Unlocking Potential Through Mindset: Insights from Ben Crowe

The more we at Stoke Consulting work with our clients on leadership and personal development, the clearer it becomes that mastering mindset is crucial for meaningful transformation.

Ben Crowe, a renowned mindset coach helps elite athletes and business leaders to cultivate resilience, authenticity, and fulfilment. His notable clients include tennis champion Ash Barty, Paralympian Dylan Alcott, surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore, and the Richmond Football Club. Crowe’s philosophies offer a powerful framework for navigating life’s complexities and thriving under pressure.

Many of the insights and philosophies Crowe advocates align closely with Stoke Consulting’s executive coaching processes and tools, including Human Synergistics LSI.

The Power of Mindset: Agency, Acceptance, and Appreciation

Crowe emphasises that while we cannot control the waves, we can learn to surf. At the heart of this philosophy are the “Triple A Mindset Muscles”:

Agency – Recognising the power to choose our response to life’s events.
Acceptance – Embracing life as it is, without judgment.
Appreciation – Finding gratitude in every experience.

A striking example is Ash Barty’s rise to becoming the world’s number one tennis player. After stepping away from tennis in 2014 due to burnout, Barty returned with renewed perspective. Working with Crowe, she focused on her love for the game, her ability to accept challenges, and her gratitude for the journey. This mindset shift culminated in her historic Wimbledon win in 2021. Barty later revealed that her greatest achievement wasn’t lifting the trophy but feeling worthy enough to compete at that level—an inner victory shaped by Crowe’s guidance.

Redefining Success

Crowe teaches that true success lies in intrinsic motivations rather than external validation. For Richmond Football Club, this philosophy proved transformative. Crowe helped the team shift their focus from winning matches to embodying their values and playing with purpose. By redefining success as staying true to their mission, the team broke a 37-year premiership drought in 2017 and went on to win two more premierships in 2019 and 2020. This value-driven approach created a culture of connection, resilience, and trust, demonstrating the power of intrinsic motivation in achieving sustainable success.

Navigating External Distractors

Five key distractors – money, materialism, corporate and social status, and craving recognition – can derail focus. For Dylan Alcott, a 15-time Grand Slam champion and Australian of the Year, Crowe’s guidance helped him separate self-worth from external achievements. Alcott embraced his authentic self, advocating for inclusivity and focusing on his passion for inspiring others. By doing so, he became not only a sporting icon but also a trailblazer for people with disabilities, proving that aligning with one’s values can lead to extraordinary impact.

Embracing Vulnerability and Connection

Our brains are wired for connection, and Crowe champions vulnerability as a strength. Surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore exemplifies this principle. Facing significant setbacks in her career, Gilmore worked to embrace vulnerability and focus on personal growth. By accepting her imperfections and staying true to her values, she reclaimed her place at the top, becoming an eight-time world surfing champion. This journey highlights how vulnerability fosters deeper connections with oneself and others, unlocking greater potential.

Transforming Adversity into Growth

Adversity often leads to the greatest growth. Crowe encourages his clients to see setbacks as opportunities for curiosity and experimentation. One of my (the author’s) favourite saying is “ You have the opportunity to learn the most from a crisis” comes from some hard times in my life – the time that I grew the most as a person and a leader.

Three Dimensions of Confidence

Crowe identifies three key types of confidence:

1. Self-Confidence – Accepting imperfections and believing in worthiness.
2. Social Confidence – Connecting authentically, free from imposter syndrome or social anxiety.
3. Performance Confidence – Focusing on what can be controlled (you), such as effort and mindset.

For Ash Barty, this trifecta of confidence was integral. By working on self-confidence and embracing her imperfections, she reduced the pressure of expectations. Social confidence allowed her to connect with her team and fans authentically, and performance confidence helped her focus on controllable elements during matches. This holistic confidence approach was pivotal to her success.

Practical Application: A Playful Approach

Crowe advocates for shifting from “I have to” to “I get to,” fostering gratitude and joy. This playful mindset was instrumental for Dylan Alcott, who transformed his outlook by focusing on the privilege of competing and inspiring others rather than the pressures of winning. His joyful approach resonated deeply with audiences and contributed to his legacy as a champion and advocate.

Final Thoughts

Ben Crowe’s philosophies provide a powerful blueprint for cultivating resilience, authenticity, and joy. Through the examples above, it’s evident how focusing on controllable elements, redefining success, and embracing vulnerability can unlock potential and inspire others. These principles encourage living a life true to oneself, creating a ripple effect of growth and empowerment.

Would you like to accelerate your leadership effectiveness, career and relationships? Why not start with executive coaching with Stoke Consulting to help to redefine your mindset today?

Chris Read

Stoke Consulting

Leveraging his extensive leadership and entrepreneurial background, Chris consistently leads high-performing teams of leaders to outstanding business achievements. He excels in unravelling the intricacies of challenging business scenarios, crafting strategic plans and fostering deep trust including during executive coaching. This comprehensive and high integrity approach significantly elevates business performance for his clients, helping them to exceed expectations.