I started my professional career in 1986 when I landed my first job as a singer and dancer at one of Canada’s longest-running theatres. I had been a performer since the age of three, which led me to become both a competitive figure skater and swimmer. Performing, entertaining, and athletics became my chosen disciplines, continuing to open many professional opportunities—including selling steel, managing palliative care, and creating standard operating procedures for various industries. Behind all these diverse experiences lies one unifying thread: my relentless drive to understand how to perform and deliver top results on command.

Making top performance look effortless takes tremendous effort. I train people to become clutch performers through the lens of four disciplines I’ve thrived within: sales, performing, writing, and running. Their striking similarities within vast differences reveal the whole-body-and-soul attention required for reliable, repeatable clutch performance. Over the past twenty years, these disciplines became the foundation of fourteen methods I’ve created methods that have transformed how people show up when it matters most. Here’s the moment that crystallized everything I’d been learning.

The Mindset of a Champion

It was a beautiful, crisp January morning in 2000. I was driving like a madwoman, trying desperately to arrive on time for a planning appointment with Fiona, my triathlon and running coach of many years. Her mental and physical approach to training and racing inspired me to become an expert on how to achieve your best, no matter your age or ability. She helped me understand that every time you put yourself out there, there’s always a risk that things won’t work out the way you planned. Outlining the finish is important, but there really is no black-and-white answer to the game of winning. Her exceptional abilities as an athlete prepared me—a mediocre runner – to cross many finish lines I could never have crossed without her guidance and my execution.

One of the most important aspects I learned was that sound principles from one discipline can be transferred to another discipline with relative ease. It’s about finding a way to awaken the best of ourselves while doing what we’re doing. This one statement is what has kept me wanting to understand every aspect of how to awaken our best in any field we choose whether for hobby or for employment.

When I arrived at her home, she met me at the door wearing cozy slippers, Lululemon pants, and a fleece top. I turned the corner to take off my salt-stained boots and noticed a shiny silver engraved platter, draped by a colorful Hawaiian lei, sitting proudly on her living room mantel. She had won third place at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October. Although Fiona had logged several age-group wins at Ironman competitions, this race was one of her most cherished accomplishments. Her deep humility and grace left me wanting to know about her process. I wanted to understand why third place, to a multi-gold medalist, was more meaningful than winning.

Fiona shared, “I remember, with fewer than two miles to go, I assessed my direct competitors, comparing where I was in proximity to them. If I was going to make a move to win, I knew it would have to be now. That is what racing is all about. You execute your entire plan to the best of your ability, making the most of each moment. Then you move on to the next challenge.”

She won third because she was racing for gold.

The ultimate secret to becoming a top performer, no matter the discipline, is simple. Create a plan and do the work consistently, one step at a time. This breaks open our beliefs into more possibilities while extinguishing the learned limits of our past. Doing the work, training and practicing prepares us to work through the tough times as well as capitalize on the triumphant moments. Race day, performance day, audition day, speaking day, presentation day – all demand that we trust we did the work to get to the start line healthy. Once you’re in the race, you must remain present to respond to and manage your thoughts, actions, and reactions to whatever arises in the moment

Fiona’s third-place finish taught me something profound: Champions don’t chase medals; they chase their own potential. They show up fully prepared, race for gold regardless of the outcome, and understand that every finish line is just the beginning of the next start line.

This is what I teach my clients – leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs who need to deliver when it matters most. This is how you become the clutch performer, by awakening what’s already within you, waiting to be remembered.

By Alli Mang