Narrator: Imagine waking up one morning, ready to tackle a busy season of work, only to look in the mirror and see that the whites of your eyes have turned a startling, sickly yellow. This is exactly what happened to elite mental conditioning coach Trevor Moawad in September 2019. He tried to ignore it, blaming dehydration and wearing sunglasses to hide it from his high-profile clients. But the truth was unavoidable. After a series of tests, a doctor delivered the devastating news: a rare and aggressive form of cancer. In that moment, faced with a life-or-death crisis, all the theories and strategies he taught to world-class athletes were put to the ultimate test. How does one handle a calamity that threatens to overwhelm every thought? The answer lies at the heart of his book, Finding Neutral: How to Apply Elite Performance Strategies to the Rest of Us, a practical guide to navigating life’s greatest challenges by taking back control of your mind.

Narrator: The book begins by challenging one of the most ingrained ideas in self-help: the power of positive thinking. Moawad argues that while positivity has its place, unearned positivity can be dangerous. When faced with a crisis, simply telling yourself "everything will be okay" can be a form of denial that prevents you from dealing with the facts on the ground. This was starkly illustrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, as New York Times writer David Leonhardt observed, excessive optimism in the early days led to mistakes and later gave way to undue pessimism.

Instead, Moawad champions neutral thinking. This isn't about being emotionless; it's about stripping away biases and emotional reactions to see a situation for what it is. Lawrence Frank, president of the Los Angeles Clippers, explains this concept through basketball. He notes that just because a player has missed ten shots in a row doesn't mean the eleventh will be a miss. And just because they’ve made ten in a row doesn’t guarantee the next one will go in. Each event is independent. Neutral thinking is the practice of accepting the past without letting it dictate the future, and making the next decision based purely on the facts at hand. It’s about acknowledging, as quarterback Russell Wilson says, that it’s "okay to have emotions, but don’t be emotional" in the moment of decision.

Narrator: When faced with an overwhelming crisis, the mind can spiral into fear and what-ifs. Moawad’s own cancer diagnosis provides the most powerful illustration of his core strategy for managing this chaos. Sitting in the doctor's office, he knew that researching his rare cancer online would only lead to fear. So, he applied the first step: downshifting to neutral. He asked his doctor, Nicholas Nissen, to give him only the essential information he needed to move forward. He didn't want to know the survival statistics or the long-term odds. He just wanted to know the plan.

This leads to the second, crucial step: taking the next right step. With a clear, immediate plan—laparoscopic surgery, then chemotherapy—Moawad could focus his mental energy on that single task. He didn't worry about the surgery after that, or the radiation after that. He focused only on what was directly in front of him. This process-oriented approach breaks down an insurmountable mountain into a series of manageable steps. Whether it's a health crisis, a business failure, or a global pandemic, the path forward is found by asking one simple, neutral question: "What is the next thing I need to do?"

Narrator: Identifying your values is important, but Moawad stresses that values without corresponding actions are meaningless. True change and success are forged through consistent, disciplined habits. The book highlights a famous 2014 commencement speech by Admiral William McRaven, who told graduates that if they want to change the world, they should start by making their bed.

McRaven explained that this simple act, done perfectly every morning, accomplishes the first task of the day and provides a small sense of pride. It encourages another task, and then another. It reinforces that the little things matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never do the big things right. And on a miserable day, coming home to a bed that is made gives you encouragement that tomorrow can be better. This story perfectly encapsulates Moawad’s philosophy: you must behave your way to success. It’s not enough to feel motivated; sometimes, you have to act first, and the feeling will follow. Consistent behaviors, from making your bed to showing up early for practice like Stephen Curry, are what ultimately shape your identity and your results.

Narrator: In our hyper-connected world, our attention is a finite and precious resource. Moawad argues that we are in a constant battle against distractions that drain our mental energy, from social media to internal family drama. To perform at a high level, we must be ruthless about protecting our focus. He calls this principle "Starve Your Distractions, Feed Your Focus."

This concept was put into practice by the Georgia Bulldogs football team before their 2017 SEC Championship game. Coach Kirby Smart knew his team, which had lost to their opponent Auburn earlier in the season, would be bombarded with distractions: media hype, ticket requests from family, and social media noise. He presented the team with that single, unifying thought: starve the distractions and feed the focus. They discussed what needed to be locked out—pundits, social media, the outcome of the game—and what needed to be locked on—the game plan, their assignments, the present moment. This act of consciously identifying and eliminating distractions allowed the team to enter a high-stakes game with clear, focused minds, prepared to execute their plan without being drained by external noise.

Narrator: No one succeeds alone. Moawad insists that we must think of ourselves as the general manager of our own lives, actively building a team to support us. This means carefully evaluating who we allow into our inner circle, especially during times of crisis. Not everyone is equipped to provide the support you need, and involving the wrong people can create more stress.

When Moawad faced his cancer diagnosis, he deliberately built his team. He learned from his father’s illness that putting the burden on someone who isn't prepared can lead to resentment. So, he was selective. His anchor became Lawrence Frank, the president of the Clippers, who didn't just offer sympathy but spoke Moawad's language of process and performance. Frank listened, helped him stay in the moment, and connected him with the right doctors. Moawad also leaned on people like Mark Herzlich, a former NFL player who had beaten the same type of cancer and could offer practical advice. The key is to surround yourself with people who can offer specific, helpful support, whether it's professional guidance, emotional stability, or unconditional love.

Narrator: One of the book's most profound lessons is that achieving a major goal does not guarantee lasting fulfillment. Life is not a destination to be reached, but a continuous process of becoming. Coach Billy Donovan of the Florida Gators basketball team learned this firsthand. After winning the 2006 national championship, a lifelong dream, he felt surprisingly empty. He realized the trophy wasn't the "end-all, be-all."

Seeking advice from other legendary coaches, Donovan learned that the key was to treat the next season as a completely new journey. He had to reset his team's expectations, reminding them that they weren't defending a title but starting a new climb from the bottom. This shift in perspective—from outcome to process—is what allowed the team to win a second consecutive championship. The story teaches a vital lesson: the joy is in the journey, the teamwork, and the shared effort. Accomplishments are temporary, but the process of growth is constant. Whether you win or lose, the next day, life goes on, and there is always a next step to take.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from Finding Neutral is that our greatest power in the face of chaos lies not in forced optimism or emotional reaction, but in the quiet discipline of neutral thinking. It’s the ability to pause, assess the facts of a situation without judgment, and focus all of your energy on one thing: the next right step. Trevor Moawad’s philosophy is made all the more powerful by the fact that he lived it until his final days, applying these principles to his own fight with cancer.

The book leaves us with a profound challenge. In a world that constantly pulls us toward emotional extremes, can we cultivate the strength to find neutral? The next time you're faced with a setback, a crisis, or an overwhelming challenge, resist the urge to spiral. Instead, ask yourself the simple, powerful question that guided Moawad and the elite performers he coached: What do I need to do right now?