In this episode of the Wrestling Mindset Podcast, Gene Zannetti talks with elite women's freestyle wrestler Skylar Grote about competing at Real American Freestyle against six-time world champion Adeline Gray in front of 12,000 people, and why she refused to walk into that match as the underdog even though she was wrestling a weight class above her own.

Skylar walks through the money in the bank analogy her coach gave her after the loss, a reframe that turned a year of close heartbreaks against elite competition into deposits she has not withdrawn yet. She also explains the shift from I have to win to what do I have to do to be the best, and why she dumps everything down to three words before a match, you know how to fight, to cut through the noise in her head.

The conversation also covers her training block in Colorado Springs followed by international reps in Poland, how teaching kids has humbled her in ways 20 years of competing never did, and the reality that elite women wrestlers still lack resources most people assume they already have. She closes on her goals of winning world and Olympic gold and eventually running the best women's wrestling camp in the world.

Timestamps

• 2:23 – First time competing in front of 12,000 people
• 3:15 – Got the call a month out to wrestle Adeline Gray
• 6:03 – Shifted from I have to win to what do I have to do to be the best
• 6:28 – The money in the bank analogy for close losses
• 8:54 – Pre-match: dumb it down to you know how to fight
• 11:00 – Colorado Springs camp then Poland for international reps
• 14:16 – Teaching kids humbles her in ways 20 years of competing never did
• 18:00 – Elite women wrestlers still lack resources most people assume they have

Sponsored By

This episode is proudly sponsored by:

• Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
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