This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

If your sport vanished tomorrow, would you still know exactly who you are? That question sounds dramatic until you’ve lived it through an injury, a lost roster spot, or the quiet whiplash of an offseason when training finally stops. We talk honestly about the moment sport isn’t there to hold your routine together and why that can feel like losing a piece of your body, not just a hobby.

We unpack a key sports psychology concept called identity foreclosure and translate it into real athlete life: starting young, getting good, and slowly having your entire world shaped around performance. Then I share the idea at the center of my doctoral work, environmental identity conditioning, the way repeated feedback from your team, family, schedule, and culture can teach your brain that sport equals worth. If you’ve ever struggled to describe yourself without your position, felt anxious on rest days, or gone blank when asked what you like outside training, you’ll recognize the pattern fast.

Most importantly, we get proactive. I walk you through practical mental performance coaching tools to build a multidimensional identity on purpose, so pressure hits differently, setbacks don’t wreck you, and retirement doesn’t feel like falling off a cliff. You’ll get a simple two-week exercise, prompts you can use immediately, and a clear reason why being a whole person doesn’t dilute elite performance, it strengthens it.

If this hits home, subscribe to Plan B, share it with one athlete who needs it, and leave a review so more competitors can find the support they never got handed.

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

He was written off early: school felt like a fight, his grades cratered, and trouble found him before football ever did. Then one coach took a chance and everything shifted. Coach Ryan Jensen joins us to tell the full story, from getting humbled in junior college football to earning Division I offers and making history as a founding player at Old Dominion. If you’re a high school athlete weighing JUCO, recruiting options, or a big move far from home, this conversation gives you a clear, real-world roadmap.

We get into what junior college is actually like when you’re an 18-year-old lineman lining up against grown men, and how a strength program plus the right mentors can transform your body, your mindset, and your future. Ryan shares what it felt like when colleges started showing up at his door, why he chose legacy over logos, and how the bonds from a brand-new program still show up in his life years later.

Then we go behind the curtain on the NFL pro day grind, the injury that changed his path, and the hard truth about arena football and “almost making it.” From there, we widen the lens to athlete mental health, sports retirement, identity foreclosure, and why finding your people matters as much after sport as it does during it. Ryan also explains why he became a San Francisco police officer, and how he now gives back through Own The Line Football, a Northern California nonprofit focused on linemen, mentorship, accountability, and building men of character.

If this helped you, subscribe, share it with an athlete who needs perspective, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

A BMX gate drops and everything you’ve trained for shows up in 40 seconds or less. That’s why I brought the Priest Family Racing crew onto the Plan B Podcast: Lisa and David plus sisters Savannah and Alexa, a Montana family living the real day to day of youth BMX racing while also chasing big goals in ski racing.

We talk about what a normal race weekend actually feels like, from warmups and motos to the moment your legs go dead near the finish. Savannah shares the fun and the calculation behind big jumps, plus how coaching and confidence shape the choices you make at speed. Alexa gets honest about the mental side of performance, how fear can linger after injury, and why mindset work can matter as much as physical training. We also dig into how they train for explosive power with gates, track reps, plyometrics, and CrossFit style strength work, all while staying healthy with stretching and smart recovery.

Then we pull back the curtain on what parents carry: logistics, travel, expenses, and the constant risk management that comes with high speed sports. We cover sibling rivalry, the BMX crash rules and why most incidents are accidents, and how homeschooling can make training, sleep, and travel more realistic for driven young athletes. If you care about BMX racing, youth athlete development, sports parenting, mental toughness, and multi sport training, this one is packed with practical insight and real stories.

Subscribe, share this with a racing family, and leave a review if you want more conversations like this. What part of BMX feels most mental to you: the gate, the first straight, or coming back after a crash?

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

The moment you step on campus, the story can change. Your recruiter might be gone. The training plan you expected might never show up. The team culture you pictured might not exist in your event group yet. Coach B sits down with Syracuse D1 track athlete Hailey Schumann to tell the unfiltered version of that first-year reality and how to survive it without losing yourself as a runner or a person.

We rewind to Hailey’s recruiting journey: starting late, chasing opportunities, getting a surprising Syracuse email, and committing after a single unofficial visit. Then we get honest about what happened next, including coaching turnover, the “where is everybody?” shock of early practices, and the stress that can build when communication and structure are unclear. Haley shares how a rapid jump in workload can stack with college life stress and lead to injury, and what her rehab looked like using tools like arc training and reduced-impact running.

The heart of this conversation is resilience and self-advocacy for student-athletes. Hailey explains how she leaned on her parents, her faith, and the teammates who showed up for her when things felt isolating. She also shares how speaking up with coaches changed her experience and why advocating for yourself is a skill every recruit needs. Finally, she reveals how she’s channeling the year into an entrepreneurship idea designed to help athletes navigate the college athletics system with clearer expectations.

If you’re a high school athlete, parent, or coach trying to understand NCAA recruiting, Division I track life, team culture, and the mental side of injuries, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a recruit who needs it, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s one question every athlete should ask before committing?

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

Six minutes can feel like a full day when it is just you, an opponent, and a referee on the mat. We bring on high school wrestler Jayden Wanalista, a rising name in a sport that deserves more attention, to talk about what wrestling really demands: commitment, composure, and the ability to perform while your brain is trying to talk you out of it. Along the way, we also get the story behind his signature mullet and how a small detail can become part of an athlete’s confidence and routine.

Jayden walks us through his journey back into wrestling after time as a multi sport kid, then breaks down the work behind his recent section podium finish. We dig into wrestling training habits that actually move the needle: sleep, nutrition, heavy compound lifting, mobility work like yoga, and the kind of gymnastics style practice that builds strength in uncomfortable positions. He also explains what it feels like right before a match, why he tries not to “think” during live action, and how a trusted coach can keep you steady when nerves spike.

We go deeper on weight cutting and weight management, including the mental side of the scale, water weight, and why this part of combat sports can get emotional fast. Jayden also calls out a big mental health issue in youth wrestling: parent pressure that crosses the line from support into stress, plus the importance of athletes advocating for what helps them compete. To round it out, we cover folkstyle vs freestyle vs Greco-Roman wrestling, what ref interaction looks like in the offseason, why technique can beat strength, and how to avoid building your whole identity around one sport.

If you care about wrestling, sports psychology, student athlete life, or building real confidence under pressure, this one is for you. Subscribe to Plan B, share this with a wrestler or parent, and leave a review with the mindset tip you’re taking into your next competition.

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

The fastest way to understand where women’s jiu-jitsu is headed is to listen to someone living it. We sit down with Adriana Gutovska, a rising competitor and coach, to talk about the real world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu for women: how you get started, what makes a gym feel safe, and what it takes to keep showing up when the sport is still heavily male dominated.

We get practical fast. Adriana shares why the quality of a first academy can make or break a woman’s experience, how to spot unhealthy gym culture, and why athletes speaking up protects the next generation. From there we dig into how women’s grappling can look different on the mat, with technique and flexibility often taking priority when most training rounds are against stronger partners. She also explains gi vs no-gi jiu-jitsu in clear terms and why she prefers no-gi’s faster pace.

Then we go where combat sports get uncomfortable but necessary: fairness. Adriana breaks down ADCC qualification and prize money differences, why extra trials mean extra injury risk, and how equal weight classes, equal pay, and equal competitive opportunities would help the entire sport grow. We also talk training volume, small injuries that stack up, smart rest, weight cuts, and the mindset shift that turns “failure” into fuel.

If you care about women in combat sports, BJJ training, athlete safety, or the future of jiu-jitsu competition, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more, share this with a training partner, and leave a review, what’s one change you want to see in women’s jiu-jitsu next?

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

Silence can look like discipline, toughness, and focus. It can also be a warning sign we are trained to ignore. “Silent Soldiers” is my clearest message yet about male athlete mental health, why so many young men learn to bury distress, and what happens when sport rewards performance but punishes honesty. 

I walk through the latest NCAA athlete death data shared in a 2024 British Journal of Sports Medicine study: across 2002–2022, suicide becomes the second leading cause of death among college athletes, and the proportion of athlete deaths due to suicide doubles over 20 years even as other causes decline. Most of those losses are men. If that makes you uncomfortable, good. Discomfort is often the first signal that something needs to change. 

Then we get practical. I break down the biggest barriers that keep male athletes from seeking support: stigma and embarrassment, fear of losing a role or scholarship, pressure to conform to masculine norms, and low mental health literacy that makes it hard to tell the difference between normal fatigue and depression or anxiety. I also explain the difference between mental toughness and emotional suppression, and why suppression does not make athletes stronger. 

Finally, I give coaches and sport leaders a proactive framework: learn what distress looks like in men, build emotional connection into training through structured activities, use independent facilitation so players can be honest without hierarchy, and treat mental performance coaching like strength and conditioning. We also talk about the risk window after sport and why our responsibility cannot stop at the final whistle. 

If you care about athletes, share this with one coach or teammate today, then subscribe, leave a review, and tell me: what does your team culture reward, silence or honesty?

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.

The water polo season ends, the noise fades, and that’s when a lot of athletes finally feel what they’ve been carrying. Coach B sits down with Jasper Dale, fresh off his final season as a D1 men’s water polo player at UC Irvine, to talk about what high-performance coaching looks like from the inside and what changes when you step onto the deck as a coach yourself.

We get into Jasper’s full path, from starting water polo as an after-school “why not?” activity to leveling up through Southern California club training and landing at one of the most competitive NCAA programs. From there the conversation turns to culture: how teams actually win, why role clarity beats ego, and what it feels like to play under a coach known for intensity. We also unpack the Stanford Brian Flax controversy as a broader question about interpretation, power, and where “tough” can slide into something else depending on the athlete and the environment they came from.

Coach B makes the case for a missing link in many programs: a trained sports performance and behavioral change professional who can help coaches communicate clearly and help athletes interpret feedback accurately, especially when many elite athletes are neurodivergent. Jasper offers a coaching takeaway that cuts through the noise: confidence is not fluff, it’s a performance driver, and most coaches don’t train it on purpose.

If you care about athlete mental health, coach communication, and building a winning water polo culture without losing your people, listen through to the end. Subscribe, share this with a coach or teammate, leave a review, and tell us: what actually builds confidence on your team?

This Podcast is your Podcast, text us if you're an Athlete with a story to share...

The only podcast that is all about Athletes Supporting Athletes!

Support the show

To see more pictures, footage and out takes, bloopers and more follow us @PlanB.By Coach B on Instagram and or contact Coach B directly at www.coachbperformance.com to be part of the show.

*Athletes must be 18 years or older or in the company of their legal guardian to participate in the show. Participants can remain anonymous with no visual footage for marketing and names can be changed to protect identity.