APSU's Steinberg offers free online course on emotional toughness

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – As a young man, Dr. Gregg Steinberg came within five heartbreaking inches of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach. Had he hit the 10-foot putt on the 18th green just a little harder, capping one of the best rounds of golf in his life, he might have gone on to become one of the legends of the sport.

Instead, he choked. Steinberg wanted to win so badly, he let his fear control his instincts.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – As a young man, Dr. Gregg Steinberg came within five heartbreaking inches of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach. Had he hit the 10-foot putt on the 18th green just a little harder, capping one of the best rounds of golf in his life, he might have gone on to become one of the legends of the sport.

Instead, he choked. Steinberg wanted to win so badly, he let his fear control his instincts.

“All my experiences have led to one undeniable truth: When you master your emotions, you master the world,” Steinberg, an Austin Peay State University Health and Human Performance professor, wrote in his popular 2009 book, “Full Throttle: 122 Strategies to Supercharge Your Performance at Work.”

After that agonizing day on the golf course, Steinberg spent years studying how the world’s top athletes and business professionals succeed through controlling their emotions. This spring semester, the APSU professor is sharing his knowledge through a new online course, Emotional Toughness Training, which anyone can take for free.

“Whether it is in business, school or music, emotional mastery is the secret to becoming successful in whatever you do,” Steinberg said. “Being calm under pressure, finding your confidence after rejection and having the ability to get pumped up in a moment’s notice will be your key to success.”

The class is APSU’s first Massive Online Open Course (MOOC), and as of this week, more than 1,800 people have registered. The course was designed in collaboration with the Center for Extended and Distance Education at APSU. It is a six-week class, and interested individuals need to sign up at before Feb. 25. They need to search for “Emotional Toughness Training,” to find the class.

MOOC classes allow participants to expand their education in certain areas, without having to enroll at a specific school or pay tuition. Institutions such as Harvard, Stanford and Princeton offer MOOC classes, which feature filmed lectures and reading assignments.

The filmed lectures play to Steinberg’s strength as a speaker. He has delivered talks to several Fortune 500 companies, including Toyota and Bank of America, and last August, he delivered a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk at Rush University Medical School’s TEDx Conference. A video of his talk is available online at .

In addition to “Full Throttle,” Steinberg is the author of the books “Mental Rules for Golf” and “Flying Lessons,” a parenting book about emotional toughness. He has appeared as an analyst and commentator on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, CNN, Fox News and the Golf Channel. He also writes a business column for The Tennessean. Steinberg is working on a new book, “Fall Up: Why Adversity Unlocks Your Superpower.”

For more information, contact the Center for Extended and Distance Education at distance@apsu.edu or 931-221-7816.