Welcome to Episode 40 - How Shifting Your Mindset Can Change Everything with Aidan Miller‼️ In this episode, we welcome Aidan Miller, student at the Athlete Academy and Tier 1 Hockey Player to the podcast this week! The conversation focuses on Aidan's journey from being a fourth-line player with limited ice time to becoming a team captain and top performer. Episode highlights: - Aiden shares his personal growth journey, describing how he evolved from being primarily known as...
Welcome to Episode 39 - Is Technology Making Hockey Smarter or Softer? 🎥 Hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer open up the discussion centered on the role of technology in modern hockey and its implications. We dive into both its benefits and potential drawbacks, emphasizing how the sport has evolved and what the increasing attempts to quantify various aspects of the game are. Episode highlights: - While current technology offers benefits like instant feedback and in-game video r...
Welcome to Episode 38 - Your Mind Is a Muscle—Start Training It Like One 🧠 Hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer open up the discussion centered on five ways to stay present in the moment and achieve success in sports, particularly hockey. Also, emphasizing that while technical skills are important, mental preparation and presence are crucial for advancing in sports. Episode highlights: - Parallels between academic learning and sports-related mental development. It's stressed that focus, lis...
Welcome to Episode 37 - Hockey’s Toughest Balancing Act: The Parent–Coach–Player Triangle ⚠️ Hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer open up this discussion centered on the complex dynamics between parents, children, and coaches in youth hockey. Episode highlights: - The challenges parents face when trying to influence their children's hockey experience all while working with coaches. - What is this Parent-Coach-Player Triangle and how it affects everyone involved. - Exploring the comple...
Welcome to Episode 36 - The Dialed & Driven Philosophy 🏆 Hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer are joined by producer, Natalie Ferenc for her second appearance on the podcast! Despite her usual behind-the-scenes position, she plays a significant role in the conversations of this podcast. In this episode, we dive into the meaning and philosophy behind "Dialed and Driven," which serves as both the podcast's name and a life philosophy. Episode highlights: - The concept of being "diale...
Welcome to Episode 35 - Chasing Dreams into the PWHL with Callie Shanahan 🚨 In this episode, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer welcome New York Sirens PWHL drafted goaltender, Callie Shanahan! A recent Boston University graduate, we will be discussing her journey from youth hockey to the professional level including her development as a goaltender and the challenges she faced along the way. Episode highlights: - How Callie's competitive drive to excel even at a young age helped propel he...
Welcome to Episode 34 - Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s the Answer… Compartmentalization‼️ In this episode, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss the concept of compartmentalization in athletes' lives. The conversation focuses on how athletes can effectively manage different aspects of their lives while pursuing their athletic goals. Episode highlights: - How compartmentalization looks like in life. Emphasizing that proper use of compartmentalization helps athletes manage anxiety, fear, ...
Welcome to Episode 33 - Pretender or Contender? Battling Imposter Syndrome. In this episode, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer explain that Imposter Syndrome, while not a formal psychological diagnosis, describes a situation where individuals doubt their abilities. Chris Palmer elaborates that Imposter Syndrome manifests as extreme self-doubt and fear of being "found out" as less capable than others perceive. He emphasized how this affects athletes at all levels, preventing them fr...
Welcome to Episode 32 - Practicing the Game in Your Head! 🧠 In this episode, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer dive the power of visualization and how practicing visualization can be a powerful tool for athletic performance. 🚨 As an added experience to our viewers, we have included a live visualization exercise! Chris Palmer walks us through a complete game day scenario from arrival at the rink to handling various game situations. Episode highlights: - How visualization as a proven...
Welcome to Episode 31 with Rochester Americans AHL Head Coach, Mike Leone! The episode features a unique conversation discussing his unconventional journey in hockey. We dive into Leone's path from playing various levels of hockey to becoming a successful professional coach. Episode highlights: - Mike's uncommon journey of playing through attending multiple schools including Division III Utica College and Adrian College, to ACHA club hockey at Lindenwood University, before eventua...
Welcome to Episode 30, a solo episode recorded by Host Jeff Lerg, discussing essential habits or rituals that athletes can establish for long-term success. This episode on 5 Habits for Long-Term Athletic Success, provides a discussion that is comprehensive and structured around maintaining sustainable athletic performance while avoiding burnout. Episode highlights: - the SMART goal-setting framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely) and illustrates its application thr...
Welcome to Episode 29 with NHL player, Dakota Joshua! The episode features a conversation between Host Chris Palmer and Dakota Joshua. With around 250 games of experience in the NHL, this discussion centers around Dakota's journey in professional hockey and his approach to mental performance. Episode highlights: - Dakota's experience starting in the NHL during the COVID season, scoring in his first game with St. Louis, and then facing challenges afterward. - His journey thro...
Welcome to Episode 28 - The Myth of Motivation This episode is focused on exploring the relationship between motivation and discipline in hockey performance. Episode highlights: - How motivation naturally fluctuates with circumstances, fatigue, and distractions and although it is essential as a foundation, it alone is insufficient for achieving high-level athletic goals. - Why you need discipline to sustain long-term success. - The practical challenges athletes face, such as maintaining...
Welcome to Episode 27 - Pushing Through Comfort This week, the discussion is centered on pushing past comfort zones to build belief and confidence in hockey players. This episode highlights: - The mental and physical elements of pushing yourself out of comfort zones. - How the goaltending position is never comfortable - explaining how it is the only position that provides win and losses as a stat to describe your capabilities. - The introduction of the "belief book" concept and th...
Welcome to Episode 26 - What Does It Mean to Be Coachable? This week, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss the concept of coachability in hockey, emphasizing its complexity beyond simply following instructions. They explore the varying degrees of coachability among athletes and the importance of processing and understanding information rather than just executing it. Additionally, they acknowledge the challenges coaches face in getting players to execute drills correctly and the need...
Welcome to Episode 25 - Enjoy the Journey This week, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss the importance of enjoying the journey in hockey and sports in general, rather than solely focusing on achieving a "mountaintop" goal. They emphasize the value of camaraderie, gratitude, and the process of improvement. They highlight the unique bonding experience in hockey due to its demanding nature and the lifelong friendships formed. They also touch on the application of these principl...
Welcome to Episode 24 - Believe in Good Things and Good Things Will Happen with Jake Hildebrand This week, we’re on location at Munn Ice Arena on the campus of Michigan State University, where we’re joined by Jake Hildebrand — former Spartan goaltender from 2012 to 2016, and current netminder for Eisbären Berlin in the DEL. During his time at MSU, Jake was named an All-American, Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, and Big Ten Player of the Year. Since turning pro, he’s earned ECHL Goaltender of t...
Welcome to Episode 23 - What It Takes to Win It All The Florida Panthers are your 2025 Stanley Cup Champions! There is a ton to unpack in this episode as your hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss how the Panthers can go back-to-back winning the Cup while defeating Edmonton both times. We will be diving into the mentality required for success in hockey, particularly focusing on this year's Stanley Cup finals. This episode highlights: - The emotional intensity and physical sacrifice i...
Welcome to Episode 22 - Big-Time Players Make Big-Time Plays in Big-Time Games with Kirsten Simms! This week, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer bring on 2025 National Champion, Kirsten Simms who has recently became an online sensation with her penalty shot and OT winning goal to catapult the Wisconsin Badgers to win the National Championship against Ohio State. After being down 3-2 with 18 seconds left in the 3rd period, Kirsten is seen raising her hand, courageously volunteering herself to ta...
Welcome to Episode 21 - Facing The Monster This week, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer introduce the episode focusing on anxiety and its impact on hockey players, emphasizing actionable strategies to overcome it. They highlight that anxiety affects everyone and discuss how to turn it into a motivator rather than a paralyzer. This episode uncovers: - Discussions about seeking reassurance and experiencing self-doubt even after great performances and why acknowledging and addressing these feelin...