
The Mindset Experience®
‘The Mindset Experience’ is a personal growth and development podcast presented by The Hidden Opponent, top mental health non-profit recognized as a standout resource for athletes by Kobe Bryant. The podcast is hosted by Arman Taghizadeh, M.D., also known as “Dr. T,” who is a Johns Hopkins trained psychiatrist and former Division 1 athlete. The Mindset Experience integrates Dr. T’s professional expertise and lived experience as he and his guests explore how high performers can overcome challenges and achieve success in order to live their best lives.
Latest episodes

Sep 4, 2024 • 52min
ESPY Award Winner Sydney Moore On Finding her Voice to Use Her Voice
Sydney Moore is a Division 1 Volleyball player at Syracuse University pursuing her master’s in marketing. Before Syracuse, Sydney was a senior captain at Cornell University where she majored in psychology with a focus in neuroscience and human development. Her initial love was basketball but as the pressure increased, her confidence decreased and her motivation to improve became fear based, she found volleyball as a refreshing change. As her understanding of health and wellness grew, so did her interest in pursuing information for herself and others. Sydney created a video podcast titled, “Let’s Talk About It” which discusses and advocates for important topics that affect student-athletes such as mental health, gender equity, going pro, and more. In 2022 Sydney was awarded the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the ESPYs for her work to introduce the Fair Play for Women Act into Congress and was named one of Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year 2023. Sydney discusses her own process and passion that embodies the characteristics for which she has been recognized including intelligence, bravery, confidence and compassion. She has worked so hard to find her own voice and is using that voice to empower other female athletes. @ssydney.mmoore

Aug 28, 2024 • 48min
Kyle and Brent Pease On Getting Better One Mile at a Time
Born with cerebral palsy, Kyle Pease knew his life was different and understood he would always need help but believed he could do everything others could do. His family believed the same and chose a mindset of relentless optimism to focus on what he can do vs cant’t do. He graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in sports management and partnered with his brother Brent Pease for a creer total 125 races including making history as the first push-assist brother duo to complete the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. While Brent’s resume includes 11 Ironman events and several 70.3 and Olympic distance triathlons, he shares countless examples of being physically broken needing his brother, Kyle to work even harder mentally to inspire them both to realize, “where there's a wheel, there's a way!” Like many siblings, Brent and Kyle tease eachother, yell at eachother and show unconditional love for eachother. Through their nonprofit, the Kyle Pease Foundation, they have championed more than 100 athletes across 1000+ events and raised more than $10 million in aid. They have offered support through programs such as scholarship opportunities, purchasing adaptive sports equipment and participating in educational campaigns about cerebral palsy and other disabilities. By going through this journey together, they have both become better brothers, better friends and better men by becoming better, “one mile at a time. “ @bpease9, @thekylepeasefoundation

Aug 21, 2024 • 47min
Soccer Legend Ashley Hatch On Undeniable Belief through Every Stage and Phase
On the field, Ashley Hatch has dominated the game of soccer as a 2-time NCAA All-American at BYU, US Women’s National Team member with 21 appearances, 2017 NWSL Rookie of the year, the Washington Spirit’s all time leading scorer, 2021 Best Player of the Year and 2022 ESPY award winner. Off the field, she has worked even harder establishing a foundation of undeniable belief through every stage and phase of her career. This mindset has grown with her commitment to mental training where she devotes intentional time and energy to learning actionable skills that have directly led to her success and confidence despite several setbacks Including major injuries and recently missing the World Cup Roster for 2025. “Hatchy” as she is known by her teammates, is described as, a professional in every sense of the word, one of the most process-oriented people, someone who can create something out of nothing, and a really special human who is absolutely goated!” @ash_smash33

Aug 14, 2024 • 47min
THO Campus Captain Shaylee Ungos On Smiling at the Little Things
Shaylee Ungos has a special connection with Volleyball; it is a part of her Hawaiian culture, and her parents met each other playing the sport. However, she really fell in love with the sport while living in Korea on a military base during Covid. It provided an outlet and ability to see her friends when she would be otherwise isolated. Without the resources, coaching and support that other elite athletes in America are afforded, she created her own process largely training alone and used social media as a tool to document and track her progress but also develop content for recruiting. Ironically, it was documentation of a major injury and the pain of losing her sense of self as an athlete that opened her eyes to how much support and love she had all along and inspired her smile at the little things and appreciate every piece of joy. In addition to redefining her relationship with sports, she also redefined her relationship with social media and become more intentional about creating and consuming. In doing so, she improved not only her p[physical but also mental health. She is currently a collegiate volleyball player, THO Campus Captain, an awesome mental health advocate, and a content creator for student-athletes who has built her own social media following to over 50k followers while helping others learn how to capitalize on NIL. Shaylee has even partnered with United Sports Abroad a non-profit that supports military kids like herself with recruiting, media exposure, and camp or tournament opportunities. @shayleeungosvb

Jul 24, 2024 • 57min
Bitches on IVF: Building Confidence to Beat the Odds
The Aumiller Sisters had it all. Or so they thought. Star collegiate lacrosse players, who graduated and landed jobs on Wall Street, married amazing men, and then moved back to their hometown of Baltimore to start their families. But their lives soon unraveled as they were confronted with the challenge of their lifetimes -- infertility. In heartbreaking meetings with doctors, they were each told they would never have children. What followed was a decade long quest to prove the doctors wrong. Through grit and determination, digging into the mindset learned through athletics, they endured years of miscarriages, failed IVFs, painful D&C’s, the shattering loss of a newborn, and the birth of an “extreme preemie” with special needs. Their memoir, Bitches on IVF, tells the story of their struggles and successes in the world of infertility. How, against all odds, they now have eight children between them including two cousins born by the same surrogate. This conversation highlights the challenges they faced, how they overcame them and how it has shaped their parental experiences. @aumillersistersivf

Jul 17, 2024 • 45min
NCAA Champion and 4X All-American Nahshon Garrett On Accountability, Ownership and Acceptance
Growing up in Northern California with a single mom, twin brother and limited finances, Nahshon Garrett was unable to afford team sports, so he gravitated towards wrestling. Initially introverted, his confidence grew as from the beginning, he found himself, “always on the edge of beating someone.” Given his success, he had the opportunity to travel across the country to attend Cornell University exposing himself to a new area, new living situation and new culture. He was faced with the dilemma to conform to his environment or let his environment crush him. He made the choice to adapt and become the man he wanted to be. Despite always feeling a little behind his peers, every year he focused on more growth and more experiences. This mindset led to more wisdom and joy within himself and his sport. Through his journey, he has found success on the mat becoming a 4X EIWA Champion, 4X NCAA All-American, NCAA Champion, 2X US Open Silver Medalist and 2X World Team Trials Champion. More importantly, he has found success in self-love and reflection by viewing setbacks as opportunities and taking accountability for every circumstance regardless of the outcome while accepting that sometimes things are not good or bad but rather, “just the way they are.” @nahshongarrett_

Jul 10, 2024 • 49min
Pro Soccer player Civana Kuhlmann On the Fear of Losing Your Sport While Finding Your True Identity
At age of 6, while all her peers huddled around the ball, Civana Kuhlmann was already setting herself apart as she had learned about proper spacing. Her ability to view the soccer field like a problem to solve cultivated a “no quit” mindset that helped her become relentless, aggressive and determined. The same belief system that helped her excel also ended up hurting her emotionally and physically. As an athlete, Civana has represented the United States in multiple World Cup Qualifiers, a U17 FIFA World Cup, won 2 National Championships and played in 3 Final Fours as a member of the Stanford University women’s soccer team, and was drafted to the Washington Spirit in January 2023. As a human being, she has endured seven surgeries for four major injuries since August 2019 including 2 torn ACL’s, 2 hip surgeries, and a fractured femur. She has also lost a close friend and teammate to suicide. Through her experiences, she continues to ponder everything that got her to this point, and most definitely uses everything she has learned so far while still searching for lots. @civanakuhlmann

Jun 26, 2024 • 56min
NCAA Champion/4X All-American Wrestler Ryan Deakin On Why You Will Never Regret The Sprints
Ryan Deakin’s first impressions of wrestling were spot on: it was tough, it looked different, and he could directly affect the outcome. His work ethic set a foundation for success where he won the state title as a 10th grader in high school. The next year, he lost his state semi-final match in overtime to someone he had previously beaten. Instead of challenging his identity, he appreciated the major loss that enabled him to see that he was much more than just a wrestler who had unconditional support and love from his family. Free of pressure, he won another state title as a senior. What followed was a historic career where he became an NCAA D1 National Champion, 4X NCAA D1 All-American, 3X Big Ten Champion, 2X Northwestern male Athlete of the year, and 2020 and 2022 Hodge Trophy Finalist awarded to the best collegiate wrestler in the Nation. He has also experienced success at the international level where he won US Open National Freestyle Title in 2017 and 2019 and won a silver medal for Team USA in the Junior World Championships. Ryan shares the mindset that allowed him to accomplish success on the mat, in the classroom as a 5X Academic All-American and Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient but most impressively as a 5X team captain at Northwestern University. He works hard, he leads by example, and he never questions the tough things because he believes no matter the outcome, “you will never regret the sprints.” @ryandeakin, @iron.summit

Jun 19, 2024 • 42min
Olympic Pentathlon Athlete Sammy Schultz On Wanting To Do Everything in One Day
Sammy Schultz grew up playing multiple sports including soccer swimming, horseback riding, and shooting rifles. By the time she was a senior in high school, she realized she possessed the skill set required for 4 of 5 events in the Olympic Pentathlon. She decided to give fencing a shot and really enjoyed that as well! Joining the army gave her the support to train, created opportunities to grow, provided leadership experience but also challenged her to give up control and trust in her process. Her experiences taught her how to balance rhythm and aggression in her sport and in life. Not only is she a 2021 Tokyo Olympian, but she is a seven-time US National champion, Pan American Games Silver and Gold medalist, and multiple world and national team member in the sport of pentathlon. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Pilates and yoga instructor, strength and conditioning coach and running coach. Sammy frequently speaks to people of all ages in community at schools, sporting events and has worked with fellow Soldiers in the US Army to share her journey, overcoming obstacles, perseverance, and the importance of taking care of your mental and physical health. @samanthaausa

Jun 12, 2024 • 50min
Stephen Johnston M.D. On A Race Against Blindness
Stephen Johnston, MD, MBA, is a father, radiologist, non-profit founder, and Ironman athlete. When he found out his nine-year-old son, Luke, was going blind as a result of a rare disease, he founded A Race Against Blindness to fund sight-saving research for his son and thousands of others like him. Though Stephen is relatively new to the nonprofit world, he’s a man on a mission to raise $1 Million for a clinical trial and taking on challenges like Ironman to raise money and be an example for his son. To prepare himself mentally, he is using his knowledge from personal setbacks to look at himself, identify the role he plays, take ownership over what he can control to be the best he can be. Emotionally, he is deliberately taking on difficult and painful obstacles to process hard moments, learn how to experience and explain what he is going through, how he will handle it and what he will learn from it. By showing up every day, experiencing micro failures and progressing through different levels he is working to be an example for his son. Ironically, his son’s approach and perspective to his own illness is inspiring Dr. Johnston to be a better father, athlete and overall human being. @dad.vs.blindness, www.araceagainstblindness.org