Author: Barrett Snyder
Corresponding Author:
Barrett Snyder
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written while the author was a student. The author has since graduated. The author holds an M.S. Exercise Science degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Before his name appeared on a bestselling book, Trevor Moawad was already shaping champions behind the scenes. Dubbed “The World’s Best Brain Trainer” by Sports Illustrated in 2017, he spent years redefining mental conditioning at the highest levels of sport. From IMG Academy to a nine-season run with Nick Saban at Alabama, his résumé spanned elite college programs, pro teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Dolphins, and military units such as the U.S. Navy SEALs.
Moawad gained wider recognition through his work with NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, whom he met in 2012. He soon became a core member of Wilson’s performance team, and their relationship evolved into a close friendship and business partnership. In 2018, they co-founded Limitless Minds, a company focused on building sustainable mindset habits.
Despite years of working with world-class athletes, Moawad didn’t publish his first book until 2020: It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life—a work I consider essential reading for anyone interested in mental performance, both in sports and in life. The book is divided into twelve chapters, covering topics such as planning, visualization, self-awareness, handling pressure, and leadership. While every chapter offers valuable insight, this review highlights the three that best capture Moawad’s message and resonated most with me: Chapter 1, “It Takes Neutral Thinking”; Chapter 3, “It Takes Hard Choices”; and Chapter 4, “It Takes a Verbal Governor.”
Chapter 1 introduces the cornerstone of Moawad’s philosophy: neutral thinking. Rather than leaning into overly positive or negative mindsets, it centers on the present and what can be controlled in the moment. Neutral thinking accepts that the past is irrevocable—it can’t be changed with mantras or platitudes. Moawad warns of a common bias in performance: “We elevate the past. We give it too much importance. We serve the past when we should be giving it berth.” That line stayed with me. Like many, I often overanalyze past decisions and dwell on mistakes. Moawad’s perspective challenged me to let go of that habit. Neutral thinking encourages us to move forward without being anchored by what came before. The past may be real, but it’s not predictive. In a culture often drawn to blind optimism, Moawad’s approach felt both grounding and liberating.
In Chapter 3, Moawad poses a powerful question: is choice an illusion? Often, he argues, it is. Success isn’t about what you feel like doing—it’s about what must be done. “A lot of times we feel as if we have choices to make about where we want to go and what it takes to get there. The reality is that what it takes to succeed is not really a choice,” he writes. He illustrates this idea with everyday decisions: sleep or binge Breaking Bad? Jack and Coke or water? Time with your kids or video games? These moments reveal how easily we confuse comfort with choice—and how small, daily decisions shape long-term outcomes. To illustrate this further, Moawad offers one of the book’s most memorable lines: “When I started working with the Alabama football team, I would hold a bag of Doritos in one hand and an apple in the other. ‘Do you really need a nutritionist to tell you which of these things is better for you?’” What first sounds like a joke lands as one of the book’s most honest truths: we usually know the better option—we just don’t always choose it.
Chapter 4 offers the most immediately actionable advice: “What if we could get people to just stop saying stupid sh— out loud?” The brain absorbs negativity more easily than positivity, and voicing our struggles makes them more harmful than merely thinking them. As someone prone to verbalizing self-doubt, I found Moawad’s message powerful—what we say out loud can reinforce the very negativity we’re trying to overcome. Moawad draws on research to show how negative self-talk can undermine performance, citing the infamous error by Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series. Nineteen days earlier, Buckner had said aloud, “The dreams are that you’re gonna have a great series and win. The nightmares are that you’re gonna let the winning run score on a ground ball through your legs.” Whether or not it affected the outcome, Moawad argues the fear was already present—and that’s the point: stop saying stupid sh— out loud.
As someone who values academic literature, I’ll note the book includes little scholarly research beyond a few selected studies. Rooted mainly in Moawad’s anecdotal experience, it isn’t meant as an academic work—and while it may lack empirical depth, that feels secondary to its purpose. In terms of content and accessibility, the book’s heavy use of sports examples may be a barrier for some. Readers less interested in athletics might find the frequent game and athlete references less relatable. While Moawad includes a few business and everyday examples, the book is firmly rooted in sports. Still, its core lessons extend well beyond the field, which is why I ultimately recommend it to all audiences.
Moawad concludes the book by returning to his core principle of neutral thinking, offering a memorable metaphor: “The idea of living neutral is putting a comma at the end of the event…and knowing that the next words will determine how the sentence continues.” That image reshaped how I view setbacks—a reminder that the story isn’t over unless I decide it is. Moawad’s message is clear: we hold the pen, and with it, the power to shape what comes next.
