Director of Mental Health for BYU Athletics: Dr. Braden Brown

Episode 52: Dr. Kimberly O' Brien

On Episode 52, we had the chance to sit down with Kimberly O'Brien [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#], and it was one of those conversations that reminds you the true impact that this work can have. Kim brings a rare combination of experience as a Harvard women’s hockey national champion, longtime clinician, suicide prevention specialist, and athlete mental-health advocate. We discussed her new book Mentality Wins (with Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D, CMPC [https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#]), which does an incredible job blending real athlete stories, the psychology behind performance, and practical tools athletes can actually use.

Director of Mental Health for BYU Athletics: Dr. Braden Brown

Episode 51 with Dr. Braden Brown, Director of Mental Health at BYU Athletics is officially live. What stood out most wasn’t a flashy mental skill — it was his grounded, experience-driven approach to helping athletes perform without trying to control how they feel. At the core of his work: You don’t need confidence, calm, or certainty to perform well — you need the ability to respond effectively under pressure. We dive into: • Why confidence isn’t a requirement for performance • Acceptance vs. fighting thoughts and emotions • Separating identity from outcome so athletes can play free• Using experiential tools to build real awareness • Helping athletes build an identity beyond sport A great reminder that the best mental performance work isn’t about hype — it’s about helping athletes build capacity, trust, and flexibility under pressure.

Episode 50: Zach Brandon

Episode 50 of The WellSport Podcast felt like a full-circle moment. Zach Brandon is a coach, speaker, and thought leader blending principles from psychology, coaching, and high performance to empower elite sport coaches and executives toward personal and professional excellence. Zach is the Owner of MVP Mindset Coaching, and spent 7 seasons as Mental Performance Coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks. One line from our conversation keeps sticking with me: “You’re most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.” We talked about: • Why asking better questions matters more than having better answers • The difference between grinding and sculpting your life and career • How coaches can win more and live better — without sacrificing themselves • Why high performance is often about subtraction, not addition This episode is for coaches, practitioners, and leaders who care about the inner game — and the people behind the performance.

Boston Red Sox Physical Performance Coordinator: Simon Thomas

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Simon Thomas, Director of Performance & Operations for the Boston Red Sox. After spending years in elite rugby environments across New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and MLR, Simon stepped into baseball with a completely fresh lens — and that’s what makes his perspective so powerful. We talked about: 🔹 How the Red Sox build aligned systems that put players first, empower coaches, and connect every department around development.🔹 Why the mental game sets the ceiling in baseball — especially in a sport where failure is constant.🔹 What true culture looks like inside a massive organization, and why “words on the wall” only matter if people actually live them.🔹 The challenge of trust and stability in a system with constant roster movement and daily pressure.

Marathon Runner & Influencer: Bekah Shininger

On this week’s WellSport Podcast, we sat down with Bekah Shininger (@bekinreallife) — a marathoner (33 and counting) , creator, and community builder who’s redefined what mental toughness looks like. We talked about everything from:💭 Why she started running to prove she was “capable of more”💄 Her belief that “you can be pretty and gritty” — authenticity as a form of strength🔥 How stacking the hard days (not just the sunny ones) builds grit🤝 The power of finding (and creating) your community in an individual sport What I loved most? Bekah’s perspective that running — like any pursuit of excellence — is about freedom, expression, and growth through challenge.