The Mindset Experience®

In 1992, as a freshman swimmer at Notre Dame, Haley Scott DeMaria survived a devastating bus accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors told her she would never walk again.

But that wasn't a story she was willing to accept.

Drawing on the mindset, discipline, and competitive spirit she developed as an athlete, Haley began the long road back — starting with something as small as wiggling her toes. What followed were months of grueling rehabilitation, multiple life-threatening surgeries, and relentless adversity.

And then, just over a year later, she did the unthinkable. She returned to the pool… and won her first race back.

A graduate of Notre Dame and later the University of Southern California, Haley went on to become an educator, coach, and nationally recognized speaker. Her journey has earned her numerous honors, including the Gene Autry Courage in Sport Award and the Honda Award for Inspiration.

She is the author of What Though the Odds – Haley Scott's Journey of Faith and Triumph, a story now being adapted into a major motion picture.

Today, Haley speaks across the country, inspiring audiences to reframe adversity, strengthen their mindset, and rise to challenges with purpose and perspective.

Her story is a powerful reminder: we don't control what happens to us — but we always control how we respond.

@hsdemaria, www.haleybook.com

Before he was helping save lives… he was fighting for his own.

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Brandon Saho, founder of The Mental Game, shares the journey that transformed his darkest moments into a mission that is now impacting lives across the country.

After battling depression and suicidal thoughts, Brandon made a decision: to turn pain into purpose.

Today, through raw, unfiltered conversations with elite performers, public figures, and everyday individuals carrying extraordinary stories, he is helping redefine how we think about mental health, vulnerability, and strength.

Endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and featured in Forbes, ESPN, and CBS News, Brandon has become one of the most authentic and impactful voices in mental health.

But this conversation goes deeper than accolades.

We explore the tension between mental toughness and mental health — especially in high-performance environments like the NFL. Brandon opens up about the isolation he felt during his lowest moments, the struggle of being misunderstood by those closest to him, and the internal question so many people silently carry:

"Why can everyone else be happy… but not me?"

More importantly, we unpack what changed.

From the hesitation to ask for help… to the moment he finally did — and how that decision altered the trajectory of his life.

We also dive into the creation of The Mental Game, the conversations that have impacted him most, and a recent viral moment where Brandon shared one of his deepest personal fears — and how vulnerability, not success, became the bridge to connection.

This episode is a reminder that strength is not found in silence.

It is found in honesty. In courage. In conversation.

Because sometimes the most important thing you can do… is speak.

Aaron Golub is a professional speaker, entrepreneur, and leadership consultant who made history as the first legally blind Division I athlete to play in a college football game while competing at Tulane University, where he was later named team captain and went on to become an NFL free agent.

Born legally blind, Aaron learned early that success requires a different relationship with adversity. Instead of focusing on what he couldn't control, he built his mindset around maximizing what he could. His journey reflects a powerful truth: when you commit to doing what others won't, you give yourself the opportunity to achieve what others can't.

Rather than viewing his blindness as a limitation, Aaron now sees it as one of his greatest advantages. His story challenges how we think about setbacks and reminds us that life doesn't just happen to us — often, it happens for us.

Today, Aaron works with organizations, teams, and leaders to build resilient cultures and leadership strategies that thrive in adversity. His work has been featured on major platforms including Good Morning America, CBS, NBC, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, NPR, and Entrepreneur.

As the title of his TEDx talk suggests, Aaron Golub is truly a Diamond in his Disadvantage.

In this conversation, we explore how perspective, discipline, and ownership of the controllables can transform adversity into opportunity.

@aaronjgolub

Dr. Jonathan Haywood Jenkins, Psy.D., CMPC, has spent more than a decade supporting athlete mental health and performance at Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital. As a member of the Harvard Medical School teaching community, he serves as Team Clinical and Performance Psychologist for the New England Patriots, Behavioral Sport Psychologist for the Boston Red Sox, and Sport Psychology Consultant for the Para Rowing Foundation.

He is also the co-author of Mentality Wins: The Athlete's Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life, currently the #1 New Release in Sport Psychology, a holistic guide to improving performance while protecting mental health.

In this episode, Dr. Jenkins shares the Peachtree Approach and the deeper principles that drive sustainable success. Drawing from his own early speech and language challenges, his experience as a collegiate athlete, and his work with elite performers, he explains how adversity can become an advantage, how relationships fuel resilience, and why appreciating the good days prepares us for the hard ones.

This conversation goes beyond sport. It's about leadership, perspective, and building a mentality that lasts.

@dr.jonathanjenkins, @Unlimitedresilence, @mentalitywinsbook

Andrew is a 2017 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he served as Class President before commissioning as an Infantry and Intelligence Officer. A proven leader, he completed U.S. Army Ranger School and Airborne School, going on to lead hundreds of soldiers across multiple operational assignments.

He later became the 14th Commander of the Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and served as a White House Military Aide to both the 45th and 46th Presidential administrations. After transitioning from active duty, Andrew moved into national security strategy consulting.

An avid adventurer, Andrew has completed over 2,300 parachute jumps from planes, helicopters, bridges, and cliffs. Most recently, he summited Mount Everest on May 15th of this year. He is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, where he is building two ventures: Katalyze LLC, a defense contracting firm he co-founded with his brother Matthew and Dream to Summit, an alpine, adventure, and character-building camp for the next generation of young leaders

Across his military, entrepreneurial, and expedition experiences, Andrew has developed powerful lessons rooted in Confidence, Direction, and Community. He believes the greatest growth occurs in the gap between expectations and reality—and by tapping into that space, he continues elevating his mindset higher than any mountain he's climbed.

@andrewpkatz

Kori Edmonson has been surrounded by lacrosse for as long as she can remember — and even as a kid, she knew exactly who she wanted to become.

At just seven years old, she wrote down four big, ambitious goals. And in her mind, none of them were out of reach. Not surprisingly, she accomplished each one of them most recently winning a gold medal for Team USA.

From high school to college to the international stage, Kori has never shied away from the moment. She wants the ball in her stick when the game is on the line — and no matter the outcome, she's committed to learning, growing, and coming back stronger.

Her purpose is crystal clear. Her intensity is unmistakable. She tells her coaches to push her until she can't go anymore. She believes in the process over the outcome, the team over the individual, and embracing every chance to enjoy the game that continues to shape who she is.

And that mindset has led to major accomplishments. This past year alone, she was: 2025 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year… USA Lacrosse Magazine First Team All-American… Inside Lacrosse First Team All-American… IWLCA Third Team All-American… 2025 Tewaaraton Top 25 Finalist… and All–Big Ten First Team.

In this episode, we sit down with Kori to talk drive, purpose, pressure, and what it truly takes to chase greatness.

Despite being the child of two professional tennis players, Makenna Jones was never forced to play the game. Furthermore, she hated tennis as she never felt good enough, felt her standard was so high and didn't have fun playing the game. Ironically, when her family moved and she was without a soccer club, she decided to choose tennis.

Makenna often felt tremendous stress and pressure to win every match which typically led to panic, negative thought spirals and very critical thoughts about herself. However, when she focused on having fun, her performance excelled. She played for five years at UNC Chapel Hill (2017-2021), earning a top singles ranking of #2 and a doubles ranking of #1. She won 4 ACC titles and 3 National Indoor titles.

She also made it to the professional level reaching a career-high ranking of No. 236 in singles and No. 107 in doubles and played in some of the world's biggest tournaments, including the US Open, Wimbledon, Indian Wells BNP, and Miami Open.

Makenna shares how her mindset played a key role in both her performance and her rocky relationship with her sport. It wasn't until she read the classic sports psychology book, "The Inner Game of Tennis" where she learned how to try less and let her body do what it already can do. Through her ups and downs, she has learned to get through struggle with grace, joy and gratitude.

@kennajones14

Daphne Faldi graduated from Harvard University in 1997 with a degree in Biological Anthropology, where she played both field hockey and lacrosse. After losing her best friend, Dartmouth athlete Sarah Devens, to suicide, Daphne dedicated her career to supporting athlete wellness and mental health.

A certified life coach, she has served as a head lacrosse coach and spent over a decade in school administration. Daphne now works with the YMCA of the North Shore, partnering with donors to advance the Y's mission of strengthening communities and promoting healthy living in spirit, mind, and body.

She also serves on the advisory board at McLean Hospital and collaborates with nonprofits including The Hidden Opponent, Morgan's Message, Katie's Save, The Kevin Love Fund, and One Love. She also works with student athlete mentors at Athletes Better Together. In the mental health field, when so many student athletes struggle and feel alone, Daphne's experience has shaped her message that, "Life is better when we are together."

Passionate about connection and community, Daphne strives to inspire others and spread joy and compassion.

@daphnefaldi, @athletesbettertogether, @coacmh

Mac Childs has had the privilege of growing up with a caring family including siblings and a dog. He attended top schools where he played alongside the most talented teammates and learned from the best coaches all of whom instilled consistency, discipline, and a passion for growing the game. While his environment provided the framework to succeed in athletics, he also grew up in a culture where alcohol and substance use was associated with fun. At a relatively young age, he transformed from a participant to an initiator leading others to confront his choices. In 2021, the age of 18, things had progressed to a point where he had to make the uncomfortable decision to enter a treatment facility, talk about his insecurities and make the commitment to focus on his physical and mental health.

As a senior captain on the Dickinson Men's lacrosse team, Mac is now inspiring others though his play on the field but more so, his impact off the field. He serves as the SAAC membership chair, is a mental health and addiction awareness speaker, advocate and mentor for Athletes Better Together, Dickinson Athletics, and Generation S.O.S. He is described as purposeful, impactful, honest and strong. How does he earn such high praise? He is intentional, has empathy, and believes it's cool to care!

@macmchilds, @athletesbettertogether

Myles Amine was born into a family of wrestling champions. But once he forgot about his family's legacy, he unlocked his own potential to achieve greatness while continuing to surround himself with mentors. By learning from mistakes and focusing on the process, his intentional training has led to more successes than those around him. He is a 5X NCAA All-American, 2X Big Ten Champion, 2022 European Champion, 2X Olympian and 2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist.

Myles shares that we are often surrounded by exceptional people that make mediocre decisions but to raise the standard, champions need to go places that most people won't go and always aim to be the best at whatever they do physically and mentally. His mindset has led to greatness off the mat earning an MBA from Ross School of Business and a Masters in Sports Management at University of Michigan. As he transitions out of competitive athletics and becomes an amateur again, he knows as long as he sets the bar high, he will find a way to get there again.

@mylesamine, @earningearth