Real conversations about sport psychology, mental performance, coaching, competition, and the mental side of sport.
The Mental Barbell Podcast gives athletes, coaches, and parents practical ideas for building confidence, handling pressure, improving focus, and performing with more consistency.
Listen on Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube, or browse past episodes below.
Ian Reardon, MS, CMPC, Mike Mancini, MSA and Anthony Carnevale, PsyD of The Mental Barbell discuss the NHL Stanley Cup , MLB season, NBA Playoffs, athlete identity management, ACT Training, mental flexibility and roughness for performance
Episode 21 – April 13, 2026
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss Masters’ Weekend, March Madness, MLB opening day, Performance vs Potential, current research in sport psychology, and a new monthly fitness challenge!
Episode 20 – Feb 23, 2026
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Mental Toughness research, tips for competing in the clutch, and more!
Episode 19 – Jan 27, 2026
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss upsets at the Australian Open, College Football National Championship, attribution training, research, and more!
Episode 18 – Dec 19, 2025
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss playing through the whistle and an NFL Upset, 2025 Research, Post Game Review Strategies for Growth Mindset, and a New Monthly Challenge!
Episode 17 – Nov 25, 2025
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss examples of mental resilience in week 13 of the NFL, emergent research into mental skills training in the NCAA, and how athletes can use gratitude to enhance performance and sport satisfaction.
Episode 16 – Oct 31, 2025
Ian Reardon, MS and Mike Mancini, MSA of The Mental Barbell discuss psychological tools used in the world series, the mental flexibility of great NFL players, mental skills as life skills, and the importance of finding your why for identity management and motivation.
Episode 15 – Sept 25, 2025
Ian and Anthony announce new TMB news, and discuss new research into guided meditation, the stars of NFL Week 1 and how they use mental skills to drive their performance, how to take control of your gameday nerves, and add a new layer to last episodes mental fitness challenge.
Episode 14 – Aug 25, 2025
Ian and Anthony discuss new research in sport psychology, how to develop mental toughness through grounded and strategic optimism, and a new mental fitness challenge for the month.
Episode 13 – Jul 3, 2025
Ian Reardon, M.S. and Dr. Jim Reardon discuss the mindset of the French Open Champions, current sport psychology research, and career insights into elite mental performance from working with the Worlds Greatest Athlete.
Episode 12 – Mar 27, 2025
Ian Reardon, M.Sc. and Anthony Carnevale, M.Ed. of the Mental Barbell discuss the Flow state as a peak performance zone and the optimal conditions to enter the zone!
Episode 11 – Feb 13, 2025
Episode 11 – Ian Reardon, M.Sc. and Anthony Carnevale, M.Ed. of the Mental Barbell discuss the use of Mental Skills in Super Bowl LIX, New Research in the field of Sport Psychology, and the prevalence , symptoms, and treatment of Performance Anxiety!
Episode 10 – Dec 20 , 2024
Ian Reardon, M.Sc. and Anthony Carnevale, M.Ed. of the Mental Barbell discuss the importance of mental skills training in professional sports, review current research in Sport Psychology, the difference between psychological state and trait factors, and give advice on how to build self determination.
Episode 9 – Nov 20, 2024
Ian Reardon, M.Sc. and Anthony Carnevale, M.Ed. of the Mental Barbell discuss the importance of mental skills training, analyze the five mental skills all athletes should have, and give practical tips for all athletes to sharpen their mental game.
Episode 8 – Sep 25, 2024
Ian Reardon M.S. and Matthew Rieger M.A. CMPC discuss what athletes should focus on when trying to ‘block out distractions’, the four types of attention, and dealing with too much information.
Episode 7 – Aug 13 2024
Ian Reardon M.S. and Anthony Carnevale M.Ed. recap a few notable moments from the Paris Olympic Games, discuss the principles of deactivation, and what to do post competition!
Episode 6 – Jul 19, 2024
Ian Reardon M.S. and Anthony Carnevale M.Ed. discuss the pressure of competing at the Olympic Games and how to use a pre-game routine to combat them. The guys also discuss gratitude as the ultimate positive emotion to combat nerves and anxiety.
Episode 5 – Jun 7, 2024
Ian introduces the newest member of the team: Anthony Carnevale! The guys discuss the inverted U theory of arousal, what the peak performance zone is, and how to use cognitive reappraisal to control your emotions. Anthony also gives very practical tips to control your fight or flight response!
Episode 4 – Apr 29, 2024
Ian and Chris of The Mental Barbell talk Augusta National and the Masters Tournament, UFC 300, and the lighting of the Olympic Torch!
Episode 3 – Mar 29, 2024
Ian and Chris of The Mental Barbell talk NIL deals and the impact on team dynamics, Gambling in sport, Mental Preparation, New Research in Augmented Reality and Visualization, and Q&A including overcoming mental blocks and finding Flow!
Episode 2 – Mar 15, 2024
Ian and Chris of The Mental Barbell talk March Madness, differentiating between excuses and legitimate reasons, and why athletes often don’t compete at their very best.
Episode 1 – Mar 8, 2024
Ian and Chris of The Mental Barbell talk retirement, women in sport, mental skills, and more on the first TMB Episode.
