Blog 5: Breaking Patterns, Building Mindset, and Living Fully with Austin Linney

September 07, 2025•3 min read

Recently on Wind in Her Hair, I had the honor of interviewing Austin Linney — performance coach, entrepreneur, and someone who has personally guided me through transformative growth.

We went deep into mindset, breaking self-sabotaging patterns, recovery from addiction, and the lifelong process of personal development. Here are some of the biggest takeaways.

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From Rock Bottom to Coaching Others

Austin didn’t set out to become a coach. For years, he casually guided friends — but never saw it as a career.

That changed when someone literally forced his hand: sending him money and demanding coaching. Nervous but willing, Austin dove in.

His second client became a defining moment. Within minutes, the man admitted he wanted to leave his wife. Austin’s guidance shifted his perspective — saving the marriage. That moment revealed the true weight of coaching: stepping directly into people’s lives.

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Why Mindset is More Than Motivation

“Mindset isn’t about rah-rah motivation,” Austin explained. “It’s about being a palm tree — rooted, flexible, calm in the chaos.”

One client told him, “I thought you were going to tell me what to think, but you taught me how to think.” That’s the difference between hype and transformation.

Breaking patterns often means disrupting routines: brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, taking a new route, or even doing something silly to “stick a spoke in the wheel.” Growth begins when we step out of autopilot.

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The Enemy of Growth: Comfort

It’s not laziness that holds most people back — it’s comfort. Mediocrity feels safe. Change feels hard.

But as Austin reminds us, personal growth isn’t a finish line. The work never ends. Vulnerability, discipline, and consistency are what create lasting change.

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Addiction, Recovery, and Extreme Ownership

Austin opened up about his struggles with drugs and alcohol. After years of destructive habits, his breaking point came when he stayed awake for eight days, hallucinating and overdosing on sleeping pills.

Relocating to Austin marked a turning point. He quit hard drugs cold turkey, but alcohol lingered for 20 years. Eventually, he realized: it wasn’t about his father, his past, or anyone else. It was about him.

Reading Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink helped him take full responsibility — and everything shifted.

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Subconscious Mind and Manifestation

Around 80–90% of what we do is driven by the subconscious. Negative thought loops can wire destructive patterns into our brain, while positive affirmations can literally reprogram us.

Austin’s toolkit includes:

* Daily journaling (then running notes through AI to spot blind spots)

* Listening back to his own reflections via a private podcast

* Replacing drama and victimhood with clarity and alignment

“When I chose to step away from drama, I stopped encountering it. It’s not magic — it’s clarity.”

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Healing, Faith, and Letting Go

Faith plays a role in both Austin’s journey and mine. Growth doesn’t always come from control or clarity — sometimes it comes from surrender, letting go, and trusting the process.

As Austin put it: “Healing isn’t about perfection. It’s about embracing the messy, the unknown, and the process itself.”

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Final Words of Encouragement

Austin left listeners with this reminder:

“You’re not as far away as you think. The job, the mindset, the relationship you want — it’s usually just a two-millimeter shift. Life is like hiking: the view always gets a little better around the corner. Keep going. One step at a time.”