Closer Mentality

Episode 59 brought forth the story of former Team USA cross-country skier, and five-time Olympian, Kikkan Randall. In one of the most amazing stories of heart and perseverance I've ever gotten the opportunity to tell on this podcast, Kikkan walked us through her two-decade career, setting United States records, what it meant to finally walk away with an Olympic gold, and the diagnosis that rocked...

Episode 58 welcomed University of Kentucky's junior rifle athlete Mary Tucker. Tucker is a four-time National Champion and Olympic silver medalist. She stopped by Closer Mentality to revisit her introduction to rifle, finding her Wildcat team, the lead-up to Tokyo 2020, and what motivates her to constantly strive for what's next! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first m...

In Episode 57, former professional soccer midfielder Angela Salem joined the podcast to talk about how she's had a front-row seat to the evolution of women's soccer in the United States, how mental health resources have broadened availability, and how she hopes to give back to the sport that gave her so much. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.co...

Episode 56 brought Closer Mentality to South America, where we met Team Peru pole vaulter Nicole Hein. Hein talked about the gymnast to pole vaulter pipeline, the revolving door of talent coming through Peru, and how the country deals with its athletes' mental and physical healths on the world stage. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closerm...

Emily Potter joined Episode 55 to work through her experience playing college basketball at the University of Utah, signing a training camp deal with the Seattle Storm, and moving across the world to play basketball in Poland, Czech Republic, and Greece, during which time she began having mental health struggles. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhel...

Episode 54 welcomed Team Zimbabwe and former Kentucky Wildcat swimmer Peter Wetzlar. He talked about his experience growing up in Zimbabwe, going to a swim-centric boarding school in South Africa, and finally finding his home in the United States. He detailed the road to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, being one of only five Zimbabwean Olympians sent, and how his relationship with sport...

Season 2 kicks off with Team USA roller figure skater Candice Clifford's story. She details how she and her peers have worked to advocate for their sport in mainstream sports media and how it felt to represent the United States internationally, but also how the "figure skater" body contributed to her eventual hospitalization. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month...

In honor of a full year of content, I put together some of my favorite interviews and lessons from Season 1. Despite geographic and cultural differences, it's been an amazing journey to point to certain mental similarities that bond all elite performers. This was such a fun way to look back on all the stories Closer Mentality has shared, and I hope you love it! See you in Season 2! This episode is...

In Episode 51, sport nutritionist Denvyr Tyler-Palmer came on to work through her relationship with food and how her notoriety on the court aided in exacerbating the issue. She also talked through which cues signify a hidden problem with athletes she now helps coach. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSOR...

Episode 50 welcomed Team Australia's 100 and 200 m T35 athlete Isis Holt. Holt, who lives with cerebral palsy, detailed her ascension to gold medals, Paralympic Games, and world records in a sport that she stumbled into. She also articulated why she attributed silver medals to failure and what happened before she took a break from athletics leading up to 2020's Tokyo Paralympic Games. This episode...

Episode 49 welcomed Izzy Connor, a Team USA rhythmic gymnast who took her team of five to the carpet at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. We talked about stage fright, performance anxiety, teammate synchronicity, quitting a sport you've spent your entire life tied to, and how to soften the blow of athletic retirement. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhe...

In Episode 48, I sat down to discuss Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown's mid-game exodus during this week's game against the New York Jets, and how it mirrors the outbursts of late NFL players who have since been diagnosed with CTE. I also laid out the research surrounding the susceptibility of football players to end up with the disease, as well as warning signs to look for in team...

In Episode 47, I discussed the psychology behind why the majority of New Years Resolutions fail and what you can do to prep your processes for continued success. I also discussed why athletes are better equipped than the average human at sticking to goal-setting behaviors. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UN...

Episode 46 brought on Teesta and Jared Sullivan. Jared is a semi-pro soccer player in Europe, and his mother Teesta owns a company called GoSoccerPro, which helps inform American youth soccer players of opportunities to play professionally overseas. We spoke about Jared moving to Europe to pursue soccer at 15 years old, misconceptions of foreign soccer atmospheres, and how GoSoccerPro has evolved!...

Former professional soccer player Wells Thompson came on Closer Mentality to talk about how he cultivated his "against all odds" work ethic, the mental adversity of playing a sport professionally, hitting the wall of his playing career, and Soccer Resilience. Soccer Resilience: https://soccerresilience.com/ This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/...

In Episode 44, Canadian professional bull rider Coy Robbins sat down to talk about going pro in the industry at such a young age, what it takes to succeed, and the breakdown of the sport into physical and mental roadblocks. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuZfwIP9ny-WIq...

Episode 43 brought on New York Yankees' minor leaguer Chase Illig to talk about his experience getting drafted in 2019, how minor league clubhouses handle sport psychology, and the impact of the new MiLB housing protocol. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuZfwIP9ny-WIqpc...

Former Team Canada track & field athlete Teagan Rasche joined Episode 42 to talk about how the sport took over her adolescence and college career, the individual sport mindset, reaching out for help, the college transfer portal, and representing her national team twice. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Mentality UNCEN...

Episode 41 welcomed Paralympian Ali Jawad on to talk about his experience being born without legs and choosing a sport like powerlifting through which to excel. We work through each of his run-ins with the Paralympic Games and what it finally felt like to reach the podium. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at https://betterhelp.com/closermentality Closer Ment...

In Episode 40, I worked through the impact of perfectionism on elite athletes, how to switch the perspective from surviving to thriving, and what it takes to redirect motivation styles into a more positive direction. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off of your first month at https://betterhelp.com/closermentality SURVEY: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQL…xGNJonVg/viewform Closer M...

Jesse Bradley, whose professional soccer career includes stints in Minnesota, Scotland, and Zimbabwe, came on Episode 39 to talk about his experience with professional soccer, playing internationally, the psychology of the goalkeeper position, and the trials and tribulations of living in an area of the world ripe with malaria. Closer Mentality: UNCENSORED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR-ZXjCEx...

In Episode 38, I worked through the impacts of social loafing on team cohesion and efficiency, as well as how morale can be heightened when positions are cross-trained. SURVEY: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecFDdq0C5CdxXDN0vjxtbUiFZQb6pcIPJCFMYtS_xGNJonVg/viewform Closer Mentality: UNCENSORED: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJuZfwIP9ny-WIqpcUaQnWA

Katie Shaffer came on Closer Mentality's 37th episode to talk about the difference between applied and clinical sport psychology, her work at IMG and Springfield College, and how to channel and nurture the areas of a student-athlete's self-image untouched by athletic participation. Jonathan Fader's TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lxj5FEpEG4 Closer Mentality: UNCENSORED: https://www.yout...

I'm thrilled to be joined on Episode 36 by Joce Camarra. She's a BMX rider who had made a name for herself as one of the only women in BMX, and by becoming the first woman ever to complete the open loop run. I loved sitting down with her and talking about her life before BMX, setting records, and how bikes have cultivated her emotional coping strategies. Down to Ride app (Apple): https://apps.appl...

Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CSW joined me for Episode 35 of Closer Mentality. She's the Mental Health and Sports Performance Specialist for the United Soccer League's Oakland Roots, and came on to talk through her experience working with athletes whose cultures don't appreciate emotional vulnerability. She also shared what preceded her transition from social work to mental skills training, as well as...