Latest news with #selfdoubt
Forbes
5 days ago
- General
- Forbes
2 Manipulation Tactics To Watch Out For In A Partner, By A Psychologist
Emotionally abusive partners don't need to lie outright when they can simply make you doubt your own ... More reality. Here's how they evade responsibility and keep you guessing. 'Plausible deniability' is about maintaining just enough ambiguity that someone can deny harmful intent. It often sounds like 'I was just joking,' 'You're too sensitive' or 'That's not how I remember it.' These statements deny any responsibility on the speaker's part, and distort your perception of what's really going on. In intimate relationships, this becomes a psychological weapon that emotionally abusive or manipulative partners use to keep their victims confused, off-balance and questioning their own reality. Here are two psychological tactics behind plausible deniability, and how it keeps victims stuck in cycles of self-doubt. Most abusive relationships don't necessarily begin with screaming matches. They can start with offhand remarks, subtle put-downs or boundary violations that are easy to brush off at first. You might feel slight discomfort but convince yourself it was a joke or something not worth making a fuss about. This early ambiguity is often strategic on the part of the perpetrator. By keeping their behavior just vague enough and counting on you to keep the peace, a manipulative partner creates room to dodge accountability while you're left decoding what just happened. This tactic works well for them. According to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, most people are far less likely to identify nonphysical abuse such as manipulation or emotional control as 'real' abuse. Our internal definitions of intimate partner violence are often biased toward the visible and dramatic ones consisting of raised voices, bruises and threats. But emotional abuse can be harder to put a name to. It shows up in comments like: The researchers also found that people rarely identify these nonphysical behaviors as abusive unless specifically prompted, especially if they hold flawed romantic beliefs such as 'jealousy equals love.' This gap in recognition is what often keeps people stuck in abusive relationships, leaving them questioning themselves instead of the behavior they're being subjected to. The harm is real, but because it's wrapped up in ambiguity, it becomes harder to name, harder to validate and harder to leave. Gaslighting is often thought of as overt manipulation — someone flat-out denying something they said or did, making you feel 'crazy' for remembering it differently. But in relationships where partners hide behind plausible deniability, gaslighting can take on a subtler form. This can look like a shrug, a dismissive laugh or a 'You're reading too much into it,' and the intent is entirely to undermine you. Instead of always telling you your version of events is wrong, an emotionally manipulative partner plants seeds of uncertainty that make you question your own truth. They might even flip the script to make you feel like you did something wrong, saying things like 'Why do you always assume the worst of me?' This deters you from questioning them further and instead leads the conversation toward you having to appease them. Such partners leave just enough space for you to wonder if maybe you're the one misinterpreting things. And because you might be someone that's introspective, compassionate and fair-minded, you entertain the possibility that you're wrong. You might start analyzing yourself instead of the harm the other person caused. Over time, this dynamic rewires your instincts. You may start responding in the following ways: A 2023 qualitative study of gaslighting survivors found that abuse typically occurred in relationships that oscillated between affection and control, making the manipulation even more disorienting. Over time, victims reported a weakened sense of self, growing mistrust in others and a fading confidence in their own perceptions. Many described feeling as though they had to 'earn clarity' in their relationships, only to be met with more confusion. Recovery often began only after leaving the relationship and re-engaging in relationships and activities that helped them reconnect with their truth. Without realizing it, you stop trusting your emotional compass. You defer your truth in favor of preserving peace. And slowly, you hand over the narrative of your life to someone who benefits from you staying confused. Plausible deniability is effective because it taps into two powerful human instincts: the need for certainty and the fear of shame. And it's not just 'what' is said that creates this confusion, but 'how' it's said, and how we're conditioned to respond to it. 1. Our need for coherence. Human beings are wired to seek clarity, especially in close relationships, where emotional safety depends on being able to make sense of what's happening. So, ambiguity can feel deeply uncomfortable. When someone offers even a vaguely plausible explanation like 'I didn't mean it like that,' or 'You're misunderstanding me,' we often latch onto it, because the alternative is too hard to bear. A 2022 study published in Personal Relationships examining emotionally abusive communication found that abusers often deliver these attacks through indirect, vague or superficially polite strategies, like backhanded comments, sarcastic jokes or pointed silences. These tactics are hard to label clearly as abusive, which makes them easier to overlook or rationalize. Victims, in turn, are more likely to give the other person the benefit of the doubt, because their language doesn't 'sound' like abuse. The message stings but the way it's said creates just enough doubt to make us pause, explain it away or blame ourselves for overreacting. 2. The shame loop. The researchers of the 2022 study also found that people on the receiving end of indirect attacks also end up responding with silence, politeness or attempts to smooth things over. This is what makes plausible deniability especially damaging. The behavior is hard to name and harder to prove, creating just enough ambiguity to keep you quiet. You wonder if you're being too sensitive, too reactive or too dramatic. You hesitate to speak up because it feels like you need a 'better' reason, one that would rightfully justify the discomfort. So you don't say anything. And in that silence, the pattern continues. The longer you stay quiet, the more your shame deepens: But psychological abuse festers precisely in that grey zone. It doesn't need to be loud to be effective, it just needs to make you question your own experience. To truly break free from such tactics, the inner work becomes about finding your way back to you and rebuilding the part of you that knows what's true before it gets talked out of it. Here's what that deeper process might involve: 1. Validating without proof. Start practicing the radical act of believing yourself, even without external validation. The moment you feel something's off, even if it seems 'small' or you can't yet explain why, let that be enough to pay attention. 2. Separate discomfort from doubt. Abusers rely on your discomfort being misread as self-doubt. Learn to sit with the unease without rushing to explain it away. 'This feels wrong' is a complete sentence. Let that discomfort be information, not something to argue with. 3. Deconstruct the need to justify. Often, we don't leave harmful dynamics because we can't find the perfect reason. But part of healing is unlearning the belief that your pain needs to be legible to others to be valid. If it's costing you your peace, that's reason enough. 4. Strengthen internal referencing. Instead of asking, 'Was it really that bad?' ask, 'How did that feel to me?' Instead of wondering, 'Would someone else be upset?' ask, 'Do I feel okay with this?' This shift from external to internal referencing is what begins to rebuild inner authority, the part of you that doesn't need to be 'convinced' to act in your own best interest. 5. Find people who mirror you back to yourself. One of the most healing things in recovery from psychological abuse is being around people who don't require proof to believe you. Choose spaces where your reality isn't up for debate. A safe space is a psychological necessity. Breaking free from plausible deniability isn't just about spotting manipulation. It's more about unlearning the reflex to abandon yourself to preserve someone else's comfort. Do you feel like you were 'too much,' 'too sensitive' or always the one who had to adjust? Take the science-backed Relationship Control Scale to learn whether you experience a lack of control in your relationships.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Kasia Siwosz on why success can trigger self-doubt, and how to lead through it
The call came from a private number. On the other end was a woman leading one of Europe's most prominent fintech firms. She had just secured her third major acquisition, topped an industry power list, and was celebrated in both business media and investment circles. But the question she asked was disarming: 'Why do I feel like a fraud?' Kasia Siwosz hears this question more often than many would imagine. As a life coach to high-performing individuals — from corporate leaders to former Olympians — she has built her practice around a rarely discussed issue: the contradiction between outer success and inner doubt. 'What people rarely admit is that achievements can magnify insecurity,' Siwosz says. 'The more you accomplish, the more you fear it's been a fluke.' Success and the Quiet Crisis It Triggers Recent data supports her observation. A 2024 study by the British Psychological Society found that 68% of senior executives experience persistent self-doubt despite sustained success. Meanwhile, the life and executive coaching market in the UK has grown by over 10% annually since 2021, with demand rising most sharply among CEOs and founders. The paradox is gaining traction across boardrooms, creative circles, and elite sports. Public accolades rarely silence internal questions. For some, the gap between how they're perceived and how they feel becomes a source of chronic pressure. Siwosz adds, 'Once you've achieved what you were chasing for years — a title, a valuation, a win — the fear shifts. It's no longer about whether you can get there. It's whether you can stay, or whether it was ever real to begin with.' A Career Forged Across Contradictions Siwosz's own story doesn't fit the typical narrative. She grew up in post-communist Poland, trained relentlessly to become a professional tennis player, and competed on the WTA tour until the age of 18. She ranked in the top 400 in doubles, 700 in singles — impressive by any measure, especially considering her limited financial backing. When she could no longer continue competing, she rerouted entirely. Through athletic scholarships, she attended three universities, ultimately graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. She then broke into investment banking in London, a path she says felt as punishing as elite sport — but less fulfilling. Later, she launched a restaurant that closed after three years, worked in venture capital until the pandemic shuttered her fund, and, in the middle of that upheaval, discovered coaching. 'Every chapter added another layer of understanding,' she explains. 'Not theory — lived experience. That's what my clients respond to.' Patterns Beneath the Surface Siwosz's current work focuses on what she calls 'hidden blocks' — deep-rooted narratives that keep high achievers stuck in cycles of over-performance and under-confidence. The stakes are often invisible from the outside: personal relationships that erode, health that declines, an identity that collapses when public markers of success shift. She describes one client, a prominent entrepreneur, who admitted that each business milestone brought not relief, but a sense of impending collapse. 'He was terrified of being exposed,' she says. 'Not because he wasn't qualified — but because he thought someone else would eventually notice what he believed about himself.' Her sessions are intensive and personal. Unlike traditional performance coaching, which often centers around productivity or tactical goals, Siwosz guides clients toward clarity about what they're running from — not just toward. Rebuilding Confidence Without the Mask Key to her process is the dismantling of performance-based identity. Clients are often so used to being measured by numbers, promotions, and public recognition that they no longer know who they are without those metrics. 'They've built their whole adult lives around external validation,' she says. 'So we ask: What's left when you take that away? And then we work from there.' Her work involves storytelling, pattern recognition, and what she refers to as 'calling out the distortion loop.' She challenges clients when they downplay their own abilities or inflate imagined threats. One of her techniques involves helping clients build what she calls internal reference points — a system for self-assessment that isn't reliant on applause or awards. Another involves direct confrontation of beliefs formed during earlier career stages, many of which no longer serve them. What Leadership Now Requires As more executives burn out or quietly resign despite external success, Siwosz argues that leadership today demands a different kind of stamina — not just strategic, but psychological. 'If you're leading people, and you're driven by fear, you will pass that fear down,' she says. 'If you're leading from unresolved shame, you will infect your culture with it.' Her clients don't advertise their coaching publicly, and she prefers it that way. Confidentiality and depth matter more than branding. 'This isn't a performative exercise,' she adds. 'It's for those who are tired of the act.' As professional success becomes more accessible to those willing to chase it, the internal work becomes harder to ignore. Kasia Siwosz offers not reassurance, but recalibration — a return to self-trust in environments that reward only performance. The pressure to achieve isn't likely to ease. But as she sees it, those who learn to examine their own success — and the beliefs it challenges — are the ones most likely to lead without losing themselves.
Forbes
07-06-2025
- General
- Forbes
3 Beliefs That Make You Vulnerable To Psychological Control — By A Psychologist
Some of the most enduring forms of manipulation don't rely on force. They take root quietly, through beliefs we never learned to question. These beliefs often form early, shaped by family dynamics, cultural expectations or past relationships that were either deeply disappointing or subtly dysfunctional. Over time, they harden into internal rules that feel like truth. Left unexamined, they become cracks in our psychological foundation, the very entry points where control and coercion can slip in. Many people who seek therapy aren't struggling because they lack insight. Often, they do sense that something feels off in their relationships. Perhaps a sense of vague discomfort or a gut instinct but find themselves stuck in patterns of over-accommodation, self-doubt or emotional disconnection. And beneath that stuckness is usually a belief system quietly working against them. Here are three such beliefs that can make you more vulnerable to psychological control — and what you can begin to believe instead, if you want to reclaim your autonomy. This belief turns boundaries into threats rather than tools for connection. It convinces you that asserting your needs will push people away. So, you trade honesty for harmony and authenticity for approval. You say yes when you mean no, tolerate discomfort silently, and in the process, shrink yourself to keep the peace. Manipulative or self-serving individuals often catch on to this quickly. They rely on your fear of abandonment to maintain control. When you attempt to assert yourself, they may respond with: These aren't random reactions. They function as a way of conditioning. You speak up and you're punished. Stay silent and things stay 'peaceful.' A 2014 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology helps understand why those with high attachment anxiety may struggle to set boundaries. In the face of conflict or criticism, they often express heightened emotional hurt to induce guilt in their partners. While this may momentarily preserve closeness and provide reassurance, it gradually erodes mutual well-being. Over time, their partners experience reduced relationship satisfaction — reinforcing a painful pattern: intimacy is preserved, but at the expense of authenticity. As this dynamic repeats, you start to associate losing yourself with keeping others. The relationship begins to feel more like captivity than connection. Often, this pattern takes root in childhood. If love or safety depended on compliance, or if expressing your needs led to conflict or rejection, you likely learned to suppress your truth to stay connected. However, as adaptive as this may have been in the past, in adulthood it translates to self-erasure. To outgrow this pattern: Remember, healthy relationships can handle your 'no.' In fact, they require it. If someone leaves when you assert yourself, they were never truly invested in your well-being. This belief often disguises itself as 'kindness.' Being the one who understands, helps and heals others can feel noble, even admirable. But when care becomes compulsion, and when support turns into self-sacrifice, the relationship begins to lose balance. You're no longer a partner, because now you are the fixer, the emotional buffer, the one who holds it all together for yourself and others. A 2013 study on unmitigated communion (UC) sheds light on this dynamic. Unmitigated Communion refers to the tendency to care for others at the expense of your own well-being. It's especially problematic when driven by self-oriented motives, such as the need to feel valued, needed or secure. The study found that people high on this tendency often tie their self-worth to how much they can do for others. The research shows that this dynamic is linked with shame, low self-esteem and anxious attachment — all of which keep you in overdrive while giving others room to take you for granted. Manipulative or emotionally immature individuals end up exploiting this belief with ease. They may offload their emotional pain to secure your attention and get you to invest your emotional labor, making their crisis your responsibility. And when change doesn't happen, or the emotional load gets heavier, you blame yourself — for not helping 'well enough' or working 'hard enough.' Often, this script begins in childhood. If you had to soothe a parent's mood, manage their distress or serve as the emotional adult in the room, you may have learned to equate being loved with being useful. And in adulthood, you unconsciously seek out people who allow you to stay in that role, even if it chips away at your sense of self. But support doesn't require self-abandonment. Love doesn't need to look like labor. The shift begins when you stop confusing care with responsibility. You're allowed to care about someone without carrying them. Support and responsibility are not the same thing. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself in difficult moments: Prioritizing yourself doesn't make you cold or indifferent. It makes you emotionally mature. You can still be compassionate without abandoning yourself in the process. True support honors both people. It says, 'I believe in your capacity to grow, and I trust myself enough not to carry what isn't mine.' On the surface, this belief sounds virtuous. Kindness is, after all, a deeply valued trait in most cultures and families. But kindness without discernment often turns into passivity. You may find yourself over-apologizing, avoiding conflict, downplaying mistreatment or saying yes when you desperately want to say no, all to avoid being seen as rude, selfish or difficult. This constant performance of goodness isn't always about caring for others. Often, it's about earning approval or avoiding rejection. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology found that when people are kind to be liked, rather than from genuine care, they're more likely to experience anxiety, shame, depression and chronic stress. In such cases, kindness becomes a form of appeasement. Manipulative individuals quickly pick up on this tendency. They sense that you're more invested in being perceived as kind than in protecting yourself which makes it easier for them to exploit it. Your silence, patience and reluctance to set boundaries become the very tools they use to push past them. Over time, you begin to equate 'being kind' with 'being quiet.' You swallow your instincts, suppress your anger and confuse peacekeeping with inner peace. This pattern often begins in childhood environments where emotional expression is discouraged or punished. You might have been praised for being 'a good girl,' 'a nice boy' or 'so easy to raise' as long as you didn't cause a fuss. If asserting yourself led to criticism, you likely learned to equate safety with agreeability. Cultural or gendered conditioning can further reinforce this. In many societies, kindness, particularly for women and girls, is conflated with compliance. Over time, it stops being a value and becomes a survival mechanism. To outgrow this belief, you must learn to say no without guilt, disagree without hostility and walk away without apology when your boundaries are violated. Here are a few ways to reframe kindness: Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is say 'no' to protect your dignity. Boundaries, directness and even distance can be acts of deep kindness, especially when they help restore balance in a dynamic that's become one-sided or unsafe. Because the moment you choose self-respect over self-sacrifice, the grip of control weakens and you begin to live a life on your own terms. The way out of psychological control isn't aggression — it's clarity. It's noticing the beliefs that quietly govern your behavior and asking: 'Is this true? Is this mine?' Do you often experience a lack of control in your relationship? Take the science-backed Relationship Control Scale to find out.
Forbes
02-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
‘Imposter Syndrome': 4 Ways To Turn It Into A Career Asset
A body of literature focuses on how to tackle and overcome imposter syndrome, but now experts are ... More showing how you can harness this feeling into boosting your job performance. On a cold, January day, Margo was having an anxiety attack in my office, afraid she would fail in the highly competitive real estate job she had worked day and night for several years. The paradox was she had just received an award and a bonus for top million-dollar salesperson in her company. Yet, she believed it was only a matter of time before her incompetence was revealed and she would lose her job. Margo was suffering from imposter syndrome--the chronic fear of being exposed as a fraud and that others think you're more capable and competent than you are. 'At first, I felt good about it," Margo told me, 'but that only lasted for about twenty minutes. Then I realized it was a fluke, and I'll never be able to pull it off again. I feel like I've pulled the wool over everybody's eyes.' Margo isn't alone, and neither are you if you feel like an imposter. Some of the most accomplished personalities on the planet have struggled with self-doubt. Journalist Jeff Jarvis said, 'Like most other creatives, I struggle with self-sabotage, self-doubt and feeling like an impostor more often than not.' Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, has written about her experience with imposter syndrome."I was convinced that at any moment, the jig would be up, and I would be unmasked as a fraud," she remarks. "It didn't matter how much success I had achieved or how much positive feedback I received--the feeling persisted." And when Jane Fonda won her second Oscar, she told a talk show host she felt like a phony and feared the Academy would find out how talent-less she was and take the award back. Ryne Sherman of Hogan Assessments told me that approximately 75 to 85% of working adults report feelings of imposter syndrome. Even American author and poet Maya Angelou lamented,'I've run a game on everybody, and they're going to find me out.' Other well-known people like actor Tom Hanks and former First Lady Michelle Obama have also spoken publicly about feeling like an impostor. Imposter syndrome seems to afflict high-performing people and women more than men. Most people who feel like imposters report a nagging voice in their heads that clouds their vision from internalizing success, afraid they might slack off and ultimately flop. So the voice says you have to work harder. Distorted thoughts can make you feel like an impostor, as if you've been able to fool people that you're competent, even though you're not convinced yourself. You think if they knew the truth, you'd be discovered for the fake you are. Most people think of imposter syndrome as a problem to fix, and there's a body of literature on how to overcome or tackle imposter syndrome. But now experts are taking a second look, making a turnaround after research shows that it can be a competitive advantage, especially in leadership roles. Recently, in her Yale commencement address, Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, opened up about experiencing imposter syndrome—even while leading a nation through crisis. Her message was powerful: traits like self-doubt and sensitivity, often perceived as weaknesses, can be essential leadership strengths. 'Imposter syndrome is frequently associated with outcomes most people view as negative: low self-esteem, indecisiveness and fear,' according to Sherman, but he suggests that there are also four surprisingly positive benefits of experiencing imposter thoughts: 1. If you have thoughts of self-doubt or inadequacy, you're more likely to show up as more motivated and having a stronger work ethic than your peers. 'The psychodynamic theorist Alfred Adler noted that fear of failure significantly impacts an individual's motivation, though, as a therapist Adler tried to help his patients overcome fear of failure by developing self-worth,' he explains. 2. If you experience imposter syndrome, you're also likely to become more other-focused versus self-focused. 'When we doubt ourselves, we look to others for feedback about our performance and reassurance,' he points out. 'Such other-focus creates stronger awareness of the reputation we are creating in the eyes of others, rather than on our own self-proclaimed (and potentially wrong) identity." 3. Imposter syndrome is linked to increased interpersonal skill. 'Listening and being attuned to others' emotions is a quintessential feature of emotional intelligence and empathy,' Sherman states. 'Thus, those with imposter syndrome are often skilled at building relationships.' 4. If you have imposter syndrome, you're far less likely to fall into the traps of arrogance and overconfidence. Sherman emphasizes that leaders who are overconfident in their abilities often take on more than can be accomplished, fail to deliver on expectations, take on unnecessary risks and place the blame for failure on others. "Leaders who have some degree of self-doubt are more likely to be viewed as humble and responsible, even if their lack of self-confidence hampers their potential." Michael Sanger, director of assessment solutions for Leadership Development Worldwide at Hogan Assessments declares that imposter syndrome can actually improve your performance, if you're willing to re-frame your perspective. 'Imposter syndrome often signals your willingness to push boundaries because you're stretching yourself outside your comfort zone, so to try to appreciate this as your natural response,' he advises. Positive affirmations are antidotes to imposter syndrome that act as 'cognitive expanders' that help you see the truth about yourself and fuel your performance. They reduce your brain's tunnel vision, broadening your perspective so you can step back from a career challenge, see the big picture of your accomplishments and brainstorm a wide range of possibilities, solutions and opportunities. Another antidote, self-compassion, fuels your job performance and achievement and offsets the self-judgment of the imposter syndrome thoughts. When you're kind toward yourself and accept career letdowns with compassion, you deal only with the stressful experience, not the added negative feelings from your self-judgment that says you're a fraud.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How Rylan Galvan turned embarrassment into excellence, became Texas baseball star
Jitters danced through Rylan Galvan's legs as he dug into the batter's box. His body felt weighed down, heavy. And his mind frantically searched for an explanation there wasn't time to find. Former Texas baseball coach David Pierce had called upon Galvan for a pinch-hit at-bat with runners on the corners and one out in the 2023 Big 12 Tournament. The Longhorns were trailing Kansas 6-2 in the seventh inning. Advertisement Galvan — then a freshman — froze, his bat cemented to his right shoulder. He took three straight strikes before returning to the Texas dugout feeling 'as embarrassed (he'd) ever felt on a baseball field.' 'I didn't come through,' Galvan remembered earlier this month. 'I didn't even give myself a chance. I didn't swing.' That at-bat encapsulated everything that plagued Galvan as a younger player: self-doubt, anxiety, an inability to control his body and his mind. To watch him swagger his way around the right-handed batter's box as a junior in 2025 is to witness a player who has conquered all of those obstacles. Rylan Galvin is learning a valuable lesson Galvan's journey over the mountain in his mind began serendipitously, less than 24 hours after the moment that embarrassed him so comprehensively in the Big 12 Tournament. Advertisement WHAT TO WATCH: Three questions facing Texas baseball after SEC tournament elimination He found his place next to former Longhorns infielder Mitchell Daly at breakfast the next morning, convinced that his teammates would judge him harshly for his failure. His own mind was granting him no leeway, after all. 'I just had to talk about it,' Galvan said. 'I had to say something. I looked to Mitch and I said, 'What do you think of that? That was terrible. Do you remember that?' He kind of just looked at me and he was just like, 'What are you talking about? What do you mean?' 'He didn't even remember it happened. I was making it out to be like, 'Oh my God, everybody saw that, everybody's going to look at me different.' And then that very next morning, not even 24 hours later, my teammates had already forgotten what had happened. And that's when I really realized that nothing's ever as bad as you make it out to be.' Advertisement Galvan finished his freshman season with a .226 batting average and .761 OPS in 22 starts. Those were numbers that threatened his confidence and nullified the natural swagger he emitted every time he put on a pair of cleats. 'I kind of looked myself in the mirror and it was just like I was a different person,' he said. Fans cheer after Texas catcher Rylan Galvan tags out a Cal Poly runner at the plate during the Longhorns' 7-0 win earlier this season. Galvan left to play in the California Collegiate League that summer, resolving to wipe his mind clean. There, he played regularly, posting subpar numbers but learning a lesson that helped unlock his star power. 'I don't necessarily have to feel the best to be able to go out there and just to play my best,' Galvan said. 'You know, in this game, you're never going to feel 100%. You're never going to feel like your swing's where you want it. But at the end of the day, you just have to go out there and compete with what you have. I really have a better understanding of just competing. Just, at the end of the day, when you step in that box, it's me versus the pitcher. Nothing matters. Just finding ways to pitch and compete.' Advertisement SOFTBALL: Texas softball took Clemson's best shot and persevered for another WCWS trip | Golden That approach, paired with Galvan's more developed understanding of how to regulate his emotions and his mentality, transformed him into one of the college game's best catchers. In 2024, he hit .287 with eight home runs and posted a .898 OPS. This season he's batting .295 and is leading the Longhorns in home runs (14) and OPS (1.064) on his way to first-team All-SEC recognition. Behind the plate, he leads a pitching staff that ranks fifth in the country and at the top of the SEC with a 3.56 ERA entering the NCAA Tournament. Rylan Galvan has played his best against the best. He has a team-leading 1.012 on-base plus slugging percentage in SEC play with 62 total bases in 29 games. "I've had some elite (catchers) in my time, and Rylan is right up there with all of them," UT coach Jim Schlossnagle said. 'The quarterback's got the ball in his hands all the time like the catcher has the ball in his hand all the time,' Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. 'I've had some elite ones in my time, and Rylan is right up there with all of them. There's never been a good baseball team without a good catcher, and there's never been a great baseball team without a great catcher.' Texas' Rylan Galvan: 'Go out there and be you' Great catchers don't fear the big moment. Galvan has learned to embrace them. Advertisement He's delivered for the Longhorns in key spots all season, most notably slugging a walk-off home run April 6 to help Texas secure a series sweep of Georgia. The legs that shook when he stepped into the box against Kansas two years ago now saunter and strut. When he takes a pitch, you'll often see him break out into a little shuffle. It's not intentional — it's almost involuntary, a way to express the confidence he's worked so hard to cultivate with breathwork and routine. 'It may look dumb or silly to other people,' Galvan said. 'It's just me. A lot of people like it. I know everybody on my team does. The other team may not, but at the end of the day, I don't care. You can't worry about what other people think. Nothing's ever as bad as it seems. Just go out there and be you. "And when you're yourself and you're competing at your level, at a high level, that's going to put you in the best position to have success.' Advertisement When the Longhorns endured their first rough patch of the season, floundering at the plate as they lost five out of six SEC games to Arkansas and Florida, veteran first baseman Kimble Schuessler implored his teammates to adopt Galvan's uber-competitive approach. The batter's box shuffle was optional. The determination to battle was not. Texas pitcher Ruger Riojas hugs catcher Rylan Galvan before leaving the field during the April 25 Texas-Texas A&M game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. "There's never been a good baseball team without a good catcher, and there's never been a great baseball team without a great catcher,' UT coach Jim Schlossnagle said. That's who Galvan always was, and what his reclaimed confidence has allowed him to become once again: a natural leader who can disseminate belief throughout his team with his actions. Just ask Adrian Alaniz, who coached Galvan at Sinton High School and won a national title as a Longhorn in 2005. Alaniz watched Galvan lead something approximating a pregame wrestling match to fire up his team en route to a state title in 2022. Advertisement 'Rylan was the guy who was there to get the whole entire team rocking and rolling,' Alaniz said last week. 'He'd say a few chants and then the guys would scream right behind him. Rylan started all of that stuff. So all the little shuffles and stuff like that that he's got going on, it doesn't surprise me that he's doing something funny and animated to give some boost, get some spark. That's just kind of the person he's been.' Texas' next game Texas vs. Houston Christian, NCAA regional first round, 1 p.m. Friday, UFCU Disch-Falk Field, ESPN+, 103.1 NCAA Austin regional Friday-Monday, UFCU Disch-Falk Field Advertisement Friday — (Game 1) Texas vs. Houston Christian, 1 p.m., ESPN+, 103.1; (2) Kansas State vs. UTSA, 6 p.m., ESPN+; Saturday — (3) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner; (4) Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser; Sunday — (5) Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser; (6) Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner; Monday — (7, if needed) Game 6 rematch Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@ Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer. Texas catcher Rylan Galvan celebrates a home run during the March 21 game against LSU at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Galvan has become one of the team's on-field leaders both behind the plate, in the batter's box and in the locker room. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas baseball: How Rylan Galvan turned embarrassment into excellence
