Billy Larkins: "I Don't Set Goals For Other People Anymore" - The Villain Who Became The Hero

Billy Larkins: "I Don't Set Goals For Other People Anymore" - The Villain Who Became The Hero

In this episode of Mindset Stories, we sit down with Billy Larkins, strength and conditioning coach, business owner of 5 gyms across Pennsylvania, father of 5, husband, and the man Sara has openly called both her villain and her hero. Billy takes us through his unconventional path. Quitting accounting after thirty seconds, mentoring under a 40-year-old bodybuilder in Portland, building a small gym in Kenosha that produced NFL stars like Trey Waynes and Melvin Gordon, working with the Chicago Blackhawks and Milwaukee Brewers, moving across the country to Maine to chase a national championship with Sara, then landing with the Pittsburgh Penguins before stepping down to build the life he actually wanted. But the real story is what happened when Billy walked into Sara's coaching office and refused to accept the version of herself she was selling. He shares his side of the years he spent holding up the mirror, why he never quit even when Sara wanted nothing to do with what he was saying, and the philosophy that's guided his entire career: don't quit when it gets hard, do the work that actually matters, and stop confusing being nice with being good. We dig into the lessons that came out of that relationship for both of them, the importance of letting people set their own pace, and Billy's hard truth that "true success doesn't exist" because success is innate to the individual. This one is for the coaches, the parents, the mentors, and anyone who's ever been the hard voice in someone else's life and wondered if it was worth it. And it's for anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of that voice and finally understood why.

Sara's Story: Looking In The Mirror Is One Of The Hardest Things I Learned How To Do

In this pre-launch episode of Mindset Stories, the tables turn, co-host Sara shares her own story. Sara grew up playing hockey with the boys at a time when girls' hockey barely existed, built a career as an NCAA Division I coach for 18 years, and from the outside, things looked good. But for more than three decades, she'd never truly looked at herself honestly. Then a strength coach she calls "the villain of her story" started holding up a mirror, pointing out, again and again, the things she didn't want to see. What followed was a year-long unraveling: denial, then shame, and finally the slow, hard work of self-reflection, ownership, and becoming the person she actually wanted to be. This is an honest conversation about why looking at yourself is so terrifying, how a "villain" can turn out to be a hero, and what it really takes to close the gap between who you are and who you want to be.

Luc's Story: There Is A Purpose

At 21, Luc went through a traumatic, life changing experience. What came next shaped the man he is today. This is his story. Welcome to Mindset Stories, The Human Side of Performance. In our first pre-launch episode, we sit down with co-founder Luciano Somerville (Luc) as he shares his story for the first time. Luc grew up in small towns across Vancouver Island chasing the dream of playing professional hockey. He moved through minor hockey, junior, and university hockey at the University of Victoria. But behind the scenes, life was throwing things at him that nobody saw. The politics and broken promises of junior hockey. The seizure that cost him a BCHL opportunity. And eventually, a moment that changed everything and led him to the work he does now as a mental performance coach. In this conversation, Luc opens up about the years he spent isolating, the victim mindset he carried for too long, and the slow path back to himself. He talks about the people who helped him, the things that did not, and how all of it shaped his "why" for showing up for others today. Why we started with our own stories: We did not want to ask guests to be vulnerable on this podcast without being willing to do it ourselves first. These two pre-launch episodes are how we set the stage before Mindset Stories officially launches July 20, 2026. Sara's Story drops May 22nd. Content note: This episode includes discussion of traumatic experiences, mental health struggles, and suicidal ideation. Please listen at your own pace. If you are in crisis or need support, please reach out to a mental health professional, a trusted person in your life, or a crisis support line near you. You are not alone. Subscribe and follow along: YouTube: @MindsetStories-LS Instagram: @podcastmindsetstories TikTok: @mindsetstoriespodcast Website: mindsetstoriespodcast.com [http://mindsetstoriespodcast.com]