The Athletic School Podcast
by The Athletic School
Latest episode
Why You Train So Hard But Disappear When It Matters | Mindset Lab #138
Why You Train So Hard But Disappear When It Matters | Mindset Lab #138
About this podcast
Win the mental battle before the comeback.
The Athletic School is for athletes in transition — anyone rebuilding who they are beyond the game. Hosted by Igor Acorinte, a former competitive soccer player and Brazilian immigrant who rebuilt his life from nothing in the US, now applying that same mindset as a husband, dad, and Ironman-in-training.
Every episode digs into the real mechanics of reconnection — pressure, self-doubt, identity, and the ownership it takes to move forward. Not motivation. The actual work underneath it.
New episodes every other week.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 141 episodes
- Why You Train So Hard But Disappear When It Matters | Mindset Lab #138 · 9 min · Season 1 Episode 138You train hard all week and look great in practice. Then game day comes and you disappear. It’s not weakness, and more training probably won’t fix it. In this episode I break…
- #137 Mindset Lab: How to Actually Stay Calm Under Pressure · 7 min · Season 1 Episode 137Some people stay locked in when everything around them is falling apart. Other people lose it the second one thing goes wrong. It's not because the first person is just naturally…
- #136 Mindset Lab - Why You Keep Failing At The Same Thing, Even After You Fix It · 10 min · Season 1 Episode 175I trained for a year to fix one specific problem. Then I raced again and got almost the exact same result, down to the number. I had a legitimate injury both times. A hernia I…
- #135 Mindset Lab: Why "Pushing Through Pain" Is Ruining Athletes — with Ken Moench · 1 h 6 min · Season 1 Episode 135Ken Moench, founder of Moench Method Bodywork, joins The Athletic School Podcast to explain why pain is your body's warning system, not something to grind through. We break down…
- #134 Beyond the Jersey - How to Find Purpose After College (with Leon Eisert) · 53 min · Season 1 Episode 134Ever feel like your identity disappeared the moment your sport, your job, or your routine did? This episode follows one athlete's journey from college sports to building an…
- #133 The Mindset Lab — Mental Toughness Is a Myth — Here's What Actually Works · 21 min · Season 1 Episode 133Mental toughness has never had a single agreed-on scientific definition — researchers have been trying to pin it down since 2002 and still don't fully agree. In this episode, I…
- #132 Locker Room Mindset — Winning the Mental Race, Losing the Clock · 17 min · Season 1 Episode 132I finished my Ironman disappointed. Coming back from injury, my fitness just wasn't where I wanted it to be — and no amount of mental toughness changes what your body is or isn't…
- #131 Mindset Lab: Mind Over Body: The Psychology Behind Peak Performance & Becoming Your Future Self · 11 min · Season 1 Episode 131What if your biggest limitation isn't your body—it's your mind? As I prepare for my Ironman 70.3, I explore the connection between mindset and performance, the science behind the…
- #130 Mindset Lab: The Identity Crisis Destroying Athletes (And How to Reconnect With Yourself) · 12 min · Season 1 Episode 130Pressure. Overthinking. Self-doubt. Feeling lost after bad performances. Most athletes think the problem is confidence. But what if the real problem is disconnection? In this…
- #129 Mindset Lab: Success isn’t hard until you resist it · 6 minMost people think success is hard because of the work. But what if that’s not the real problem? In this episode, we break down a powerful mindset shift that changes how athletes…
- #128 Mindset Lab: Think Again: Why Smart People Stay Wrong · 9 min · Season 1 Episode 128Most people don’t struggle because they don’t think…they struggle because they don’t rethink.In this episode, I break down key ideas from Think Again by Adam Grant, including the…
- #127 Mindset Lab: No Motivation to Train Anymore? This Is Why · 3 min · Season 1 Episode 127No motivation to train anymore? It’s not what you think. In this episode, I break down why former athletes (and even current ones) start losing discipline—even when they still…
- #125 Mindset Lab: Why Your Life Isn’t Changing (And How to Fix It Today) · 6 min · Season 1 Episode 125This episode is a real and simple breakdown of what it actually takes to change your life. From feeling stuck in a job I didn’t love to traveling for work with a professional…
- #124 Locker Room Mindset - Rob Pallante: Your Mindset Is Killing Your Performance (Fix This NOW) · 49 min · Season 1 Episode 124Most athletes think mindset is about staying positive—but that’s not what actually changes performance. In this episode, we go deeper into what mindset really means and why so…
- #123 Mindset Lab: You’re Overthinking in Games — Here’s How to Play Like Yourself Again · 4 min · Season 1 Episode 123Do you ever feel like you train well all week… but once the game starts, you start overthinking everything? Many athletes struggle with overthinking during competition. Instead…
- #122 Mindset Lab: The Hard Truth About Life After College Sports · 6 min · Season 1 Episode 122What happens when the final season ends and the structure of college sports disappears? For many athletes, the transition after graduation can feel confusing. The routines…
- #121 Mindset Lab: The Life You Want Is Still Possible (But You Must Act Now) · 8 min · Season 1 Episode 118What if your biggest regrets are not about what you did—but what you never tried? In this episode, we break down the powerful lessons from The Midnight Library and connect them…
- #120 Locker Room Mindset: One Bad Game Can Ruin Your Season—Unless You Do This · 9 minOne bad game can quietly ruin your season — not because you lost confidence, but because you lost trust in yourself. If you’ve been replaying mistakes, hesitating in games, or…
- THE RESULT DOES NOT MATTER! · 4 minIn this clip from one of our latest podcast episodes, we talk about mindset, embracing the process, and why focusing less on results leads to better performance and growth.
- #119 - Mindset Lab: Not Playing? Do This One Thing Before You Lose Your Spot · 8 min · Season 1 Episode 119Not getting playing time? Feeling frustrated, overlooked, or stuck on the bench? This episode is for athletes who aren’t starting and are struggling with the mental side of not…
