
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

Nov 29, 2023 • 54min
Victoria Garrick Browne On Benching the Stigma and Experience Without Judgement
Victoria Garrick Browne is a TED Talk speaker, mental health advocate, podcast host and former NCAA Division 1 Athlete who has amassed 2M+ followers across social media where she’s known for her unfiltered campaign #RealPost. She first began sharing her story of how she battled and overcame depression and anxiety as a student athlete in her 2017 TED Talk, “The Hidden Opponent” which has been viewed over 500,000 times. She has also been featured in the NY Times’, The Player’s Tribune, E! News, People, Access Hollywood and is the Founder and CEO of mental health non-profit, The Hidden Opponent which was recognized as a standout resource for athletes by the late Kobe Bryant. In this episode, Victoria addresses the pressures she faced as a student athlete, and her experiences with anxiety, depression, and her eating disorder. She also discusses her introduction to therapy, and the insights that she has gained that motivate her to inspire so many others as she tours the country speaking at universities in hopes of destigmatizing the conversations around mental health and encouraging all people to be their unfiltered selves. @victoriabrowne, @thehiddenopponent, @realpod

Nov 15, 2023 • 49min
Below Average Runner Nicole Linn on Embracing the Pace
Nicole Linn, the 'Below Average Runner,' shares her journey of redefining success in running by embracing the process over speed. She emphasizes the importance of community support, self-care, and finding joy in running. The podcast explores the power of motivational language, knowing when to quit for self-care, and embracing individual progress. By focusing on 'Embracing the Pace,' Nicole teaches us the value of gratitude, resilience, and building a supportive running community.

Nov 8, 2023 • 14min
Dr. T’s On Mental Injury Prevention and Supporting Teammates
Winter is approaching and daylight savings just occurred. With less day light, colder temperatures and increasing academic demands, student athletes are more vulnerable to mental health struggles. In this episode, Dr. T will guide you through his Mental Injury Prevention Guide to best support yourself and your teammates by focusing on Awareness, Communication and Listening (ACL). These concepts are discussed in detail with clear examples demonstrating how to be intentional and effective. In competitive athletics, there is so much emphasis on being strong and tough. This MOVEMBER, lets come together and understand that, “Being tough means acknowledging there is a problem. Being strong means asking for help.” @dr.t_sportspsych

Nov 2, 2023 • 50min
3X Olympic Medalist Katie Hoff on 5 keys to accomplish the Extraordinary
Katie Hoff understands elite performance and the drive to do the extraordinary. At 15 years old, she made her first Olympic team. How did she do it? In the end, it boiled down to a very simple, yet effective formula. She came up with 5 standards that she followed to a "T." Standards that allowed her to break American and World Records, win 3 Olympic medals, get back up after the lowest of lows and become a TEDx speaker, best-selling author and successful entrepreneur. Katie's 5 standards will give you the ability to accomplish that goal and achieve the most extraordinary version of yourself. Katie shares her wisdom through captivating stories filled with humor, humility, honesty, and vulnerability. She will leave you with a sense of motivation, fresh perspective, and ultimately clear and actionable standards to apply to your own big goal. @kthoff7, @synergydryland

Oct 25, 2023 • 47min
Johnny Martin On a White Belt Mentality With Black Belt Humility
Johnny Martin was raised in a family where hard work, drive, positivity and a growth mindset was the standard. It was embedded in his DNA. Through his degree in health studies and education, his master’s degree in educational psychology and counseling and his national certification in grief recovery, many would consider him an expert. However, what really sets him apart as one of the best is his dedication to guide others, make sure they feel heard and empower them to understand they are really the experts on themselves. When so many mental performance coaches take the approach of motivational quotes and consistent hype, Johnny teaches us the power of the pause, creating opportunities to truly reflect and choose the direction we really want to take. Despite serving as a performance coach with professional athletes, educational leaders, military veterans and corporate executives for the past 15 years, he continues to maintain a “white belt mentality” while mastering the art of humility. @realjohncmartin

Oct 18, 2023 • 17min
Dr. T On Riding the Recruiting Roller-coaster
Many athletes work consistently and relentlessly for so many years to have the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. But when it comes time to finally enter the recruiting process, the passion of sports commonly gives way to incredible pressure which can directly affect mood and motivation. In this episode, Dr. T offers 5 actionable takeaways that any athlete can immediately apply to prepare for, manage, and even enjoy the roller-coaster of thoughts and emotions that come with recruiting. Apply these strategies and you will be ready for one of the biggest decisions of your athletic life! This is a must listen for any athlete or parent who hopes to play collegiate sports. @dr.t_sportspsych

Oct 11, 2023 • 47min
NFL veteran Bennett Jackson On focusing on Now and Preparing for Tomorrow
Bennett Jackson’s love for football came from watching games on TV or going to Giants/Jets games with family or friends. As a youth player, he was motivated by the opportunity to expand his circle of friends. At Notre Dame, his dedication to Sports, School and Sleep created a process to, “focus on now and prepare for tomorrow.” His commitment to making his mother proud instilled the discipline to consistently push himself past any limits allowing him to hear his name being called on draft day watching TV surrounded by family and friends. This 7 year NFL veteran has experienced his share of successes and hardships including major injuries and changing multiple teams. In every case, his mindset of “So What, What now?’ and “dealing with outcomes as they come” have helped him to consistently readjust and refocus preparing him for perhaps his biggest challenge of all; the transition out of football. @b_jax2

Oct 4, 2023 • 41min
12X Olympic Medalist Natalie Coughlin on Setting Goals High Enough to Fail
Natalie Coughlin is one the most the accomplished female swimmers in the world. She was a 3X Olympian, 12X Olympic Medalist and has won 60 medals in international competition. She has been voted the World Swimmer of the year, American swimmer of the year 3 times, NCAA swimmer of the year and Sports Illustrated collegiate female athlete of the year. Her continued success is not just due to setting goals and creating a process but also her ability to be present and remind herself in the most intense situations that she is just, “swimming up and down a silly pool!” While she has won more awards than most of us can imagine, she is most grateful for the setbacks that have helped her grow. Natalie discusses her ability to keep growing by setting goals high enough to fail. She also shares how her learned skill set of discipline, hard work, patience, and letting go of things out of her control have led to more incredible experiences such as competing on Dancing with the Stars and directly impacted her success as the co-founder and vintner of Gaderian wines. @nataliecoughlin, @gaderianwines

Sep 27, 2023 • 35min
2023 PLL Champion Grant Ament on the Power of Reflection and Preparation Is Winning
2023 PLL Champion Grant Ament is no stranger to success at every level he has played. As a professional lacrosse player, he was the Number 1 overall pick in 2020 PLL draft. He was also an All-Star game captain in 2021, 2021 Attackman of the year, and member Team USA 2021 Fall Classic. While at Penn State, he was the 2019 Attackman of the Year, Big Ten Offensive Player of the year, three-time All American, four-time All-Big Ten and a captain of the Nittany Lions Lacrosse Team. While Grant’s vision was very clear from an early age, his path was not so linear. However, he chose to put consistent effort into his preparation identifying a process or pillars including knowing yourself, knowing your obstacles, visualization, and reflection. By investing more time and energy into these key elements of his mindset, he has been able to grow as a player on the field and more importantly as a person off the field. As a big believer in mindset training, he has frequently said “I wish I had this info and support when I was in HS or college, I would have been so much better!” @grantament

Sep 20, 2023 • 51min
Dan Zia Joseph on Leadership, Resilience and Optimizing your Position in Life
As a child of Christian Iraqi immigrants who escaped an oppressive society, Dan “Zia” Joseph was very familiar with being a minority and the concept of intergenerational trauma. Despite being taught not to “go back to the nightmare he came from”; he felt a calling to join the US military post 9/11 at the age of 32 years old. His life changed when one of his fellow soldier's survived a suicide attempt while at the same time, his best friend in the military lost 13 men from his unit to suicide. Working closely and sparring Jiu-Jitsu with several combat Veterans brought deeper awareness about the psychological weight they carried each day while helping him uncover and work through his own trauma, navigate his own spiritual journey and reframe his perspective on helping others. After obtaining a master’s degree in organizational psychology, Dan combined his education, research and life experiences to write, "Backpack to Rucksack: Insight Into Leadership & Resilience By Military Experts" which honors the struggles that his fellow military brothers and sisters still face while highlighting the importance of strong leadership in providing much needed support. @combatpsychology, www.combatpsych.com
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