The Next Season Podcast

Your body is here. Your head might not be.

Most of us are bouncing between the replay of what already happened and bracing for everything that could go wrong — and almost never landing where it actually matters: right now.

Past becomes regret. Future becomes anxiety. The only place you actually get to compete is the present moment. And it's the hardest place to stay.

In this episode I break down why that gap opens up, what's happening in your brain when it does, and four ways to close it.

That's where you perform. Right here. Right now.

💡 Comment PROCESS or DM me for The Processing Failure Playbook — free.

📋 Take the assessment at NextSeasonAthletes.com

Follow, review, share if this hit. 30 seconds. Helps more athletes find this.

00:00 Intro & Highlights

00:30 Everywhere and Nowhere

03:18 Three Mental Time Zones

05:21 Replay & Rehearsal

07:07 What's Happening in Your Brain (Amygdala vs. Prefrontal Cortex)

08:17 Rumination, Anxiety & the Real Cost

10:36 Distraction Culture: Why It's Harder Than Ever to Stay Present

14:46 Break - Coming Soon: The Inside Move Newsletter

15:33 The Difference Between Processing and Replaying

17:00 Four Steps to Come Back to the Present

20:01 Gift For You: The Processing Failure Playbook, Closing Thoughts & How To Help

Fear. Anxiety. Uncertainty. Nerves. Doubt.

Every athlete faces them. Every professional feels them. And every single one of them drains confidence and performance when you don't know what you're actually dealing with.

But what if they're all related? And what if you could learn exactly what they are — and how to resolve them?

This episode breaks down:

Drop CONFIDENCE in the comments or DM me for the free Closing the Gap guide.

👉 Two free assessments at NextSeasonAthletes.com — active athletes and ATLAS athletes.

00:00 Intro & Highlights

00:56 What We Feel with Fear

01:56 My Dumpster Fire Brain

04:43 What Fear Really Is

06:32 Anxiety Versus Pressure

09:11 The Anxiety Gap

13:10 Uncertainty Questions

15:54 Courage on a Balcony

19:39 Closing The Gap Steps

23:25 Shrink The Moment

25:52 How Confidence Is Built

27:55 Closing Thoughts, Gratitude, Support & Resources for You

You can see the struggles. You can feel it. Lack of focus. Pressure. Comparison. An identity solely tied to performance. But you don't know what to do.

It's not talent. It's not effort. It's the stuff underneath.

These are the questions parents are bringing to me right now. In real conversations.

This episode is the Pain Point series. Three questions. Honest answers. Practical next steps - for parents, coaches, and the athletes who need someone to finally name what's actually going on.

If this sounds like your athlete - or you - you're not alone. Check it out, apply it, share it with others who may be feeling the same.

👉 Two free assessments & learn more about 1:1 coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Pressure Is Privilege

01:55 Question #1: Focus Struggles

03:13 Lesson from a Lion Tamer

05:50 Screens, Stress & Focus

07:56 Train Focus Like Muscle

09:15 Question #2: Pressure Reframe

12:22 Highlight Reels & Comparison

15:32 Question #3: Identity Beyond Sport

18:36 Layered Identity & Resilience

20:50 Closing Thoughts, Gratitude, Support & Resources for You

You watch what you eat. You count your reps. You measure your sleep.

But are you tracking your relationships? Are you monitoring who's in your circle? Are they real? Or are they - like the junk food you try to avoid - highly processed?

This may just be a huge blind spot in your performance.

Relationships are fuel. Some of them are high octane. Some of them are crap. And just like your diet, you don't always feel the effects immediately. But over a season, a year, a career — it adds up. You either look back and realize the people around you made you better. Or they didn't.

In this episode, I break down the concept of highly processed relationships — what they are, how to spot them, and what to do about it without blowing up your entire social circle.

DM or comment VALUES on Instagram and I'll send you the free worksheet that goes with this episode.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Highlights

01:00 The Performance Variable Nobody Talks About

03:00 Clean Out the Fridge — Or Fast Forever?

04:00 Why You Can't Go It Alone

05:30 Red Flag #1: Comfortable With Lower Standards

07:00 Red Flag #2: You Leave Feeling Smaller

09:30 Red Flag #3: It Only Works On Their Terms

11:00 Step 1: Stop Cleaning Out the Fridge

13:00 Step 2: If the Circle Doesn't Exist, Build It

14:00 Courage Is the Entry Point

16:00 Step 3: Fuel or Filler?

18:00 Fill Your Life With Real Ones

Most players think they know what gets them recruited. They're often wrong.

Adam Schlenoff has sat in every seat this game offers. D1 college player. High school teacher. 15 years as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Johns Hopkins — multiple College World Series appearances, D3 offensive records, a national championship game.

He's evaluated thousands of players. He knows exactly what separates the guys who make it from the guys who don't — and it's not what most players or parents think.

In this episode:

Now he's building something new — recruiting consulting, showcases, and a youth baseball organization built around the thing most of the industry skips: honest evaluation and real human connection.

If you're a player, a parent, or a coach — this one's for you.

Find Adam & Get Involved:

Recruiting Consulting: Jeff Burton Consulting

Showcases & Youth Baseball: schlenoffbaseball.com

Charm City Clippers: Baltimore Clippers, MCBL

Follow Adam: @Mr_Schlen

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Highlights

01:29 Welcoming Adam Schlenoff

02:53 Roots In Education & Influence on Coaching

05:28 Trust in the Locker Room

06:48 Early Sports Journey

10:17 Multi Sport Debate & Nuance

13:58 Realities Of College Baseball

20:17 When The Game Ends

22:02 The Beautiful Game

25:03 Coaching Breakthrough Years

29:50 Building Trust and Culture

32:35 Coaching Philosophy on Failure

38:56 Recruiting Puzzle Pieces

43:56 Stats Open the Door, Character Gets You In

47:45 Next Chapter & New Challenges

51:16 How to Connect, Support & Join Adam

Part 1 was the warmup.

Part 2 is game time.

Johnny leads us through a live values exercise — step by step — that will challenge you to do more than name what matters. It will ask you what you're actually willing to lose to keep it.

Real values have to be clear, tested, and behavioral.

If they don't cost you anything, they're just words.

Athletes, ATLAS athletes, coaches — this one's for all of you. Notebook out.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Highlights

01:45 Real vs Processed Relationships

02:36 Discipline in What We Consume

04:31 The Dichotomy of Discipline & Mental Health

06:35 Athletes & Veterans Transition

08:03 Mindset as the Separator

10:54 Underdog Beliefs & Environment

11:52 Values Exercise Framework

15:12 Choose Five Values

15:38 Turn Values Into Behaviors

16:19 Run a Values Audit

18:44 The Cost of Values

20:59 Work Without Recognition

23:22 Revisit Values Over Time

25:50 Coaching Without Judgment

27:27 Closing Thoughts & Gratitude

Johnny Martin is back.

When it comes to coaching high performers, Johnny is a legend. You don't need notoriety and fame to make an impact - and Johnny has impacted elite athletes, veterans and business leaders for years.

If you haven't heard Episode 026, go there first. This conversation picks up where that one left off — and it gets real from the first sentence.

In Part 1, we get into curiosity as a performance tool, what real confidence actually looks like, how the best coaches show up the same in every room, and the three questions Johnny uses with every high performer navigating transition.

This one is for athletes, coaches, and anyone who wants to perform at a higher level — in sport or in life.

Subscribe and hit the notification bell so you're ready for part 2. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Highlights

01:19 Coaching Active Athletes & ATLAS Athletes

03:10 The Identity of Athletes at Turning Points

06:15 Missing the Game & Radical Ownership Shift

07:37 Time Boundaries & Showing Up

10:07 Curiosity & Three Non-negotiables

12:57 Rapid Fire Warmup

17:38 Success Goes Beyond You

19:13 Curiosity About Real Ones vs Imposters

22:13 Curiosity About Authenticity (& Three Authenticity Pillars)

25:12 Character at Home

27:03 Curiosity About Alter Egos & Control

28:10 Curiosity & Coaching High Performers

30:47 Curiosity & Social Media

33:30 Closing Thoughts, Prep for Part Two, Support & Gratitude

There's a moment every athlete knows. You're in a funk, you're slumping, you're losing confidence, you're not performing like you used to — and instead of moving forward, you grip tighter. To the stats. To the reputation. To the player you remember being. To the past.

That grip feels like effort — doing the work you're supposed to do. But what if it's actually a trap?

When your identity is anchored to a past version of yourself, your brain treats the gap between then and now as a threat — and it shifts from performance mode into survival mode. Tight muscles. Overthinking. Playing not to fail instead of playing to win.

You're not broken. Your brain is responding normally, but that doesn't mean it's what's best in these situations. It's trying to keep you safe, but it's holding you back.

This episode is about learning to put down the old version — not because it didn't matter, but because you can't build who you need to become if both hands are gripping so tight to who you were.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Highlights

01:19 Spring Reset & Quitting

03:44 High School Identity

05:44 College Reality Check

07:23 Winter Break Quit

08:24 Mental Highlight Reel

10:35 Brain Threat Response

13:02 Letting Go Science

15:54 Reset Routines Cues

19:28 Build New Identity

22:49 Reinvent To Last

24:38 Closing Thoughts, Assessments, Support & Gratitude

We don’t feel suffering or pain because of life's challenges. As an athlete, you may not be struggling because of the pressure and the competition.

We struggle because we try to avoid that suffering. We try to avoid the pain. We try to stay clear of the challenges. 

We resist.

In this episode, I break down suffering, self-reliance, pressure, grit, and resilience - and what they actually mean in real life.

Drawing from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance and powerful conversations with Tony Robbins, Alex Hormozi, Chris Williamson and Arthur Brooks, we talk about:

If you’re in a hard season - on the field or after sport - this one’s for you.

👉 Learn more about 1:1 Coaching for active athletes and ATLAS athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

In the old myth, Atlas loses a fight and is condemned to carry the sky forever — not for a moment, but for a lifetime.

Knees bent. Back hunched. No recognition. No help in sight.

That’s what life feels like for a lot of athletes after the game ends.

And that’s why I built ATLAS Athletes.

This episode marks the official launch of ATLAS — a new coaching program for athletes adjusting to life after sport.

Not the pressure of game day, but the quieter, heavier pressure that follows: identity loss, uncertainty, responsibility, and the question nobody prepares you for...

“If I’m not an athlete anymore… who am I?”

In Episode 041, I break down:

This is for ATLAS Athletes — former competitors, transitioning athletes, and high performers who still feel the weight long after the lights go off.

The game may be over. Your life isn't.

This is the start of your Next Season.

👉 Learn more about ATLAS Athletes at nextseasonathletes.com

00:00 Intro & Attention

00:48 The Myth of Atlas: A Deeper Meaning

02:12 The Pressure and Weight of Life

05:01 Identity Beyond Athletics

08:26 A Mindset Shift

11:06 Announcing: Athletes Adjusting to Life After Sport

16:52 Practical Actions for ATLAS Athletes - 1: Name Your Throughline

19:40 Practical Actions for ATLAS Athletes - 2: Stack Bricks of Evidence for Confidence

20:49 Practical Actions for ATLAS Athletes - 3: Win the Inning

21:50 Wrap-Up & Closing Thoughts