For Those Who Are Ready to Go Deeper
The Mental Training Lab isn't about adding more tools to your toolkit. It's about understanding what's actually in the way of your best performance and your best life.
Every episode goes deeper than skills and strategies. We explore the patterns, beliefs, and ways of being that keep talented, capable people stuck inside their own potential, and what it actually takes to break free. We tether principles to practices so you leave each episode with something to think about and something to do.
If you've tried everything and something still isn't shifting, you're in the right place.
Start Here
New to the Lab? These Six Episodes Are A Great Place to Begin
Solo Sessions
Start With Your Own Mind
Ep. 45 - Find Your Laboratory
This episode reframes the pursuit of excellence as an experiment rather than a performance, and gives you permission to approach your own development with curiosity instead of pressure.
If fear, comparison, and never feeling like enough are fueling your performance, this is the most important conversation you'll have about why that approach has a ceiling. And what to do instead.
Ep. 60 - Not Good Enough, Need to Be better: A Broken Model of Motivation
Ep. 73 - The Illusion of Progress
You're putting in the work. You're doing everything right. And something still isn't shifting. This episode names exactly why. And it's not what you think.
Conversations Worth Having
Hear It From The People Doing The Work
Your body knows things your mind is still catching up to. Dr. Ashley Cranney breaks down the stress cycle and what it actually means to be biologically respectful, offering six concrete behaviors that will change how you relate to pressure.
Ep. 35 - Bodies Speak Body Language with Dr. Ashley Cranney
Dr. Ryan Hamilton, mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Hockey Canada, on why the most important thing a coach or leader can do is live the lessons they teach. This one will challenge you in the best possible way.
Ep. 63 - Practicing What We Preach with Dr. Ryan Hamilton
Ep. 69 - Turning the Mic Around
What happens when the interviewer becomes the interviewee? In this episode, Holly Rogers turns the mic on Pete, and the conversation goes places most episodes don't. If you want to understand who's behind the Lab and why this work matters, start here last.
The Podcast Is Where the Conversation Starts
If something you heard here landed in a way that nothing else has before, that's worth paying attention to.
The Lab is designed to go deeper than most mental performance content. But the deepest work doesn't happen through a speaker. It happens in a real conversation, with someone who can see your specific patterns clearly and help you do something about them.
If you're ready for that conversation, I'd like to hear from you.
All The Episodes. Go As Deep as You Want.
Ep. 63: Practicing What We Preach: Dr. Ryan Hamilton on High Performance, Self-Awareness, and Pushing Limits
Explore the power of walking the talk, embracing discomfort, and growing through experience with Dr. Ryan Hamilton.
Ep. 62: Don't Step Over "The Suck"
Explore the difference between positivity and optimism, and learn how the Stockdale Paradox can help you stay grounded while creating lasting change.
Ep. 61: The Hero’s Journey: Jilyne Jarvis on Transformation, Dancing with Fear, and Empowering the Next Generation
Discover how Jilyne Jarvis went from professional ski racer to co-founder of ZGiRLS, building confidence in middle school girls, and learn three actionable steps to overcome self-doubt and grow toward your own big goals.
Ep. 60: Not Good Enough, Need to Be Better: A Broken Model of Motivation
Discover how to break free from fear-based motivation and build a more sustainable path to mastery in this insightful episode.
Ep. 59: Resilience, Trust, and Growth: O2X Founder Adam LaReau on Creating High-Performing Teams
Former Navy SEAL Adam LaReau shares practical lessons on clarity, trust, and reflection to build resilient, high-performing organizations.
Ep. 58: It’s Only Right if it Grooves
We're talking about the wisdom of bass guitar legend Victor Wooten and what his approach to rhythm, groove, and performance can teach us about showing up at our best when it matters most.
Ep. 57: From the Octagon to the Playground: How Environment Shapes Elite Performance with William Massey, PhD
Ever wondered what elite MMA fighters, elementary school playground dynamics, and high-performing leaders have in common?
Ep. 56: Rest with Awareness: Exploring the Edge of Stress and Relaxation with iRest Yoga Nidra Expert Annie Okerlin
Is it possible to truly rest and reset, even amidst constant stress and high performance demands?
Ep. 55: We Are All Storytellers
Does how we’re telling our story create the opportunity for success in the future, and do we believe that we’ll have influence over those future outcomes?
Ep. 54: Leaving the Game: An Athlete's Guide to Transition, Identity, and Curiosity with Tessa West and Dr. Kirsten Cooper
What happens when an athlete's passion fades, but their entire identity is wrapped up in their sport?
Ep. 53: The Mattering Mindset: How to Feel Valued and Add Value with Sonya Looney
What does it mean to truly matter, and how can focusing on this concept transform not just your performance, but your satisfaction with life?
Ep. 52: When a Pro Golfer Runs a Marathon: Lessons in Mental Performance from Scott Stallings and Steve Magness
Imagine you're a professional golfer—used to precise movements, controlled environments, and meticulous strategy. Now, picture deciding to run the Boston Marathon with essentially zero running experience. Sound challenging? That's exactly what PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings did, inspired by performance expert Steve Magness and his book, Do Hard Things.
Ep. 51: From Posture to Performance: Achieving Ease, Efficiency, and Embodied Movement with Mary Bond
My recent conversation with the extraordinary Mary Bond on the Mental Training Lab podcast completely reshaped how I view posture, physical intelligence, and embodiment—and it just might transform your approach, too.
Ep. 50: Unlocking Your Signature Strengths: Sustainable Excellence with Alex Auerbach, CEO of Momentum Labs
Ever wonder how elite performers consistently achieve peak results without burning out? Alex Auerbach, performance psychologist and CEO of Momentum Labs, shares his powerful three-stage framework: understanding yourself, becoming your best, and producing maximum results.
Ep. 49: Building Team Cultures That Nurture People and Potential with Dr. Kensa Gunter
How do team and culture influence each other, and what can we do to ensure they contribute positively to both individual and collective success? Let’s talk with Dr. Kensa Gunter, a pioneer in the field of performance psychology.
Ep. 48: Beyond Resilience: Transforming Challenges into Growth with Dr. Adam Wright and Dr. Nick Holton of the Antifragile Academy
Unlike resilience, antifragility is about growing stronger from challenges and proactively seeking them out. To learn more about this tool, I went straight to the experts: co-founders of Antifragile Academy Adam Wright and Nick Holton.
Ep. 47: The Long Game: Scott Stallings on Resilience, Recovery, and the Boston Marathon
PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings is a master of resilience who's turned his recent injuries into opportunities for personal growth. In this episode, Scott Stallings takes us through his intense rehab journey, running the Boston Marathon, and coaching the University of Tennessee golf team.
Ep. 46: The Trap of Self-Judgment with Dr. Marina Harris
Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. It drives us, and can also derail us. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Marina Harris, a former Division I gymnast turned psychologist and performance consultant, who’s mastered the art of turning high-pressure expectations into healthy, high performance.
Ep. 45: Find Your Laboratory
Learn how cultivating a spirit of curiosity and embracing incremental gains can lead to massive improvements in both your personal and professional life.
Ep. 44: Storytelling, Visualization, and the Secret Sauce of Sustainable Leadership with Al Lattell (Part 1)
What if the key to strong leadership isn’t about teaching tactical and technical skills but in building an intentional team culture? That's exactly the approach my guest, Al Lattell, has been taking at Georgetown - and the results have been pretty remarkable.
You've Found Your Way to the Bottom of the Lab.
That tells me something about you. You're thorough. You go deep. You don't skim the surface when something matters.
Those are exactly the qualities that make this work possible.
If you've been listening and something keeps pulling at you, a pattern you recognize, a question you can't shake, a sense that something deeper is available than what you've found so far, that pull is worth following.