The Mental Game with Sam Brief

Sam Brief
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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. 3D AGO

    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

  2. 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
  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 09/27/2025

    Beyond Limits: How Dr. Lennie Waite Chased the Olympics While Earning a PhD

    Episode 83 of The Mental Game features Dr. Lennie Waite, a PhD, Olympian and sports psychologist. Dr. Waite has experienced the mental game of sports on both sides: as an elite athlete and as a psychologist. Born in Scotland, Waite came to the U.S. in the mid-2000s to attend Rice University in Houston, where she ran track and set school records in the mile, 1500m and 3000m steeplechase. She then remained in Houston to pursue a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology while continuing her running career professionally and aiming to make it to the Olympic Games. Yes, she pursued a PhD and the Olympics at the same time. She completed her PhD in 2012, and her Olympic dream came true in 2016, when Waite made the British team and represented her nation at the Rio Olympics in the 3000m steeplechase. Now, Waite is a certified mental performance consultant for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. She also serves as  Chief Science Officer at HITE EQ, a cutting-edge mental performance platform designed to enhance athletes’ mental health and skills. On The Mental Game, Waite… Dives deep into her multi-track journey — both to the Olympics and to the pinnacle of sports psychologyDishes out the valuable lessons she learned while becoming an OlympianExplains what makes HITE EQ the next big thing in sports psychologyAnd 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, ⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Stitcher⁠⁠.

    46 min
  8. NFL Veteran Jerry Azumah on Why Focus Wins — in Life and Football

    09/07/2025

    NFL Veteran Jerry Azumah on Why Focus Wins — in Life and Football

    Episode 82 of The Mental Game brings back former All-Pro NFL cornerback Jerry Azumah, his second appearance on The Mental Game. If you missed Part I with Azumah, click here to listen now. Azumah played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears, earning a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection in 2003. His NFL career came on the heels of a super successful four years at the University of New Hampshire. Under then-head coach Chip Kelly, Azumah starred as a running back, winning the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in all of Division I-AA. Given his college success, Azumah was blindsided when he found out the Chicago Bears intended to draft him as a defensive back. When they did just that in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Azumah was forced to adjust — to learn his sport from the opposite point of view: as a defender. Azumah figured it out for nearly a decade in the NFL. Now, he focuses on his family, his philanthropic work, and on his burgeoning media career. I’ve had the delight of producing and co-hosting his podcast, “⁠To The Points with Jerry Azumah⁠.”  On The Mental Game, Azumah… Describes how it felt to “feel it click” in the NFL.Explains why his most important mental battle as a player was staying 100% focused.How he balances his emotions and keeps a short memory.And 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, ⁠⁠TuneIn⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Stitcher⁠⁠.

    44 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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