Build Mental Toughness & Perform Under Pressure | Dr. Lenny Wiersma
OvercastEpisode Summary
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lenny Wiersma — one of the most respected and quietly influential figures in sports psychology — for a conversation on what it actually takes to perform when the stakes are highest. A professor for over 25 years and a highly published scientist, Lenny draws on decades of research and applied work with elite athletes and teams. We discuss Alex Honnold's recent skyscraper climb and unpack what's really happening psychologically at the absolute edge of human performance, including why the "he just doesn't feel fear" narrative is both academically wrong and deeply unfair to what Honnold has actually built. From there, we draw on Lenny's work with major league baseball players, UFC fighters, big wave surfers, and extreme athletes of all kinds to go deep on confidence versus belief, why the positive/negative self-talk distinction is the wrong frame entirely, how psychological distancing changes your internal dialogue, and what visualization actually requires to transfer under pressure. Lenny also walks through his 3-2-1 reflection tool, the critical difference between emotional control and emotional regulation, what the best coaches do in high-stakes moments, and how biofeedback gives athletes a real physiological window into their own regulation. This episode is for athletes, coaches, and anyone navigating high-pressure moments in daily life — you don't have to be jumping out of helicopters or riding hundred-foot waves for this to apply to you.
Scientific studies & articles
- A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (Science)
- Self-Talk as a Regulatory Mechanism: How You Do It Matters (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
- The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber (Nautilus Magazine)
- A Phenomenological Investigation of the Psychology of Big-Wave Surfing at Maverick’s (The Sport Psychologist)
Books
- Chatter by Ethan Kross
- The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
- Dealing With Feelings by Mark Brackett
- Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard by Ken Ridout
Movies & documentaries
Tools & technologies
Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin episodes mentioned
Other resources
- Association for Applied Sports Psychology
- Rocket League
- Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC)
- Brain Gains
People mentioned
- Dr. Lenny Wiersma: Senior Mental Performance Consultant, UC Berkeley Athletics; professor emeritus of kinesiology, California State University, Fullerton
- Andy Galpin: professor and Executive Director of the Human Performance Center, Parker University; exercise physiologist, host of the Perform podcast
- Michael Phelps: most decorated Olympian of all time (23 gold medals)
- Bob Bowman: head coach, men’s swimming & diving, University of Texas at Austin; coached Michael Phelps
- Mark Spitz: Olympic swimmer, held record of 7 golds in a single Games (1972)
- Angela Duckworth: professor of psychology, University of Pennsylvania; author of Grit
- Ethan Kross: professor of psychology and management, University of Michigan; author of Chatter
- Mark Brackett: professor, Yale University; author of Dealing With Feelings; founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
- Ken Ridout: marathoner, podcaster, author of Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard
- Paul Conti: psychiatrist, author
- George Kittle: NFL tight end, San Francisco 49ers
- Tariq Woolen: NFL cornerback, Seattle Seahawks
- Sean O’Malley: UFC bantamweight champion
- Tim Welch: MMA coach, trains Sean O’Malley
- Brandon: Sean O’Malley’s assistant coach
- Joe Montana: Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
- John Candy: comedian and actor known for Planes, Trains and Automobiles
- Dr. Carol Weinman: former professor at Cal State Fullerton who ran the biofeedback lab