Haley Perlus is a Doctor of Sport Performance Psychology, speaker, author, and entrepreneur.
She who works with elite executives and athletes worldwide, and is the author of Personal Podium: How to Use Your Mind to Maximize Your Potential in Sport and Life. Haley has consulted for top brands and national teams, sharing proven methods for mastering mindset and mental toughness to achieve peak performance.
I (Nick Berry) have had the chance to talk to her during each of her appearances on The Business Owner’s Journey. and in our separate conversations many times, and I'm thrilled to share more about what I think is a fantastic resource for business owners.
I asked Haley what motivated her to write Personal Podium with business owners in mind. She explained that entrepreneurs and athletes face similar pressures - the stakes feel different, but the mental game is the same. Many leaders have brilliant strategies but “fold under high-stakes pressure” because they haven’t trained their mental resilience. Haley wrote this book as a compact playbook with practical exercises so leaders can stay calm, focused, and decisive when it counts.
Haley describes the main challenge as managing the “invisible opponent” inside our heads; negative self-talk, catastrophic thinking, and doubt. She said, “Entrepreneurs face the same pressure as elite athletes, the scoreboard just looks different.” Personal Podium helps readers identify these mental roadblocks early and replace them with productive truths, enabling them to keep moving forward despite uncertainty and setbacks.
One of the points from the book that stood out to me is the framework around “productive self-talk and telling the truth.” She included an entire chapter around the topic. Productive truths are the realities that you acknowledge and use as evidence of your ability, so you are more likely to buy-in to the idea that you are doing something right and you are able to perform at a high level. In short, they are evidence to prove you can meet the challenge.
One of the key pitfalls Haley mentioned is the tendency to let setbacks become excuses for inaction. She calls it the “but” problem - as in “But I didn’t get enough sleep” or “But this happened.” Haley insists that while we should give ourselves grace, we must not let these truths become permanent definitions that derail our focus. Instead, she advises turning back to your fundamental strengths and using simple “resets” to regain composure quickly.
Haley’s method centers on identifying your top three strengths - those core qualities you bring to your best performance - and consciously using them when anxiety or doubt creeps in. For example, Haley’s strengths are being bright, full-hearted, and a strength finder. She encourages business owners to rehearse these strengths as cues to reset their mindset in moments of pressure. Coupled with short mental or physical “reset” tools, this creates a practical way to stay focused and confident throughout the day.
Personal Podium stands out because it distills complex sports psychology concepts into digestible, actionable steps that resonate beyond athletics. For business owners facing the pressures of scaling and leadership, this book is a toolbox for the mental game behind success and failure. If you want a framework that helps you build resilience, take responsibility, and develop mental toughness, this is it. Haley’s insights perfectly complement the growth stages I share in The 5 Stages of the Business Owner’s Journey.
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