In this episode, Lara Eisenberg, radiologist and semi-professional poker player, reveals how competitive skydiving and pool have helped train her mind to remain calm and focused, thus giving her a competitive edge against the pros. Elliot and Lara discuss how she balances work, play, continued poker education, and a happy personal life. Listen in to hear a well-rounded semi-pro share what she does to keep her mindset steady, her body healthy, and her poker game strong. Visit The Mindset Advantage Podcast or find us on iTunes to subscribe, visit previous episodes, and learn more about your host, Elliot Roe.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:50 – Introducing Lara, a semi-professional player and radiologist 01:30 – She started with online PC gaming and taught herself by reading books on poker 02:36 – She uses the A-Game planner to organize her studying schedule and studies 5-10 hours a week 03:23 – As a working person, you must be creative when finding time to learn; you can listen to audio while driving or watch videos while doing chores 04:20 – On sitting at the table with professional players 04:36 – She doesn’t get intimidated and knows to put into action what she has practiced 05:15 – What bothers her making mistakes when she knows better 05:45 – Being a female player in the male-dominated sport of poker 05:50 – She’s always been drawn to fields that are male-dominated like medicine (although there are more women now), pool, skydiving, and poker 06:15 – There are advantages and disadvantages to being a woman in these fields, but she’s always been very competitive 06:48 – The more poker is appealing to a wider group of people, the better it is for all players; help make poker more appealing by being friendly and welcoming 07:38 – Lara doesn’t get phased by anger or rudeness at the table; she notices that the higher the skill level at the table, the lesser the players will make assumptions 09:00 – How she juggles work and play: She works from home and works every other week, so she can attend plenty of events 10:00 – In Maryland she’s lucky to have plenty of places to play nearby; she believes her location is better than Vegas because of the bigger games that happen more frequently 11:35 – Cash-stake games in Maryland 11:38 – The biggest she’s played is 510 but there are limit games that are bigger, people move near the MGM because of the tourist element 12:35 – The re-growth of live poker; Lara believes that the U.S. should have online poker and tax it 13:40 – How competitive skydiving has helped Lara cope with emotions 14:05 – She read the book, “Mental Training for Skydiving and Life,” which taught her meditation, visualization, calmness, and peak performance 14:44 – She has 4,500 jumps, so the danger element has gone away 15:00 – Skydiving has helped her poker game because she can better look for an edge, focus, and remain calm 15:39 – Having a short attention span is a big challenge at the table today 16:15 – Lara fits studying, nutrition, exercise, and mental health exercises into her workweek and play week 18:55 – The winning mindset and being driven to succeed 19:22 – Certain people get obsessed with things and want to be the best; there’s a balance needed between that and other important things in life 20:24 – It’s ok to play within your means and recognize that you aren’t a professional player playing high-rollers if you have a full-time job 22:00 – Poker as recreational: You can have a job and be a winning player if you invest time and money in educational tools and coaching 22:30 – If you don’t have as much time to invest in playing, you should invest in educational things that save you time like the Mindset Advantage or Elevate Groups 23:18 – Alex Fitzgerald has been her coach for years and she appreciates the individualized feedback 3 Key Points You can still have an edge at the table as a semi-professional.   Get your studying in by whatever means necessary; even if that means listening while driving or watching