Pato O’Ward Of Arrow McLaren SP On How Athletes Optimize Their Mind & Body For Peak Performance

As a part of our series about “How Athletes Optimize Their Mind & Body For Peak Performance”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Pato O’Ward.

Patricio (Pato) O’Ward, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with the №5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. Pato won his first race of his IndyCar career at Texas Motor Speedway in May 2021 and continues to see success in the open-wheel racing series.

Pato’s career highlights include winning the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires with Andretti Autosport and the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship in the Prototype Challenge class, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona twice. He’s also a part of McLaren’s Driver Development Program for McLaren Racing’s Formula 1 team.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I started racing go-karts when I was six years old in Monterrey, Mexico, where I was born and raised. I lived in Mexico until I was 11 years, and then my parents brought my sister and me to Texas. I had only been racing in Mexico for two or three years, but once we moved stateside, I was really able to focus my racing in go-karts in Europe and the U.S. My racing career escalated from there.

Now, I feel very lucky to travel around the world and do what I love and drive amazing racecars, and start checking off milestones from my “goals and objectives list” and really enjoy the journey along the way.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career as a high-level professional athlete? We’d love to hear the story.

I went to my first Formula 1 race in Montreal in June 2012. Before I got to the circuit, I could hear the cars roaring and screaming down the straightaway and I was blown away. “What is that?!” I said. As soon as I arrived at the circuit, I just fell in love with it all: the noise, the smell, the cars and everything that had to do with the sport. I just thought it was the best thing in the world and that was the pivotal moment for me in wanting to pursue this as a career.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

Without my parents, I wouldn’t have become as accomplished in my career. I’ve always been a very motivated and driven person, but I’m very lucky to have the support they’ve provided, especially their trust and true sense of belief that I could give it my all and pursue this career in racing.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your sports career? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?

It’s not necessarily a funny or interesting mistake, but in racing, you realize how small of a world it is and you don’t realize who might help you in your future trajectory. In every situation, there’s an opportunity. I therefore always try to treat everyone equally. You never know where opportunities might lie.

What advice would you give to a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your career?

Success is not going to be handed to you. For any athlete or for any job, it takes time and sacrifice. You have to be very organized and focused on your goals and be driven through each step to accomplish them. You need to be devoted to your career; you need to live it, breathe it, wake up and dream about it. It’s very important to have those goals clear in your head.

This is even more true today with social media. It’s very easy to see the tip of the iceberg for many artists, athletes, and CEOs, but they rarely show what it takes to get there.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

As the only Mexican driver in INDYCAR, it’s been so cool to see the support across a variety of markets from around the country. I’m lucky to have such passionate fans — not many drivers can say they have 50 or more screaming fans from their home country at the track or in the pits supporting them no matter if they’re 10th, 5th, 1st, 3rd, or 20th. I just think that’s so cool, and I’d love to create more one-to-one experiences where I can interact more with the fans. I think my fans appreciate who I am, especially my honesty and directness towards things.

Because of that, I’m very excited with where my brand is heading. I think there’s been a massive growth and I’m now diving deep into personalized merchandise. I haven’t announced it yet, but I’m releasing a new division of more daily lifestyle clothing for my brand. Because I travel so much, I’m all about comfort and I cherish a good pair of sweatpants, a good hoodie, or some good pajamas. It seems simple, but it makes a difference when you’re comfortable and the fit’s good. This is what I love to wear, and it takes up about half of my closet, so I’m excited to share that with my fans.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. As an athlete, you often face high-stakes situations that involve a lot of pressure. Most of us tend to wither in the face of such pressure and stress. Can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to optimize your mind for peak performance before high-pressure, high-stress situations?

There’s a saying that I love: “It’s not the place, but the people.” A huge part of being mentally strong is having those moments where you can recharge and disconnect. In those cases, it’s all about the people that you surround yourself with, not where you are. I have a very close-knit family and a supportive group around me. I choose to go to them when times get tough.

Do you use any special or particular breathing techniques to help optimize yourself?

No, I’ve never meditated. However, I do a lot of strength training, boxing, and some hot yoga from time to time. I’ve never had a breathing technique; I just go with the flow.

Do you have a special technique to develop a strong focus, and clear away distractions?

I think this is just something you develop when you’re a child. The ability to focus is very important, and the more obsessed you are with what you’re doing, the more you’re able to focus. Focus is all about how driven you are to accomplish something.

How about your body? Can you share a few strategies that you use to optimize your body for peak performance?

Aside from strength training and boxing, I love cryotherapy. It’s extremely cold for a few minutes, making it feel like a more intense ice bath, but it helps you recover physically. I also like infrared saunas. Eating correctly is also the key to muscle repair.

These ideas are excellent, but for most of us in order for them to become integrated into our lives and really put them to use, we have to turn them into habits and make them become ‘second nature’. Has this been true in your life? How have habits played a role in your success?

Diet is extremely important for how you’re feeling and affects your energy levels throughout the day. I have a green smoothie every morning. It gets me going for the rest of the day, but I also eat a lot during the day to gain the proteins needed to maintain the muscle that I’ve built.

As a high-performance athlete, you likely experience times when things are in a state of Flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, that is meaningful, and comes with ease because you have practiced so much. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a mental state of Flow more often in our lives?

It’s very important to always look at the positives. I try to never dwell on the negatives. If something isn’t going according to plan, I keep pushing forward and try to turn the negatives into positives.

Staying positive will affect your flow, your mood, and everything you’re going through. Over the long run, it has a major impact, so it’s all about getting the right balance of what you like to do whether it’s exercise, a sauna session, a dinner with your friends, a specific meal, or whatever it might be. It’s important to make time to do whatever it is that gets you into that mindset.

Do you have any meditation practices that you use to help you in your life? We’d love to hear about it.

Before a race, I love to be alone and quiet. It’s not always possible, but if I have 10 to 15 minutes to talk with my family or my team, I really enjoy that. It’s always good to have some time to review your goals and objectives with your team, especially before you get behind the wheel.

What do you do to prevent injuries during your workouts or during your competitions?

Stretching is very important, especially to ensure you’re nice and warm before you do anything intense. I stretch before and after every workout. I also eat well.

The key is to make sure your body is in a good state of recovery whenever you’re asking a lot of it.

What type of workout regime has helped you to rehabilitate from injury?

I think it all depends on how you’re feeling. For me personally, movement is super important, whether it’s a walk or a run. Just getting fresh air, moving your body, and getting Vitamin D is so underrated.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

The phrase “it’s all about who you know, not who you are” has always stuck with me. Even if you’re the most talented at what you do, you must know the right person to give you the right opportunity to accomplish what you want to do. “Who you know” keeps the world moving and makes opportunities come about.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I’m very inspired by Tiger Woods; he’s an absolute machine of a golfer. Golf and racing are two very different sports, but the mindset of the athlete is very similar, especially when it comes to overcoming obstacles. I’d love to sit down and just talk to him about his career and everything he’s overcome.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.