Ep 59 - What’s Next? Mitch Creek on Curiosity, Consistency & Becoming a Pro

What happens when you finally reach the goal everyone told you was impossible… and find yourself asking, “What’s next?”

NBA and international pro Mitch Creek joins Mariel for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to build a career — and a life — at a high level.

From growing up in a small Australian town and once being scared of the basketball, to earning his opportunity in the NBA and competing around the world, Mitch shares the mindset that has carried him through every stage: stay curious, keep learning, and be willing to get uncomfortable.

But this conversation goes far beyond basketball.

Mitch opens up about pressure, failure, being cut, leadership, relationships, therapy, mental health, identity, and the work he's had to do away from the court to become better on it. He breaks down how he mentally steps outside high-pressure moments, why great leadership is about creating confidence in the people around you, and why sometimes you have to be willing to go backwards before you can move forward.

They dig into what it really means to be a professional — not simply getting paid to play, but becoming so consistent that the gap between your best and your worst gets smaller and smaller.

And perhaps most importantly, they talk about the danger of believing the destination is the point.

Because once you get there… what’s next?

This episode is for athletes, parents, coaches, leaders, and anyone chasing something bigger. It’s about curiosity, consistency, self-awareness, discomfort, growth — and learning to love the process of becoming.

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SHOW NOTES

00:01 — From small-town kid to international pro
Mitch shares how his upbringing, family, multi-sport childhood, and natural curiosity helped shape the athlete and person he became.

03:12 — Curiosity might be the real advantage
Why you don’t need to be the best when you’re young — but you do need the patience and curiosity to keep learning.

06:09 — Progress is NOT a straight line
Mitch breaks down why development includes plateaus, setbacks, missed goals, mistakes, and sometimes going backwards before moving forward.

10:53 — Break the big goal down
Start with where you are, understand where you want to go, build a plan, and keep repeating the process.

12:47 — Small habits create consistency
Big goals are exciting, but Mitch believes progress is built through simple actions repeated until they become automatic.

14:32 — Everybody wants the outcome. Who wants the work?
The difference between wanting the professional career and being willing to consistently do the training, recovery, mindset work, preparation, and little things required to create it.

20:08 — You don’t deserve the opportunity — you earn the chance at one
Hard work doesn’t guarantee the outcome. The work prepares you so that when your opportunity arrives, you’re ready to perform.

22:01 — How Mitch handles pressure
Mitch explains how he mentally pulls himself outside the moment, gets a bird’s-eye view of the situation, and asks: What does this moment require of me?

26:19 — Helping teammates play free
Why leadership can mean taking pressure off someone else, reinforcing their confidence, and creating enough mental space for them to make the next play.

30:48 — Learning servant leadership
Mitch talks about coach Joey Wright, having the ceiling he placed on himself challenged, and learning that great leadership is about more than being the best player.

34:42 — The work outside basketball
A family separation at 16 eventually led Mitch toward therapy and a deeper understanding of how unresolved experiences, relationships, self-image, and confidence were affecting his life and performance.

38:26 — You can’t keep avoiding the root cause
Mitch speaks openly about his mental-health struggles and why learning to work through what is happening underneath the surface matters — especially when pressure, fatigue, and stress hit.

40:51 — The hidden side of success
More success creates more opportunities — but also more distractions. Mitch talks about trust, relationships, boundaries, asking better questions, and learning who deserves access to your time.

47:31 — What gives you energy?
A practical way of looking at life: notice what fills your cup, notice what drains it, and become more intentional about creating a life that supports you.

53:58 — Learn to enjoy being bad at something
Mitch explains why he actively seeks new skills and experiences — and why being willing to fail gives you somewhere new to grow.

57:46 — What actually makes someone a pro?
It isn’t the paycheck. Mitch defines professionalism as closing the gap between your best performance and your worst until the two become almost unrecognizable.

1:02:21 — He made the NBA… then asked, “What’s next?”
After achieving the goal he had been told was impossible, Mitch found himself sitting alone wondering what came next. The moment changed the way he thought about achievement, progress, and the journey itself.

1:03:20 — The fear of stagnation
Why reaching the destination can never be the end — and why Mitch continues building hobbies, skills, businesses, and identities outside basketball.

1:08:42 — Your skills have to go beyond your sport
Mitch challenges young athletes to recognize that the curiosity, patience, repetition, problem-solving, and discipline they develop in sport can transfer directly into life.

1:12:28 — Everything connects
What you learn on the court can make you better off it — and what you learn away from basketball can make you better when you return.

1:16:22 — Time is a currency
Mitch discusses building skills and opportunities that create more choice — and ultimately more quality time for the people and experiences that matter.

1:18:44 — Start with a spark
You don’t have to risk everything. Give a little time to something that makes you curious, see what happens, and allow that spark to become an ember.

1:20:24 — If it makes you nervous, lean in
Speak up when you’re uncomfortable. Say what you need. Express appreciation. Set boundaries. Mitch explains why strength isn’t pretending everything is fine.

1:22:18 — Try things before deciding they aren’t for you
What works today may not work forever — and what didn’t work before might fit you later. Stay willing to experiment and adjust.

1:24:00 — Your five people matter
The people around you influence how you think, behave, and grow. Mitch and Mariel talk about intentionally finding people who stretch you while still valuing the relationships that matter.

1:28:47 — Rock the boat
Mitch leaves us with a reminder that you don’t have to fit everywhere: rock the boat, swim to shore, set up a tent, and wait for your people to come along.

IN THIS EPISODE

Curiosity • Consistency • Pressure • Mental Performance • Leadership • Confidence • Failure • Mental Health • Self-Awareness • Relationships • Personal Growth • Life After Sport • Habits • Discomfort • Environment • Becoming a Pro

EPISODE 59 TRANSCRIPT — MITCH CREEK

Host: Mariel Anderson
Guest: Mitch Creek

NOTE: This transcript has been reformatted for readability from the original auto-generated transcript. Speaker labels and timestamps have been standardized; the spoken wording has otherwise been left as supplied.

MARIEL ANDERSON — 00:01
Mitch, I have so many questions for you. It's not even funny, but we will keep it into 45 minutes, okay? so my first question is small town basketball player growing up to international basketball star. Holy shit, number one. And number two, like what what got you there? I mean a million things, but like what are the key things that got you there?

MITCH CREEK — 00:07
Perfect, sounds good.

MITCH CREEK — 00:21
Mm.

MITCH CREEK — 00:28
I think my upbringing definitely set a precedence for like who I was going to be as I got older. I remember I went back to my high school, it's called St. Bridget's College in Australia. And the the they spoke to me and I did an assembly speech and we basically came back and said, Hey, like, you know, you could do anything you set your mind to and generic kind of like conversation and I I had my own version and spin on it. But the principal and one of my sport coordinator teachers at the time said to me, he's like, You here's some old school report cards of feedback we gave you. And it was like, you know, doesn't, you know, is amazing in team environments and group activities, is able to take the lead, not afraid to speak his mind, you know, great, great communication skills. But it when it came to like, you know. Ability to execute and listen within a classroom where it was just like a singular task, I struggled with. focus within a class when it's just one-on-one teaching, you know, everyone is learning the same thing from a board or a booklet. I really struggled. So the areas that I actually struggled with as an adult were very much the same as when I was young. And the areas of strength for me as a young man. Was actually very much the same strengths that I have and have built on as I've got older and into a professional career of basketball. Now that