The Mental Game with Sam Brief

Sam Brief
  • 5.0 (24)
  • Sports
  • Updated Bimonthly

Athletes compete. Coaches coach. But what about the game within the game — the mental one? What separates greatness from failure? And what can we learn from the stories of top performers? On The Mental Game, host Sam Brief explores personal stories, mental health lessons, and performance psychology with athletes, coaches, and experts from around the world. Music by David Brief and Channel J. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more.

  1. Jun 22

    Ryan Cochran-Siegle's Olympic Mindset

    Episode 91 of The Mental Game features a powerful, captivating conversation with two-time Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle. Cochran-Siegle is one of the great American alpine ski racers of his generation. He won silver in the super-G at both the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. His Beijing performance marked the first Olympic super-G medal by an American man in 38 years. His rise to stardom came despite a series of traumatic, career-threatening injuries, including a 2013 crash that tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus, and a 2021 accident that fractured his neck and nearly took his life. The perspective he gained during those lengthy recoveries shapes much of Cochran-Siegle's mindset today. He also comes from one of the most notable ski families in U.S. history. His mother, Barbara Cochran, won Olympic gold in slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games, and numerous members of his family have competed at high levels in the sport. Cochran-Siegle is intensely focused on maintaining a strong mental game, practicing visualization before races, valuing the pursuit over the outcome, and embracing the joy he feels on the slopes. In this episode, Cochran-Siegle: Tells us about the life-changing athletic journey he recently completed — one that has nothing to do with skiingExplains how his mother's hands-off approach helped him develop into an Olympic skierTakes us through his pre-race mental routineAnd much more The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    30 min

  2. May 20

    Covering Peak Performance With The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd

    Episode 90 of The Mental Game features a riveting conversation with veteran sportswriter Rustin Dodd of The Athletic. Dodd is a senior writer for The Athletic’s Peak vertical, covering sports leadership, personal development, and success. His stories have a sharp mental game focus, ranging from how an NFL kicker deals with nerves ahead of the Super Bowl to how a college basketball coach catalogs and learns from mistakes. Dodd came to The Athletic in 2018 after nine years at Kansas City Star. He has also co-authored two books: Kingdom Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once-Swingin’ Cowtown Chased the Ultimate Comeback and Perfect Pitch: How Kansas City Became the Heart of American Soccer and Landed the World Cup. In this episode, Dodd: Breaks down the Peak story he’s learned the most fromDives deep into some of his most unique reporting, including studying the routine of Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason MyersExplains how studying top athletes can help you do your dishes betterAnd much more The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    54 min

  3. Apr 25

    Staying Sharp in a Skyrocketing Sport, With Deliah Autry-Jones

    Episode 89 of The Mental Game features another Team USA flag football superstar: Deliah Autry-Jones. A three-time gold medalist with the U.S. National Flag Football Team, Autry-Jones has dominated a sport that’s seen explosive growth, with flag football set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She’s been playing competitively since high school in Tampa and has been a leader on the national team since her debut in 2021. Off the field, Autry-Jones coaches at her alma mater, Robinson High School, has worked in development roles with USA Football, and is a practicing physical therapist. In recent years, she’s taken her performance to another level by investing in her mental game — working with a sports psychologist, committing to journaling, and prioritizing self-care. In this episode, Autry-Jones: Details her self-care regimen, from journaling to dance, and why it mattersExplains her commitment to mastering the mental gameShares how she stays sharp as global competition intensifiesAnd much more The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    33 min

  4. Mar 30

    The Mental Game of Flag Football’s Rise — Amber Clark-Robinson’s Journey

    Episode 88 of The Mental Game brings on Amber Clark-Robinson, one of the nation’s top flag football stars, coaches, and ambassadors. Why should you listen? Flag football is set to debut on the Olympic stage in 2028, and U.S. National Team Captain Clark-Robinson offers an look at the mindset required to compete and shine in one of the world’s fastest-growing sports of all-time. As a young girl in Greenville, North Carolina, Robinson was denied the chance to play football of any kind. She dominated just about every other sport she could participate in and later thrived as a long jump and triple jump standout at the University of North Carolina. Flash forward to 2026, and Clark-Robinson is one of the faces of Team USA’s booming flag football program. After finally earning her shot on the U.S. National Team in 2023, Clark-Robinson has since emerged as Team Captain and a defensive stalwart, delivering numerous international gold medals to Team USA. Clark-Robinson also brings a unique perspective as an advocate for the game. She is  the head coach at Saginaw Valley State University, where she will launch the Cardinals’ women’s flag football program in 2027. She was also was named to USA Football’s board of directors in 2024 and is instrumental in the rapid ride of flag football at all ages. In this episode of The Mental Game, Clark-Robinson… Breaks down her roller-coaster journey from being barred from football to becoming a national team star.How she balances her roles as player, coach, and global ambassador .Explains how she aims to be “significant, not a participant” in every aspect of her life.And much more… The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    27 min
  5. Inside Indiana’s “Championship Culture” — What the Hoosiers’ Sports Psychologist Sees Every Day

    Feb 5

    Inside Indiana’s “Championship Culture” — What the Hoosiers’ Sports Psychologist Sees Every Day

    Episode 87 of The Mental Game features Troy Moles, Ph.D., CMPC, HSPP — the Director of Counseling & Sport Psychology for Indiana University Athletics. Why should you listen? Fresh off Indiana’s historic football National Championship, Moles is uniquely positioned to tell you what truly lies behind the “championship culture” you often hear discussed in the media. Embedded inside an athletic department, Moles occupies a rare hybrid role. As a licensed psychologist, he oversees mental health services for IU student-athletes. As a certified mental performance consultant, he also helps athletes perform under pressure, build confidence, and navigate the mental demands of high-level competition. A former collegiate track and field student-athlete himself, Moles has spent his career working directly with performers in real, high-stakes environments — from individual athletes battling confidence swings to entire teams navigating pressure, injury, and identity beyond sport.  His background includes work at Miami (Ohio) University, Premier Sport Psychology, and the University of North Texas Center for Sport Psychology & Performance Enhancement. On this episode of The Mental Game, Moles… Breaks down the “championship culture” in Indiana’s athletic departmentExplains what really happens in the brain during high-pressure moments and why athletes tighten upDives into how revenue sharing, NIL and gambling affect student-athlete mental healthAnd much more… The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    33 min

  6. 11/20/2025

    From Nearly Quitting to the World Championships, How Dylan Beard Broke Through

    Episode 86 of The Mental Game features Dylan Beard — an American hurdler whose rise is one of track and field’s most compelling breakout stories of the decade. A Baltimore native, Beard didn’t even start track and field until his sophomore year of high school. He fell in love with hurdling almost instantly, climbing the ranks quickly enough to run collegiately, most notably at Howard University. After graduating, Beard committed to chasing the sport professionally. Unsponsored and self-funded, he pieced together training and travel while working the deli counter at Walmart. That grind tested both his belief and his endurance, but Beard has continually pushed through. Beard’s life changed changed in early 2024, when he shocked the sport by winning the 60-meter hurdles at the prestigious Millrose Games in New York, edging an elite field and launching himself onto the global stage, including an impressive performance at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo this summer. On this episode of The Mental Game, Beard… Opens up about the moments he wanted to quit — and what ultimately kept him goingDescribes his pressure-packed reality of balancing Walmart shifts with elite competitionShares how his breakout performance changed his life and reshaped his mental approachAnd much more… The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠⁠.

    57 min

  7. 11/01/2025

    Guiding Today’s Athletes: Dr. Jordan Collins on Campus Mental Health and Sister Jean’s Legacy

    Episode 85 of The Mental Game features Dr. Jordan “Dr. J” Collins, a former college track star who turned his own life-changing experience with therapy into a career helping athletes thrive. Now an athletics mental health counselor at Loyola University Chicago, Dr. J works with student-athletes across every sport, blending tools like mindfulness, CBT and sport psychology to sharpen performance and strengthen well-being. He’s passionate about guiding athletes through transitions, building life skills and embracing the mental side of competition. Dr. J’s journey has included stops at USC, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets. He now manages his own consulting practice, JC Sports Consulting. His story is all about resilience, growth, and unlocking potential — on and off the field. On this episode of The Mental Game, Dr. J… Explains how his rocky transition out of life as an NCAA student-athlete shaped his subsequent careerDives into the number-one issue facing college athletes today Discusses the recent death (at 106) and legacy of Loyola’s legendary Sister JeanExplains his groundbreaking research on athlete valuesAnd much, much more… The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠.

    48 min

  8. 10/06/2025

    Walk The Talk: Tre Demps on Basketball, Broadcasting, Belief

    Episode 84 of The Mental Game introduces the inaugural edition of Walk The Talk — conversations on the move. Today, we’re walking in the Chicago sun along Lake Michigan with Tre Demps. Demps was an All-Big Ten player at Northwestern University, then played professionally for five years in Italy, Belgium and Greece. After retiring in 2022 due to hip arthritis, Demps took up dual careers in broadcasting — as an analyst for NBC Sports and CBS Sports Network — and coaching — as the Basketball Director of Intentional Sports. Demps grew up in the game. His father, Dell, played in the NBA and has since enjoyed a successful career as a general manager and front office executive. Throughout his life, Demps has experienced mental and physical setbacks, started a family, traveled the world playing basketball and embraced Christianity more and more. As he walks with Sam along Lake Michigan, Demps… Explains why growing up in the NBA may have hurt his mental gameOutlines the changes he made after traveling Europe playing basketballDives into what he takes from his parents as he raises his three childrenAnd much, much more… The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Google Podcasts⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠.

    54 min
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Athletes compete. Coaches coach. But what about the game within the game — the mental one? What separates greatness from failure? And what can we learn from the stories of top performers? On The Mental Game, host Sam Brief explores personal stories, mental health lessons, and performance psychology with athletes, coaches, and experts from around the world. Music by David Brief and Channel J. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more.

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