In this exclusive interview Massimiliano Spini a sought-after coach in high-performance training, takes us through his remarkable journey from technology and information security to becoming a leader in coaching athletes, professionals, and companies. From finding inspiration in unexpected moments to building resilience as an ultramarathon runner, Ashish has honed a philosophy that blends mental fortitude, discipline, and continuous improvement. Here, he shares key insights from his experiences and bestselling audiobooks, offering practical strategies to overcome mental barriers, develop emotional management, and harness Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to achieve one’s highest potential. With an unwavering commitment to personal growth and helping others succeed, his story is a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of mindset and purpose on both professional and personal life.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you became interested in coaching and high-performance training?

I worked many years in the information security fields. I was really passionate about computers and technology. At a certain point, I understood that professional growth can’t be real if you don’t cultivate your social abilities. That’s why I started to train myself on relationships and communication skills. At the beginning, I considered those skills as support for my technical job, but after a while I found out that working with people and helping them to achieve their goals was much more fulfilling than working on computers.

2. What was the moment that made you decide to enter this industry?

That’s an interesting story. At the time, I was totally into running. I was running every day, and one day a guy approached me and said, “I see you running with the sun and the rain, in both hot and cold weather. I just want to say that it was because of you that I started running. I already lost some weight and just wanted to say thank you. You are an inspiration to me.” That was the classic “Aha Moment.” I understood that doing what we love is the first step toward contributing to the world. I decided to put more effort into studying NLP and coaching. I decided to become a coach.

3. How have your personal experiences influenced your style of coaching and mentoring others?

My experience as an ultrarunner helped me build resilience and perseverance. My experience as a consultant taught me a lot about the dynamics that revolve around a company. Of course, as with everyone else, my personal background has allowed me to learn many things in life. Then came my specific training experience. I also draw inspiration from every book I read and every movie I watch. There’s inspiration everywhere, and I love to bring this kind of contamination into my coaching style.

4. What are the main pillars of your coaching philosophy?

First of all, no matter what our past is, we can build the future we want starting with one bold decision. Then we have to define a direction and immediately start to move forward. Working on our subconscious mind is crucial as it manages over 95% of our daily actions; failing to address this could lead to failure before we even begin. Another key point is a tireless effort toward continuative improvement. We cannot strike the perfect balance and remain there. We move forward, or we move backward. There’s no chance to find a middle ground.

5. Do you vary in your coaching of athletes versus corporation clients?

If so, what are the key distinctions between approaches? Athletes and professionals are people with one thing in common: the mindset. Maybe your performance is on a football field during the final game of the championship, or maybe it is in front of an audience presenting the latest product from your company. In both cases, there’s a challenging situation where the mental aspects are the most important factor. Of course you have to be trained in your discipline; you have to know that product; but if you have limiting beliefs about what you can do or you aren’t able to manage disempowering emotions, you’ll not be able to access your real potential. The first thing is always to establish a trusted relationship; everything else revolves around this crucial element of the coaching relationships.

6. How important is mental preparation to achieving top performance in comparison to physical preparation?

Physical preparation allows you to “do the job.” Mental preparation allows you to make a difference. As I said earlier, the mental side of the game is what allows you to access your full potential. We have to remember that in cases of conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind, the latter always wins. You can train like Cristiano Ronaldo, eat like him, and rest like him. However, you will never achieve great results if your subconscious mind is not in harmony with your conscious mind.

7. How are you applying Neuro Linguistic Programming in your coaching sessions, and what do you find have been the results?

NLP is a powerful tool. Absolutely crucial if you want to be able to build the so-called “rapport” with people. NLP is also highly effective in creating mental training exercises for athletes and professionals who aim to cultivate specific traits. The words we use have a huge impact on how we think and feel. NLP teaches how to develop functional speech patterns. There are several techniques available to assist individuals in altering the meaning they associate with specific events, which can aid in overcoming mental blocks and resistance.

8. What approaches do you take to support the client to overcome mental barriers or doubts?

My approach is based on 3 fundamental topics: subconscious mind, limiting beliefs, and disempowering emotions. If we delve deeper, a coaching program has to identify where we are, where we want to go, and finally remove the internal obstacles in order to become the individual who has all the abilities to get to the finish line.

High-Performance Mindset and Techniques

9. May I ask for a few practical tips to help one develop a high-performance mindset?

This is a great point. A high-performance mindset directly correlates with our self-image. This means we have to make an image of ourselves as strong, determined, and perseverant individuals. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to build a daily routine that contains a physical challenge. It should not be overly challenging, as failure to overcome it could lead to frustration, nor should it be too easy, as it could lead to boredom. Winning this physical challenge every day will enable us, within a few days, to begin building a positive self-image. We will also establish a positive cycle as we begin to feel better and better. Our motivation and our high-performance mindset will grow as a by-product.

10. How important is emotional control towards success and under what circumstances would you recommend the following techniques to manage one’s emotions?

Emotional management is crucial; it is the key to accessing our full potential. That’s why I always work on this topic with my coaching client. First of all, we have to understand our emotions. Being aware at a cognitive level allows us to start our path to emotional mastery. Of course there are tools that we can use, like, for instance, certain types of breath work. But in my opinion, we can’t really manage our emotions if we don’t understand why we have specific feelings and how we can use them to our advantage. Anyway, taking familiarity with the square breathing is extremely useful; here are the easy steps:

Step 1: Breathe in while counting for 4 seconds. Step 2: Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Step 3: Exhale for 4 seconds. Step 4: Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Repeat the four steps until you feel re-centered.

11. What are the most common myths about motivation and realizing peak performance?

Motivation is totally overrated. If we really want to realize peak performance, we have to develop discipline. The issue arises because we perceive difficulty as a negative, leading us to believe that we require motivation to tackle challenging tasks. If we want to perform at our peak, we have to change our mindset. We have to be aware that is the difficulty that makes us want to achieve our goals. If we really integrate the concept that difficult things are good because they are the only path to success, we don’t need motivation anymore.

12. You often speak about the power of goal management. How can people set realistic but still challenging goals, and what do they have to do to really get them?

NLP well-formed outcomes help us to define our goals at best. We have to define a final result and not the process of achieving it. Our goal has to be expressed in positive terms (no negations). It has to be specific, measurable, and under our control. I strongly recommend writing down your goals and reviewing them both upon waking up and before bedtime. In this way, we build dominant thoughts that will guide our subconscious mind to our goal achievement. The goal has to be difficult, but we can believe we can get it. In this way, our subconscious mind builds up the so-called “structural tension,” a sort of gap between us and the final result that our brain will try to fix. This topic is complex, and it should be handled based on the personal situation of every one of us. Anyway, with putting in practice these suggestions, we can really do a great job.

13. Your audiobooks, “Resilience in Sport and Life” and “Ultra Performance — One Step Beyond the Limit,” inspired a lot of people. What ideas or insights move you to writing these books, and what are key messages you’d like to communicate?

The goal is to spread my message and reach as many people as possible. And this message says simply that we should not settle for an “average life.” We all should work hard to improve and grow, because life is growth. I always say that we have a duty to ourselves to do everything we can to have incredible stories to tell. And if you live an “average life,” you will never have interesting stories.
I always say that we have a duty to ourselves to do everything we can to have incredible stories to tell. And if you live an “average life,” you will never have interesting stories.

14. How would you say that kind of feedback or stories from readers or listeners meant much for you?

I am really proud when people tell me that my motto helps them in various ways. People overcome business challenges, difficult situations, and even bad diseases simply by repeating themselves and following my words: one step at a time, one foot at a time, one mile at a time. Which is the only way you can go through an ultra-marathon and, ultimately, through life.

15. Are you working on any other new projects or books?

Not at this moment. I have numerous ideas and content, but currently, writing a book is not a priority for me.

16. You’re keen ultra-marathon runner. What influence has such endurance races had on your perspective about the notion of performance and endurance?

Ultra-running had a huge impact on me, both as a coach and as a man. You must prepare for every ultra-marathon with perseverance and patience. You have to train no matter the situation: when you’re tired, when you don’t have time, you must find it, when you simply don’t feel to struggle. You have to plan your challenging training sessions accordingly to your personal and professional commitments. Being an ultra-runner means mastering one rare and super important skill: delay gratification, the ability to work today for a long-term goal.

17. Which lesson you believed to be most applicable thus far in your coaching career, learnt through ultra-marathons?

It’s something related to the previous answer: the ability to work hard for a long time, not knowing if and when you’ll get the result. Today we can say that the real difference between dreamers and achievers is represented by the extent of this crucial skill.

18. Which ultra-marathon was you found most challenging and how did you overcome it?

Every ultra-marathon is a huge challenge. When you have to stay on the trail for dozens of hours, it’s inevitable; sooner or later something will go wrong, and you’ll have to manage it. I think TDS was the hardest: over 90 miles around Mont Blanc in the Alps. The journey through the mountains was epic, yet it also provided an incredible chance to delve deeply into myself and win the battle with my mind.

19. What competencies would an effective leader have, according to your imagination?

What you need to be an ultra-runner is a crucial part of what you need to be an effective leader: determination, the ability to work hard for a long time with great commitment, patience, and a relentless discipline. On top of that, you have to be a great communicator and have the ability to build positive relationships. All these characteristics allow us to be a model for other people.

20. How can organizations build a high-performance culture to allow teams to perform at their best?

First of all, there must be strong and positive leadership. Dealing with high-performing individuals who hold high standards tends to elevate everyone on the team. Take for example Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Working with MJ was extremely difficult because of his ultra-high standards. When Michael left the Bulls, virtually none of the players were able to maintain his performance at the same level. The absence of his powerful leadership led to a drastic decline in the team’s standards. Of course the leader must have communication and relationship skills in order to “build” the people around him.

21. What role does effective communication play in teamwork and organization effectiveness?

Communication is crucial. Sometimes I train people in this super important skill, and the first thing I say is unbelievable: every year in the US, every large company loses more than $ 60 million due to poor communication. This alone underscores the critical importance of this topic.

22. What do you do to stay current with the latest research and trends in human performance and how do you apply what you have learned to your coaching?

I always invest time in reading, studying, and participating in events that have relevance for my job. I also pay attention to the tech evolution; everyone of us should be aware of the next big tech challenges, like, for example, the AI revolution.

23. Who/what do you find yourself especially inspired by in your personal life as well as your profession?

I’ll name three: Tim Grover, Alex Hormozi, and Napoleon Hill.

24. What are your goals for the future, both coaching and personally?

My professional goal is to positively impact as many people as possible, helping them to improve their performances, get better results, and ultimately build the life they want. Personally, I’m working every day to make my business solid and enjoy my life in freedom, taking care of myself and my family in a sunny place with the sea.

25. What would you tell someone about to embark on a journey toward achieving high performance in life?

Define with extreme clarity what you want in life. Decide to become the individual you need to be in order to get what you want. Forget motivation. Build discipline. Take care of your body, your mind, and your emotional state. Make the big commitment to work hard until you get to the place you want to be. Learn to work hard without seeing any results. Enjoy the epic journey of your life, knowing that one day you will have many amazing stories to tell. And if you want to cut down on time, get a good coach.

In closing, Massimiliano Spini’s journey exemplifies the power of resilience, clarity, and relentless pursuit of excellence. His dedication to helping others unlock their potential, paired with his expertise in mental training, leadership, and emotional mastery, has made him a beacon of inspiration in the world of high-performance coaching. Massimiliano Spini’s insights remind us that success is a continuous journey of growth, fueled by discipline and purpose. As he continues to empower individuals and organizations alike, his impact is a testament to the profound changes that arise from a strong mindset and a clear vision for the future.

For any further information, feel free to contact max: https://linktr.ee/massimiliano.spini