Frodeno Going Mental

Sam Laidlow has just rewritten triathlon history. Fresh off his record-breaking victory at DATEV Challenge Roth, the French triathlon superstar joins Jan Frodeno for an exclusive conversation on Going Mental. Recorded less than 24 hours after becoming the fastest athlete ever over the full-distance triathlon, Sam opens up about the mindset behind his historic performance, the relentless pursuit of...

In this episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with one of triathlon’s most iconic and polarizing figures: Chris “Macca” McCormack — 2x Ironman World Champion, 6x Triathlete of the Year, and one of the sport’s greatest storytellers. From the fierce Kona battles against Norman Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan to the psychological warfare, self-doubt and relentless determination that defined his...

Fresh off one of the most remarkable victories in professional cycling, Demi Vollering joins Going Mental to unpack the mindset behind her dramatic Giro d'Italia Women comeback. Just days after completing an extraordinary Grand Tour triple, Demi opens up about the final stage that changed everything, why she was willing to risk losing her podium place to win it all and the mentality that allows he...

Scott DeRue has climbed Mount Everest, completed the Seven Summits, led global businesses through crisis and now serves as CEO of Ironman. In this episode of Going Mental, Scott shares the leadership lessons he learned on the world's highest mountain, why reaching the summit is often the easy part and how high performers navigate uncertainty, risk, and pressure. We dive into Scott's journey from a...

What does it take to win Olympic gold after breaking your collarbone just weeks before the Games? In this episode of FRODENO GOING MENTAL, Jan Frodeno sits down with Tom  Pidcock. The two-time Olympic Champion, Tour de France stage winner,  Cyclocross World Champion and one of the most exciting riders in professional cycling reveals the mindset that helped him recover from devastating injuries, ma...

In this episode, Jan opens up a deeply personal chapter by sitting down with his own sports psychologist, Henning Thrien. Henning has spent the last 15 years working at the intersection of human vulnerability and elite performance, including guiding athletes through the high-pressure cooker of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pulling back the curtain on the raw emotional reality of world-class sports...

Olympic Champion and MTB legend Nino Schurter joins Going Mental for a deep conversation about pressure, flow, motivation and longevity. Nino reflects on a career that shaped modern mountain biking. From Olympic gold and World Championship titles to the mental challenges of staying on top for over two decades. A fascinating conversation about mindset, resilience and what truly drives champions. En...

In todays episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with cycling world record holder Vittoria Bussi. The first woman in history to ride more than 50 kilometers in one hour. But Vittoria’s story goes far beyond cycling. A former Oxford PhD mathematician, Vittoria shares how losing her father changed the direction of her life, how she turned pain into performance and why obsession became her gr...

What drives someone to race four major triathlons across two and a half continents in just six weeks — and still come out sharper on the other side? In this episode, Jan sits down with Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt to decode the mindset of the "Norwegian Terminator." Kristian opens up about his "kamikaze" racing schedule, the devastating mental basement of a bad rac...

For this conversation, Jan sits down with the greatest marathoner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge. They explore the mindset that led to the historic sub-two-hour marathon and why Eliud believes that records don't belong to individuals, but to the sport itself. Eliud shares his profound wisdom on the purity of running, explaining why he still lives and cleans in a simple training camp despite his globa...

In this episode, Jan connects with entrepreneur and visionary Simon Squibb to dissect the fundamental difference between a dream and a goal. Simon, who went from being homeless at 15 to becoming a multi-millionaire, shares his radical philosophy on why "monetizing your dream" is the only path to true fulfillment. Together, they discuss the flaws of the modern education system, the trap of middle-c...

In this episode, Jan sits down with former monk and Hindu priest Dandapani to demystify the human mind. Drawing from ten years of monastic training, Dandapani explains why focus is a physical skill that must be practiced 24/7, rather than a fleeting state achieved through quick meditation. He and Jan dive into the distinction between awareness and the mind, the "Bruce Lee of distraction" trap, and...

High performance cycling and mental toughness with Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma. She shares the "pain cave" secrets that led to her Alpe d’Huez and Tour victory and how she handles extreme pressure. Discover why Kasia believes that without risk, there is no top-tier sport. Get Your Own CANYON GRAIL Ready to hit the gravel? Grab Jan’s bike of choice and save extra on your next adve...

Athlete mindset and dealing with public criticism are daily realities for Lucy Charles-Barclay. Because her swim strength usually puts her at the front of every race, she is constantly under the camera's lens, meaning every mistake is broadcast to the world and judged by "armchair coaches". Lucy shares how she developed a "thick skin" to stay focused on her peak performance and why she ultimately...

How does a world champion handle the "terrible" feeling of the start gate? Downhill star Vali Höll joins Jan Frodeno to discuss the raw reality of racing at 80 km/h. From pre-race nausea and "survival mode" to navigating her team’s sudden bankruptcy , Vali reveals why she thrives under the pressure that makes her want to puke. It’s a candid look at the "handbrake" in her head and the mental shift...

What’s more dangerous: a 100-foot wave or a 30-year desk job? World record surfer Sebastian Steudtner joins Jan Frodeno to explain why he trained himself to pass out underwater just to "learn how to drown" without panic. From landlocked Germany to the massive swells of Nazaré, Steudtner reveals how he uses military-grade science to conquer the ocean’s most violent frontiers. It’s a masterclass in...

In this episode, Jan sits down with performance expert, author and coach Brad Stulberg to explore what it really means to pursue excellence — in sport and in life. Brad shares the philosophy behind his work on performance and human flourishing, from coaching elite athletes to teaching self-coaching at the University of Michigan. Together, Jan and Brad dive into the psychology of high performance,...

What does it really take to win Olympic gold and why can it still feel empty? In this episode of Frodeno Going Mental, Jan sits down with Olympic champion and two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo for a raw and deeply honest conversation about performance, pressure, identity and what success actually means when the lights go out. Malaika shares how growing up in Germany and experiencing racism a...

Lance Armstrong. Survivor. Champion. Fallen icon. Fighter. In this raw and honest conversation, Lance Armstrong sits down with Jan Frodeno to talk about survival, obsession, rivalry, addiction, therapy, fatherhood and what winning really meant to him. This is not a rehash of old headlines. This is about mindset. From being raised by a 17-year-old mother in Texas, to surviving cancer at 25, to domi...

Andrea Petkovic has lived elite sport from the inside – the hype, the pressure, the injuries, the doubts and the moments that look like success from the outside but feel very different on the inside. In this episode, Andrea and Jan talk openly about what happens when passion turns into expectation, why winning rarely changes what we think it will and how athletes build masks to survive on the bigg...

Dan Lorang has spent two decades at the highest level of sport - not as the one on the start line, but as the person holding the plan, the responsibility and often the pressure when everything is on the line. In this episode, Dan and Jan talk openly about what elite coaching actually demands: trust, honesty, emotional control and the weight of carrying someone else’s career. They dive into the coa...

Most athletes spend their whole career chasing one defining moment. Moritz Fürste had dozens: double Olympic gold, world player of the year, nearly 300 caps, and a decade inside one of the most dominant teams hockey has ever seen. But the real story isn’t just what he won. It’s what it cost him, what it taught him and how he rebuilt himself once the noise stopped. In this episode, Jan talks to a f...

From martial arts world champion to Hollywood stuntwoman, Marie Mouroum has built a career in the shadows of the spotlight - doubling A-list actors, crashing through walls, flying on wires and performing high-risk action where mistakes are not an option. In this episode live from Berlin, Marie sits down with Jan to talk about the mental side of extreme performance: trusting strangers with your lif...

Billy Monger has been through a lot of things already: racing prodigy, double amputee, Formula 1 pundit, world-record-breaking Ironman and now a Paralympic hope for LA 2028. In this episode, Jan and Billy talk about what it really means to reinvent yourself when life doesn’t give you a choice. Billy opens up about going from shy kid to “inspiration” overnight after his accident, why he hated that...

Andre Schürrle knows what it means to operate at the edge. World Cup finals, 80,000 people in the stands, a body and mind shaped for constant performance. But the real breaking points didn’t come in the stadiums. In this episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with André to talk about mental and physical limits: where they are, how they shift and why he keeps chasing them long after footbal...