By Rebeca Pop, Editor at The Wellness Collective

From severe childhood asthma and eye-threatening injury to becoming a public figure and mentor, Coach Meddy’s story is one of resilience forged through adversity. For him, mindset isn’t a motivational slogan — it’s a survival skill and a performance tool. In this candid interview, he reveals how mental strength carried him further than physical ability, why belief is his daily practice, and how he’s using his platform to help the next generation of athletes build the inner discipline needed to thrive in sport and in life.

1 – What role has mindset played in your personal journey as an athlete and public figure?

Mindset is the major key to my journey as an athlete and public figure because when physiologically you are not able to do anything the inner strength comes from your psychological ability to keep believing that you can make it, the best example is when you are injured or sick you can still keep focusing on your mid-term and long terms goals.

2 – Can you recall a moment when your mental strength carried you further than your physical ability?

Yes of course when I got a severe injury at my left eye ( complete detachment retina due to boxing ) I was hospitalized in emergency in Bangkok so very far from home and then hospitalized at home for almost a year and 7 surgeries with a strict physiology condition: staying laying at bed on my left side for 20hours a day to get a chance to recover a bit.

3 – Many people train their bodies but neglect their mindset—how do you train your mind daily?

Keep believing no matter what!

The power of belief is underrated as it can even help you to heal by yourself as we as human beings are made of flesh and bones but also of vibrating energy: the soul.

4 – What mental strategies help you stay disciplined during times of exhaustion or setbacks?

From my experience I can’t say I m born with it but the more issues you encounter sooner the more resilient you grow.

As child my condition was deficient, born with severe asthma and not allowed to practice any sports activities I became fat and wearing glasses, not the best starter pack in life but it helps at a young age to understand life is unfair and u have to work hard and fight back to overcome fate.

So, I started to change that by practicing sports activities at my own pace, follow medication and natural prescriptions, eating different which is not easy when you are 10 years old.

5 – Do you believe resilience is something you’re born with, or can it be cultivated through experience?

It became a fuel for me as you have only 2 options: accepting failures and giving up or trying again until you reach your goal.

Life didn’t give me options, there’s only one sustainable option: get it or die trying !

6 – How do you deal with failure or setbacks, and what mindset helps you turn them into lessons?

Your own limit is your limit to believe as spiritual human being, we are far from being much limited

7  – Where do you believe the biggest limits truly exist—physical, mental, or both?

By experience only!

Know thyself. Socrates

8 – What role does visualization or mental rehearsal play in achieving peak performance?

Visualization is also a key to success as your brain does not make a big difference between what you see with your eyes and what you see with your mind.

Thoughts are material energy and can implemented in material world.

If you can dream it, you can do it ! Walt Disney

9 – Coming from the UAE, do you think there’s a cultural element to the mindset around strength and endurance?

We all heard ppl around the world saying :

If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere!

But the thing here is New Yorkers in UAE and especially in Dubai always told me it’s much harder here than New York. So, I believe that the new motto is: if u can make it Dubai, u can make it anywhere!

10 – How do you use your platform to inspire others, especially youth, to embrace mental resilience alongside fitness?

Just by sharing my experience, my vision and trying to be genuine: I do what I preach !

11 – What’s the next “limit” you’re planning to break, either mentally or physically?

Knowing myself more and knowing others cultures by traveling around the world to enrich my soul and my knowledge

12 – If you could pass on one mindset principle to the next generation of athletes, what would it be?

Enjoy the journey not the destination