Episode 49 of The Mental Game features a conversation with Sam Brief and Paul Marlow of Never Alone: How to believe in yourself like a professional athlete. Inspired by Episode 48 of The Mental Game (ft. pro baseball player Zach Nehrir) , Sam and Paul dive into self-belief, mindset changes and feeling free. In this episode, you’ll learn how broadcasting in a car and flying to Bali changed the lives of these two hosts, and what you can learn for yourself. Enjoy, and remember to be kind to yoursel...
Aug 20, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Episode 48 of The Mental Game brings aboard Zach Nehrir, an eight-year veteran of pro baseball. Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 16th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Nehrir spent three seasons with Arizona, reaching High-A in the Minor Leagues. He was released after the 2017 season and has spent the past five years in the American Association of Professional Baseball, where he now stars as an All-Star outfielder for the Cleburne Railroaders. Since his release from the Diamondbacks, Nehrir...
Aug 13, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Episode 47 of The Mental Game features the second episode with endurance sports author, coach and athlete Matt Fitzgerald . If you missed Part I with Matt, click here . From childhood, Fitzgerald has been engrossed in running and has since become a leading author and coach in the sport. Fitzgerald has authored nearly 30 books, many of which zone in on the mental side of endurance sports. Most recently, Fitzgerald penned Run Like a Pro (Even If You’re Slow) . Since he last appeared on The Mental ...
Jul 30, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 47
As The Mental Game presents its 46th episode, I’m thrilled to make a special announcement… The Mental Game is proud to partner with Never Alone , a multi-dimensional mental health brand spearheaded by Paul Marlow. Paul, a former Toronto Blue Jays draftee and guest of The Mental Game ( listen to his episode here ), started Never Alone after a traumatic period in his life during which he lost his father to Parkinson’s and cancer. After pushing back initially, Marlow embraced therapy in his recover...
Jul 10, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Episode 45 of The Mental Game features Jon Laaser, former play-by-play voice of the Virginia Tech Hokies who now is a mental health advocate and founder of Laaser’s Ladybug Society. In the midst of his own lifelong battle with depression and anxiety, Laaser stepped down from Virginia Tech in 2019 to pursue full-time mental health advocacy. He and his wife, Renée, founded Laaser’s Ladybug Society, which focuses on aiding Mental Health education and treatment. For more information on Laaser’s Lady...
May 22, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Episode 44 of The Mental Game brings on Olympic figure skater Jason Brown. Brown, a two-time Olympian, won a bronze medal in at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and most recently appeared at the Bejing Games this winter. After becoming one of the youngest male figure skating Olympic medalists ever, Brown achieved international stardom, known for his effervescent personality and artistry on the ice. But the Highland Park, Illinois native faced a major roadblock in 2018, failing to qualify for th...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Episode 43 of The Mental Game features Carrie Jackson, a mental skills coach, author and podcaster who focuses on mental recovery from physical injury. Jackson started the “Injured Athletes Club” podcast and co-authored “Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger From Sports Injuries.” In her expansive work, she coaches athletes on accepting injury, battling through and how to navigate rehab. On The Mental Game, Jackson delves into… Why injury acceptance is a crucial first step to recovery...
Apr 05, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Episode 42 of The Mental Game features Sports Illustrated copy chief Julie Kliegman . Kliegman is set to release her book, “Mind Game: Inside the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes,” in 2023. Kliegman, whose work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Ringer, BuzzFeed and more, has written extensively on mental health in sports, including this Sports Illustrated Daily Cover from April 2020. On The Mental Game, Kliegman dives into… The misconceptions surrounding mental health and ath...
Mar 23, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Episode 41 of The Mental Game brings aboard Boston Red Sox Development Coach Katie Krall. Krall, who graduated from Northwestern University just four years ago, has long vied to work in baseball and in January was hired to work with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in the Red Sox system. Krall previously spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and in the Cape Cod Baseball League before leaving the game to work as a Strategy Program Manager at Google for a few months. Then, the Red Sox came calling and...
Mar 14, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Episode 40 of The Mental Game features Paul Marlow, AKA Tall Paul, founder of Never Alone, an online resource leading the conversation on day to day mental health help. Marlow, formerly a Toronto Blue Jays draft pick, believes that everyone can work on bettering their mental health, just like with our physical health. Marlow started Never Alone after a traumatic period in his life, during which he lost his father to Parkinson’s and cancer. Marlow embraced honesty in his recovery process, and he ...
Feb 25, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Episode 39 of The Mental Game features Boston Red Sox Minor League pitcher Chris Troye, a philosophical and positive thinker zoned in on his mental skills. Troye attended UC Santa Barbara, where he rapidly emerged as a stud pitcher and top prospect. But as a sophomore, Troye tore his UCL and missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. That’s when Troye hunkered down and learned who he really is: Not Chris Troye, the pitcher, but Chris Troye, who pitches. Since then, he’s d...
Feb 09, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Episode 38 of The Mental Game features Freddie Stevenson , former pro football player, author and activist. Stevenson rose from a childhood of homelessness and poverty to the NFL. Then, after his playing career which featured a National Championship at Florida State and a stint with the Chicago Bears, Stevenson experienced severe depression, bringing him to despair. But he harnessed the power of a positive mindset to turn his life around and later authored “ Trials To Triumph ,” which details hi...
Jan 15, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Episode 37 of The Mental Game features Kieran Lovegrove, a retired Minor League Baseball pitcher who has made waves as an activist speaking out on baseball’s “mental health crisis.” Lovegrove made waves in a September ESPN.com piece by Joon Lee in which he details his harrowing journey as a young minor leaguer, which included severe anxiety and depression, alcoholism and a suicide attempt. Lovegrove was “reborn” after his attempt, and he has since turned his life around, committing to staying so...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Episode 36 of The Mental Game brings aboard Scottie Lindsey, currently in his fourth season as a professional basketball player. Lindsey plays for the Windy City Bulls, NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls. Lindsey played college basketball at Northwestern University, where he powered the Wildcats to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2017. From there, he has made three stops in the NBA G League and played briefly in Portugal last year. With the NBA in his sights, Lindsey t...
Dec 08, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Episode 35 of The Mental Game features Austin Anderson, Director of Athletic Communications at Judson University (Illinois). As a young child, Anderson overcame significant mental illness and “feels that a main purpose of the remainder of his life is to share his experiences, make awareness for neuro-immune illnesses, and discuss mental health in the modern age.” Anderson operates “Minds of Meaning,” a personal website dedicated to such awareness. On The Mental Game, Anderson discusses: His chil...
Nov 12, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Episode 34 of The Mental Game features pitcher Jordan Kipper, a former Los Angeles Angels draft choice most recently starring for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association. A graduate of TCU, Kipper is now in his eighth professional season. He reached the Triple-A level of Minor League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles organization and served as the ace for the Dogs this past season, earning the American Association Pitcher of the Month honor for August and finishing the season with 51 stri...
Oct 09, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Episode 33 of The Mental Game features National Champion tennis star Peyton Stearns. Stearns is a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin and has already etched herself as one of the top young stars in the country. In the spring, she led the Longhorns to an NCAA title and was named Most Outstanding Player. She then earned a qualifying wild card for the women's singles draw at the U.S. Open, where she fell to the United Kingdom’s Harriet Dart. As a 19-year-old, Stearns recognizes that her ...
Sep 19, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Episode 32 of The Mental Game features Chicago-based actor and mindset coach Tony Rossi . Tony has performed professionally in both the Boston and Chicago markets. Prior to making the move to Chicago, he worked with Greater Boston Stage Company and Boston Children’s Theatre . His commercial work includes BUNN, Ortiz, Fanatics, and others. He now is a mindset coach and certified speaker who helps fellow actors “stress less, laugh more, and see things differently when it comes to the challenges in...
Aug 15, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Episode 31 of The Mental Game brings on Jake Dahlberg, a fifth-year professional pitcher who just signed with the San Francisco Giants organization. Up to July 20, Dahlberg was pitching for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association. Note: We recorded this episode on July 19, one day before Dahlberg was signed by San Francisco, validating his commitment to the mental game. Dahlberg, a University of Illinois-Chicago alum, was drafted in the 21st round of the 2017 MLB Draft by his childhood team...
Jul 22, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Episode 30 of The Mental Game brings on the podcast’s first-ever return guest, Dr. Harold Shinitzky. In a lightning bolt moment for sports and mental health, Shinitzky joins to discuss where we stand, including the strong reaction to Naomi Osaka’s very public ordeal with her mental health. Shinitzky and Sam Brief delve into how the media should cover mental health, why fans get wrapped up in athletes’ personal lives and how to thaw the “glacial pace” of change. Dr. Shinitzky first joined in Nove...
Jul 01, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Episode 29 of The Mental Game brings on Dr. Wendy Borlabi, Chicago Bulls Director of Performance and Mental Health. In addition to her role with the Bulls, Borlabi also manages a private practice, Borlabi Consulting and consults the NBA. In her past, Dr. B served as a psychologist for the United States Olympic Committee and as an Athletic Consultant at James Madison University. Borlabi also founded Wisdom Knot, a non-profit that, in her words, “works to increase self-exploration in inner city yo...
Jun 08, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Episode 28 of The Mental Game features 9th year professional baseball outfielder Brennan Metzger. Now in his debut season with the Chicago Dogs, Metzger was a San Francisco Giants draft choice in 2012. In 2013, Metzger, who suffers from Crohn's disease, was hospitalized for over a month, undergoing a major surgery that removed his large intestine. He also entered into four emergency surgeries that gravely threatened his life. At age 23, Metzger nearly died in the hospital. He lost 80 pounds. Met...
May 25, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Episode 27 of The Mental Game features Megan Skaggs, a six-time All-American gymnast at the University of Florida. Before stepping foot on Florida’s campus, Skaggs had already earned two medals for U.S. Gymnastics. Now an accomplished collegiate gymnast entering her fifth year, Skaggs is locked in on her mental game and shares her recipe for overcoming the myriad obstacles of an elite gymnast. On the podcast, Skaggs dives into: How she combats negative thoughts while competing Her worst fall, an...
May 10, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Episode 26 of The Mental Game brings aboard Jonathan Jones , a student-athlete development consultant, TedX speaker, podcast host and former student-athlete. Jones played basketball at Richland College and the University of Texas at Tyler, a tenure he says was rife with costly mistakes. Now, he advises current student-athletes on their development, focusing deeply on mental health. Jones recently launched “Podcasting for Players,” a platform to help student-athletes develop their own podcasts, s...
Apr 19, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Episode 25 of The Mental Game features Dr. Veronica Ivy , world-champion cyclist, professor of philosophy and activist for human rights. In 2018, Ivy became the first transgender world champion in track cycling, then won another title the next year. Her athletic feats, however, have spawned vitriol from critics who claim that, as a transgender woman, she has no right to compete in women’s sports. Numerous death threats have been issued against Ivy. Ivy isn’t just a champion athlete, but she’s a ...
Apr 06, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Episode 24 of The Mental Game features Xavier Fulton, former NFL, CFL and University of Illinois football player. After starring at Illinois, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Fulton in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Fulton’s subsequent NFL career was marred, however, by injuries and cuts, before he settled in the Canadian Football League, winning the 2013 Grey Cup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Fulton has since opened up about the anxiety and depression he dealt with as a pro football...
Mar 29, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Episode 23 of The Mental Game features writer endurance sports writer, coach and athlete Matt Fitzgerald . A runner since the age of 11, Fitzgerald has channeled his love of endurance into writing. The New Hampshire native has authored nearly 30 books, many focusing on the mental side of endurance sports, including “The Comeback Quotient and “How Bad Do You Want It?” which this podcast’s host has read. On the podcast, Fitzgerald breaks down: Why reality holds the key to life How elite endurance ...
Mar 16, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Episode 22 of The Mental Game Podcast features 13-year MLB veteran and certified mental skills coach Bob Tewksbury. After pitching for six big league teams and winning 110 games, Tewksbury earned a master's in psychology and enlisted as a mental skills coach with the Boston Red Sox, where he won three World Series rings. He then moved to the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs before crafting his own practice, which you can find at BobTewksbury.com . A titan in the industry, Tewksbury authored...
Feb 24, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Episode 21 of The Mental Game Podcast features world-renowned BASE Jumper, skydiver, author and CEO Matt Gerdes. Gerdes is one of the world’s top BASE jumpers, completing 1,200 jumps and skydives to date. He authored The Great Book of BASE and also co-founded Squirrel Wingsuits . On the podcast, Gerdes brings us inside the mind of a BASE jumper. As one of the world’s most dangerous sports, BASE jumpers must be incredibly risk-averse. In spite of the treacherous risks, Gerdes describes why it’s w...
Feb 15, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Episode 20 of The Mental Game Podcast features Kansas City Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg. Goldberg serves as pregame and postgame show host for the Royals on FOX Sports Kansas City while also hosting the “ Rounding the Bases ” podcast. In addition, Goldberg is a renowned public speaker, tailoring his message to the value of people. As he says, “it’s always about people.” Goldberg also authored Small Ball Big Results , which focuses on the little things that add up to wins in baseball, busines...
Feb 08, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 20
