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đŠ What if the very thing you're trying to avoid is the thing you need the most?
In this episode of Mental, we venture into nature to explore one of the most misunderstood skills we all need: adversity. Through the eyes of 9-year-old Mateo on a warm spring day in Gilbert, Arizona, we discover a powerful life lessonâcourtesy of a butterfly cocoon, a pair of gentle hands, and a moment that changes everything.
If you've ever asked, "Why is this so hard?" or "When will this get easier?"âthis episode is for you. Sometimes, the struggle is the strength.
đ Because without resistance, thereâs no rise. And without adversity, your wings may never form.
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Many people know the importance of being able to deal with setbacks and building resilience. But what about when you get a taste of success? Do you know how to keep the drive? How to maintain that level when you're there?
đ Did you know that nearly 80% of young adults who reach early success struggle to maintain itânot because of skill, but because of comfort?The real challenge isnât just getting to the top. Itâs staying there without letting it define youâor derail you.
In this episode, we sit down with Liya Brooks, goalkeeper for the University of North Carolina and the Jamaican National Team, to talk about what happens after success. From winning national championships to earning her first international caps, Liya opens up about staying grounded, owning her mistakes, and finding hunger even in the highs.
She shares practical, real-life techniques for how to handle pressure, block out noise, and embrace feedback. Whether you're a young athlete, performer, or just someone chasing your next goalâthis conversation will help you develop the mental tools to stay driven, stay patient, and stay growing.
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đ· Did you know people who play or listen to music regularly are 50% more likely to report stronger emotional bonds with those they care about?Because sometimes, music isnât just what brings us togetherâitâs what keeps us together.
In this soulful episode, we meet Big Al, a 24-year-old jazz musician from Memphis who grew up distant from his dadâa quiet Army vet turned city garbage man. They never bonded over sports or long talks⊠but they always had jazz.
As Alâs love for music deepens, so does his understanding of the man who raised him. What starts as silent porch hangs and shared records turns into something bigger: healing, respect, and an unspoken love carried by rhythm and memory.
This story is a reminder that sometimes the deepest relationships donât need big momentsâthey just need consistency, presence, and a little bit of soul.
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Did you know that roughly 50% of people will experience the sudden death of someone close to them in their lifetime? The impact of that kind of loss is realâand for many young adults, it hits during a season when life is already heavy.
In this emotional and powerful episode of Mental, we meet Emily, a standout athlete at the University of Maryland whose world is turned upside down after the tragic death of her younger brother and best friend, Jake.
What started as a single pill to quiet the pain slowly spiraled into a dependence that cost her the one thing she thought sheâd always haveâlacrosse.
This story isnât about perfection. Itâs about pain, recovery, and the unexpected strength that comes from asking for help. Because healing doesnât start when things feel easyâit starts when we stop pretending weâre okay and start reaching for what we need.
đ This oneâs for anyone whoâs ever felt lost after loss.
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đ„ Did you know that over 70% of young adults admit self-doubt keeps them from going after what they wantâeven when they're fully capable?
In this episode, meet Karaâa 21-year-old junior gymnast at the University of New Mexico. After walking on as a freshman, she earned a scholarship by year two, dominating floor and uneven bars. But when her coach asked her to compete on the balance beam, everything changed.
Her skills were there. But her self-talk? Brutal. Every practice became a battleânot with the beam, but with the doubt in her own mind. Until a random chat at a summer farmers market led her to Jenn, a sports psychologist who helped Kara understand the one thing that flipped her season: asking for help isnât a weaknessâitâs the start of real strength.
đ If self-doubt has ever held you back from becoming who youâre meant to be, Karaâs story is proofâyouâre not alone, and youâre not stuck.
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đ Did you know that less than 2% of high school athletes receive any kind of athletic scholarship?
Miguel was a standout junior in Kearney, Nebraskaâa basketball phenom and a long jump star. Locally, everyone knew his name. But college coaches? Not yet. He had the skills, the work ethic, and the dream of playing D1. What he didnât have? A roadmap to get there.
đ Where are you feeling lost? Because no matter what your goal is, talent isnât enough. You need a plan, the right guidance, and the courage to take that first step.
đ§ If this episode hits home, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your future isnât built on luckâitâs built on action.
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When you blame, you give away your powerâthe power to change, improve, and take control of your own success.
Stan, a 23-year-old golfer at the University of Arizona, had all the talent to go pro. But every time something went wrong, he had an excuse. Bad round? The greens were awful. Missed putt? Caddyâs fault. Bad grade? The professor didnât like him.
Then, one morning, he came across a podcast that shook himâas long as he blamed others, he was giving them control over his life.
That moment changed everything.
Instead of making excuses, he started looking for solutions. He asked better questions, took responsibility, and finally started improving. And when the PGA Tour came calling, it wasnât luck. It was because he earned it.
đ You can blame or you can improveâbut not both. The second you take ownership, your life shifts.
So hereâs your challenge: Where in your life do you need to stop pointing fingers and start taking control?
đ§ If this episode hits home, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Mental skills arenât just for athletesâtheyâre for life.
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đ Did you know that less than 3% of foster youth earn a college degree? Not because they arenât capable, but because navigating life without a stable foundation makes planning for the future feel impossible.
Joey is 16, living in rural Georgia with his third foster family. Heâs spent years learning new rules, new routines, and constantly wondering: How long before this ends too?
Now, as a high school junior, his biggest challenge isnât just survivingâitâs figuring out what comes next. College? Trade school? A job? Stay with his foster family? Move back with his biological mom?
đ No roadmap. No certainty. Just questions.
Some days, the weight of it all makes shutting down feel easier. But doing nothing is still a choice.
So instead, Joey takes one step. A conversation. An application. A decision to move forward, even when the path isnât clear.
And thatâs the takeawayâuncertainty doesnât disappear, but action makes it easier. You donât need all the answers. You just need the courage to take the next step.
đ So whatâs yours?
đ§ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it. Mental skills arenât just for athletesâtheyâre for life. Be the difference.
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đš Did you know that perfectionists are 51% more likely to experience anxiety and depression? đš
Itâs not just about high standardsâitâs about never feeling good enough. And for Asher, a 20-year-old diver at the University of Oregon, that feeling ruled his life.
On the outside? He was elite. Top scores. Near-perfect GPA. The guy who always had it together.On the inside? Every mistake ate him alive. Every flaw, a failure.
Then, one random conversation changed everything.
đĄ What if you stopped chasing perfection and started measuring progress instead?
đ§ This episode is for anyone who feels like theyâre never enough. Letâs shift that mindsetâbecause progress beats perfection every time.
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đš Did you know that nearly 1 in 3 young women will experience intimate partner violence before theyâre even 25? đš
Mia was 19, trapped in a toxic relationship with nowhere to go. She thought she had no optionsâuntil one night changed everything. After discovering she was pregnant, she made the hardest and bravest decision of her life: to leave.
No plan, no support, just the realization that staying wasnât just hurting her anymoreâit was shaping the future of her child. This is her story of survival, courage, and choosing a future that no one thought she deserved.
đ§ If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, you are not alone. This episode is a must-listen.
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Ever feel uncertain about moving forward?
Meet Zach. He's 19, fresh out of high school, and stuck. No job, no plan, just hours of gamingâbecause in the game, he knows what to do. Real life? No strategy guide, no clear objectives, just pressure.
But one night, he asks himself the question that changes everything: If I donât figure something out now, where will I be a year from now?
This episode isnât about quitting what you loveâitâs about navigating through uncertain times in your life when you don't have it all figured out, about how to start from nothing and nowhere. Don't worry about if you're moving slow. You're already ahead of those who haven't started.
đ§ Tune in and learn how to take control of your futureâone step at a time.
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Danny had his whole future mapped outâa DI tennis scholarship, a fresh start, a life beyond the struggles he grew up with. But one night, one ride with his best friends, changed everything. A split-second crash, and suddenly, heâd never walk again.
At first, Danny shut everyone out. His dreams? Gone. His future? Uncertain. But real friends donât leave when life gets hard. They show up. They remind you of who you are, even when you forget. And when Danny finally stopped looking at what was lost, he started seeing what was still possible.
Because setbacks donât define youâhow you handle them does.
đ§ This episode will make you think, reflect, and maybe even appreciate the people who show up when life hits hardest.
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People assume skaters are all the sameâpartying, smoking, living reckless. But Leah and her crew? Theyâre built different.
They donât drink. They donât smoke. They donât care what people think. Because when you know who you are, you donât need validation.
But what happens when the pressure builds? When life hits hard? When temptation creeps in? Thatâs when real friends step up.
đ Because good friends support you. Great friends check you. And the best ones? They make sure you never forget who you are.
đ§ Listen now to find out if your crew is keeping you on trackâor letting you drift.
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Some choices feel smallâuntil they change everything.
Dawson had one last ride before the season ended. One last time with his best friends. One last chance to chase the thrill. But when the mountain gave way beneath him, that last ride became his final ride.
This episode is about loyalty, risk, and the cost of ignoring your gut. Itâs about the friends we keep, the choices we make, and the bravery it takes to walk away before itâs too late.
đ Because the hardest part of growing up isnât just making better choicesâitâs leaving behind the people who wonât.
đ§ Listen now, and ask yourselfâwho in your life is worth the risk?
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What if the way you talk to yourself is the most powerful tool you have?
In this episode of Mental, we sit down with Mollie Dare, a collegiate wrestler at Colorado Mesa University, who shares how self-talk not only shaped her mindset in sports but literally saved her life.
đš Did you know? Nearly 50% of our mental skills are formed by age 18âbut most people never learn how to take control of their inner voice. Molly opens up about:
How self-talk helped her battle through an eating disorder đ€ŻThe exact mental techniques she uses before every match đđ„Why changing a few words in your daily thoughts can change everything đąWhether youâre an athlete, a student, or just someone trying to gain control over your mindset, this episode will hit home. Because your biggest opponent is often the voice in your own head.
đ§ Listen now and learn how to turn self-talk into your biggest advantage.
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Hereâs a fact: You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Your mindset, your habits, even your successâall shaped by your circle.
Emily, a self-taught coder in NYC, learned this the hard way. She was the only one in her friend group who lived for coding. The only one who thought in lines of code instead of social events. And the digs? They were constant.
"Come on, just skip your weird coding stuff and come out for once.""Not everything is 1s and 0s, you know."
At first, she laughed it off. But then, she heard a quote that changed everything:
đ "If you want to fast-track your growth, change the people in your inner circle."
Emily didnât cut people off overnight. But she made space for those who aligned with her future. A game developer. A software engineer. And suddenly? She wasnât defending her passionâshe was thriving in it.
đš So hereâs your challenge: Look at your inner circle. Are they pushing you forward or holding you back? If you want to grow, surround yourself with people who make you better.
đ§ Let's go! Your future self will thank you for it. đđĄ
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At just 14 years old, Allie was fighting cancer. But if you met her, youâd never know it. She wasnât bitter. She wasnât blaming the world. Instead, she focused on what she could control.
Her older sister, Emma, didnât get it. She blamed everythingâteachers, friends, bad luck. Life felt unfair.
đš This episode will make you pause. Are you focused on problems or solutions? Are you blaming or taking ownership? You donât always get to decide what happens to youâbut you DO get to decide how you respond.
đ§ Press play. Because once you start thinking like Allie, everything changes. đđ„
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Eli Carter was so close. A 22-year-old snowboarder from Park City, Utah, on the verge of making the 2022 Winter Olympics. He had the talent, the tricks, the confidenceâbut no accountability.
Excuses were easy. Ownership? Not so much. And thenâhis chance was gone.
âł Fast forward five years. No Olympics. No career-defining moment. Just Eli, alone in his momâs basement, rewatching old clips of what could have beenâuntil she handed him a plate of food⊠and a mirror.
đš What you getâor donât getâis rarely someone elseâs fault. This episode will challenge you to own your choices, take responsibility, and stop blaming luck, timing, or other people for whatâs missing in your life.
đ You can either feel the pain of discipline todayâor the pain of regret forever.
đ§ Press play. Your future self is watching. đ„
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đĄ Want to change your life faster? Change your circle.
Stefan wasnât just smartâhe was 15-year-old genius smart. When he and his two best friends stumbled onto Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor, they didnât just use itâthey hacked it to work better, smarter, and faster.
đ Whoâs in your circle? Are they pushing you forward or holding you back?
đ In this episode, we break down:
Why your friend group is your biggest asset (or limitation).How to find people who challenge you and help you grow.Why real, in-person connections matter more than just online ones.đïž Your mindset matters. Your friendships shape it. Choose wisely. Press play now. âłđ„
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Despite being the most digitally connected generation, young adults report feeling the loneliest. The truth? Whoâand whatâyou surround yourself with shapes your future.
đ Meet Lizzie. At 21, she was a mother, an artist, and completely alone. Her friends had moved on, her dreams felt distant, and the quiet nights became unbearable. Drinking numbed the painâuntil it became her escape.
But who you choose to admire and copy determines who you become.
One night, Lizzie finally saw her reflection for what it was: a warning. She knew if she wanted a different life, she had to start choosing different influences.
She tried. She reached out. She fought to rebuild. But the thing about habitsâthe ones built in the dark, in the lonelinessâis that they donât let go so easily.
And in the end? You'll have to hear what it did or didn't cost her.
đš This episode will make you pause. It will make you ask yourself:
Who am I becoming?Who am I surrounding myself with?Am I choosing a future Iâll be proud of?Because you canât be the person you used to be and the person you want to be at the same time.
đ§ Press play. Your future is listening.
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