Gent’s Talk: Ep. 44 - A Sit-Down w/ Matt Caldaroni

Welcome to Episode 44 of the Gent’s Talk podcast, where we sat down with the co-founder of Molliteum, Matt Caldaroni. Molliteum focuses on resilience, which is that extra gear that separates high-performance athletes from average athletes. Their mission: to help you discover your true potential through resilience.

Matt Caldaroni is a high-performance resiliency coach, and as an ex-professional soccer player, he understands the highs and lows associated with being a competitor. What the team at Molliteum does, is tap into the lifestyle of a resilient athlete. They found that successful performances on the field go far beyond the physical performance environment.

High-Performance Athletes

Outside of resilience, core hunger and discipline are among the qualities a high-performance athlete must possess. When deciding which high-performance athletes to take on, Matt stated that they must have the following attributes: vision (what they want), purpose (why they want it), and leverage (how they hold themselves accountable).

Motivation is another noteworthy trait for a high-performance athlete. Contrary to widespread opinion, Caldaroni believes that ‘proving people wrong’ is a terrible motivator. “It’s a great tool to spark you, but a bad long-term strategy for motivation.” He stated that a good long-term motivator is consistently focusing on what you want to build and create. It boils down to commitment (to the vision), competence, focus (what will be a potential distraction), and toughness. To our surprise, Matt believes that toughness can be taught. He indicated that continually adapting your approach until you get what you want, allows you to achieve the unimaginable.

“Commit to the reality of the process it takes to get there.”
Matt Caldaroni on accomplishing goals

Listen as Matt shuts down the idea of “putting everyone before yourself.” He has discovered that if you are of the mindset that you have to ‘serve everyone in front of you,’ you often forget about yourself.

Leadership

Molliteum clients are not just athletes, but coaches, leaders, and CEOs as well. We touched on the role of a coach, and Caldaroni described an excellent coach as an individual that starts with a core of selflessness. “They need to know that the only way to become a successful coach is to make it all about the other person.” He strongly disagrees with fear-based leadership because people gravitate to a feeling of safety. He considers a value-driven leadership approach to be the best way to coach.

Please tune into Episode 44 for the entire conversation with Matt Caldaroni. During this episode, he defines the three sides to resilience (mental, physical and social) and suggests ways to vet your friend group effectively.

About Gent’s Talk

Bulova Canada presents Episode 44 of Gent’s Talk, available for streaming on Youtube, Spotify, Goodpods, iHeartRadio, Apple and Google Podcasts! It is filmed at StartWell Studios in Toronto. You can now catch Season 1 on all Air Canada flights! Your continued support throughout this journey is appreciated. Thank you!