Dialed & Driven Mentality Podcast with hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer, is a space for athletes, parents, and coaches to see the depths of hockey and the mental hurdles that come with it.
Jeff Lerg has extensive experience as a former player and current coach that propels his knowledge and life advice. Jeff has reached the ultimate pinnacle of what it means to be a successful D1 Collegiate Athlete. Playing at Michigan State University, he has won countless awards and accolades displaying his success. Also, a former professional goalie for 10+ years across the U.S. and Europe, he has had first-hand experience reaching his own goals and helping others achieve theirs.
Chris Palmer, M.A. in Psychology, is a Hockey Mental Performance Coach who trains individuals, coaches, and teams from house leagues to Pro and Amateur in the US, Europe and Canada. He trains “heart, head, and guts,” with a proven process that helps clients maximize mental toughness and motivation to develop a grinding and intense compete level. As a former NCAA runner, x2 All-American, and Nike-sponsored athlete, Chris brings a great deal of knowledge in athletics and the mental performance space to positively impact the lives of athletes all over the world.
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Welcome to Episode 91 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Stop Letting Anxiety Control Your Game.
Every athlete feels pressure.
The nerves before a big game. The fear of making a mistake. The worry about letting your team down.
But what if those nerves could actually help you perform better?
In this episode, Jeff Lerg and mental performance coach Chris Palmer break down why doubt, fear, and anxiety are normal parts of competition—and how athletes can learn to turn that nervous energy into excitement and confidence.
Jeff shares a powerful story from his professional hockey career when he was unexpectedly called into Game 7 of the playoffs after going two months without playing.
With the season on the line, he had to rely on three things:
Control his breathing
Focus on what he could control
Trust his preparation
They also discuss why even the best athletes experience self-doubt, how routines build confidence, and why your mindset can make the difference when the pressure is on.
Because you can't always control the pressure, but you can control how you respond to it.
Episode Highlights:
Why every athlete experiences doubt, fear, and anxiety
How to turn pregame nerves into excitement
Jeff's most nerve-racking moment as a professional goalie
Why preparation creates confidence under pressure
How breathing and routines help athletes regain control
Why focusing on the process improves performance
How to stop overthinking and trust your training
Why your worth as an athlete isn't defined by one performance
The biggest message?
Feel the nerves. Trust your preparation. Do your job.
You don't have to eliminate fear to perform at your best.
You just have to learn how to manage it.
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Get a firsthand look at the Dialed & Driven Success Formula, our mental performance training program designed to help athletes build confidence, develop better habits, handle pressure, and compete with a stronger mindset.
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Welcome to Episode 90 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Want More Playing Time? Become More Coachable.
Talent matters.
But if you want more trust, more responsibility, and more opportunities, you also have to be coachable.
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc break down what being coachable really looks like—and why simply hearing feedback isn’t enough.
You have to:
Retain it
Execute it
Do it consistently
They also discuss how ego can get in the way of growth, why great athletes never stop learning, and why coaches trust the players who prove they can listen and apply what they’re taught.
Because when the game is on the line, coaches want athletes they can count on.
Episode Highlights:
What being coachable actually means
Why ego can slow down your growth
How athletes earn trust from coaches
Why consistency can lead to more playing time
The difference between hearing feedback and applying it
Why great athletes never stop learning
How to learn even from coaches you don’t always agree with
The biggest message?
Retain. Execute. Be consistent.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to keep learning, applying, and improving.
Welcome to Episode 89 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Got Benched? Here’s How Great Athletes Respond.
Getting benched can wreck an athlete’s confidence fast.
One minute you’re competing. The next, you’re sitting there wondering:
Why am I not playing?
What did I do wrong?
Does my coach not trust me anymore?
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc break down how athletes should respond when their role gets smaller, their playing time disappears, or a coach makes a decision they don’t agree with.
Because getting benched is frustrating.
But how you respond can say more about you than how you perform when everything is going your way.
Jeff, Chris, and Natalie discuss why athletes need to learn the difference between what they can control and what they can’t.
You may not control the lineup.
You may not control when your number gets called.
You may not even understand why the decision was made.
But you can control your body language, your preparation, your attitude, how you support your teammates, and what you do with your next opportunity.
Natalie also shares her experience as a college goaltender, including playing for a coach who made it clear that allowing four goals could mean getting pulled. Over time, she learned that being taken out wasn’t always about her individual performance—it could also be a way to change the energy of the entire team.
The biggest message?
Getting benched doesn’t have to break your confidence. It can become fuel.
Episode Highlights:
Why getting benched feels so personal
Want More Confidence? Prove It to Yourself.
Season 2 · Episode 88
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 22:35
Welcome to Episode 88 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Want More Confidence? Prove It to Yourself.
In this episode, Jeff Lerg and Natalie Ferenc break down one of the most important—and misunderstood—parts of athletic performance: self-belief.
Every athlete wants to feel confident.
They want to step into a game knowing they're ready.
They want to trust their skills.
They want to stop second-guessing themselves when the pressure rises.
But confidence doesn't appear just because you tell yourself to believe.
You have to build it.
Jeff and Natalie discuss why real self-belief comes from preparation, action, and repeatedly proving to yourself that you're capable of handling the challenge in front of you.
Because there's a major difference between hoping you're ready and knowing you've done the work.
Athletes can use positive self-talk, visualize success, and tell themselves they're going to have a great game—but if there isn't preparation behind those words, that confidence can disappear the moment adversity hits.
Real belief is built through evidence.
It's built when you have a difficult practice and keep going.
It's built when you prepare with intention.
It's built when you accomplish something you weren't sure you could do.
And it's built every time you prove something to yourself instead of trying to prove something to everyone around you.
Jeff also shares how he developed that belief throughout his own career despite being an undersized goalie, dealing with asthma, and repeatedly hearing reasons why he shouldn't reach the next level.
The lesson?
Stuck in a Slump? How Athletes Get Their Confidence Back
Season 2 · Episode 87
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 26:43
Welcome to Episode 87 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Stuck in a Slump? How Athletes Get Their Confidence Back
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc break down something almost every athlete will experience at some point in their career: a slump.
Maybe the results suddenly aren't there.
Your confidence starts dropping.
You begin questioning your game, changing things that used to work, and thinking about every mistake.
So how do you get yourself out of it?
Jeff, Chris, and Natalie discuss why slumps happen, how athletes often make them worse by focusing too much on the outcome, and why getting back to simple, controllable actions can be one of the most effective ways to rebuild confidence.
They explore the mental battle that happens when an athlete knows what they're capable of but isn't seeing the results they expect.
Instead of trying to force your way out of a slump overnight, sometimes the answer is getting back to your foundation—your preparation, habits, routines, effort, and the parts of your performance you can actually control.
Because one bad game doesn't define you.
One bad week doesn't erase your ability.
And struggling doesn't mean you've suddenly become a different athlete.
The challenge is learning how to respond before a temporary slump becomes a long-term confidence problem.
Episode Highlights:
Why every athlete eventually goes through slumps
What happens mentally when results stop going your way
Why athletes can lose confidence even when their ability hasn't changed
How overthinking can make a slump even worse
Why constantly changing your game isn't always the answer
The danger of trying to force yourself out of a slump
Consistency Is the Most Underrated Skill in Sports: Joe Neal, Founder of 2SP Sports
Season 2 · Episode 86
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 • Duration 35:54
Welcome to Episode 86 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Consistency Is the Most Underrated Skill in Sports: Joe Neal, Founder of 2SP Sports
In this episode, Jeff Lerg and Natalie Ferenc sit down with longtime strength and conditioning coach Joe Neal, founder of 2SP Sports Performance, to talk about what more than two decades of training athletes—from young beginners to NHL, MLB, and other professional athletes—has taught him about performance.
Joe has worked with athletes at nearly every level, including some of the biggest names in professional hockey. But one lesson continues to stand out above everything else:
The best athletes are usually the most consistent.
Talent matters.
Work ethic matters.
Training matters.
But Joe explains why athletes who consistently stack productive days often separate themselves from athletes who rely on occasional bursts of extreme effort.
Jeff also shares how working with Joe changed the way he approached his own professional career. Jeff already knew how to work hard—but Joe helped him understand the difference between simply exhausting yourself and training with a specific purpose, plan, and long-term outcome in mind.
Together, Jeff, Natalie, and Joe break down what smart athletic development actually looks like, how physical preparation can directly impact confidence, why every athlete requires something different, and why staying healthy and available may be one of the greatest competitive advantages in sports.
Episode Highlights:
How Joe Neal went from training youth athletes to working with NHL, MLB, and other professional athletes
Why there is no single training formula that works for every athlete
The difference between simply working hard and training with purpose
Why consistency may be the most underrated quality in sports
How stacking productive days can create long-term athletic development
Good Habits Aren’t Enough: How High Performers Raise Their Standards
Season 2 · Episode 85
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 26:09
Welcome to Episode 85 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: Good Habits Aren’t Enough: How High Performers Raise Their Standards
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc dive into what it really takes to become a high-performing athlete—and why having good habits is only the beginning.
Athletes can set big goals, create routines, train consistently, and put in the work. But there’s a difference between simply having good habits and holding yourself to a high standard.
Jeff, Chris, and Natalie break down what that difference looks like and why high standards require athletes to consistently do difficult things, make tough decisions, and stay committed long after the initial motivation wears off.
They also explore the role habits play in athletic performance and how repeated behaviors eventually become automatic. When pressure hits, athletes don’t suddenly become someone different—they fall back on what they’ve trained themselves to do.
Episode Highlights:
The difference between having good habits and having high standards
Why high standards are based on your daily behaviors—not just your goals
How good habits help athletes maintain high standards over time
Why difficult accomplishments can create a greater sense of reward and confidence
How habits become automatic through repetition
The psychology behind why repeated behaviors eventually become second nature
Why athletes need to train their habits to hold up when things go wrong
How your habits can determine how you respond when you're under pressure
Why preparation for chaos can help athletes stay calm when the game gets unpredictable
The importance of balancing rigid fundamentals with adaptability
How athletes can train themselves to respond effectively in chaotic situations
Why consistency may be one of the most valuable qualities an athlete can have
Jeff's story of winning a national championship at Michigan State and immediately setting his sights on doing it again
How Jeff learned to stay hungry after reaching the top
High-Level Sports Are Ruthless. Are You Ready?
Season 2 · Episode 84
Tuesday, August 25, 2026 • Duration 31:58
Welcome to Episode 84 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast: High-Level Sports Are Ruthless. Are You Ready?
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc talk about what the start of a new season really demands from athletes—and why simply working hard all summer doesn’t guarantee you’ll be ready when it matters most.
A new season brings new coaches, new teammates, new expectations, new roles, and plenty of opportunities to overthink everything. Athletes can quickly get caught worrying about where they fit, what the coach thinks, whether they’re starting, or how they compare to everyone around them.
But when the season starts, the preparation phase is over.
It’s time to execute.
Jeff, Chris, and Natalie break down why athletes need to understand the difference between doing more and doing the right things with intention. They discuss first impressions, practice habits, leadership, fitting in with a new team, managing distractions, and why overtraining can actually leave athletes unprepared for the moments that matter most.
They also get into the reality of high-level athletics: the standards become harder, expectations rise, and eventually your performance has to speak for itself. Athletes who want to reach junior, college, professional, or elite levels have to learn how to consistently show up prepared, make sacrifices, and perform when they're expected to perform.
Episode Highlights:
Why the beginning of the season can create so much doubt, fear, and overthinking
How new coaches, teammates, roles, and expectations can distract athletes
Why your first practices of the season matter more than you might realize
The difference between training more and training with the right intention
Why overtraining can hurt your performance when it’s actually time to compete
How athletes can make a strong first impression on coaches and teammates
Why urgency, effort, focus, and attention to detail matter during practice
How trying to fit in with teammates can lead athletes away from their goals
Why Today’s Athletes Struggle to Believe in Themselves
Season 2 · Episode 83
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 21:14
Welcome to Episode 83 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast!
In this episode, Jeff Lerg and Natalie Ferenc take a step back from the technical side of sports to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing young athletes today: self-belief.
Athletes are training more than ever—but are they training the part of the game that controls everything else?
Jeff and Natalie share what they've seen firsthand through years of coaching, mentoring, competing, and working with athletes across different sports. From athletes breaking down after one mistake to young players struggling to identify their own strengths, they explore why so many athletes are having a harder time believing in themselves—and what can be done about it.
You'll hear Jeff's personal story of overcoming adversity and developing an unwavering belief in himself, along with practical strategies athletes and parents can use to build confidence, create better practice habits, set meaningful goals, and stay committed when success doesn't happen overnight.
Episode Highlights:
Why today's athletes are struggling with self-belief more than ever
Why training your mind is just as important as training your body
How one mistake, bad game, or coach's decision can quickly impact an athlete's confidence
Jeff's personal story of overcoming adversity and believing he could become a professional goalie
Why self-belief can't be measured by a coach, scout, teammate, or anyone else
How doing hard things and practicing with intention builds confidence
Why athletes need to understand their strengths and areas for improvement
How to turn long-term goals into short-term goals and daily practice habits
Why parents need to focus on their athlete's goals—not their own
How surrounding yourself with like-minded, driven people can influence your mindset
Why instant gratification can make long-term athletic development more difficult
How small successes can create momentum and make athletes hungrier to improve
Why success isn't defined by playing college or professional sports
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik U.S. Olympic Ice Dancers: “You Have One Life—Run Toward Your Dreams”
Season 2 · Episode 82
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 44:01
Welcome to Episode 82 of the Dialed and Driven Mentality Podcast!
In this episode, Jeff Lerg, Chris Palmer, and Natalie Ferenc sit down with U.S. Olympic Ice Dancers Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik to go behind the scenes of their incredible rise to the highest level of their sport.
Just four and a half years after becoming skating partners, Emilea and Vadym went from being in the middle of a highly competitive U.S. ice dance field to the Grand Prix Final, U.S. Nationals podium, Four Continents Champions, 5th at the Olympics, and 3rd at Worlds. But as they explain throughout this episode, their success was anything but overnight.
Their story is filled with sacrifice, setbacks, pressure, doubt, family support, mental preparation, and thousands of hours of repetition.
You'll hear how they learned to trust each other, overcome fear of failure, handle the enormous pressure of performing on the Olympic stage, and stay focused when the outside world became louder than ever.
Emilea and Vadym also open up about the mental challenges they faced before working with Chris Palmer, how improving their communication changed their partnership, and why knowing that they had each other's backs allowed them to perform with more freedom and confidence.
Episode Highlights:
The incredible four-and-a-half-year journey that took Emilea & Vadym to the Olympics
How they went from the middle of the U.S. ice dance field to becoming Olympic athletes
The sacrifices required to chase an Olympic dream
Why having the right people in your corner can change everything
How their families supported them through the toughest moments
The mental and physical demands of Olympic ice dancing
How Emilea overcame a fear of failure that once made her extremely nervous before competitions
Why their relationship and communication became one of their greatest competitive advantages
How they learned to lean on each other when things went wrong
The importance of bringing your practice routines and rituals into competition
Nobody else gets to measure how much you believe in yourself.
But you do have to earn that belief.
Episode Highlights:
What self-belief actually means for an athlete
Why belief is a skill that can be developed
The difference between self-belief, confidence, and arrogance
Why confidence is often the result of belief—not the starting point
Why athletes can't create genuine belief without doing the work
How preparation gives athletes evidence that they're ready
Why positive self-talk can't replace preparation
How athletes can build confidence through difficult practices and challenging goals
Why executing your skills in competition builds deeper belief than simply looking good in drills
The difference between practicing a skill and trusting yourself to use it when it matters
Why self-doubt can still exist even when you believe in yourself
How moving to a higher level can naturally create uncertainty
Why athletes need to prove themselves to themselves—not everyone else
How comparison can interfere with an athlete's confidence
Why staying focused on your own journey is critical for long-term development
How Jeff built belief as an undersized goalie throughout his career
Why past accomplishments can become evidence for future challenges
How consistently doing hard things strengthens your belief system
Why preparation creates more confidence than simply saying, “I've got this”
How mistakes, injuries, bad games, and cuts can challenge an athlete's self-belief
Why “be where your feet are” can help athletes respond to adversity
How focusing on what you can control keeps athletes moving forward
Why confidence comes from action instead of waiting to feel ready
How accomplishing small daily tasks compounds into greater belief
Why athletes should stop waiting for someone else to tell them to put in the work
The fastest way to start building more confidence right now
AND SO MUCH MORE!
Everyone wants confidence.
But confidence without evidence is fragile.
It's easy to say, “I believe in myself.”
The harder question is:
What have you done to prove it to yourself?
Did you prepare when nobody was watching?
Did you stay focused during practice?
Did you attack the difficult parts of your game instead of avoiding them?
Did you follow through on the habits you said were important?
Did you give yourself evidence that you're capable of handling the moment?
Because when game day arrives, you can't manufacture months of preparation in a few minutes.
You can only trust what you've built.
That's why belief isn't arrogance.
It isn't pretending you're better than everyone else.
And it isn't blindly telling yourself everything is going to work out.
It's the internal feeling that you are equal to the task in front of you because you've prepared for it.
And when adversity hits—a bad game, an injury, a mistake, a setback, or a new level of competition—you don't have to suddenly prove everything all over again.
Get back to where your feet are.
Focus on today's work.
Win the next task.
Then do it again tomorrow.
Small wins become evidence.
Evidence becomes belief.
And belief becomes confidence.
Want more confidence? Stop waiting to feel it. Start proving it to yourself.
Why the people and coaches you surround yourself with can shape your standards
How being surrounded by high achievers can influence your own expectations
Why knowing when to push forward and when to give your mind a break is an important skill
How Jeff's consistency helped him earn an opportunity at Michigan State
Why coaches want athletes they can trust to perform consistently
How high standards and consistent habits translate across every sport and position
Why athletes shouldn't focus only on doing more, but on building behaviors that create consistent performance
AND SO MUCH MORE!
If you're an athlete trying to reach the next level, this episode is a reminder that your goals don't determine your standards—your daily actions do.
You can have big goals.
You can have big dreams.
You can say you want to play at the highest level.
But none of that matters if your daily behaviors don't match the standard required to get there.
The athletes who separate themselves aren't necessarily the ones who are motivated every single day. They're the ones who build habits that make doing the right things second nature—and then hold themselves to those standards when it's difficult.
Because when pressure hits, you don't rise to the level of your goals.
You fall back on what you've trained.
Good habits create the foundation. High standards push you to the next level. And consistency is what turns both into performance.
What it really means to reach your personal peak potential
How the Dialed & Driven Success Formula helps athletes train their mentality
The vision behind Dialed & Driven and the goal of reaching 50,000 youth athletes
AND SO MUCH MORE!
If you're an athlete who has struggled with confidence, a parent trying to support your child's development, or a coach looking for ways to help athletes become more mentally resilient, this episode is for you.
You can't control every result.
You can't eliminate every mistake.
You can't guarantee where your athletic journey will take you.
But you can control the work you put in, the goals you set, and the belief you build along the way.
Because success isn't about guaranteeing that you'll become a professional athlete.
Success is leaving no stone unturned in your development to reach your personal peak potential.
How thousands of repetitions prepared them to improvise during a five-second mistake at the Olympics
How they prepare for mistakes before they ever happen
The different approaches Emilea and Vadym use for visualization and competition preparation
How they managed the overwhelming media attention and distractions surrounding the Olympics
Why athletes need to learn when to say “no” to distractions
How to separate your performance from your identity
How they handle criticism, negativity, and social media “haters”
Why you have to focus on becoming better than you were yesterday
How to find success in a subjective sport where results aren't always completely in your control
Why their ultimate goal isn't just winning medals—but making people feel something
The courage it takes to pursue something you aren't sure you'll be good at
How doubt from others can become fuel instead of a limitation
Why belief in yourself has to come from your own progress—not someone else's validation
The importance of finding joy in what you do
Why you only get one life—and you should run toward your dreams
AND SO MUCH MORE!
This episode is about so much more than ice dancing.
It's about what happens when you choose a dream that other people don't believe is possible.
It's about surrounding yourself with people who believe in you.
It's about preparing so relentlessly that when something goes wrong, you're ready to respond.
It's about learning to trust your partner, your preparation, and yourself.
And most importantly, it's about continuing to move forward when the results, the opinions, or the circumstances don't go your way.
Emilea and Vadym are incredible examples of what can happen when you combine belief, preparation, repetition, resilience, and the courage to keep chasing something you care about.
As Vadym says:
“You have one life. If you're not running towards your dreams like there's no tomorrow, you're doing something wrong.”
