In this episode of The Pain Free Athlete Podcast, Dana Jones sits down with Alexia Clonda, former world-class squash athlete and high-performance coach, to explore the connection between breath, mindset, and resilience. Alexia shares her remarkable journey from severe asthma and health challenges to competing at the highest levels of sport, and how those experiences shaped her coaching philosophy.

Together, they discuss:

• Why breath is a powerful tool for recovery, regulation, and performance.
  
• How mindset and the questions we ask ourselves can shift outcomes.
  
• The role of nasal breathing, CO2 balance, and nervous system regulation.
  
• How athletes can move from fight-or-flight into calm, clarity, and control.
  
• Why simple habits can create lasting change in health and sport.
  

Alexia also explains how her lived experience with asthma inspired her to help others unlock their own resilience through practical breath and mindset tools. This conversation is especially relevant for athletes, coaches, and anyone looking to improve performance, reduce stress, and feel better in their body.

Alexia’s Bio:

Alexia Clonda is an Australian former elite squash athlete, coach, speaker, and author who helps people perform at a higher level through breathing, mindset, and high-performance habits. Born with life-threatening asthma and faced with chronic health challenges, she defied the odds to become the world’s No. 1 junior squash player and later reached a world ranking of No. 5 as a senior competitor. Today, she brings that lived experience into her coaching and speaking, helping individuals, teams, and organisations unlock resilience, improve emotional well-being, and perform under pressure.

I’m excited to welcome Alexia Clonda to The Pain Free Athlete Podcast. Alexia is a former world-class squash athlete, high-performance coach, and speaker whose story is rooted in overcoming severe asthma and other health challenges to succeed at the highest level of sport. She now helps others use breath, mindset, and practical performance tools to build resilience, stay calm under pressure, and bring out their best.

Alexia’s Links:

https://alexiaclonda.com/

Dana’s Links:

⁠⁠https://www.painfreeathletepodcast.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠10 Day Journaling Journey⁠⁠

Podcast Disclaimer:

The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.