147 – K.L. Cleeton – Finding His Way Through Poker
Summary:
This week’s guest is K.L. Cleeton, a professional poker player and entrepreneur, who shares his experiences with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 as well as the mindset that is needed for overcoming challenges and impacting other people’s lives.
We talk about how he got started with poker and the success that came with it, as well as how he shifted his focus to building a platform that’s helping poker players of all levels to improve and stay sharp.
In this episode, K.L. Cleeton joins the show to discuss what mindset people need to set themselves up for financial success.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
[00:34] Welcome to the show…
- 01:42 How K.L. Cleeton found his way into poker and how his journey has been.
- 03:55 In 2017, he won a contest from Daniel Negreanu and lived his dream of playing in the WSOP Main Event.
[06:19] K.L Cleeton sees poker as an analogy of how we hope life is, because oftentimes when you play a tournament, if you can afford the entry – everybody is equal. Everybody starts with the same theoretical chance. Obviously, this isn’t the case in reality, but things could be a lot better if we’d create the same possibilities in other aspects of life.
- 11:17 Hear about the story of how the poker community jumped in and raised money to help finance a new vehicle for K.L Cleeton, which would help him move around, as he is not able to use commercial airplanes because of his wheelchair.
[17:56] How K.L. Cleeton shifted his main focus from poker to business and how his entrepreneurial journey has been so far.
- 19:20 He hopes to have a positive impact on how people learn to play the game. He focuses on people who are interesting to either take it as a full time commitment or just a profitable hobby.
- 19:44 He wants to make it, where people do not need financial success in order to have financial success. Your ability to improve is only limited by your willingness to put in the work.
- 26:03 K.L. Cleeton talks about running a business and what he learned in that process.
- 27:36 “You have to be comfortable enough with the value of your company that you don’t feel you have to explain it to someone.”
- 28:35 One thing K.L. Cleeton found out about himself was that you have to be OK with No’s and that they are a good thing—not a failure. They are essential when moving on to a Yes.
[33:16] Wrapping up the episode with K.L. Cleeton. Thanks for checking out this episode!
Key Learning Points:
- “Your ability to improve is only limited by your willingness to put in the work.”
- “You have to be comfortable enough with the value of your company that you don’t feel you have to explain it to someone.”
- “You have to be ok with No’s , and they are a good thing—not a failure. They are essential when moving on to a Yes.”
Contact/Resources
Follow K.L. Cleeton On Instagram
Get The A-Game Poker Masterclass
Free Poker Mindset Audios on Youtube
Free Primed Mind Primers on Youtube
Interested in working with a Mindset & Performance coach on your poker game? Send a message to support@pokermindcoach.com and our team will work to find the best option for you.
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About the Author Elliot Roe
Hi, I'm Elliot Roe... And I Help Poker Players Squeeze Every Ounce Of EV From Their Poker Skills and Abilities. Over 7500 poker players have downloaded my Mindset MP3s to boost their focus on the table and to relax and recover post-session. I have personally worked with hundreds more on mastering their emotions and the tabling and developing the “Pro-Athlete Mindset” needed to be successful into today’s games. Creating a strong poker mindset has been the “secret weapon” of the high stakes elite for years now, and I started this site to bring that edge to any player willing to work on that area of their game.