By Carolena Carstens · 2× Olympian
The Internal Method
A 2-week intensive mental performance program for athletes, built from the lessons Carolena learned across two Olympic Games, worked one-on-one and personalized to your sport, category and biggest mental challenge.
- 2
- weeks, intensive
- 10
- athletes in the first group
- 2×
- Olympian teaching it
- $297
- first group price
Awareness
Find the exact moment the mind turns on you, and name it.
Reset
A repeatable routine that returns you to neutral in seconds.
Reprogram
Replace the old story with a trained response you can trust.
Perform
Compete free, present, aggressive, unbothered by the score.
The Internal Method
Train your mindlike you train your body
The Internal Method is for athletes who want to compete with more clarity, confidence and control under pressure.
The process adapts to athletes from any sport based on their discipline, position, category, goals and main mental challenges.
View programsFirst group
2-week intensive program
Only 10 athletes
An intensive, personalized program for athletes who want to understand what happens mentally under pressure and start building real tools to compete better.
- 2 private 1:1 sessions of 45 minutes
- Personalized mental performance work
- Competition or training video review
- 2 group support sessions
- Practical tools for pressure, confidence, focus and recovering after mistakes
- Personalized Mental Competition Plan
The group sessions are an additional support resource. If an athlete cannot attend all of them because of scheduling, the individual work continues as normal.
Founding group price
$297First group limited to 10 athletes.
Apply to the programPay in full or split it into two payments.
Is this for you?
You train well but compete differently
Nerves affect your performance
You lose confidence after making a mistake
You overthink under pressure
You struggle to regain focus
You want a clear mental plan for competition
How the 2 weeks work
Week 1
Understand your pattern
- Initial evaluation
- First private session
- Identify mental blocks and pressure patterns
- Initial focus tools
- Group session
- Submit competition or training video
Week 2
Build your system
- Personalized video review
- Confidence and self-talk
- Response after mistakes
- Pre-competition routine
- Second group session
- Second private session
- Personalized Mental Competition Plan
Private, combat athletes
Fighter's corner
For a single martial arts, boxing or MMA fighter who wants me in their corner. Private month to month work, built around your camp, your opponent and your fight night.
- A deep 20 question assessment of your mind in camp, in the ring and after a loss
- Four private 1:1 sessions every month
- Direct messaging access between sessions
- Fight week support and a debrief after every competition
- A written Fight Mental Plan, kept up to date
Learn from real experience
Carolena Carstens
I spent years experiencing the pressure of competing at the highest level.
The Internal Method comes from real experience: what worked, what did not, the mistakes, losses, pressure, nerves and everything I learned about the mind throughout my athletic career.
My goal is to help athletes understand earlier what took me years to learn.
Your body already trains.Now train your mind.
Only 10 athletes in the first group.
Find your path
Tell me your goaland I will tell you where to start
Write what you want to achieve and what is costing you in competition. In seconds you get a recommendation for the program that fits you best.
The problem
Your athlete can train the body every day. But who is training the mind?
Talent, technique and conditioning matter. But when pressure arrives, an athlete can still freeze, doubt themselves, rush decisions, compare themselves to others or let one mistake change the entire competition. The Internal Method works on what happens underneath the performance: confidence, self-talk, pressure, identity, emotional control, preparation, recovery after setbacks and the ability to trust yourself when it matters.
In the room
Coached, not lectured
Every session is led live, the same voice, language and standards athletes get on the mat at camp, brought into the two weeks.
Why this is different
I learned many of these lessons the hard way.
I started Taekwondo at four years old and went on to compete at two Olympic Games. Along the way there were wins, losses, injuries, fear, expectations, pressure, difficult decisions and moments when my own mind made competition harder than it needed to be. This program is built from the lessons I wish I had understood earlier. Athletes do not need to repeat every mistake I made to learn from it.
“I cannot change the mistakes in my journey. But I can use them to make another athlete's journey better.”
Testimonial
What camp organisers say
“Carolena possesses that certain special quality that is difficult to describe: the rare ability not only to develop people as athletes but also to connect with and inspire them on a personal level.”
Carolena Carstens is an exceptional personality who combines world-class sporting expertise with empathy, warmth and a remarkable ability to connect with young athletes.
At our International Taekwondo Summer Camp in Nafplio, our aim is to give talented and ambitious young athletes the opportunity to meet and train with their sporting idols. Active world-class athletes, as well as athletes who have recently concluded their successful careers, lead the training sessions and pass their experience directly on to the next generation. We want the young participants to understand just how much discipline, time, sacrifice and passion are required to compete at the Olympic Games, or even win an Olympic medal.
From my very first conversation with Carolena, it became clear that we shared the same vision of how young athletes should be supported, motivated and inspired. She immediately understood the concept and values behind our camp and accepted our invitation without hesitation.
It is difficult to put into words the empathy, enthusiasm and extraordinary connection with which Carolena led her training sessions in Nafplio. She shared her extensive experience with tremendous passion, gave individual attention to the athletes and managed to engage and motivate every single participant.
I was particularly impressed by her tactical expertise and mental strength. Carolena not only provided valuable technical and tactical guidance but also showed the young athletes how important self-confidence, mental resilience and the right mindset are in competitive sport. She quickly developed an exceptional connection with the many female participants in particular. For them, Carolena was not only a highly qualified coach but also an authentic role model and a tremendous source of inspiration.
Throughout my many years in Taekwondo, I have met numerous internationally successful athletes. Carolena, however, possesses that certain special quality that is difficult to describe: the rare ability not only to develop people as athletes but also to connect with and inspire them on a personal level.
I can wholeheartedly recommend any ambitious Taekwondo athlete to attend workshops, training camps or seminars organised or led by Carolena. Every participant will benefit from her sporting experience, mental strength and, above all, her remarkable personality.
Dimitrios Lautenschläger
Organiser of the International Taekwondo Summer Camp · Nafplio, Greece
One of Germany's most successful youth Taekwondo coaches
The outcome
What changes over two weeks
The goal is not to promise an athlete they will never feel nervous or never lose. The goal is to help them understand themselves, build repeatable mental tools and respond well when competition gets difficult.
Reacting
Responding
Recognize nerves, thoughts and emotional triggers before they take over.
Doubt
Evidence-based confidence
Confidence built from preparation, habits, self-talk and keeping promises to yourself.
Pressure
A plan
Enter competition with a personal routine for focus, breathing, visualization and controllables.
One mistake
A reset
Return to the present instead of letting one error decide the whole performance.
Loss = failure
Loss = information
Review competition objectively and turn setbacks into specific next steps.
Dependence
Ownership
Take charge of preparation, communication, standards and development.
Who this is for
For athletes who know they are capable of more.
- They train hard but struggle to show the same level under pressure
- They lose confidence after mistakes or losses
- They overthink, compare themselves or get overwhelmed before competition
- They want a stronger pre-competition routine
- They need more ownership, consistency and self-belief
- Their parents want to support them in a healthier, more effective way
Stronger mind. Stronger athlete. Stronger person.
Build from the inside. Perform on the outside.
Join the program