Mental Training Lab

What do a hypnotized high-school wrestler, Olympic athletes, and modern neuroscience all have in common? In this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Dr. David Spiegel, one of the world’s leading experts in clinical hypnosis, to clear up the myths, misunderstandings, and stage-show baggage surrounding hypnosis. Next, we explore how it’s actually being used to reduce pain, manage stress, improve sleep, and enhance high-level performance.

We unpack how hypnosis works in the brain (including its effects on attention, dissociation, and the default mode network), and why hypnosis is best understood as an intentional, goal-directed mental skill, not mind control.

David shares remarkable clinical and performance stories, from eliminating chronic migraines to helping athletes access high quality focus under pressure. We also explore how hypnosis complements meditation, where the two differ, and why hypnosis can sometimes create rapid change where other practices haven’t.

If you’re interested in performance, well-being, or the science of attention and intentionality, this conversation may completely change how you think about hypnosis.

Learn more about Reveri, David’s self-hypnosis app, and get 20% off yearly or lifetime memberships with code MENTAL20: reverihealth.app.link/mental

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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
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This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.  

It’s officially the Olympics season, and I was stoked to join endurance athlete Travis Macy and Olympic ski mountaineer Cam Smith to talk about the mental skills behind peak performance. This episode is shared here on the Mental Training Lab feed as part of a crossover with Skimo Gold, and I’m excited to bring this conversation to you. 

We get into what it truly means to train your mind like an Olympian. And that means for any moment where pressure, uncertainty, or expectations are high. Not just on race day.

You’ll learn:

• How elite athletes stay present when the stakes are high
• What effective visualization actually looks like (and where it often goes wrong)
• How to avoid spiraling into outcomes and future thinking
• Ways to build confidence without tying it to results
• How to coach yourself with a healthier, more supportive inner voice

While the examples come from endurance sport and ski mountaineering, the mental skills we discuss apply far beyond athletics. These are tools for leaders, parents, coaches, and anyone trying to show up more grounded and intentional under pressure.

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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.  

On this week's solocast I'm taking a hard look at the way motivation and discipline are talked about online — and why a lot of the popular advice actually works against long-term performance.

You’ve probably seen the posts: discipline beats motivation, motivation is weak, success is just showing up no matter what. It all sounds tough and inspiring… until you actually try to live it. And then burnout, inconsistency, and frustration start creeping in.

So let's unpack the fundamental misunderstanding behind those messages and explain why discipline without motivation is like a car without gas. Discipline isn’t the enemy, but it’s not the fuel either.

I break down:

• What discipline actually is (and what it isn’t)
• A practical, usable definition of motivation
• Why framing discipline as punishment leads to burnout
• How self-determination theory explains the different “flavors” of motivation
• Why elite performers don’t rely on just one source of drive
• How to build a hybrid system that keeps you consistent and resilient
• When being “disciplined” actually means backing off instead of pushing harder 

If you’ve ever felt like you should be more disciplined, or wondered why motivation seems to disappear right when you need it most, this episode will help you reframe both — without shame, without hype, and with tools you can actually use.

As always, if something here resonates (or if you disagree), I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at drkcoaching.com and let me know what landed.

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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.  

What happens when the Mental Training Lab host hands over the mic? I’m your host Pete Kadushin, and in this special reverse interview episode, I’m interviewed by psychiatrist, meditation teacher, and longtime contemplative practitioner Holly Rogers. The conversation grew organically out of our previous episode together, one that sparked more questions, deeper curiosity, and the realization that it was time to balance the scales.

Together, Holly and I explore how contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation have shaped my personal life and professional path—from grad school, to working with elite athletes, to my current role in learning and development with the Chicago Blackhawks. I open up about vulnerability, presence, impermanence, and why mental performance work increasingly feels like sacred work rather than a set of techniques.

This episode is an honest, reflective look at what it means to practice what we teach. And how slowing down, paying attention, and trusting the process can lead to more meaningful performance, deeper relationships, and work that truly lights us up.

Whether you’re a coach, athlete, leader, or simply someone curious about how contemplative practices can change the way you show up in the world, this conversation offers insight, humanity, and permission to explore your own path with a little more trust.

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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.  

In today’s solocast, I explore one of my favorite mental training mantras: “No big deal.”

We look at how quickly we label experiences as good or bad, and how those judgments (often made without the full story) can quietly hijack our nervous system, emotions, and performance. Using a classic Zen parable alongside examples from sport, I unpack how unexamined thoughts start to feel like reality, and what happens when we learn to loosen our grip on them.

We also examine how “no big deal” isn’t about dismissing your experience, but about creating space to feel what you feel, unhook from unproductive thinking, and re-orient toward your values and intentions so you can stay present and perform what’s actually in front of you.

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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.  

In this episode of Mental Training Lab, I sit down with psychiatrist, meditation teacher, and author of The Mindful Twenty-Something,  Dr. Holly Rogers. We’re breaking down how mindfulness and meditation can transform our relationship to the present moment, performance, and our lives as a whole. 

Holly has spent decades working with college students, emerging adults, and high performers, helping them use Vipassana (mindfulness) meditation not as a relaxation tool, but as a mental training and nervous system regulation practice. We dig into what mindfulness actually is (and isn’t), why it’s not about “clearing your mind” and more about expanding your stretch zone so you don’t tip into overwhelm when it matters most.

We also get personal. I share how these practices have helped me transform my relationship with self-criticism, including a moment where I found myself unexpectedly in tears on the cushion, able to meet a younger version of me, and his “wrestler mindset” with compassion instead of judgment. Holly brings in 30 years of clinical experience to bust the myth that being kinder to yourself will make you soft or lazy and explains why she’s never once seen that happen.

If you’re an athlete, coach, or high performer who’s curious about mindfulness, meditation, self-compassion, performance, and resilience, this conversation offers practical tools, science-backed insight, and very human stories to help you start (or restart) your own practice in a doable, sustainable way.

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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.  

In today's solocast, we hit the slopes and explore the transformative power of acceptance through my own experience of learning to ski. 

We touch on how embracing the possibility of injury actually unlocked my ability to be present to the joy of skiing, and 10x'd my skill level after a decade away from the sport.

We also look at some of the reliable barriers to acceptance and outline a couple of practices to help create more acceptance in your life.

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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.  

How does stress impact the experience of sport? In this episode of the Mental Training Lab, I sat down with Megan Bartlett, founder of the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, educator, and faculty member of NM Sport, to explore the fascinating intersection of stress science, sport performance, and human development.

Megan’s work brings together neuroscience and coaching practice through what she calls biological respect. It’s the recognition that our stress responses aren’t independent choices, and instead we need to collaborate with our physiology! Together, we talk about how coaches can design environments that support athletes’ nervous systems, build resilience, and foster true psychological safety.

Megan shares practical, science-based strategies that anyone can use to help athletes regulate, recover, and thrive under pressure. Topics include how relationships buffer stress, how humor and structure aid regulation, and why well-being and performance aren’t opposites, rather, they’re inseparable.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help your athletes (or yourself) perform better and feel better, this conversation will change how you think about training, recovery, and what it really means to create high performance environments.

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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 solocast explores the role that negative visualization can play in generating gratitude, wonder, and a connection to the present moment.

I share a vivid story from my early days as a mental performance coach, and outline practices that can support you in appreciating your current capacity in a way that will support your growth and best performance.

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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.  

In this episode of the Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Dr. Ryan Hamilton, someone who truly lives the work he teaches. Ryan is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick, a certified mental performance consultant, and the mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Canadian National Team.

Ryan embodies what it means to truly practice what we preach in the world of high performance. He deep dives on a couple of stories from his time working with elite athletes, and shares what it really looks like to walk the talk when it comes to growth, resilience, and relevance.

Ryan also shares lessons from his own most recent endurance quest: a 24-hour ultra-marathon challenge that pushed him to the limits of both his body and mind. We get into what that experience taught him about self-awareness and why stretching beyond our comfort zones ultimately makes us better coaches, leaders, and humans.

So if you are a coach, consultant, athlete, or anyone who works in a high-performance environment, take a listen. This conversation will challenge you to reflect on your own growth, your blind spots, and your capacity to lead by example.

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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.