"I got so much better at throwing strikes once I just stopped believing I was bad at throwing strikes." That quote is from Luke Deschenes, my guest on a new episode of The Freshman Foundation® Podcast. Luke pitched at Division II Seton Hill before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, a “Power Four” program. e matter-of-factly said this to me, but sit with what he said for a second. Because it wasn’t a mechanical fix or a new drill or even a new self-talkmantra. It was an identity...

I love sharing Sunday Stories. It lets me be authentic — and sometimes vulnerable. More importantly, I love sharing my work as a mental performance coach in a concrete way. Not in a "let me prove how smart I am" way. But here's the truth: it's not as engaging as I hoped it would be. Mental performance coaches need to reflect too. So it's time to change things up. I'll still share stories to help you help your athlete. But now, it's time to open Mike's Mental Mailbag....

Last week, one of my athletes stood in the on-deck circle with the bases loaded. A new pitcher had just come in, throwing well. The kind of moment where his mind used to run wild. This time, he told me, he just kept repeating one thing to himself. This is my moment. This is my moment. I've got this. He barreled the ball up exactly how he wanted. Game one of that same tournament, he wasn't himself. entative. A step slow. Scanning the stands instead of seeing the ball. New field. Unfamiliar...