Episode 13 - The Mental Game with Laura Collins

Episode 13 - The Mental Game with Laura Collins

The Long Game Episode 13 explores the mental side of aging in sport with psychotherapist and former elite gymnast Laura Collins, focusing on how changing bodies, injury, and life transitions reshape an athlete’s identity. Through Laura’s story—from 1980s elite gymnastics and career-ending injuries to her current work with high performers—we also dig into anxiety, comparison traps, and practical ways athletes can reframe self-worth, process old wounds, and “play the long game” in both performance and life

Episode 12 - Fire Your Scale: Let Sleep & HRV Call the Shots

After seeing the scale go up despite doing everything right, Mark breaks down why weight is one of the most misleading health metrics. This episode dives into the power of sleep, HRV, and recovery data as true indicators of performance and long-term health. If you’ve ever let the scale dictate your mood, this conversation will help you shift from chasing outcomes to tracking what actually drives progress.

Episode 11: John Bermudez - Fitness is a Non-Negotiable…

In this episode of The Long Game, Mark sits down with endurance coach and multi-time Boston Marathon qualifier John Bermudez to talk about fitness, purpose, and playing the long game in life. John shares his journey from growing up in Southeast San Diego, navigating corporate careers in music and entertainment, to building a coaching business centered around helping everyday athletes chase big goals. Together they dive into Boston dreams, balancing family and health, controlling the controllables, and why fitness isn’t just about race medals—it’s an investment in being around for the people who matter most. This conversation is a reminder that health isn’t optional, and the work you put in today determines the life you get to live tomorrow.

Episode 10 - Joe Beckerley on Health, Strength, and Racing for Life

Mark sits down with longtime friend, former business partner, and endurance coach Joe Beckerley to revisit their shared history in triathlon, Performance Strength Lab, and the endurance community. Joe shares how a Crohn’s disease diagnosis pushed him out of an unhealthy corporate routine and into boxing, running, triathlon, and eventually coaching. The conversation explores the mental and physical power of endurance sports, the importance of strength training for athletes, and why community, patience, and consistency matter when building a lifestyle that lasts well beyond race day.

Episode 9 - Why You Keep Showing Up (Or Stop)

In this episode, Mark explores how the people and spaces around our workouts quietly decide whether we stick with training for years or drift away. Drawing on Maya Angelou’s quote about how we remember feelings more than words or actions, he shares what it was like to be a nervous beginner in a boxing gym and a co-owner of Performance Strength Lab, where community mattered more than perfect programming. He reflects on the loss of those gyms, a recent conversation with coach Chad Christman of Ignite Fitness in Missouri, and the realization that he misses belonging to a training community as much as coaching one.