The Playbook with Colin Jonov

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We sit down with Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz to trace the grind from getting cut in New England to building a repeatable process that holds up under NFL pressure. We dig into how he practices, how he handles imposter syndrome and perfectionism, and why culture and trust matter when your job demands near-perfect execution. 

• the underdog path from linebacker to NFL long snapper 
• working side jobs while learning long snapping and staying ready 
• what getting cut teaches you about the business of the NFL 
• practicing at full speed and treating every rep like a game rep 
• building a personal process for stance, rhythm, and focus 
• handling high-pressure kicks with breathing and mental resets 
• using film to fight imposter syndrome and track real improvement 
• why media criticism misses how hard pro execution really is 
• how locker room culture, trust, and veteran leaders shape winning 
• where to find Christian’s podcast and his plan for live shows 

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Kelly and Juliet Starrett challenge the idea that doing more automatically proves commitment, and we argue for a simple performance filter: if the work does not improve the sport, it probably needs to go. We connect subtraction, recovery, and psychological safety to the same outcome: athletes who stay fresh, resilient, and excited to compete for a long time. 

• Using output as the filter for training decisions 
• Separating “fitness as a hobby” from sport performance goals 
• Subtraction and informed simplicity as a coaching skill 
• Minimizing volume while increasing practice density and intent 
• Tracking session cost, adaptation, and readiness instead of chasing grind culture 
• Calling out missing basics first: sleep, fueling, real food, recovery 
• Why psychological safety unlocks risk-taking and elite performance 
• Joy and play as the antidote to burnout and the key to consistency 
• Building culture through shared meals, community, and lowered friction 
• Coaching the individual, not forcing one plan on everyone 

Tune in net next week. Check us out, athleticfortitude.com. Download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby. 

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Michael Kemerer and I go back to an overtime national finals loss and unpack why it feels like grief, not just disappointment, and how you rebuild after a moment you can’t get back. We also dig into what “excellence without exception” really means, from pressure and perfection to leadership, culture, and recruiting in the NIL era. 

• processing heartbreak while the team celebrates a national title 
• learning to live with one tactical mistake and move forward 
• showing up as a leader when emotions are at their worst 
• coaching a champion to stay process-driven, not outcome-fixed 
• “excellence without exception” as a daily standard 
• why love of the sport fuels consistency and fight 
• handling pressure by dropping perfection and competing free 
• preparing an adversity response plan for chaos on match day 
• the curse of competence and building a growth mindset 
• choosing the right motivational tool for the right season 
• what we look for in recruits amid NIL and the transfer portal 

Tune in next week. Check us out athleticfortitude.com. Download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby. 

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I talk with a former NBA guard, C.J. Watson, about the long road from going undrafted to earning a decade in the league, including the emotional hit of draft night and the lonely grind overseas. We also get real about criticism, identity beyond sport, and why building business skills early can make the transition out of basketball less jarring. 

• believing you belong even when the league says no 
• draft night heartbreak and choosing Italy to keep developing 
• loneliness overseas and learning fast through constant coaching changes 
• making the most of training camp, the D League, and the right NBA fit 
• playing with a chip on your shoulder and using criticism as fuel 
• internships during an NBA career and why it does not have to distract you 
• separating identity from sport and preparing for life after retirement 
• entering venture capital through mentorship and early investing lessons 
• recovery tools, pace of play, and theories on rising injury rates 
• youth sports overload, too many games, and the need for real development time 
• leadership style, communicating with teammates, and showing up in playoff moments 

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Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Mitch Abrams, and I dig into why viral sexual assault allegations rarely map cleanly onto what courts and Title IX processes can actually prove. We wrestle with consent, alcohol, memory, and prevention while refusing the easy stories that social media wants to sell. 

• the difference between criminal proof beyond a reasonable doubt and civil preponderance of the evidence 
• why the court of public opinion collapses nuance into a verdict 
• what Title IX really covers and how due process lawsuits cut both ways 
• how shame, reputation, intoxication, and time can change reporting narratives 
• why consent must be affirmative and ongoing for everyone 
• how dissociation, suggestion, and confabulation can distort memory 
• why toxic masculinity and impersonal sex environments raise risk on campuses 
• what real prevention looks like beyond checkbox bystander training 
• why treatment and risk assessment matter alongside punishment 
• who has the power to fund and mandate meaningful change in colleges and athletics 

Tune in next week. Check us out, athleticfortitude.com. Download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby.

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Josh Kozuch & Josh Chambers and I talk through the real trade-offs behind “healthy” choices and why high performance breaks the simple good versus bad story. We connect agency, culture, and incentives to the daily habits that actually decide whether athletes and leaders grow or stall. 

• being cautious about substances as a way to protect control and future performance 
• seeing caffeine, alcohol, and stimulants as trade-offs with real feedback loops 
• rejecting absolutes in favor of core principles and identity-based behavior 
• defining agency as capacity to act and why environment can raise or lower it 
• breaking down low agency as fear of being wrong, fear of judgment, weak mission connection 
• debating how much players should shape mission and culture on teams 
• using ownership and aligned incentives to bridge the principal-agent gap 
• separating process energy from outcomes and building delayed gratification 
• handling pressure when results matter tonight and knowing when to pivot 

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We sit down with Trent and Taber Mongero to talk about what really happens when a dad coaches his son, from personality differences to the quiet rules that keep love from getting tangled up with performance. We also dig into pressure, identity, and why today’s NIL and transfer portal era is reshaping college baseball into something far more transactional. 

• how two similar-looking people can be wired completely differently as leaders 
• choosing a baseball path without forcing a script or chasing a replica 
• avoiding burnout by not rehashing every game at home 
• separating self-worth from stats and errors 
• using “Audience Of One” as a focus and identity anchor 
• applying trigger words, visual cues, and a response plan to reset fast 
• preparation habits that keep coaching sharp between camps 
• the “law of thirty-three” and bringing your best effort even tired 
• why NIL and the transfer portal strain player-coach trust and development 
• what structure could look like to make college athletics sustainable again 

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John Baker, Jim Malone, and I trace what real buy-in looks like, from a high school football brotherhood to MLB clubhouses and front offices where leaders model the standard and relationships drive performance. We also unpack identity, attention, and values-based coaching so athletes and high performers can thrive without getting trapped by outcomes, comparison, or over-optimization. 

•De La Salle football culture and why “brotherhood” creates effort without forcing it 
•Behavioral modeling and why leaders have to live the standard 
•Strength and conditioning as a relationship hub that builds trust 
•What defines a great organization through autonomy, competence, and relatedness 
•How corporatization, scapegoating, and short-term contracts weaken culture 
•Turning theory into practice with choice, connection, confidence 
•Seeing athletes as people first in a world of data and analytics 
•Separating who you are from what you do after sport ends 
•Mindfulness, attention training, and values-aligned goals as a repeatable system 
•Adaptability as resilience when injuries change the plan 

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In this episode re-release with Jay Bilas, we challenge the idea that NIL and the transfer portal are “unsustainable” by following where college sports money actually goes and who benefits when budgets keep expanding. We argue that athletes are the revenue drivers, and any real fix should look like contracts, representation, and smarter spending rather than one-sided restrictions.

• why “unsustainable” gets used selectively when athlete pay rises 
• facilities and staffing growth as the real cost center 
• how athletic department expenses often cycle back to the school 
• guardrails versus education, and why other students can earn freely 
• long-term contracts as a cleaner answer to transfer portal chaos 
• collective bargaining as the path to caps, minimums, and safer rules 
• antitrust lawsuits, federal proposals, and why exemptions are a long shot 
• athlete development, identity after sport, and getting better advice

Tune in next week. Check us out, athleticfortitude.com, download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only, baby.

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We talk with Olympic gold medalist Taylor Heise about the mental battle of high-stakes hockey, from the gold medal game locker room to the quiet doubts you never see on TV. We get practical about identity beyond sport, routines that help after failure, and how to chase outcomes without letting them own you. 

• locker room culture that makes pressure feel playable 
• shrinking the gap between a mantra and embodied belief 
• journaling as a tool for confidence and clarity 
• building identity outside sport to compete more freely 
• postgame routines that prevent stress from compounding 
• sacrifices and “grunt work” behind elite development 
• handling doubt even when you are one of the best 
• coaching emotional responses and resilience in kids 
• balancing expectations, authenticity, and community impact 
• leadership through words plus visible effort 

Check us out, athleticfortitude.com, download the pod, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Five stars only baby. 

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Subscribe, Download, Rate 5 stars only baby! Follow @ColkyJonov10 on all social media platforms.