Mental Training Lab

Today’s guest is Jon Kinner (@ultrajonk). Jon’s an endurance athlete who followed his dream of nordic skiing to Western Colorado University. Jon grew his passion for exercise and fitness into a career as an elementary PE teacher in Golden, CO, and earned a Master’s in Sport & Exercise Science from the University of Northern Colorado as well.

 As you’ll hear in the show, one missed bus ride and Jon accidentally discovered his affinity for long distance running and he quickly progressed to marathon racing, eventually qualifying for and running in the Boston marathon in 2010. That wasn’t enough...

 He ran his first 50 miler in the spring of 2011 and since 2014, has successfully finished six 100 mile ultramarathons. In this episode we go deep into the mantras he’s developed over all those miles, his strategies for preparing his mind and body for the worst on race day, and how running provides an incredible mirror into our lives. Jon and I have been meaning to sit down and have this conversation forever, and I’m glad we got to share it with you. To the show!!

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

Today’s guest is Sam Zizzi (@DoctorSizzle). Sam is a father of three, an outdoor enthusiast, and a lover of travel and culture. He is passionate about bringing mindfulness to the masses, not to improve performance, but to foster self-awareness and compassion. 

As a Professor of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology at West Virginia University, he guides his students in their mindfulness research, and he teaches classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He and his colleagues have published two books focused on the integration of mindfulness into sport environments. 

Sam is also my former advisor! We really dive deep into the nature of mindfulness and the value of having both formal and informal ways of cultivating presence. Sam talks about the value of grief, why enthusiasm is a game changer, and why we shouldn’t get too precious with the how and when of mindfulness practice. I had a blast having this conversation - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

Today in the lab we’ve got Evren Gunduz (@evrenenjoylife). Evren is an award winning educator, coach, and entrepreneur whose mission is to empower teens to succeed in life. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Enjoy Life Education Inc. through which he helps young athletes to strengthen their mindset, become empowering leaders, and develop a high achieving team culture. Evren received a Master of Education from Harvard University concentrating in developmental psychology and leadership studies. 

Evren is also an ultramarathoner and TB12 Peak Performer Athlete. He has completed multiple ultra distance events including a 100 miler - and here’s what you’re going to notice in our conversation - he uses each of these endurance adventures as a laboratory to test and create the leadership and mindset systems that he teaches to his clients. 

In this episode we dive deep into the power of owning your own experience, why stopping to smell the flowers is worth blowing up your tempo run for, and how shifting into a process focused perspective can make all the difference. Ok… enough is enough. It’s show time!

For show notes, transcripts, and to get access to Mental Training Lab worksheets for each week's episode, visit mtl.academy

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

Today in the lab we’ve got Ali Levy. Ali is the Director of Product at O2X (o2x.com) and a Mental Performance Specialist. In her role at O2X, Ali works with leading researchers and educators around the country to create tailored, integrated programs designed to meet the unique demands facing tactical athletes and elite organizations. She also holds an M.Ed. in Counseling and Sport Psychology.

In her first career, Ali skied as a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team where she competed at the World Cup level and was crowned 2 x North American Cup Grand Prix Champion. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, she’s also co-led an 1,100 mile self-supported bike ride from Seattle to San Francisco, and most recently trained for and finished her second 50-mile Ultramarathon. 

In this episode we dive into the process of systematic reflection, we break down the momentum you can build from stacking up little wins, and we look at why living in alignment is so dang powerful. Enough from me though, let’s get to the show!

For show notes, a transcript of this episode, and to sign up for the MTL newsletter, head over to mtl.academy!

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

For today's episode, I'm joined by Brett Malone. Brett is a dynamic executive now leading the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (www.vtcrc.com), one of the largest research enterprises in the country. He’s fluent in a broad range of technologies and has had 4 successful startups in his career. He’s been in aerospace, biotech, software, and engineering and he’s passionate about building and leading high-performance teams. Brett recently got his own podcast, #StartDisrupting off the ground and you should check that out too!

Brett’s also an accomplished ultramarathoner, completing multiple 50k, 50 milers and 100 mile races, including the Leadville 100 in Colorado. He’s coached marathon runners and has helped hundreds of first-time marathoners get across the finish line.

In this episode we zoom in on the process of reinvention, talk about why it’s useful to find activities you aren’t good at, and dig into how to test out new experiences to see if they’re a good fit for you. The episode of packed with insights and actionable experiments. I hope you enjoy!

For show notes, a transcript of the episode, and to sign up for the weekly newsletter, visit mtl.academy

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

Listen up to find out what the show is all about!

 For all the episodes, for show notes and transcripts, and to sign up for the weekly MTL newsletter, visit mtl.acacdemy. 

 The newsletter is the only place where you'll find the worksheets that accompany each episode, which will help you dial up your mental training so you can be your best when it matters most!

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | Spotify

This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.