shift. It’s bigger than that. We are talking about how their nervous system responds to the unknown and unfamiliar. The longest nerve in our bodies is called the Polyvagal Nerve, and it’s responsible for instigating our fight or flight reflex, among other things. Our guest today, Michael Allison, has become an expert in how this nerve affects our performance in everything from public speaking to athletic competitions. Through this, he has developed The Play Zone, where he works with coaches to help athletes manage their physiology when it matters most. In this episode we discuss:

• what western swing dancers have in common with tennis doubles partners

• how to recognize when our bodies are in a suboptimal state and regain control in order to perform at our best

• And the application of Polyvagal Theory in helping entrepreneurs make better game-time decisions.