Welcome to another episode of the Dialed and Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast — brought to you by Vaughn Custom Sports!

Today, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer, joined by Natalie, dive into one of the most important (and unavoidable) realities of sport and life: learning how to manage chaos when things don’t go as planned.

From youth hockey to the Olympics, this episode breaks down why setbacks, distractions, injuries, pressure, and unexpected changes aren’t signs that something is wrong — they’re simply part of the process. The difference between athletes who spiral and athletes who thrive is how they respond when the wheels come off.

Through listener Q&A, real-life coaching examples, and powerful stories from elite performers like Sidney Crosby, Lindsey Vonn, AJ Edelman, and Olympic ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, this conversation shows how mentally strong athletes reset, adapt, and stay dialed in no matter what’s happening around them.

Episode highlights:

• Why practicing well but struggling in games is often a mental block, not a skill issue — and how shifting focus from outcomes to process unlocks performance
• How fun, trust, and confidence directly impact execution under pressure
• The mental traits coaches and scouts notice first, including hockey IQ, preparation, and the ability to reset after mistakes
• What managing chaos actually looks like during a long season filled with injuries, setbacks, fatigue, and uncertainty
• Why accepting that things will go wrong can actually make you calmer, more focused, and harder to break
• The power of standards over circumstances — and why consistency beats perfection
• Why pulling back at the right time isn’t quitting, but a key part of long-term success

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Whether you’re a youth athlete, parent, coach, or someone chasing big goals in any area of life, this episode is a reminder that chaos isn’t the enemy — resisting it is.

‼️ Ask us questions ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://dialedanddrivenmentality.com/podcast

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://dialedanddrivenmentality.com/successformula

Check out our sponsor, Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

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Welcome to episode 55 of the Dialed and Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast — brought to you by Vaughn Custom Sports!

Today, hosts Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer are joined by Natalie as they tackle one of the biggest challenges athletes face at every level: how to stay mentally strong when the grind gets heavy, burnout creeps in, and the big picture gets lost in the day-to-day chaos.

This conversation highlights how pressure, comparison, fear of failure, and unrealistic expectations can strip the fun from sports—and how elite performers reset, refocus, and move forward.

Episode highlights:

• How asking the right questions separates developing athletes from attention-seekers.
• What burnout actually looks like at different stages and why stepping back isn’t quitting.
• The power of reconnecting to your “why”, explaining how remembering why you started—whether it’s love of the game, a goal to play at the next level, or personal standards—creates fuel to push through setbacks.
• Why so many youth athletes quit by their early teens, exploring how pressure, fear of failure, coaching environments, and loss of fun drive athletes away from sports they once loved.
• Standards over circumstances, highlighting how high personal standards—not rigid long-term visions—help athletes adapt, grow, and succeed as their path evolves.
• Using big-picture thinking in real time, including practical ways athletes can apply vision and purpose during tough workouts, slumps, and high-pressure moments.
• Why fun and performance are connected, breaking down how confidence, engagement, and execution feed each other—and how athletes can get back into that positive loop.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ Ask us questions ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://www.dialedanddrivenmentality.com

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://www.goaliementors.com/successformula

Check out our sponsor, Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

Send us a text

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Welcome to Episode 54 — Suck It Up and Deal With It vs. Real Mental Strength … brought to you by Vaughn Custom Sports!

Today, host Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss the main topic focused on managing future anxiety and comparison during the competitive season. Noting the struggle with players getting opportunities on other teams while others don't. It's emphasized that this time of year is particularly challenging because players hear about teammates and competitors securing positions for the following year, creating anxiety and distraction from current performance.

Episode 54 highlights:

- The importance of dominating the present moment, noting that despite being in the thick of the hockey season with playoffs approaching, many athletes have their minds focused on next year rather than peaking for current competitions.

- How hard work doesn't immediately translate to opportunities, explaining that while long-term hard work leads to success, short-term results can be unpredictable and sometimes unfair.

- The importance of acknowledging negative feelings rather than suppressing them, using Chris Palmer's concept of "puking things out" to release emotional burdens. Once these feelings are processed, athletes can focus on what they can control and identify remaining opportunities.

- Being process oriented and what it means and while life presents unfair situations to everyone at different times, maintaining focus on controllable elements and personal process leads to exponential improvement over time.

- That opportunities continue to arise throughout the season and that maintaining an "attack mode" mentality is crucial for being noticed by decision-makers.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ Ask us questions ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://www.dialedanddrivenmentality.com

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://www.goaliementors.com/successformula

Check out our sponsor, Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

X: https://x.com/dialedanddriven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dialed-driven-hockey-mentality-podcast/id1791139650

Welcome to Episode 53 — Hockey Is What You Do, Not Who You Are: Identity, Mindset, and Growth … brought to you by Vaughn Custom Sports!

Today, host Jeff Lerg and Chris Palmer discuss the main topic: identity and the dangers of over-identification with being “a hockey player”. We also dive into why we linked identity to standards, or daily codes of conduct— and how youth systems that push single-sport immersion can narrow identity and increase risk.

💥 Episode 53 highlights:

- How other roles (e.g., fisherman, skateboarder, friend, artist) are very important because off-ice joy refuels on-ice performance.

- Jeff's example of founding his goalie coaching business as a college sophomore, which 20 years later has evolved into mentoring—an example of expanding identity that energized his playing years

- How identity drives standards—daily codes of conduct—that shape behavior.

- We warned that even highly successful players can feel lost post-hockey; he urged building a full life and revisiting the identity–standards–habits loop, noting brains develop until ~25

- How one can have multiple identities, because being just a "hockey player" can be suffocating.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ Ask us questions ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://www.dialedanddrivenmentality.com

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://www.goaliementors.com/successformula

Check out our sponsor, Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

X: https://x.com/dialedanddriven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Welcome to Episode 52 — Our Recruiting Journeys with Jeff Lerg & Natalie Ferenc … brought to you by Vaughn Custom Sports!

Today, host Jeff Lerg and our producer Natalie Ferenc sit down and discuss their recruitment process in committing and playing at Division 1 universities.

Episode 52 highlights:

- How recruitment has revealed significant changes in modern college sports such as NIL and the number of athletes in the transfer portal, emphasizing that modern athletes are "always being recruited" rather than just during traditional recruitment periods in youth.

- Both Jeff and Natalie walk through when they first started to get recruited, what the process looked like for them, and when they committed.

- The importance of dominating at your current level.

- They highlighted key recruiting characteristics including being coachable, reliable, trustworthy, and a good teammate. Coaches avoid players who are overly confident without proof, cocky, or create headaches regardless of skill level.

- How consistent performance and character development remain crucial throughout the process.

- Differences in men's and women's recruitment to college hockey.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ New Segment Alert! ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://www.goaliementors.com/dialedanddriven

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://www.goaliementors.com/successformula

Check out our sponsor, Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

X: https://x.com/dialedanddriven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Happy New Year and welcome back to the Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We’re kicking off the year with a major announcement: we’ve officially partnered with Vaughn Custom Sports, a premier goalie gear company proudly based right here in Michigan.

Vaughn has been part of our hockey story long before this partnership ever existed. Both Natalie and Jeff wore Vaughn gear throughout their playing careers, and this collaboration is a natural extension of the trust, craftsmanship, and innovation we've always believed in. Their commitment to quality and their decades of impact on the game make them a perfect fit for the Dialed & Driven community.

Check out Vaughn's website: https://vaughnhockey.com/

Today our hosts, Chris Palmer and Jeff Lerg discuss overcoming obstacles in pursuit of hockey dreams as well as setting the tone for a year of growth, belief, and action.

Episode 51 highlights:

- Natalie Ferenc, our producer, is back on the pod—bringing fresh inspiration as we dive into the stories of high-performing athletes and what’s truly possible in just one year’s time.

- Inspirational athletes who exemplify their overcoming philosophy. Natalie highlighted Fernando Mendoza, Indiana's quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy and Alex Ovechkin's remarkable comeback story, emphasizing how the 39-year-old hockey legend broke his leg but returned to set the all-time goal-scoring record.

- Finding your "why".

- How sports follow a non-linear path and that perfection is impossible, but the process of pursuing excellence leads to great outcomes.

- The importance of having fun and cherishing the small moments spent doing what you love.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ New Segment Alert! ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ https://www.goaliementors.com/dialedanddriven

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula!

🎯 https://www.goaliementors.com/successformula

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

X: https://x.com/dialedanddriven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dialed-driven-hockey-mentality-podcast/id1791139650

Welcome to Episode 50 - If You Stop Evolving, You’re Losing 🧰

Our hosts, Chris Palmer and Jeff Lerg discuss innovation in athletic performance and the importance of being a student of the game by identifying strengths and growth opportunities, and continuously seeking improvement.

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula! ➡️ Click here to learn more

Episode highlights:

- How growth mindset facilitates innovation and creativity.

- The importance of positioning innovation as an additional tool rather than an obligation. Fundamental skills remain paramount!

- What it means to keep putting tools in your tool box.

- How mental performance tools can become stale through overuse, suggesting athletes regularly update motivational phrases or reminders on equipment.

- Why innovation doesn't require dramatic changes. Small tweaks can yield significant improvements, such as dietary adjustments or enhanced visualization techniques.

- We warned against over-training without proper recovery, noting that physical presence at training sessions doesn't guarantee development without adequate nutrition and focus.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ New Segment Alert! ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ Click here to submit your questions!

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

X: https://x.com/dialedanddriven

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDialedandDrivenPodcast

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dialed-driven-hockey-mentality-podcast/id1791139650

Welcome to Episode 49 - Are You Really Giving 100%… or Just Saying You Are? 💯

Today, our hosts, Chris Palmer and Jeff Lerg discuss mid-season check-ins for hockey players and the challenge of self-assessment during holiday breaks when numerous distractions compete for athletes' attention.

Register for our Mentality Building Curriculum, The Dialed & Driven Success Formula! ➡️ Click here to learn more

Episode highlights:

- A personal story from Jeff about his journey on becoming the starting goalie at Michigan State University his freshmen year along with the steps it took to gain that title.

- Why a mid-season self-assessment is important in evaluating your timeline in achieving the goals you set at the beginning of the season.

- How the self-assessment doesn't require abandoning fun but rather making intentional time for honest evaluation and targeted improvement.

- Practical self-assessment strategies. Palmer outlined a systematic approach: first, evaluate what's working and what isn't—success in practice, drill execution, ice time allocation, and overall performance satisfaction. He encouraged athletes to identify both strengths worth reinforcing and weaknesses requiring attention

- Why removing external blame from self-assessment, particularly the tendency to focus on coaches or teammates rather than personal controllables is crucial.

- A statistical self-assessment method, suggesting athletes review their last 10 games individually, tracking goals, assists, total points, and plus-minus ratings. Also, using trusted coaches or advisors if you cannot honestly perform a self-assessment on your own.

AND A LOT MORE!

‼️ New Segment Alert! ‼️
We want to hear from YOU. Send us your questions—mindset, mental performance, hockey development, habits, anything. We’ll break it all down on the pod.

➡️ Click here to submit your questions!

Thank you for listening to The Dialed & Driven Hockey Mentality Podcast! We appreciate every listener, comment, rating, and share!

Send us a text

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dialedanddriven/

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