The Athletes Podcast

We sit down with Dr. Jim Afremow and Phil White to break down what actually holds up under pressure, from quick resets in the training room to the daily habits that build a champion identity. We share practical tools for fear management, self talk, recovery, and boundaries so you can compete with whatever you have today.
• how elite athletes unravel mentally in real time and what helps in the next 60 seconds
• why quirks and routines can help when they stay positive
• the “go compete” mindset as a way to get out of your head
• flipping the switch with the return to zero breath
• using fear as energy and aiming it toward your target
• why slogans can fail and how to make cues stickier
• cold plunges and cold showers as mental toughness reps through self talk
• standards over feelings and competing anyway
• recovery without guilt, “off duty,” and not carrying what you care about
• filtering outside advice and not obeying every thought or feeling
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Jim Afremow, PhD, is a sport and performance psychologist, licensed professional counselor, and the bestselling author of The Champion’s Mind, The Champion’s Comeback, The Young Champion’s Mind, The Leader’s Mind, and The Creative’s Mind. His books have sold more than 225,000 copies in English editions domestically and have inspired athletes, coaches, and leaders across every field.

He has served as the staff mental coach for two Olympic teams (Greece Softball and India Field Hockey) and has worked with athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, PGA Tour, and UFC, as well as numerous Olympians. Jim has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and ESPN. He lives in Eugene, Oregon, and works globally with athletes and high performers to help them champion the day.

Phil White is an Emmy-nominated writer, the coauthor of The Leader's Mind with Jim Afremow, and the co-host of The Basketball Strong Podcast with Tim DiFrancesco. Phil also cowrote Unplugged with Andy Galpin and Brian Mackenzie, Waterman 2.0 with Kelly Starrett, Game Changer with Fergus Connolly, and The 17 Hour Fast with Dr. Frank Merritt. He has written for many leading human performance brands, including Momentous, Onnit, TRX, XPT, TrainingPeaks, TrainHeroic, and FAST by Conor McGregor. Follow him on Instagram @PhilWhiteBooks.

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We sit down with MLB reliever Shane Greene for an honest talk about how pro athletes really grow, from minor league side hustles to big league mentorship and mindset. We dig into why “doing the game” can hold players back, how to compete with a clear head, and what it takes to build a life beyond the uniform. 
• minor league reality, low pay and taking odd jobs to survive 
• getting pushed out of a college program and using it as fuel 
• why kids should play multiple sports and stay athletic 
• mechanics in training versus mindset in competition 
• reading hitter body language and sequencing pitches with intent 
• the Dodgers’ edge, information flow and bullpen “runway” planning 
• clubhouse culture changes, fewer vets and less baseball talk 
• catcher relationships, in-season trades and how chemistry affects results 
• money myths for pro athletes, taxes, tickets and lifestyle inflation 
• next-gen advice, affirmations, making your bed and building momentum 

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Brandon Schultze and Dave challenge the usual way people label exercises and show how smarter exercise selection, grounded in movement quality, changes results for athletes and everyday clients. We also run a real-time assessment of shoulder, hip, and squat mechanics to show how small constraints can instantly clean up positions and guide better programming. 
•Prescript’s approach to breaking exercises into primary, secondary, and tertiary benefits 
•Why coaching works best when we lead human-first and build trust 
•How to get buy-in from stubborn athletes by tying changes to their goals 
•What “functional standards” mean for the shoulder, hip, and spine 
•Quick shoulder checks and what asymmetries can reveal in hockey 
•Hip tightness, anterior pelvic tilt, and why pelvis position drives options 
•Squat assessment takeaways, including center of mass and heel elevation 
•Progressions that rebuild a squat using split squats, constraints, and layered skill 
•Simple mobility work that supports training instead of replacing it 
Text Brandon, he’ll be able to get you a little discount on it 
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We talk with Rachelle about making wellness simple so you can perform well in sport and in real life, starting with sleep, recovery, and calm focus. We get practical about hormone-aware performance for women, why sublingual spray supplements feel fast and convenient, and how to build a flexible routine that works on busy days. 

• performance as showing up well daily, not just athletics 
• Rochelle’s path from nursing to wellness marketing and education 
• wellness foundations that matter most: sleep, nutrition, movement, sunlight, water 
• women’s 28 to 30 day cycle, luteal phase fatigue, and sleep disruption 
• using sleep support to get back to sleep without morning grogginess 
• boost for mental clarity and focus without extra caffeine or jitters 
• spray format benefits: convenience and faster-feeling absorption 
• stories from shift workers, perimenopause, and menopause 
• mend as recovery support for alcohol and general recovery 
• building a simple stack from morning to night and habit stacking 

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We sit down with Dani and Hayley at a Calgary development camp to talk about what it takes to jump levels in women’s hockey, from NCAA decisions to the daily grind behind the scenes. We dig into pace, recovery, culture, and mindset, then finish with simple advice any young athlete can use right away.
• first impressions of skating with pro and PWHL players and what the pace teaches you
• how Penn State’s environment and big games shape confidence and compete habits
• what sells a program like Ohio State: facilities, coaches, culture, and aligned goals
• recovery habits that keep you consistent: Normatec, sauna, ice bath, hot tub, stretching
• building routines by watching role models and copying the parts that actually work
• Canada pride, international competition, and which matchups feel the toughest
• why skill-focused camps can teach more than a full season of team reps
• gratitude for coaches, teammates, and family who make the journey possible
• biggest advice for the next generation: hard work, effort, fun, and 1% better daily

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We sit down with retired NHL forward Brooks Laich to talk about the moment he decided at thirteen that hockey was no longer just fun, it was a mission. We get real about confidence, leadership, sacrifice, and how he now channels that same competitive drive into World Playground to help people travel for less and collect better memories.

• deciding early what you are willing to trade for a dream 
• kindness and competitiveness under one roof with Kat, plus the daily breakfast routine 
• how small town Saskatchewan builds time on task and toughness 
• what championship leadership looks like away from the spotlight 
• the single sentence from Brooks’ mom that rewired his belief 
• the hidden cost of leaving home young and how he almost quit 
• being addicted to competition and repurposing it after retirement 
• how World Playground removes commissions and markups to cut travel costs 
• why Brooks calls travel a memory company, not a travel company 
• reconciling a long NHL career with not winning the Stanley Cup 
• why kids should play multiple sports and why coaches should obsess over practice 
• being “applied” by using one filter all day, every day 
• choosing your struggle, following your gut, and creating circumstances you want

So if you haven't yet, send me a note on where you would want to go, where you'd want to meet up in person with other like-minded individuals like me, and maybe we can make that happen thanks to World Playground. 
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If you folks like this episode, like what Brooks has to say, do me a favor, share this with another athlete individual who would 

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22% of a pro draft tied back to one week, one trip, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes work, and that’s where our minds go first: what does consistency actually look like when the schedule is chaos? We’re fresh off the Canadian Open and the PWHL draft, and we use that momentum to talk about the habits that make performance repeatable, whether you’re an athlete, a weekend golfer, or building something long term.

Heidi Cannon joins us for a wide-ranging hang that somehow makes perfect sense: the killer golf putter that instantly earned its spot in the bag, the birdie juice and fairways culture that keeps golf fun, and the dream of taking the whole vibe to Korea and beyond. We also get into the human side, from dancing at a Canada match during a 6 to 0 win to the kind of life stories you only get by saying yes, including her time living in Australia and the meter maid job that still sounds unreal.

Then we lock back into the high performance mindset: competition prep, posing practice, training blocks, and why golf can be the ideal low impact outlet when you’re dieting and managing recovery. We unpack the most underrated tools for progress: daily reps, delayed gratification, and writing things down so you can actually execute. You’ll also hear our take on practicing a little every day, from putting to supplements like creatine and protein, and why simple routines are the real advantage.

If you like conversations about golf fitness, athlete habits, consistency, and building confidence through practice, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push to stay on track, and leave a review with the daily habit you never skip.

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We sit down with Josh Rutherford and James Stolar to talk golf content, golf trips, and the unglamorous work that turns views into real opportunities. We get into mountain golf, viral moments, scoring mindset, and why relationships matter more than follower counts.

• relationship building as the most valuable skill for golf creators
• meeting people in person at events like the PGA Show
• how Josh and James team up on content and Cut the Corner
• finding a niche by leaning into personality, humor, and consistency
• best and worst rounds plus how to stop thinking about score
• “unconscious” golf and mindset tools that build confidence
• favorite mountain courses like Silvertip and Greywolf
• altitude effects on distance and why putts break differently
• long-drive travel logistics, filming fatigue, and sponsor momentum
• handicaps, wagers, and setting up a 2v2 match
• rapid fire picks, pre-round food, and the hot dog thermos story

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Also, let us know down below who you think would actually win this 2v2.

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A pro motocross career can end in seconds, but the will to compete is harder to break. Brock Leitner takes us back to June 12, 2022, when a crash left him paralyzed at T6, and walks us through the exact moment he realized his legs were gone from the equation. What hits hardest is how clearly he remembers it and how quickly his mind starts searching for a way forward. 

From there, we follow his path into adaptive golf, where he’s doing the “impossible” in plain sight: building a repeatable one-armed golf swing, learning to score from a seated position, and chasing the same standard he had before the injury. We talk paragolfers and the Para Motion style of adaptive golf device, the insane cost of adaptive equipment, and the scrappy early days of cutting, bending, and even welding clubs just to get the lie angle playable. If you care about inclusive sports, disability access, or the future of adaptive athletics, this part is a must-hear. 

Brock also shares how epidural stimulation treatment in Guadalajara supports his overall health and muscle maintenance, plus the performance details that matter to golfers: shot shaping, confidence, chipping as a scoring weapon, and how properly fit clubs can change the way you attack a course. We close with his best advice for athletes facing a life changing accident: mindset first, don’t waste time on what you don’t love, and trust that adaptation gets easier with reps. 

If Brock’s story gives you perspective, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one thing you’ve taken for granted lately that you’re going to appreciate more after listening?

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We sit down with Dr. Dan Braun to talk about training that actually moves the needle, from breaking plateaus with simple strength work to using isometrics with a real plan. We also dig into return-to-sport decisions, why rehab often stops at pain relief, and how sleep, breathing, and nutrition quietly decide your outcomes. 
• simplifying training with push-ups pull-ups and dips as repeatable anchors 
• using single-leg loading and tempo to train hard on low-readiness days 
• translating academic research into coaching language without losing the point 
• defining isometrics beyond trends including overcoming vs yielding 
• common isometric mistakes including random “sprinkling” without structure 
• go-to isometric exercises including flexed arm hangs and hip flexor holds 
• building a holistic base with nutrition sleep breathwork and travel routines 
• supplement routines with creatine electrolytes caffeine and comfort in the gym 
• shifting from solo clinician to multidisciplinary team for better rehab outcomes 
• bridging the gap from return-to-sport clearance to return to performance 
If you want to get your pre-workouts and your creatines, any other supplements, go to Perfect Sports, use the code AP15, save 15%. 

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