The 7Pillar Podcast

What separates the best athletes from the rest? And what happens when the pressure to perform begins to take away the joy of the game?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed sit down with Matt Holliday, 7x MLB All-Star, 4x Silver Slugger, and World Series Champion, to explore the mindset, habits, and perspective that helped him build an incredible 15-year Major League career.

Matt shares how he learned to separate himself from the competition through discipline, preparation, and intentional habits both on and off the field. He also opens up about the pressure of expectations, learning to stop chasing results, and finding freedom through a greater purpose beyond baseball.

Beyond performance, Matt discusses the importance of faith, family, relationships, and leadership. From lessons learned alongside some of baseball's greatest players to raising the next generation of athletes, Matt offers valuable wisdom on what it truly means to be successful.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What separates elite athletes from the competition
• Building habits and routines that create a competitive edge
• Overcoming performance pressure and learning to trust the process
• The importance of faith, identity, and perspective
• Why relationships are the foundation of great coaching and leadership
• Raising athletes and prioritizing family
• Building a legacy that extends far beyond the game

Whether you're an athlete, coach, parent, or leader, this conversation will challenge you to pursue excellence while keeping what matters most at the center.

🎙️ New episodes of the 7Pillar Podcast every Tuesday.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who would benefit from the conversation.

Why do some athletes rise to the occasion in the biggest moments while others struggle under pressure? Is being clutch something you're born with, or is it a skill you can develop?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed break down what it takes to perform when the stakes are highest.

Drawing from Nick's 12-year MLB career, personal experiences, and lessons from the MLB postseason, we explore the power of belief, the importance of preparation, and the mindset required to embrace pressure rather than fear it.

We also share 5 practical strategies to help you perform under pressure:

1. Pre-Decide: Know how you'll respond to success and failure before the moment arrives.
2. Slow Down: Control your breath, mind, and body when the pressure rises.
3. Simplify: Narrow your focus to what matters most.
4. Trust: Rely on your preparation and the work you've put in.
5. Attack: Compete with confidence instead of playing with fear.

But performing in the big moments isn't just about what you do. It's about who you're becoming.

Learn how to build the belief, confidence, and mental discipline to become the type of competitor who welcomes the challenge, trusts their preparation, and performs with freedom.

This Week's Challenge: OWN THE MOMENT

Build your own three-step performance routine:

BREATHE. FOCUS. ATTACK.

Practice it consistently so that when the biggest moments arrive, you're ready.

🎙️ New episodes of the 7Pillar Podcast every Tuesday. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with an athlete or coach who needs to hear it.

What if your greatest weakness could become your greatest strength?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed sit down with 14-year MLB veteran and 2x All-Star Joakim Soria to discuss the mindset, resilience, and faith that helped him overcome adversity and build a successful career in professional baseball.

From growing up in Mexico to battling injuries, getting released, and ultimately becoming one of the game's most accomplished relief pitchers, Joakim shares how he learned to stop comparing himself to others, embrace who he was, and turn his weaknesses into weapons.

Throughout the conversation, Joakim shares powerful lessons on self-awareness, confidence, perseverance, and trusting God through adversity. He explains why becoming the best version of yourself starts with understanding who you are, taking ownership of your development, and refusing to let setbacks define your future.

Whether you're an athlete navigating adversity, struggling with self-doubt, or pursuing your potential, this conversation is a reminder that your weaknesses don't have to limit you. They can become the very things that make you stronger.

🎙️ New episodes of the 7Pillar Podcast every Tuesday.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

What does it actually mean to reach your potential?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed break down why potential isn’t simply about what you accomplish—it’s about who you become along the way. The goal isn’t just to reach a certain level of success, but to become the type of person capable of reaching and sustaining excellence over time.

Mike and Nick break down six keys to living your potential:

• Know who you’re becoming
• Build on a firm foundation
• Raise your standards
• Strip off what’s holding you back
• Surround yourself with the right people
• Develop an opportunity mindset

They also discuss redefining success beyond results, building your life on faith and character, mastering the fundamentals, choosing your standards, learning from adversity, and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you to grow.

Potential isn’t a destination. It’s a process of becoming. Are you living your potential today?

Subscribe to the 7Pillar Podcast, share this episode with someone who needs it, and keep becoming the person you’re capable of becoming.

What does it take to become one of the best baseball players in the world—and stay grounded when your identity, expectations, and performance are constantly being tested?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed sit down with three-time MLB All-Star catcher and former No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman for a powerful conversation about the person behind the player.

Adley shares how his upbringing shaped his work ethic and character, why his father made him take ownership of his own development, and how months of failure at Oregon State helped prepare him for eventually becoming the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft.

But this conversation goes far beyond baseball.

Adley opens up about his faith and identity, the pressure that comes with expectations, navigating injuries and adversity, being traded, and why reaching the Major Leagues taught him that achievement alone could never provide lasting fulfillment.

He also breaks down the routines and “protocols” he uses to prepare his body and mind, why mental performance training has become such an important part of his development, and his relentless approach to finding the next area of his life he can improve.

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, parent, or leader, this conversation is a reminder that becoming great is about far more than talent.

It’s about who you’re becoming along the way.

If this episode helped or encouraged you in any way, please subscribe to the 7Pillar Podcast, leave us a review, and share it with an athlete, coach, or parent who could benefit from the conversation!

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick break down 10 biblical principles for uncommon leadership—and how athletes, coaches, and leaders can put them into practice.

From David taking off the armor and stepping courageously toward Goliath, to Jesus washing His disciples’ feet and flipping tables in the temple, Scripture gives us a powerful blueprint for what leadership actually looks like.

Mike and Nick unpack 10 practical principles:

Take Off the Armor — Know who you are.
Go the Extra Mile — Own a higher standard.
Drop Your Stones — Lead with humility and grace.
Sling the Rock — Have the courage to act.
Wash Their Feet — Serve others.
Renew Your Mind — Never stop growing.
Plant Some Seeds — Invest in people and build trust.
Flip the Tables — Stand firm in your convictions.
Speak Life — Use your words to build others up.
Multiply Your Leadership — Develop and empower other leaders.

Great leadership isn't about a title or position. It's about how you use your influence, the standards you live by, how you serve the people around you, and having the courage to stand for what you believe in.

Whether you're an athlete, coach, parent, or leader, this episode will challenge you to take an honest look at the way you lead—and give you a biblical framework for becoming the kind of leader others want to follow.

Great leadership multiplies. If this episode impacted you, pass it on to someone you lead, coach, or compete with. And subscribe to the 7Pillar Podcast so you never miss an episode.

What does it take to build a career—and a life—that can withstand adversity?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick sit down with Texas football legend and 14-year NFL quarterback Colt McCoy for a powerful conversation about performance, faith, resilience, and building your life on the right foundation.

Colt shares his journey from an under-recruited quarterback in small-town Texas to becoming one of the most accomplished players in college football history. He opens up about learning to find his edge, dealing with self-doubt and pressure, and the habits and routines that helped him compete at the highest level for nearly two decades.

He also takes us inside one of the most difficult moments of his career—suffering an injury just five plays into the National Championship Game—and how his faith gave him a foundation to stand on when everything he had worked for suddenly changed.

The conversation goes beyond football as Colt shares what he learned through injuries, setbacks, retirement, and the transition into life after the game. From identity and purpose to family, leadership, discipline, and legacy, this episode is about becoming the type of person who can stay grounded no matter what life throws at you.

If you’re an athlete, coach, parent, or leader looking to build a stronger foundation for performance and life, this conversation is for you.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this conversation. Your support helps us continue to grow the 7Pillar Podcast and impact more athletes, coaches, and leaders.

Failure is inevitable—but what it produces in you is a choice.

In this episode, Mike and Nick break down five truths that unlock the power of failure and explain how setbacks, rejection, and disappointment can become some of the greatest catalysts for growth.

The 5 Truths:

1. Failure is inevitable.
2. Failure changes our perspective.
3. Failure refines our character.
4. Failure ignites our motivation.
5. Failure presents opportunity.

Along the way, Mike and Nick share stories from their own baseball careers and discuss how learning to embrace failure can build resilience, strengthen your identity, expose weaknesses, and prepare you for what’s next.

7Pillar Challenge — Clear Your Head

Think of one failure that still lingers in the back of your mind and write down:

1. One thing it taught you.
2. One weakness it exposed.
3. One action you can take because of it.

Failure doesn’t have to be a setback. Learn to embrace it, grow through it, and turn it into a springboard for what’s next.

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, please subscribe to the 7Pillar Podcast and leave us a review. And share this episode with someone who could use a different perspective on failure.

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Mike and Nick Ahmed sit down with legendary UConn Baseball Head Coach Jim Penders for a conversation about leadership, culture, relationships, mental toughness, and what it truly means to make an impact.

Now in his 23rd season as UConn’s head coach, Penders has built one of the most consistently successful programs in college baseball. But his approach goes far beyond wins and championships. For Penders, coaching is a vocation—and success is measured just as much by the type of men who leave the program as it is by what they accomplish on the field.

Coach Penders shares the influence of his father, grandfather, and longtime mentor Andy Baylock; the standards that have shaped UConn Baseball; and how he has adapted his leadership style to connect with today’s athletes without compromising his core convictions.

The conversation dives into building a player-led culture, holding teammates accountable, developing mental toughness, creating meaningful relationships, and learning to become the “thermostat” as a leader—the steady presence who sets the temperature for everyone around them.

Penders also explains what he looks for when recruiting athletes, why the journey and relationships often matter more than the accomplishments, what separates players who reach the highest levels, and why great leadership ultimately comes down to how you treat and impact the people around you.

The episode finishes with this week’s 7Pillar Challenge: The Four H’s—History, Heroes, Heartbreaks, and Hopes. It’s a simple exercise Coach Penders is using to build vulnerability, trust, and connection within his team—and one that any coach, leader, or athlete can use to strengthen their relationships and better understand their own story.

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, parent, or leader, this conversation is a masterclass in building a culture that lasts and leaving an impact that goes far beyond the game.

What does it actually take to perform at the highest level—and what happens during the hours no one sees?

In this episode of the 7Pillar Podcast, Nick Ahmed takes us behind the scenes of his 12-year MLB career and walks through the habits, routines, and preparation that helped him become a two-time Gold Glove shortstop. Most people see the game, but they don't see the hours of intentional work that happen before and after the lights come on.

Nick breaks his typical game day into 8 distinct phases:

1. Morning Routine — Setting the foundation mentally, physically, and spiritually.
2. Arrival at the Ballpark — Showing up early and going the extra mile.
3. Defensive Work — Dominating the details and preparing for every play.
4. Hitting & Skill Development — Taking ownership and practicing with purpose.
5. Final Game Prep — Preparing the mind and body so you can compete with freedom.
6. The Game — Trusting your preparation and competing.
7. Postgame Routine — Evaluating your performance, recovering, and turning experience into growth.
8. Drive Home & Recovery — Downregulating, gaining perspective, being present, and preparing to do it all again.
   

Throughout the episode, Nick shares the principles that drove his preparation: developing great habits and routines, going the extra mile, dominating the details, practicing with purpose, training your mind as much as your body, and constantly looking for ways to improve.

7Pillar Challenge of the Week: Well, Better, How

After your next practice or competition, take a few minutes to evaluate yourself:

Well: What did I do well?
Better: What could I have done better?
How: How am I going to improve it?

Don't just experience the game—learn from it, create a plan, and use it to get better tomorrow.