How High Performers Manage Fear Under Pressure

In this episode of the You Don’t Know Jack podcast, Dr. Jack Groppel and Dr. Haley Perlus explore the psychology of fear and how it affects performance, confidence, and decision-making under pressure.

They break down what fear really is, why it shows up when the stakes are high, and how it can quietly influence our thoughts and actions if we let it dominate our mental space.

In this conversation, we discuss common types of fear including:
• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Fear of not belonging
• Fear of judgment and expectation

Most importantly, we share strategic tools to manage fear and build the one quality that consistently counteracts it: confidence.

You’ll learn how to:
• Build confidence through preparation and action
• Keep fear from occupying the primary space in your mind
• Reframe fear so it becomes information instead of limitation
• Perform and lead effectively even when fear is present

This episode is for athletes, performers, leaders, and anyone striving for competitive excellence and peak performance under pressure.

Because the truth is: fear never fully disappears, but it doesn’t have to be in charge.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on performance psychology, resilience, leadership, and mental toughness.

To learn more about Dr. Jack Groppel: https://jackgroppel.net/
To connect with Dr. Haley Perlus: https://drhaleyperlus.com/

Pressure is unavoidable, but how you interpret it determines whether it sharpens your performance or drains your energy.

In Episode 2 of You Don’t Know Jack, Dr. Jack Groppel and Dr. Haley Perlus explore how early pressure influences, especially from parents and authority figures, shape the way we respond to expectations later in life.

Both Jack and Haley felt pressure from their fathers, but in very different ways. In this conversation, they unpack how those early experiences influenced confidence, motivation, self-belief, and performance under stress, and how you can learn to use pressure as fuel instead of letting it create distraction, anxiety, or doubt.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why pressure isn’t the enemy, it's the invitation (says Haley)
• How early pressure experiences shape your mindset today
• The difference between pressure that sharpens focus vs. pressure that creates anxiety
• How to identify your own pressure story
• Practical ways to convert pressure into clarity, confidence, and performance

Whether you’re an athlete, leader, coach, or high performer, this episode will help you better understand your relationship with pressure, and how to work with it instead of against it.

Subscribe for weekly episodes on performance psychology, resilience, leadership, mental strength, and living well while performing at a high level.  

High performance cannot exist without both stress and recovery.

In this episode of You Don’t Know Jack, Dr. Haley Perlus and Dr. Jack Groppel explore why stress is not the enemy, but an essential part of growth, adaptation, and performance, and why recovery is what allows stress to actually work for you rather than against you.

We break down the biology of stress and recovery, explain why burnout happens when recovery is missing, and discuss how elite athletes, business leaders, and high performers can build intentional recovery “doses” into demanding lives. From active recovery and energy management to sustainable performance in work and sport, this conversation reframes stress as a vital signal and recovery as a performance skill.

Whether you’re an athlete, executive, or someone feeling stretched by life, this episode will help you understand how to train, work, and live in a way that supports long-term performance, not exhaustion.

Topics include:
• Stress and recovery as a biological cycle
• Why burnout is a recovery problem, not a motivation problem
• Active recovery vs passive recovery
• How to incorporate recovery into high-pressure work environments
• Sustainable performance in sport, business, and life 

Subscribe for weekly episodes on performance psychology, resilience, leadership, and mental strength. 

To learn more about Dr. Jack Groppel: https://jackgroppel.net/ 

To connect with Dr. Haley Perlus: https://drhaleyperlus.com/ 

Some of the most popular success advice may actually be hurting your performance.

In this episode of You Don’t Know Jack, Dr. Jack Groppel and Dr. Haley Perlus break down common mindset phrases like “fake it till you make it,” “failure is not an option,” and “get 1% better every day.” These ideas sound motivating, but are they actually helpful?

Drawing from decades of experience in performance psychology and coaching elite athletes, leaders, and high performers, Jack and Haley explain what works, what doesn’t, and why real growth is more nuanced than popular slogans suggest.

In this episode you’ll learn:
• Why common motivational advice can backfire
• What actually builds confidence and resilience
• How to think about failure in a healthy, productive way
• The difference between sustainable growth and performance pressure
• Better mindset strategies that truly support high performance

If you want practical, honest guidance, not clichés, this episode is for you.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on performance psychology, resilience, leadership, and mental toughness.

To learn more about Dr. Jack Groppel: https://jackgroppel.net/
To connect with Dr. Haley Perlus: https://drhaleyperlus.com/

What’s the point of success if you don’t feel fulfilled? In this first episode of You Don’t Know Jack, Dr. Jack Groppel and Dr. Haley Perlus explore purpose, meaning, and why they matter for performance, happiness, and resilience. Jack shares how discovering purpose through the School of Knox helped shape his life and leadership, and Haley explains how having the right mentor saved her years (maybe decades) of trial and error while building a career that is both successful and meaningful. Together they break down: √ Why purpose is not “soft,” but essential for performance √ How meaning drives motivation, energy, and resilience √ Why fulfillment and success don’t have to compete √ How to find direction in your own life and career Whether you’re an athlete, professional, or someone searching for what’s next, this episode gives you a clearer way to think about purpose, growth, and living well while performing at a high level. Subscribe for weekly episodes on performance psychology, resilience, leadership, and mental strength. To learn more about Dr. Jack Groppel: https://jackgroppel.net/ To connect with Dr. Haley Perlus: https://drhaleyperlus.com/