On Episode 123 of Closer Mentality, Aidan Connolly joined the podcast to talk about his experience with junior hockey, injuries, how rehab helped him find psychology, and the endeavor of bring hockey to Ireland! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed,...
Aug 13, 2025•38 min
Episode 122 brought on sport psychologist, Dr. Seth Swary! Dr. Swary detailed his extensive research on music integration in elite sport and how athletes can use pre-game playlists to directly increase performance! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licens...
Jul 30, 2025•45 min
Episode 121 brought on performance coach and SportsBiz EVP for International Strategy, Isabel Delgado! Delgado spoke to her time coaching at the Rafa Nadal Academy, what coaches get wrong in facilitating positive team culture and communication, and the impact of artificial intelligence on sports marketing and branding. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discoun...
Jul 16, 2025•43 min
Episode 120 welcomed on 3x Deaflympic medalist, Dr. Becky Clark, and University of Western States professor and CMPC, Dr. Gily Meir. Drs. Clark and Meir highlighted the new partnership between the USA Deaflympics team and UWS, set to provide Team USA athletes with appropriate communication avenues and sport psychology services ahead of the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympic Games! It's the first such partnership in the world! CAPTIONS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4VDDFrl7M Let our sponsor BetterHelp co...
Jul 03, 2025•47 min
Episode 119 welcomed on Dre Baldwin, CEO of Work On Your Game and former professional basketball player! He spoke to the degree of dedication that it took to play Division III, cultivating his internal drive, getting scouted to play overseas, and the 12 Work On Your Game Commandments. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have ...
Jun 10, 2025•43 min
Episode 118 welcomed on former University of Arizona springboard diver, Brooke Earley. Earley explained how she ended up diving for the Wildcats, sustaining four concussions, battling proprioception issues, and the mental health practices that she found most useful! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about...
Jun 04, 2025•29 min
Episode 117 welcomed on Team USA BMX racer Payton Ridenour. Ridenour's story included her introduction to BMX racing, making her first Olympic team, implementing visualization, and learning to rely on herself for success! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are...
May 28, 2025•39 min
Episode 116 welcomed on neuroscientist and founder/CEO of i-BrainTech, Dr. Konstantin Sonkin. Dr. Sonkin explained how artificial intelligence and sport performance can coexist for good, and the implementation of data-driven visualization exercises! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relati...
May 20, 2025•32 min
Episode 115 welcomed on Colorado Rockies' Mental Skills Coordinator, Dr. Colt Olson. Dr. Olson worked through how his passion for psychology developed, how he helps professional baseball players craft their mental routines, and the Closer Mentality! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relati...
May 13, 2025•42 min
Episode 114 brought on former English rugby player Will Hooley! Hooley addressed his rugby upbringing, representing his national team, playing within the Major League Rugby organizations, and what the sport needs to do in order to expand successfully. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand rela...
May 07, 2025•34 min
Dr. Ross White, a professor of clinical psychology at Queen's University Belfast, joined Closer Mentality this week to speak on psychological jiu-jitsu, cultural acuity in mental wellness, and his new book, "The Tree That Bends". Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therap...
Apr 29, 2025•43 min
Episode 112 brought on University of Washington sport researcher Dr. Julie McCleery! She spoke to her experience rowing with Team USA and how research she conducts can inform the way coaches and support staff interact with female athletes! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how ...
Apr 17, 2025•40 min
Episode 111 brought on USA Team Handball captain and Wheelchair Handball Director of Operations, Dr. Sarah Gascon. Dr. Gascon talked through her time on both the USA Volleyball and Baseball teams, as well as her introduction to handball and the opportunity to join USA Wheelchair Handball's inaugural season. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your fi...
Apr 11, 2025•45 min
Episode 110 featured UCF long jumper Hayley Manners! Manners spoke to growing up with Canadian track and field competition, getting recruited in the United States, entering the transfer portal, navigating a major injury, and found family in the form of fellow mental health-focused student-athletes. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month...
Apr 02, 2025•35 min
Episode 109 brought on Team USA Paralympian, Ryan Neiswender. Neiswender, a wheelchair basketball player, spoke to adaptive sport opportunities, collegiate recruiting, representing Team USA all over the world, the program's golden legacy, and how para sport can rise in popularity. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any ...
Mar 28, 2025•39 min
Episode 108 brought on Olympic water polo goalkeeper turned yoga instructor, Jaime Komer. Komer spoke to the worldliness that water polo afforded her, a prolific college career, winning a silver medal in Beijing with Team USA, and combating the overwhelming feelings of burnout for a sport that had given her everything. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discoun...
Feb 27, 2025•31 min
Episode 107 brought on Team USA para-cyclist Sam Bosco! Bosco spoke about limb-lengthening surgeries, rowing as physical therapy, finding adaptive cycling, TBIs, and finally standing atop a Paralympic podium. It's a jam-packed episode! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the ...
Feb 20, 2025•42 min
Episode 106 brought on Tom Maloney to speak about his experience with Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Maloney introduced NLP and explained its use cases in collegiate and professional sports. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy,...
Feb 11, 2025•24 min
Episode 105 brought on Team Barbados track athlete and advocate, Ryan Brathwaite. He spoke about his introduction to track, sport on the island, moving to the United States to run collegiately, and how he's hoping to offer opportunities to Barbadian youth. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand...
Jan 29, 2025•33 min
Episode 104 brought on Riley Tejcek, an officer in the United States Marine Corps and a bobsled pilot for Team USA. She spoke about getting involved with The Marines and Team USA, playing a Division I sport, nurturing motivation, and writing a children's book. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the b...
Jan 16, 2025•44 min
Episode 103 welcomed on former professional soccer player and talent scout Mark Dillon. He spoke to the changes in the American soccer landscape since the 1970s, how to scout talent overseas, American early specialization, and how to use sport to craft a vast and immersive worldview. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have a...
Jan 09, 2025•43 min
Episode 102 brought on Team USA Wheelchair Rugby sport psychologist, Dr. Margaret Smith. She spoke about social neuroscience, the nervous system, how her work provides psych services to para-athletes, and her passion for adaptive sport. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the...
Dec 12, 2024•26 min
Episode 101 welcomed on Team USA Wheelchair Basketball men's head coach Robb Taylor. He spoke about his introduction to adapted sport, working up the coaching ladder, NWBA classification, and what it means to coach a legacy team! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therap...
Nov 28, 2024•31 min
Episode 100 is a conglomeration of my favorite episodes from the past three years! I'm so grateful that I get to create these stories every week and help advocate for athlete mental health and wellness. Thank you to everyone who has been tuning in, and especially to those who have supported since the beginning. It's already been a wild ride, and I've loved every second of it! Here's to 100 more! Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of y...
Nov 13, 2024•41 min
Episode 99 welcomes on former Team USA fencer Iris Zimmermann! She worked through her adolescent rise to international fencing dominance, fencing in college, following her older sister through the sport, and how abusive coaching behaviors shaped her motivation style and the kind of coach she now is. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first mont...
Nov 07, 2024•29 min
Episode 98 welcomed on Team USA javelin athlete Kara Winger! She spoke to her reign of US dominance, becoming a 4x Olympian, being chosen as an Olympic flag bearer for the United States, and her complicated relationship with injury rehab. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how t...
Oct 31, 2024•47 min
Episode 97 features former Allegheny College field hockey player Becca Winton. In this episode, Winton speaks to her experience helping found the team, training through COVID-19, and the ensuing mental health struggles she experienced in college athletics in the post-COVID era. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any que...
Oct 24, 2024•49 min
Welcome in Episode 96's guest, Jonny Curran. Curran played college golf at St. Mary's College and detailed his recruitment, the golfer mentality, individuality on the course, his podcast, and what resources he wants all college athletic departments to have. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the bran...
Oct 17, 2024•29 min
Episode 95 welcomed on Kelly Oberle, founder of Access Human Potential. She spoke to her experience as a walk-on, translating her athletic prowess into applicable lessons post-sport, and the services she offers now with her consulting company. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to ...
Oct 11, 2024•25 min
Episode 94 is live now with Team USA rifle athlete Lucas Kozeniesky. He spoke about finding a rifle club in Northern Virginia, the now-defunct rifle program at NC State, the mental tax of competitive shooting, and his experiences as a 2x Olympian. Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating...
Oct 03, 2024•40 min
