The Threshold Lab
The Threshold Lab is where “aha” moments and insights go to lift weights. Each episode cracks open a fundamental principle from the world of high performance and aims to transform how you think, work, and lead. Think of it like unlocking a door you’ve passed a hundred times, only to find it opens into a whole new way of thinking. If you're into mindset, growth, and the occasional mental mic drop, you're in the right lab.
Zach Brandon is a coach, speaker, and thought leader blending principles from psychology, coaching, and high performance to empower others toward personal and professional excellence.
Episodes
169 episodes
Fear Is Not the Enemy: How Elite Performers Learn to Manage It
Fear is one of the most common topics I get asked about and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we explore why fear isn’t something to eliminate, but something to manage. Using the analogy of inflammation after training, we unpack h...
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Episode 169
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5:57
Turn Your Back on the Crowd: The Role of Focus and Courage in Effective Leadership
Not every voice deserves influence and not every opinion should shape your decisions. In this episode, we discuss why great leaders have the courage to turn their back on the crowd to stay anchored to the mission and committed to their people. ...
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Episode 168
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5:17
The Polaroid Principle: Why Athletes Shouldn’t Judge Their Performance Too Early
One of the most important reminders we can share with athletes is to not judge your performance or season too early. Like a Polaroid picture, performance takes time to develop. This episode is all about evaluating your growth with patience and ...
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Episode 167
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5:08
You Will Never Outperform Your Self-Image
Pioneering American psychologist, William James, once told an audience of thousands that a century of psychological research could be distilled into one principle: You become what you think of yourself. This episode breaks down why identity dri...
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Episode 166
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6:18
Being One of One: How to Differentiate Yourself as a Leader or Performer
A lot of performers chase being the best, but there's an added advantage for those who become the only. The real separator is someone who creates value in ways no one else is willing or able to do. So in this episode, Zach breaks down how limit...
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Episode 165
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6:13
Tommy Sheppard | Executive Leadership Coach and Former NBA General Manager and President | "Love people, not things."
Tommy Sheppard's career spans over 30 years in the NBA, which includes most recently serving as the General Manager and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards. Known for his humility, generosity, and world-class ability t...
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Episode 164
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1:20:02
Plus-Minus-Equal: How to Find the Right People to Help You Grow
Former UFC fighter, Frank Shamrock, once shared a simple framework for how to grow more effectively with the right people in your circle. This episode explores his Plus–Minus–Equal process and how mentors, peers, and rising performers each play...
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Episode 163
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6:22
Who Helps You Breathe? Why Leaders Need People Who Put The Oxygen Mask On For Them
We all know the phrase, “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” Yet many leaders, coaches, and parents struggle to do it. Using two recent conversations (one with an Olympic-level coach and the other an NFL agent), this episode asks a deeper quest...
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Episode 162
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5:13
Mastery Through Less: What Film Editors Teach Us About Deliberate Subtraction
This episode explores why excellence often comes not from adding more, but from deliberately subtracting what no longer strengthens your craft. Borrowing from the film industry, we discuss how great editors shape award-winning films not by cram...
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Episode 161
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6:58
Trust Your Wings: How Top Performers Stay Confident When Mechanics Disappear
Most athletes treat the offseason as a technical laboratory to refine their mechanics and strengthen their physical skills, but sometimes this creates challenges in-season when competition arrives. In this episode, Zach shares a couple of perso...
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Episode 160
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8:05
Billy Allen | Stanford University Beach Volleyball Coach and Player Development Coordinator | "Learning is a maze, not a ladder."
Billy Allen brings a rare blend of experience to today's conversation: Elite performer, coach, author, and longtime podcast host. Entering his third season as an assistant coach and player development coordinator for Stanford’s beach volleyball...
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Episode 159
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1:20:39
Adversity is Included in Every Commitment
We all love the good days, but our commitments are defined by how we handle the hard ones. This episode reflects on the importance of embracing not only the joyful parts of life, but the difficult ones too. If you’re a coach or...
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Episode 158
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6:36
Push The Rock: A Lesson on Intentionality from Sisyphus
Most performers spend the majority of their lives in repetition in the form of practice, meetings, workouts, conversations, and responsibilities that cycle over and over every day. Today, we’re discussing how to bring more intentionality to the...
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Episode 157
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7:20
Unsubscribe From Stagnation: The Hidden Cost of Staying the Same
This episode explores how old habits, beliefs, and routines “auto-renew” in our lives long after they’ve served their purpose. Zach shares a story about a Major League pitcher "unsubscribing" from a starting point in his delivery and implementi...
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Episode 156
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9:51
Kibwe Johnson | Univ. of Maryland and USATF Head Throws Coach | “Athletes see everything, even what you think they don’t.”
Today's guest is two-time Olympian Kibwé Johnson. He joins the show with one of the most decorated careers in U.S. hammer history including being a five-time U.S. Champion, Pan American Games gold medalist and record holder, and a three-time NC...
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Episode 155
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1:17:00
Own Your 3-Foot World: A Strategy to Focus Under Pressure
What do you do when pressure spikes or the moment starts moving too fast? Using a powerful story from Navy SEAL Mark Owen’s book No Hero, this episode explores a practical framework for staying composed in these moments and controlling...
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Episode 154
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8:26
Inside a Mental Courtroom: How to Challenge Limiting Beliefs
Most of us don’t realize we’re being put on trial every single day by our own thoughts. This episode dives into the “mental courtroom” we carry inside us. It's a place where childhood labels become lifelong rulings and where outdated stories sh...
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Episode 153
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7:55
Muhammad Ali’s Stolen Bike: How Adversity Can Shape Your Drive
This episode explores the famous story of Muhammad Ali’s stolen red bicycle and how one painful childhood moment became an unexpected spark in his journey toward greatness. We break down why adversity often shapes drive, what research shows abo...
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Episode 152
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7:25
A New Chapter
This episode dives into what happens when the role you’ve built no longer matches the life you want. If you’ve ever felt a pull toward a different future, this one’s for you. For more practical tools and mindset stories like th...
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Episode 151
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9:13
Cody Royle | Coach of Head Coaches | "Coaching is the greatest accelerator of human performance."
Today I’m joined by Cody Royle who spends his days coaching some of the top head coaches in elite sport.Cody is a former head coach of Canada’s men’s AFL national team. He’s the author of three books (Where Others Won’t, The Tough Stuff...
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Episode 150
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1:16:07
Surround Yourself With Greatness: Lessons From Training With 5 NFL Legends
This episode explores how one of the NFL's all-time best wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald, extended his greatness by inviting some of his top competitors to train with him one offseason. We'll discuss the curiosity that helped him excel and his...
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Episode 149
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6:14
The Law of the Lid: Why Your Leadership Sets Your Team’s Ceiling
Some teams are overflowing with talent yet never reach their ceiling. S today's episode explores John Maxwell’s “Law of the Lid” principle and how a leader’s personal growth directly shapes the ceiling of their team’s potential. Through stories...
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Episode 148
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6:34
How to Win Without Chasing the Gold: Lessons from The Gold Rush's First Millionaire
Most people chase success by running faster toward the same goal. Sam Brannan became the first millionaire of the Gold Rush by slowing down and seeing differently. In this episode, we explore what his story teaches about anticipation, leverage,...
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Episode 147
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7:18
Operation Starfish: An Exercise to Lead Amidst Adversity and Losing
What do you do when your team is falling apart and belief feels out of reach? This episode offers a playbook for leading through adversity, drawn from a Major League Baseball story called Operation Starfish and an NBA staff’s relationship audit...
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Episode 146
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7:15
Defensive Visualization: The Hidden Value of Rehearsing Adversity
Visualization isn’t just about picturing perfection. It’s also about preparing for pressure and adversity. In this episode, we explore defensive visualization, a Stoic-inspired practice for training your response to adversity before it strikes....
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Episode 145
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7:13