How to Train Your Mind for the Olympic Stage with Dr. Pete Kadushin and Cam Smith Artwork

SKIMO GOLD

The premier podcast and YouTube show for ski mountaineering interviews and analysis. Explore the high-altitude, high-stakes world of skimo as elite athletes prepare for Olympic competition and beyond. From the World Cup podium to the local skintrack, SKIMO GOLD is THE podcast for smooth-gliding, quick-transitioning, lung-burning, kick-turning beta on training, racing, gear, fueling, mindset, and–most importantly–FUN! Join hosts Travis Macy and Cam Smith regularly for novel conversations with the world’s best athletes, coaches, organizers, and skimo aficionados plus just-in-time race analysis. Produced for all podcast players by Palm Tree Pod Co.

All Episodes

SKIMO GOLD

How to Train Your Mind for the Olympic Stage with Dr. Pete Kadushin and Cam Smith

February 11, 2026 • Episode 35

0:00 | 1:19:51

Cam Smith is heading to Europe for the Olympics—and before he goes, we’re digging into the mental side of performance with one of the best in the game: Dr. Pete Kadushin (“Dr. K”), Manager of Learning & Development for the Chicago Blackhawks and longtime mental performance coach for athletes and leaders.

This conversation is part of our Olympic Dispatch coverage, but the tools go way beyond skimo. Dr. K breaks down three practical foundations for building an “Olympic mindset” in sport, business, parenting, and relationships:

Ask the question: How do I want it to go? (performance outcomes and feeling-based outcomes)
Train presence + embodiment: staying in the only place performance can happen—the present moment
Be your own best coach: upgrading your inner dialogue so it helps, not hijacks

Cam shares a powerful story from the Solitude mixed relay—how he and Anna stayed locked into joy, connection, and execution even when they were behind the goal in real time. We also talk visualization, expectations vs. curiosity, why “winning” can’t be the only fuel, and how meditation becomes a real performance tool when the stakes are high.

If you’ve ever felt your mind sprinting ahead—calculating, panicking, or trying to control the uncontrollable—this episode will help you bring it back to what matters: showing up fully and racing (or living) your best.

Let’s go!

Special thanks to TrainingPeaks, DYNAFIT, POMOCA, REVANTA Creatine by NEURORESERVE (use code SKIMOGOLD), and CAMP for sponsoring Skimo Gold's Olympic Dispatch!