Afleveringen
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In this solocast, I’m exploring a paradox I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: the more optimized a system becomes, the more fragile it can get.
We start with sleep, but this applies to performance routines, recovery, leadership, training, and the way we prepare for just about anything. When everything has to go exactly right in order for us to feel ready, we end up narrowing the window for success.
So I’m breaking down the difference between fragile, resilient, and anti-fragile systems, and how we can build habits that don’t just work when conditions are perfect, but can actually hold up when life gets messy.
The goal isn’t to stop improving your systems, it’s to make sure your systems can survive contact with reality.
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**This conversation is all about psilocybin-assisted therapy, but it is not medical advice. Psilocybin is not appropriate for everyone, laws vary by location, and anyone interested in this work should seek support only from qualified professionals in legal, regulated settings.**
In this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Adam O'Neil, a Boulder-based licensed psychologist and clinical psilocybin facilitator working at the intersection of mental health, performance psychology, and natural medicine.
Adam brings a rare combination of rigor and heart to this conversation. We talk about the importance of comprehensive psychological assessment, the structure of psilocybin-assisted therapy, and why preparation, facilitation, and integration matter just as much as the journey itself. We also explore how plant medicine, when approached responsibly, can help people encounter deeper layers of identity, trauma, shame, avoidance, and pressure that traditional mental skills training may not fully reach.
You’ll learn about the role of acceptance, surrender, ancestral wisdom, and cultural humility in this work. And why athletes and high performers may be drawn to deeper healing beyond optimization. Whether or not psilocybin is part of your path, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that performance is not separate from wholeness, and that sometimes the next level of growth requires us to stop fixing ourselves and start meeting ourselves more honestly.
Learn more about Adam’s work and The Clearing healing center here: www.theclearingboulder.com
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Your nervous system is the foundation of everything else. It shapes the way you perceive reality, and everything flows from there: what you think, how you decide, what comes out of your mouth, and what your people feel when you walk in the room.
You can have the right words, the right plan, and the right tools. But if your state is communicating panic, pressure, or disconnection, that's what lands first and colors everything after it.
In this solocast, I dig into why state regulation isn't a sidebar to great coaching and leadership. It's the throughline. I share a story from my own work with a basketball team that illustrates exactly what happens when leaders skip this piece, and what becomes possible when they don't. We get into interoceptive awareness, the science of why calm is contagious, and three practical ways to start building a more regulated nervous system on purpose.
Being calm, stoic, or serene isn't the end goal. It's about knowing where you are, being responsible for your experience, shifting when you need to, and creating the conditions for the people around you to access their best when it matters most.
Learn more about working with me one-on-one and my new coaching course at drkcoaching.com.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Buddhist teacher, meditation teacher, and author Lodro Rinzler to explore a concept that has powerful implications for athletes, leaders, and high performers: basic goodness.
So many of us operate from the quiet assumption that we’re not enough. Not successful enough, disciplined enough, accomplished enough, or mentally tough enough. Lodro’s work and new book “You Are Good, You Are Enough” challenge that story at the root, offering the possibility that beneath the striving, self-doubt, anxiety, and the insatiable need to achieve, there is something fundamentally whole and worthy already present.
Together, we unpack how meditation functions as mental training, why thoughts don’t mean you’re “bad” at meditating, and how loving-kindness can help us relate differently to ourselves and others. We also explore the tension between achievement and worth and why so many high performers keep chasing external validation only to discover it doesn’t deliver the peace they hoped for.
If you’ve ever felt fueled by the belief that you’re not enough, or if you coach athletes and performers who live inside that story, this conversation offers a grounded, practical, and deeply human way to begin relating differently to your own mind.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In this week's solocast, I’m unpacking something I’ve been seeing a lot lately: the idea of caring less about the outcome and just focusing on the process. That mindset may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but the more I hear it, the more I think it’s missing something important.
Because the truth is, you do care. You care about the result, and when that starts to feel uncomfortable, pressure, anxiety, fear of what it might mean if you don’t get it, we try to solve that by pretending it doesn’t matter. What that actually creates is a version of you that’s never fully in, never fully committed, and ends up stuck in that half in, half out space.
So let's tackle what’s really underneath that, why it’s happening, and what it takes to move through it. Because if you don’t care about the outcome, the process doesn’t really work. At some point, you have to be willing to name what you want and accept the risk that comes with it.
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Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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What does it really take to build trust and psychological safety in teams under pressure? In this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Peter Hodgkinson, high-performance consultant and the former Head of Build at Mercedes F1. Peter has spent decades in elite motorsport, including Formula 1, Le Mans, and the America’s Cup. He shares how environments with razor-thin margins and constant pressure shaped his philosophy on intent-based leadership, consistency, and human performance.
Peter's experience connects directly to what many people are navigating every day: burnout from grinding in “second gear,” leading teams through high-stakes moments, and trying to align values with actual behavior, not just words on a wall. You’ll learn practical frameworks like Peter’s three-part model of trust (reliability, capability, relationship) and the importance of psychological safety in performance. Plus, get insight into how organizations like Mercedes made culture real by tying behavior, instead of just outcomes, to performance reviews and incentives.
If you’re a leader, coach, or performer looking to build stronger teams, reduce burnout, and lead more effectively under pressure, this conversation offers both clear models and immediately actionable insights you can start applying today.
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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In today's solo-cast, I’m digging into something I see all the time with athletes and high performers, the way we misunderstand nerves, pressure, and what it actually takes to access flow.
We’ve been taught that the goal is to calm down, relax, and eliminate anxiety before we perform. But in reality, that approach can pull us further away from our best.
I break down why being a little “too activated” is often exactly where you want to be, how to rethink your relationship with nerves, and what it really looks like to find that sweet spot between challenge and skill.
I also share a practical tool, the trigger breath, that you can start training right away to create just enough space in your system to let performance happen instead of forcing it.
This is about shifting out of control mode and into a place where you can trust your preparation, work with your physiology, and access a higher level of performance more consistently.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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On this episode of The Mental Training Lab we are sharing an episode of The Transformational Leader featuring a conversation with Pete Kadushin.
"On this week's mid-week episode of The Transformational Leader, Adam Quiney welcomes friend of the show Pete Kadushin for a live coaching conversation that pulls back the curtain on what transformational leadership work actually looks like in practice. Pete brings a client, Chris McAdoo, into the session and invites Adam to observe and offer real-time feedback as the coaching unfolds.
What follows is a candid, unscripted exploration of leadership, coaching, and the subtle dynamics that emerge in live developmental work. Adam steps in throughout the conversation with interruptions, reflections, and questions—supporting Pete while also highlighting the deeper patterns at play beneath the surface of the coaching moment.
The episode offers listeners a rare look into the craft of leadership coaching: how coaches listen, where they intervene, and how transformational insights can arise in the middle of a conversation. Adam's intention is to demystify the process—revealing not just the visible techniques of coaching, but the underlying "being" and awareness that make meaningful breakthroughs possible.
If you've ever wondered what transformational coaching actually looks like in real time—or how leaders support one another in developing their craft—this episode offers a thoughtful and illuminating window into that work."Check out The Transformational Leader podcast Website | Apple | Spotify
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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For decades, athletes and high performers have been taught to grind harder, push through pain, and silence weakness at all costs. I’m your host Pete Kadushin, and in this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with clinical sport psychologist and author Dr. Hillary Cauthen to talk about one of the most romanticized ideas in sport and performance: mental toughness.
Hillary explains why that traditional narrative gives her the “ick” and why many performers are quietly paying the price through burnout, injury, harsh self-talk, and unsustainable pressure. We discuss a more holistic model of mental strength that still honors resilience and perseverance but adds essential capacities like self-awareness, vulnerability, emotional regulation, and values-based motivation.
Hillary steps up to the plate to coach me on my own “wrestler mindset” and the fear-based motivation that many high achievers rely on. You’ll learn about identity, performance culture, and how expanding our tool set can help us sustain excellence without losing our competitive edge.
If you’re an athlete, coach, or leader who grew up in grind culture, this conversation offers a powerful reframe and a glimpse of what real cultural change can look like in action.
Learn more about Hillary’s book Hello Trauma: Our Invisible Teammate on her website: www.hillarycauthen.com.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In this solo episode, I’m exploring something I see all the time in the performance world: the illusion of progress. From the outside, it can look like we’re doing everything right. We’re building mental skills, trying new strategies, putting in the reps, and staying disciplined. And yet, despite all that effort, we often find ourselves circling back to the same patterns and frustrations.
In this conversation, I unpack why that happens. We look at the deeper structure underneath behavior — how our beliefs quietly shape our actions, and how those actions reinforce the very reality we’re trying to change. When we only focus on adding new tools without examining that underlying layer, we can end up getting better at running the same loop.
As always, I’ll leave you with a few practical questions you can use to reflect on your own patterns and begin creating real movement, not just the appearance of it. If you’ve been working hard but feel like you’re not actually getting anywhere, this episode will give you a different lens to look through.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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What do a hypnotized high-school wrestler, Olympic athletes, and modern neuroscience all have in common? In this episode of The Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Dr. David Spiegel, one of the world’s leading experts in clinical hypnosis, to clear up the myths, misunderstandings, and stage-show baggage surrounding hypnosis. Next, we explore how it’s actually being used to reduce pain, manage stress, improve sleep, and enhance high-level performance.
We unpack how hypnosis works in the brain (including its effects on attention, dissociation, and the default mode network), and why hypnosis is best understood as an intentional, goal-directed mental skill, not mind control.
David shares remarkable clinical and performance stories, from eliminating chronic migraines to helping athletes access high quality focus under pressure. We also explore how hypnosis complements meditation, where the two differ, and why hypnosis can sometimes create rapid change where other practices haven’t.
If you’re interested in performance, well-being, or the science of attention and intentionality, this conversation may completely change how you think about hypnosis.
Learn more about Reveri, David’s self-hypnosis app, and get 20% off yearly or lifetime memberships with code MENTAL20: reverihealth.app.link/mental
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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It’s officially the Olympics season, and I was stoked to join endurance athlete Travis Macy and Olympic ski mountaineer Cam Smith to talk about the mental skills behind peak performance. This episode is shared here on the Mental Training Lab feed as part of a crossover with Skimo Gold, and I’m excited to bring this conversation to you.
We get into what it truly means to train your mind like an Olympian. And that means for any moment where pressure, uncertainty, or expectations are high. Not just on race day.
You’ll learn:
How elite athletes stay present when the stakes are highWhat effective visualization actually looks like (and where it often goes wrong)How to avoid spiraling into outcomes and future thinkingWays to build confidence without tying it to resultsHow to coach yourself with a healthier, more supportive inner voiceWhile the examples come from endurance sport and ski mountaineering, the mental skills we discuss apply far beyond athletics. These are tools for leaders, parents, coaches, and anyone trying to show up more grounded and intentional under pressure.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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On this week's solocast I'm taking a hard look at the way motivation and discipline are talked about online — and why a lot of the popular advice actually works against long-term performance.
You’ve probably seen the posts: discipline beats motivation, motivation is weak, success is just showing up no matter what. It all sounds tough and inspiring… until you actually try to live it. And then burnout, inconsistency, and frustration start creeping in.
So let's unpack the fundamental misunderstanding behind those messages and explain why discipline without motivation is like a car without gas. Discipline isn’t the enemy, but it’s not the fuel either.
I break down:
What discipline actually is (and what it isn’t)A practical, usable definition of motivationWhy framing discipline as punishment leads to burnoutHow self-determination theory explains the different “flavors” of motivationWhy elite performers don’t rely on just one source of driveHow to build a hybrid system that keeps you consistent and resilientWhen being “disciplined” actually means backing off instead of pushing harderIf you’ve ever felt like you should be more disciplined, or wondered why motivation seems to disappear right when you need it most, this episode will help you reframe both — without shame, without hype, and with tools you can actually use.
As always, if something here resonates (or if you disagree), I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at drkcoaching.com and let me know what landed.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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What happens when the Mental Training Lab host hands over the mic? I’m your host Pete Kadushin, and in this special reverse interview episode, I’m interviewed by psychiatrist, meditation teacher, and longtime contemplative practitioner Holly Rogers. The conversation grew organically out of our previous episode together, one that sparked more questions, deeper curiosity, and the realization that it was time to balance the scales.
Together, Holly and I explore how contemplative practices like mindfulness and meditation have shaped my personal life and professional path—from grad school, to working with elite athletes, to my current role in learning and development with the Chicago Blackhawks. I open up about vulnerability, presence, impermanence, and why mental performance work increasingly feels like sacred work rather than a set of techniques.
This episode is an honest, reflective look at what it means to practice what we teach. And how slowing down, paying attention, and trusting the process can lead to more meaningful performance, deeper relationships, and work that truly lights us up.
Whether you’re a coach, athlete, leader, or simply someone curious about how contemplative practices can change the way you show up in the world, this conversation offers insight, humanity, and permission to explore your own path with a little more trust.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In today’s solocast, I explore one of my favorite mental training mantras: “No big deal.”
We look at how quickly we label experiences as good or bad, and how those judgments (often made without the full story) can quietly hijack our nervous system, emotions, and performance. Using a classic Zen parable alongside examples from sport, I unpack how unexamined thoughts start to feel like reality, and what happens when we learn to loosen our grip on them.
We also examine how “no big deal” isn’t about dismissing your experience, but about creating space to feel what you feel, unhook from unproductive thinking, and re-orient toward your values and intentions so you can stay present and perform what’s actually in front of you.
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Learn more about The Mental Training Lab
Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In this episode of Mental Training Lab, I sit down with psychiatrist, meditation teacher, and author of The Mindful Twenty-Something, Dr. Holly Rogers. We’re breaking down how mindfulness and meditation can transform our relationship to the present moment, performance, and our lives as a whole.
Holly has spent decades working with college students, emerging adults, and high performers, helping them use Vipassana (mindfulness) meditation not as a relaxation tool, but as a mental training and nervous system regulation practice. We dig into what mindfulness actually is (and isn’t), why it’s not about “clearing your mind” and more about expanding your stretch zone so you don’t tip into overwhelm when it matters most.
We also get personal. I share how these practices have helped me transform my relationship with self-criticism, including a moment where I found myself unexpectedly in tears on the cushion, able to meet a younger version of me, and his “wrestler mindset” with compassion instead of judgment. Holly brings in 30 years of clinical experience to bust the myth that being kinder to yourself will make you soft or lazy and explains why she’s never once seen that happen.
If you’re an athlete, coach, or high performer who’s curious about mindfulness, meditation, self-compassion, performance, and resilience, this conversation offers practical tools, science-backed insight, and very human stories to help you start (or restart) your own practice in a doable, sustainable way.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In today's solocast, we hit the slopes and explore the transformative power of acceptance through my own experience of learning to ski.
We touch on how embracing the possibility of injury actually unlocked my ability to be present to the joy of skiing, and 10x'd my skill level after a decade away from the sport.
We also look at some of the reliable barriers to acceptance and outline a couple of practices to help create more acceptance in your life.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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How does stress impact the experience of sport? In this episode of the Mental Training Lab, I sat down with Megan Bartlett, founder of the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, educator, and faculty member of NM Sport, to explore the fascinating intersection of stress science, sport performance, and human development.
Megan’s work brings together neuroscience and coaching practice through what she calls biological respect. It’s the recognition that our stress responses aren’t independent choices, and instead we need to collaborate with our physiology! Together, we talk about how coaches can design environments that support athletes’ nervous systems, build resilience, and foster true psychological safety.
Megan shares practical, science-based strategies that anyone can use to help athletes regulate, recover, and thrive under pressure. Topics include how relationships buffer stress, how humor and structure aid regulation, and why well-being and performance aren’t opposites, rather, they’re inseparable.
If you’ve ever wondered how to help your athletes (or yourself) perform better and feel better, this conversation will change how you think about training, recovery, and what it really means to create high performance environments.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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Today's solocast explores the role that negative visualization can play in generating gratitude, wonder, and a connection to the present moment.
I share a vivid story from my early days as a mental performance coach, and outline practices that can support you in appreciating your current capacity in a way that will support your growth and best performance.
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Connect with Pete on Instagram | LinkedIn | Website
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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In this episode of the Mental Training Lab, I sit down with Dr. Ryan Hamilton, someone who truly lives the work he teaches. Ryan is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick, a certified mental performance consultant, and the mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Canadian National Team.
Ryan embodies what it means to truly practice what we preach in the world of high performance. He deep dives on a couple of stories from his time working with elite athletes, and shares what it really looks like to walk the talk when it comes to growth, resilience, and relevance.
Ryan also shares lessons from his own most recent endurance quest: a 24-hour ultra-marathon challenge that pushed him to the limits of both his body and mind. We get into what that experience taught him about self-awareness and why stretching beyond our comfort zones ultimately makes us better coaches, leaders, and humans.
So if you are a coach, consultant, athlete, or anyone who works in a high-performance environment, take a listen. This conversation will challenge you to reflect on your own growth, your blind spots, and your capacity to lead by example.
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Subscribe to the podcast on Apple | SpotifyThis show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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