Former pro hockey player, Air Force veteran, and sport & performance psychologist Dr. Dave Jones joins The Mental Mettle Podcast to unpack the battle between fear and faith—and how “toxic motivators” quietly drive so many athletes and high ...

McKenna McKee is a 16-time National Champion in sprint cycling, she is an Olympic hopeful for Team USA, and she is also in school to become a nurse.  She is an impressive young woman and her accomplishments are notable.  What makes it...

👉 Get the free playbook here:  resilientparentsplaybook.comResilient Parents Playbook: 5 Mistakes Killing Your Athlete’s Confidence (and What to Do Instead)In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Matt Thomann pu...

In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Matt Thomann sits down with Team USA climber Ben Hanna, one of the grittiest and most consistent competitors in American climbing.Ben was never the “young phenom” who won ...

Skydiving with Sharks with Travis Thomas: Improv Tools for Athletes and CoachesIn this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Matt Thomann sits down with performance coach, keynote speaker, and author Travis Thomas to ...

Olympian and U.S. Nordic Combined national champion Niklas Malacinski joins The Mental Mettle Podcast to break down the real mental side of elite performance.Nordic combined is already wild: ski jumping plus cross-country skiing in one ...

In Part 2 of my conversation with Team USA bobsled pilot Shane Fisher, we go deeper into the real cost of chasing an Olympic dream—and why mindset alone isn’t enough when the bills keep coming.Shane pulls back the curtain on the...

Shane Fisher is an elite athlete on a mission to become an Olympian. He started in tennis, moved into the decathlon, and now competes as a pilot for the USA Bobsled Team.Along the way, Shane has learned that mental skills matter more th...

In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Matt sits down with Morgan (Kane) Brons—former Iowa State women’s basketball standout, D2 Sweet 16 finisher at Nova Southeastern, and founder of Winning Edge Coaching.Morgan’s j...

In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Matt Thomann sits down with Coach Greg Geisinger to dig into what it really means to “coach the heart first.”After more than 20 years in boys’ high school basketball and a successful ru...

“Football should be the best part of a kid’s day.”In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, host Coach Matt Thomann sits down with Coach Garrett Mueller, head football coach at Stewartville High School (MN), to unpack how a shift in ...

Welcome back to The Mental Mettle Podcast with Coach Matt Thomann – the show where we break down the habits, mindset, and systems behind real mental toughness in sport and life.In this episode, Coach Adam Lewandowski of And...

If your idea of toughness is resisting all change and never admitting your weaknesses, you’re blocking your own growth. It really is that simple.True strength means being willing to see where you fall short—and yes, even asking for help....

In this episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Thomann talks with former Purdue University captain and professional defender Maya Lambert about how  her soccer journey prepared her for life and work beyond the game.We talk abou...

In Episode 133 of The Mental Mettle Podcast, Coach Matt Thomann breaks down his framework for **100% Mettle**—the ability to recognize your strengths and limitations in adversity while embracing the repetition of positive actions that demonstra...

Derek Gordon is a Ministry Coordinator at a men’s homeless shelter in Peoria, and he understands the power of hope. In this episode of the Mental Mettle Podcast, Derek sits down with Coach Matt Thomann to discuss how his own mistakes—and his wo...

Coach Matt Thomann hosts The Mental Mettle Podcast with guest Brett Miller—Air National Guard Sergeant, Caterpillar auditor, youth coach, and founder of Way of the Warrior Leadership Academy. Brett takes us inside his Captain’s Class program, w...

If someone hands you a wrapped gift, you take it, open it, smile, and say thank you. But when someone gives you the gift of gratitude—a compliment—do you do the same? Or do you deflect it with “It was nothing” or “I just got lucky”? When we don...

Coach Thomann turns 50 this week, so on this week's episode he drops some knowledge about things he's learned from being a father, a husband, a teacher, a believer, and a coach.  Tune in to hear him talk about positivity, confidence, aggre...

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Mental Mettle Podcast with your host, Coach Matt Thomann. In this episode, we dive deep into the incredible journey of Robo Kreps, a former professional basketball player who has seamlessly blended hi...

Welcome to "The Mental Mettle Podcast," hosted by Coach Matt Thomann! In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary 30-year coaching journey of Klay Wheeler, a seasoned coach who has impacted countless athletes across a wide range of sports. ...

A few years ago, Jason Drengwitz noticed a problem.  He was asking the player of Normal Community Football to show mental strength, but he wasnt teaching how to be mentally strong.  He fixed that.   Now he uses intentional breath...

The Monthly Mettle Challenge continues.   This month Coach Matt Thomann turns into Mr. Sandman and talks about sleep.    Due to his struggles with sleep and associated health issues, this a topic that Coach Thomann is passio...

Learn more about the Ember to Inferno program!  Welcome to "The Mental Mettle Podcast," where we dive into the strategies, stories, and insights that shape succ...

In this episode of the Mental Mettle Podcast, host Matt Thomann speaks with endurance athlete Pierce Showe about his journey into ultra marathons and the mental toughness required to succeed in endurance sports. They discuss the importance of m...