An award-winning performance expert reveals the secret behind many top athletes and executives: creating a heroic alter ego to activate when the chips are down.There’s only one person in the way of you untapping your capabilities: You. There’s also one person who can move you out of the way so you can perform at your peak. That person is already inside you. You just need to unlock them. This … unlock them. This other part of you is your Heroic Self and you unlock it with an Alter Ego. After twenty-one years of working with elite athletes, performers and leaders, Todd Herman is revealing how you can use your alter ego to achieve the seemingly impossible. It all clicked for Todd when he met Bo Jackson.
When Herman met Bo Jackson, the professional athlete told him, “Bo Jackson never played a down of football in his entire life.” Bo explained that when he was young, he’d get into trouble because chaos caused by his anger issues. Then, he saw Friday the 13th and became fascinated by the cold, calculating nature of Jason Vorhees. In that moment, he resolved to stop being Bo Jackson, and start being Jason the moment he stepped on the field.
In this transformative guide, Herman teaches you how to create and control an Alter Ego like Bo–and the thousands of other athletes, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and entertainers who have used this simple tool to change their lives. Herman also shares his own story: he knew that inside was a confident, self-assured, intelligent person who could help others get better results in their lives. When he started using superman’s classic trick–putting on a pair of glasses–he learned to trigger the specific traits he needed to achieve his goals.
The Alter Ego Effect is not about creating a false mask–it’s about finding the hero already inside you. It’s a proven way of overcoming the self-doubt, negativity, and insecurity that hold you back, and empowering you to ultimately become your best self.
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I loved the Alter Ego Effect and highly recommend it! Remember when you were a kid and used your imagination to pretend to be your favorite superhero or movie star? You probably felt unstoppable. Why not apply this mental mind-game to your life now?
Todd Herman is a coach and I enjoyed hearing his real-life examples of Alter Ego transformations. This can apply in so many areas of your life. I’ve used the principles in this book to improve my work performance, relationships, and my outlook on life. I feel mentally tougher and more prepared after reading this book.
I’ve loved reading since I was a kid. I’ve read thousands of books – many really good books. The Alter Ego Effect is one of THE best books I’ve ever read. If I could give it 6 or 7 stars I would. I’m studying it, and I’m determined to put everything I’m learning from Todd Herman into practice in my life.
I’m going to come right out and say the one thing I never expected to say in a review: If in your life you’re only going to read one book that will mess you up and set you right, you can’t get better than this one.
This book is a must for anyone who wants to accomplish anything… and has ever hesitated to get after it. I love how it lays out the history and science in an easy-to-understand and, more importantly, easy-to-implement way so that you can take your deepest dreams and desires and start to make them a reality for yourself. It’s not wishy washy, it’s not pseudo-science… it’s facts that WORK. You need to get this book!
I learned so much by reading this book! The author takes you on a journey that helps your self-esteem while digging deep into your “why”. Plus, the real-life stories are inspirational and life-changing. I highly recommend this book to mothers, fathers, business owners and anyone who wants to up their level of play in life.
As an athlete I’m always looking for ways to develop myself to be the best I can no matter the situation. And as a Mental Strength Coach I’m looking for ways to develop my clients to achieve their goals and get to the next level.
The Alter Ego Effect is perfect to help me in both those scenarios. It’s a way to silence your Inner Critic (the voice inside your head) and create belief and confidence in yourself no matter the situation.
And the best part about it is that it’s connected to your imagination. Something you can simply reinvigorate to achieve greatness.
Like when you were a kid and you’d create all sorts of interesting characters in your mind? You’d be able to fly, breathe underwater or scale tall buildings in a single bound. There were no limits to your imagination, no limits to what you could achieve and no rules about what you could do.
That same mindset and approach you is what you need to take into the process of creating an Alter Ego.
Todd walks you through the process of creating an Alter Ego, explains their importance, the context in which they can be used and identifies all the layers that contribute to who we are and how we see the world. It’s easy and fun to go through the process to create your own Alter Ego(s).
Plus it’s super super fun.
It’s not about not showing up as your true self – in fact it’s the opposite – it’s you showing up as the person you know you’re capable of being.
So if you’re struggling with achieving your goals, or getting to the next level, then pick up the Alter Ego Effect and change your life.
When Todd talks about the ordinary vs. the extraordinary world it really resonated with me. He talks about how there are things we know we’re capable of but we just can’t get ourselves to do it.
Depending on will power alone will keep us in the Ordinary World. But if we pull from the inner strength of our Alter Ego we can enter that extraordinary world that we usually only get glimpses of.
The Alter Ego Effect helps you show up the way you know you can even if things get hard.
I highly recommend it!
I am working my way through it and loving it. I am 76, had a great career, retired for 15 years and now with this book and great ideas — I am looking forward to an enjoyable and fun rest of life! Thank you!
Full of great insight on an interesting concept that can be used & developed in stressful situations by anyone. Very good read. Highly recommend.
A simple idea – channel someone else – and not much more.
On Ego a Chapter (7) in The Wisdom and Musings of a Seeker by Paul Frederick is why he says The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman is Unpredictable.
Put on a cape and become a superhero. Definitely a great read for those who perform in any capacity.
This intriguing book teaches how to create an alter ego that embodies the qualities needed to succeed in various roles or areas of our lives (the author refers to these areas of life as “fields of play”). The methods taught in the book have helped elite athletes, business people, and others overcome inner blocks that get in the way of achieving peak performance. The author, Todd Herman, developed this approach and has used it with great success as a performance coach. I love this innovative and creative approach to overcoming limiting beliefs about ourselves. This book offers practical solutions and insight to anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone and achieve their highest goals.
I’m simply blown away by what’s possible by the power of imagination. Todd has written a page turner for sure, and above all else it is a inspiring read! Just pick it up.
This book opened my eyes to the fact that I have been playing small for so long only due to my self-imposed limitations. Learning how to create an Alter Ego and use it in the appropriate situations have helped me break out of the box that I have put myself into. The funny thing is that I am finding out that the Alter Ego that I created for myself is actually in alignment with how others see me and have always seen me. Hmmm. Interesting.
I loved this book!
If you have ever been plagued by imposter syndrome or let the little voice in your head convince you not to follow your dreams, this is the book for you! Or if you are a competitor looking to gain a performance edge, yep, it can help you too (whatever your “field of play” might be).
Todd Herman’s depth and breath of experience and research related to the mental game and how alter egos can enhance performance is phenomenal. This is not your typical personal development book filled with rah-rah nonsense and motivational pablum … it is real and actionable (although honestly pretty inspirational as well).
This book is a “playbook” of the why, what and how of alter egos with lots of real life examples from sports, business, celeb and every day people. He goes into a surprising level of detail on the creation and practical use of Alter Egos – a masterclass in book form.
I plan to read it again- but I have already seen the impact of a quick and dirty creation of one alter ego which I then took for a “test drive” using some of the exercises in the book and saw how powerful it could be.
Note: this is NOT a “fake it until you make it” technique. It is a way to leverage and access your existing “superpowers” when you need them most – to be your “heroic self” on your most important field of play.
Highly recommended!!!!
I am an avid reader and this book has taken a VIP spot on bookshelf.
Todd is a masterful story teller and walks you through how everything that you need in your life is already nestled inside of yourself.
in the different chapters he paints the picture of athletes, moms, dads, executives, business owners and others who have used an alter ego to help them step into their heroic self.
If you want to leave your self-doubt, imposter and insecurities on the sidelines.
and want to know how to tap into every bit of capability that you have – then pick up this book and read it!
so many practical strategies!
I knew that this book was going to be good, but didn’t comprehend just how good. I listened to the audible version (with Todd himself reading it) and read along with the Kindle version. It felt like I was sitting in a coffee shop with Todd being coached 1on1.
The chapters flashed by (and so did the time). So many insights and “ah-ha” moments…and then chapter 10 kicked my a**. Todd starts to dig into your WHY. Asking a question that made me stop in my tracks. “What are you fighting for?” Aka…what do you want?
I’ve asked myself the question…”What do you want?” in many areas of my life, but asking myself “what are you fighting for?”…in the context of my relationships…it hit me…hard.
Similar to my work, I don’t want to be alone {myself…or others}. On a fundamental level I am fighting loneliness and isolation.
As I sit here…post read…my mind feels different. Open and curious. I can not wait to create alter egos for different areas of my life {or fields of play as Todd calls them}. An alter ego for my relationships, business, health and role as a parent.
If you’re someone who values personal development and showing up as your best self…this book is a no brainer. 🙂
My first thought: ‘This book is going to change minds and change lives.’ My second thought: ‘How can I get this book into all of my clients’ hands!’
I couldn’t wait for his book to come out. I can’t put it down. It challenges us to tap into a version of ourselves that is already there but, in most cases, has been forgotten. It’s the inner strength in all of us and he walks you through the steps to do it. Todd explains the ordinary vs extraordinary world, which is powerful. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to confidently become the best version of yourself, no matter what challenges come your way
What I loved about this book is how versatile and down-to-earth it is. Versatile because it applies to every field: you can use an alter ego in sports (that is Todd Herman’s first background), but also in business, or, as I did, for parenthood. And down-to-earth because there is absolutely nothing woo-woo about this book, as I was fearing at first. Quite the opposite, everything is backed down by research in psychology (I had no idea what “enclothed cognition” was but it is fascinating!) and then by the 20+ years of Todd Herman’s experience as a coach on the mental game for high-performing athletes and entrepreneurs.
I loved all the anecdotes that allowed me to see alter egos being used in so many different situations, which inspired me to use in my own life. Then most of the chapters are action-oriented, it is extremely easy to follow the steps and create your own alter ego. For me, it was the perfect balance of intellectual/psychological /scientific content and how-to guidance.
I have already bought several copies as gifts…