Metta Performance

In this episode, Michael welcomes Theresa Andrews who shares her journey from Olympic gold medalist to successful executive, highlighting lessons on teamwork, resilience, visualization, and leadership that apply both in sports and business. Topics Lessons from Olympic training applicable to business The importance of teamwork and collaboration Visualization techniques for peak performance Handling...

How can athletes, leaders, and HR professionals build sustainable high performance in a world that is changing faster than ever? In this episode of the Metta Performance Podcast, Holly welcomes Jeremy Shapiro and Lisa Csencsits to explore how feedback, resilience, and mindset shape the way people perform in sport, work, and life. You’ll hear how personal challenges can redefine performance, why fe...

How can endurance athletes stay motivated, adapt their training to real-life demands, and determine whether their bike fit is supporting—or limiting—their performance? Michael and Sean explore these questions and more with guest Tom Regal. This episode examines the connection between a strong coaching mindset, sustainable training, race-day adaptability, and effective bike fitting. The conversatio...

In this episode, Holly welcomes Michael Drabbenstott to explore how running, community, and physical challenge can become powerful tools for confidence, connection, sustainable performance, and personal growth. Through stories of early morning track workouts, race directing, trail advocacy, and lifelong movement, the conversation shows how sport can help people build resilience, create meaningful...

In this episode, Holly and Michael talk about about AI in coaching. This conversation explores the rise of AI coaching and looks at how AI can expand access to coaching, support athletes and leaders with data, improve coach presence through note-taking tools, and create new hybrid coaching models that combine technology with human insight. It also covers the risks: poor recommendations, confidenti...

What if curiosity - not expertise - is the real driver of high performance? In this episode, we welcome Debra Clary to explore how leaders can unlock better results, stronger teams, and sustained growth by asking better questions. Drawing from research behind the Curiosity Curve, this conversation reveals why curiosity declines with experience and how to intentionally rebuild it to lead more effec...

In this episode, Holly and Michael welcome former rower and current performance coach, Madeline Davis Tully to the pod to explore how high performers navigate career plateaus, leadership, and identity shifts in mid-career. The conversation unpacks why traditional success strategies stop working, how values misalignment creates internal friction, and how coaching, systems, and self-awareness can un...

How do you sustain high performance across careers, parenting, and entrepreneurship? In this episode, rower turned real estate agent Laura Aubrey joins Michael on the pod to tells us how she makes it happen. This episode explores how disciplined habits, adaptability, and clarity of purpose drive long-term success. From athletics to real estate, the conversation breaks down how to manage chaos, sta...

How do athletes actually reach elite performance? In this episode, Michael and Kate welcome Lauren LeClaire to explore how development-focused teams build long-term success through culture, learning, and opportunity -not just results. Learn how coaching philosophy, team dynamics, and strategic race exposure shape high-performing athletes and sustainable careers.

What does it take to sustain high performance for decades all while balancing a demanding career, personal life, and evolving goals? Join Sean, Michael, and guest John Hirsch as they dive into the details! This episode explores longevity in sport and life, revealing how to stay motivated, avoid burnout, and redefine success over time. From elite triathlon performance to public defense work, this c...

What separates athletes who last decades from those who burn out or break down? In this episode, physical therapist, endurance coach, and competitive triathlete Emma Taylor shares what she sees from the front lines of high performance. From intrinsic motivation and consistency to strength training, injury prevention, and fueling strategies, this conversation explores how endurance athletes build d...

What does high performance look like outside of sports or corporate leadership? In this conversation, singer-songwriter and Steep Canyon Rangers member Aaron Burdett shares how musicians train their minds and craft to perform at elite levels. From managing pressure on stage to turning jealousy into motivation, Aaron explains the internal psychology of performance, creativity, and teamwork in the m...

What does real high performance look like in sport and leadership? In this conversation, a long-time professional cycling team leader shares lessons from more than two decades building one of the longest-running women’s cycling programs. The discussion explores how elite athletes are developed, how to identify potential beyond results, and what habits separate sustainable high performance from sho...

What defines high performance in leadership, military command, and cutting-edge technology startups? In this episode with Lt General Ross Coffman [RET], we explore how failure, empathy, clarity, discipline, and mission-driven culture shape elite performance. From leading tanks in Desert Storm to tackling quantum cybersecurity threats, this conversation unpacks practical leadership lessons, sustain...

Join us for a coaches chat! In this coaching roundtable, we get the band together to discuss a variety of topics. The conversation explores how athletes maintain motivation between races, navigate identity shifts when performance changes, recover from injuries or illness, and build long-term relationships with sport. The coaches also share practical coaching insights on training structure, nutriti...

How do athletes, executives, and everyday performers stay strong, resilient, and competitive for decades—not just seasons? In this episode, experts in performance medicine and sport science, Sharon McDowell and Regan Stiegman, unpack the science-backed strategies behind long-term performance, recovery, nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. Drawing from their new book Staying in the Game, the conv...

Today, we welcome Laurel Rathbun. This episode explores what sustainable high performance really looks like through the lens of elite cycling, entrepreneurship, and personal resilience. From early athletic development to career-ending injury, returning to competition, launching a women’s pro team, and balancing work, training, and leadership, this conversation offers practical lessons on consisten...

In this episode, we sit down with start-up CEO Maria Colacurcio to explore how elite performers balance career ambition, family life, and athletic goals without burning out. Drawing from real-world leadership experience and competitive sport, the conversation reveals practical strategies for goal setting, productivity, recovery, and mindset. Listeners will learn how to replace perfectionism with p...

What does it actually mean to perform at a high level without burning out? In this episode, productivity expert and endurance athlete Prasanth Nair shares a practical, systems-driven approach to sustainable high performance. You’ll learn how presence, energy management, identity-based habits, and structured time systems create consistent results in work, sport, and life. From micro-focus moments t...

In this episode, Sean sits down with sports marketing leader and lifelong endurance athlete Mike Buenting to explore what truly drives long-term motivation, happiness, and performance. From career reinvention to marathon breakthroughs and Ironman setbacks, Mike shares powerful lessons on chasing passion over money, building resilience through adaptability, and creating sustainable habits that fuel...

What does it take to sustain high performance across work, sport, and life—without burning out or losing yourself along the way? In this episode, Holly sits down with a lawyer, public servant, mother, and endurance athlete to explore how discipline, humility, and long-term thinking create the conditions for real potential. Through stories of running, leadership, self-doubt, and resilience, this co...

What does it actually take to perform at a high level—without sacrificing health, joy, or longevity? In this conversation, the guest explores sustainable high performance across work, sport, and life. Through stories of entrepreneurship, trail running, coaching, and community building, the episode unpacks how discipline, fun, mentorship, and self-awareness create lasting success. This episode is a...

This episode explores how fear, ambition, and identity shape performance in sport, leadership, and life. Through stories from endurance sport, entrepreneurship, parenting, and coaching, the conversation examines why driven people struggle with balance, how fear disguises itself as wisdom, and how clarity of purpose enables sustained high performance without regret. The discussion introduces a prac...

This episode dives into what it truly takes to become—and remain—a high performer across work, sport, and life. Together, we explore mastery, innate drive vs. learned skill, the psychology of sustainable excellence, and the real tension between ambition, identity, rest, and fulfillment. You’ll hear practical insights on stress-management, flow states, deliberate practice, rest-recovery balance, an...

The Metta Performance Podcast kicks off by introducing a coaching philosophy that blends compassion with high achievement—so you can perform in work, sport, and life without flaming out. Holly, Michael, and Sean unpack what “Type A+” really means, why process beats outcome, and how to avoid comparison traps, celebrate small wins, and build sustainable performance that lasts. Key takeaways: What “T...