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Think Above Par

Sometimes you just need someone to explain why your golf brain does what it does.

Think Above Par is where Kathy talks about the thoughts, emotions and patterns that show up on the golf course—and what you can do with them.

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf

Welcome to Episode 7 — the final episode of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path series. Today's episode: Stretch Beyond Golf Carl is one of my clients. He's done the work. He's used the tools. He's seen tremendous success on the golf course. But recently, when I asked him what created the most success for him, he sent me a message that stopped me in my tracks. He said: "The biggest thing is that you have one brain and you get to use the tools you give me in all parts of life. Practicing with my aging parents, stepdaughters, daughters, and wife has been the biggest gift you've given me. Golf is just what got us started." He went on: "My appreciation and gratitude for you is off the charts. Don't let it go to your head, but you're an amazing human. FYI, my wife just said she thanks you." Golf was just what got them started. But the real transformation? That happened off the course. In this final episode, you'll learn: Why you have one brain (how you do one thing, you do everything) How the tools work everywhere — STEAR for family relationships, Brain Dump before tough conversations, 18Proud at the end of your workday Why practicing self-compassion on the course makes it your default everywhere How using these tools off the course makes you better on the course The complete S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path roadmap and what comes next This is the end of the series, but it doesn't have to be the end of your transformation. Grab the tools in the free Your Mental Caddy community: Here The Complete S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path: Episode 1: Start & Commit ✅ Episode 2: Use Your Tools ✅ Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins ✅ Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts ✅ Episode 5: Engage in Reps ✅ Episode 6: Share & Support ✅ Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf ✅ Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 6: Share & Support

Welcome to Episode 6 of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path — the 7-day series on the exact steps my most successful clients took to transform their mental game. Today's episode: Share & Support Karen lives in West Virginia. And she's not the only one in my program from her area — there are quite a few golfers from her community who are members. And here's what happens: they share their wins with each other. They speak the same language. They partner up in tournaments. And when one of them catches herself saying something unhelpful out loud — "I always choke under pressure" — her playing partner, who knows this work, catches it and gently reminds her to shift that thought. They pivot together. And they go on to have amazing rounds. That's the power of community. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you can't do this work alone (I know because I tried for years) What happens when you get stuck in your own head with no one to call out your blind spots How community gives you people who get it and can support you in real time Why many of my private coaching clients are ALSO active in the community The simple practice of sharing one win this week (with anyone) Grab the tools in the free Your Mental Caddy community: Here Coming tomorrow: Episode 7 - Stretch Beyond Golf (Carl's story about using these tools with his family — the finale!) Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 5: Engage in Reps

Welcome to Episode 5 of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path — the 7-day series on the exact steps my most successful clients took to transform their mental game. Today's episode: Engage in Reps Judy is 80 years old. She listens to my podcast every night as she falls asleep. (Yes, my nasally Rochester voice is apparently very soothing.) She bought one of my programs — Unleash Your Golf — and listened to it over and over and over again. Then she went out and won one of the biggest tournaments for her age group in the Senior Olympics. She showed up to our coaching call with her medal in hand, beaming with pride. At 80, she proved you're never too old to transform your mental game. But here's the real lesson: she didn't listen once and call it good. She did the reps. In this episode, you'll learn: Why mental mastery is a practice, not a one-time lesson How mental reps build your "default settings" (just like swing reps build muscle memory) Why you'll hear the same information differently each time (and why that matters) What separates golfers who transform from those who just collect information How to pick ONE thing to do on repeat this week Grab the tools in the free Your Mental Caddy community: Here Coming tomorrow: Episode 6 - Share & Support (Karen's story about building community and speaking the same language) The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path Series: Episode 1: Start & Commit ✅ Episode 2: Use Your Tools ✅ Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins ✅ Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts ✅ Episode 5: Engage in Reps ✅ Episode 6: Share & Support Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts

Welcome to Episode 4 of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path — the 7-day series on the exact steps my most successful clients took to transform their mental game. Today's episode: Control Your Thoughts Becky texted me before a state tournament. She was nervous — more than nervous. She didn't think she belonged there. Everyone else seemed better. So I sent her one thought: "You belong. You're as good as any of those players." She said it a thousand times that day. Over and over. One thought, on repeat. And she went out and shot 69 — about 10 strokes better than her usual tournament score. One intentional thought changed everything. In this episode, you'll learn: How your thoughts create your emotions, your emotions drive your actions, and your actions create your results Why your brain defaults to "keep you safe" thoughts (and why they're usually crappy) How to catch unhelpful thoughts and replace them with Power Thoughts Why Becky said it a thousand times (that's the practice, that's the reps) How to use this process anywhere in your life — not just golf Grab the tools in the free Your Mental Caddy community: [HERE] Coming tomorrow: Episode 5 - Engage in Reps (Judy's story about doing the reps at 80 years old and winning the Senior Olympics) The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path Series: Episode 1: Start & Commit ✅ Episode 2: Use Your Tools ✅ Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins ✅ Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts ✅ Episode 5: Engage in Reps Episode 6: Share & Support Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins

Welcome to Episode 3 of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path — the 7-day series on the exact steps my most successful clients took to transform their mental game. Today's episode: Clarify Your Wins Janie showed up to one of our coaching calls and shared something powerful. She'd played with a group of golfers who were much younger than her. They were hitting it past her. Scoring lower than her. And she didn't give up on herself. She didn't try to swing harder. She didn't play a game that wasn't hers. She just showed up, played her game, and walked off 18 feeling proud. That was her win. Not her scorecard. The way she showed up. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your brain remembers what stings the most (and how to change that) What actually counts as a win (hint: it's not your scorecard) How to use the 18Proud™ intention before every round Why scanning for process wins rewires your default settings The simple practice of writing down ONE win after every round Grab the tools in the free Your Mental Caddy community: Coming tomorrow: Episode 4 - Control Your Thoughts (Becky's story about one thought that changed everything) The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path Series: Episode 1: Start & Commit ✅ Episode 2: Use Your Tools ✅ Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins ✅ Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts Episode 5: Engage in Reps Episode 6: Share & Support Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 2: Use Your Tools

Welcome to Episode 2 of The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path — the 7-day series on the exact steps my most successful clients took to transform their mental game. Today's episode: Use Your Tools Jennifer decided to actually use one of the tools I teach — the CCC tracker (tracking calm, certain, and confident shots). At first, she was at 67% calm, certain, and confident — and shooting mid-80s. As she improved that number to 76%, she was shooting low-80s. Then she hit 92% calm, certain, and confident — and shot 76. But here's what really drove it home: when she stopped tracking, her numbers went back up. The tool only worked when she used it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your tools are the reps for your brain The toolkit available inside Your Mental Caddy (Mental Prep Protocol, CCC Tracker, Reality Check, Brain Dump, STEAR) Why tools don't work in your head — they work in your hands How to pick ONE tool and commit to using it consistently Want the downloadable tools? Join the free Your Mental Caddy community HERE Ready for year-long coaching? Learn about upgrading inside the community. Coming next: Episode 3 - Clarify Your Wins (Janie's story about walking off 18 proud even when her game wasn't her best) The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path Series: Episode 1: Start & Commit ✅ Episode 2: Use Your Tools ✅ Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts Episode 5: Engage in Reps Episode 6: Share & Support Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path | Episode 1: Start & Commit

Welcome to a special 7-episode bonus series: The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Path. I interviewed my most successful clients to find out what actually created transformation for them when nothing else worked. Their answers were surprisingly similar — and I've distilled everything into 7 steps you can follow. In Episode 1, I'm sharing Kelly's story. Kelly had tried everything — practiced hard, read all the mental game books, knew all the right answers. But nothing was working. In fact, she was getting worse. When she reached out to me, she'd had enough. The pain of staying stuck had finally become greater than the fear of doing something different. She was 100% committed. That decision was her real first tee. In this episode, you'll learn: Why you can't halfway change your golf brain Why vulnerability is where confidence actually comes from The difference between commitment and perfection How to write your Big Why (your anchor when things get hard) Want the downloadable tools? Join the free Your Mental Caddy community here: YourMentalCaddy.com Ready for year-long coaching? You can upgrade on Your Mental Caddy Coming tomorrow: Episode 2 - Use Your Tools (Jennifer's story about how tracking one number dropped her scores by nearly 10 strokes) Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series: Episode 2: Use Your Tools Episode 3: Clarify Your Wins Episode 4: Control Your Thoughts Episode 5: Engage in Reps Episode 6: Share & Support Episode 7: Stretch Beyond Golf Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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Episode 250

Why You Don’t Finish Well in Golf (and How to Fix It)

Ever play a great round... until the last few holes slap you in the face? You're not alone—and you're not broken. In this fan-favorite episode, I’m breaking down exactly why golfers fall apart at the finish. From mental fatigue to score-chasing to the dramatic little voice in your head yelling “don’t screw this up,” we’re getting into all of it. You’ll learn how to stay present, manage the pressure, and shut down the mental circus so you can finally finish strong. This is one of the most downloaded episodes of Think Above Par—because turns out, a lot of you are tired of handing your scorecard over to your brain. Let’s fix that. Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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Episode 249

You’re a High Achiever… So Why Is Golf So Mentally Brutal?

You’re a high achiever. You’ve got confidence, success, and mental toughness in your career, your home or other sports—and yet golf is messing with your head. Why is that? In this episode, we’re talking about the mental game of golf for high performers who are used to crushing it in life, but feel totally thrown off on the course. If you’ve ever wondered why your work confidence doesn’t transfer to the first tee, or why perfectionism is killing your performance, you’re not alone. Golf challenges even the strongest mindsets. I’ll break down why your usual mental strategies backfire, how to stop overthinking every shot, and what to do when golf feels more frustrating than fun. If you want to build real golf confidence, stop judging yourself, and start enjoying the game again—this one’s for you. Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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Episode 248

How to Commit to Every Shot in Golf (Without Overthinking It)

Struggling to “just commit” over the ball during a round of golf? You’re not alone. In this episode, Coach Kathy breaks down the 3 steps to true commitment in golf so you can think clearly, stop overthinking, and actually trust your swing. You’ll learn why commitment is a mental game skill, not a command — and how to get your brain into a calm, certain, confident state before every shot. When you commit to every shot, your golf swing becomes freer, your decisions get better, and your results finally match your potential. 💪 Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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Episode 247

When Someone Mentions Your Golf Score (and You Fall Apart)

Ever had a great round going until someone says, “Wow, you’re playing amazing today,” and suddenly… you can’t find the fairway? Yep, this one’s for you. In this episode, I talk about what really happens in your brain when someone mentions your score, your swing, or even the trouble up ahead—and why you can’t seem to shake it once you’ve heard it. I’ll walk you through how to take back control, stop giving other people the keys to your mental game, and stay focused on your shot, not their words. We’ll unpack why the words people say on the golf course are neutral until you make them mean something. And once you learn to manage that, you’ll play freer, calmer, and way more confident golf. So next time someone says, “You’re playing great,” you’ll smile, stay steady, and finish strong. Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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Episode 246

How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Golf Swing

Are you stuck in your swing thoughts or spiraling over your scorecard? You might just be in a learning stage—and that’s not a problem. In this episode, I break down the 4 stages of learning (for both your swing and your mental game) and how they show up on the course. You'll learn why overthinking happens, how to trust your skills, and when it’s time to stop micromanaging and start letting it fly. This one’s for every golfer who wants to feel freer, calmer, and more in control—without trying to be perfect. Let’s go Receive free weekly mental golf tips HERE How many shots is your mental golf costing you? Take the quiz here: quiz.mymentalcaddy.com Continue your mental journey at Your Mental Caddy HERE Mastering Your Golf Brain - A Guide to Self-Coaching Mastering Your Golf Brain - The Workbook Mental Golf Journal - A Range for Your Brain Are all available at KathyHartWood.com/book Email Kathy at Kathy@KathyHartWood.com Website: KathyHartWood.com

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