The Brian Cain Mental Performance Mastery Podcast The Power of Routine Chicago Cubs Catcher - Carson Kelly
Feb 9, 2026
Carson Kelly, MLB catcher for the Chicago Cubs who prioritizes routines and mental prep. He walks through his pregame journaling and imagery, in-game scripts and reset cues, and postgame rituals that help flip to family life. Conversations cover process-focused evaluation, catcher-specific presence, and using sleep tracking to guide recovery.
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Use A Pre-Game Ritual To Flip Roles
- Before arriving at the field, Carson transforms roles using podcasts and music to switch into player mode and then journals affirmations and three daily keys.
- He follows imagery, meditation, and a hyping mind-movie to align confidence and readiness before taking the field.
Alignment Builds Reliable Confidence
- Alignment of journal, affirmations, imagery and music creates a controllable foundation that reduces result anxiety in a game of failure.
- Carson uses this alignment to hang his hat on process, knowing he did everything within his control.
Judge Process, Not Just Results
- Shifting evaluation from outcomes to controllable processes is the biggest mental adjustment for consistent performance.
- Carson argues you can do everything right and still fail, so focus on controlling inputs, not results.
