Top Mental Game

30/12/2025

The end of the year is a great time to reflect … and hold yourself accountable.

When I started in 2019, it was a side gig.

It turned into a full-time gig in 2022 when I left Seton Hall.

Before starting a new business, I asked my wife how long a runway she would give me in the event that I made zero money.

Six months?

“A year,” she said.

While I thought Top Mental Game was going to be successful, her confidence gave me confidence.

I want to thank all the leaders, coaches, and athletes I’ve had the opportunity to engage with in 2025.

Here are a few 2025 highlights:
• Speaking at leadership retreat about leadership mindset in Kohler, WI
• Piloting a new executive coaching program for senior leaders with the
• Opportunities to do leadership development with fantastic organizations such as , Ziglar Inc, , , Princeton HR Insight, , , , and Victory Road.
• Continuing my work with some of my favorite teams – and
• Starting new relationships with and the
• Getting to coach 52 individual athletes on becoming their best selves and performing at their best when it matters the most
• Serving as an executive coach for senior leaders in the and
• Being the opening keynote for a New Jersey Judiciary leadership retreat, and then speaking at the NJ Assignment Judges’ retreat and their Judicial College
• Guest lecturing for courses at and and teaching my leadership class at

The one constant throughout all these engagements is

And while I get paid to provide my insights on leadership, I’m the real beneficiary because I get to learn so much from those with whom I work with and meet.

Thank you to all these great leaders in the new year and may 2026 be your best year yet!

And I’ll try and get that Scmoopie missed-games counter down to zero!

30/12/2025

23/12/2025

Bringing two great families together since 1991…

23/12/2025

Tired of seeing your athlete struggle with confidence, inconsistency, or not playing up to their potential?

Here are your options:
❌ hope their coach gives them these tools (hint: they likely don’t know how)
❌ hope they figure it out on their own (hint: the pressure’s only going to get worse, not better)
❌ hope YOU as the parent can fix it (hint: I do this professionally, and my 16-yr old won’t listen to me)

Want a PROVEN program that gives your athlete the tools to play more loose, focused, and confident?

✅ The answer is my Ultimate Mindset Program – the next cohort (my 1️⃣4️⃣th) which I will be starting next month in January.

No question, this is the most impactful program we run at Top Mental Game.

9️⃣ total live sessions
6️⃣ x small group sessions
3️⃣ x 1:1 sessions

Plus, I now include 3️⃣ bonus 1:1 sessions to be used ANYTIME after the program is over.

✅personalized goal-setting program
✅personalized pre-competition routine
✅personalized visualizations sent to their phone
✅personalized reset routine to help them back bounce afer in-game mistakes
✅Lifetime access for parents and athletes to my online program called The Blueprint

Your athlete will build confidence, increase their resilience, and improve their ability to perform under pressure.

Don’t take my word for it, read the testimonials from athletes and parents who have been through this program.

6 of the 8 slots already filled so act fast!

All sports. Ages 13+. Hit me up for details.

“Talent sets the floor. Mindset sets the ceiling.”

www.topmentalgame.com

22/12/2025

Last week I did perhaps the most dangerous and rewarding exercise a team can do.

This year I’ve had the privilege of working with Coach Shoniker and her team.

After a tough start playing 8 of their first 11 games on the road and conquering finals week, they are closing in on conference play.

Perfect timing for the “If we’re going to win it this year, we need you to…” exercise with the team.

I don’t recommend doing this with immature teams. I also don’t do this exercise during my first few engagements with a team because it is high risk, high reward.

But when it’s done right, it can be a powerful tool for teams to develop and increse trust.

The concept is simple - what advice, given anonymously, would you want to give a teammate before heading into the most important part of the season?

If you’ve played sports long enough, you always hear coaches and teammates complain after the season about certain players and behaviors.

“If only Joey would’ve worked harder in practice.”

“Emma could’ve been a star for us if she was more vocal on the court.”

“Liam was good, but he could’ve been great if he was in better shape.”

I’m guilty of doing the same, as both a player and a coach.

But what if you could say what often goes unsaid on a team, and say it in a way that is constructive, meaningful, and from the heart.

Enter this exercise.

Imagine being an underclassman on the team and having older teammates you need to be more vocal and more of a leader?

Imagine being a senior captain and get constructive feedback that you need to hold the team more accountable?

Imagine being told you by numerous teammates that you need to be more aggressive and look for your shot more?

Great teams communicate effectively, but too often we don’t say what needs to be said for the obvious reasons - it’s awkward, there’s never a good time, fear of how it will be received, etc.

This exercise removes all of those excuses and lets everyone speak their truth.

Oh, and the Wildcats blew out their opponent, almost doubling up Dartmouth the next night … so there’s that.

Are you a coach who’s looking to give their team an advantage in leadership and the mental game?

18/12/2025

Still looking for a last-minute holiday gift? Why not give the gift of confidence?

Want a PROVEN program that gives your athlete the tools to play more focused and confident?

✅ The answer is my Ultimate Mindset Program – the next cohort (my 1️⃣4️⃣th) which I will be starting next month in January.

No question, this is the most impactful program we run at Top Mental Game.

9️⃣ total live sessions
6️⃣ x small group sessions
3️⃣ x 1:1 sessions

Plus, for the first time ever, 3️⃣ bonus 1:1 sessions to be used ANYTIME after the program is over.

✅personalized goal-setting program
✅personalized pre-competition routine
✅personalized visualizations sent to their phone
✅personalized reset routine to help them back bounce afer in-game mistakes
✅Lifetime access for parents and athletes to my online program called The Blueprint

Your athlete will build confidence, increase their resilience, and improve their ability to perform under pressure.

Don’t take my word for it, read the testimonials from athletes and parents who have been through this program.

4 of the 8 slots already filled so act fast!

All sports. Ages 13+. Hit me up for details.

Not ready for to go all in? Then try my Mental Game Primer which has many of Top Mental Game’s “greatest hits” or go for The Blueprint, the most comprehensive online mental performance program on the market.

“Talent sets the floor. Mindset sets the ceiling.”

www.topmentalgame.com

09/12/2025

Tired of seeing your athlete struggle with confidence, inconsistency, or not playing up to their potential?

Here are your options:
❌ hope their coach gives them these tools (hint: they likely don’t know how)
❌ hope they figure it out on their own (hint: the pressure’s only going to get worse, not better)
❌ hope YOU as the parent can fix it (hint: I do this professionally, and my 16-yr old won’t listen to me)

Want a PROVEN program that gives your athlete the tools to play more loose, focused, and confident?

✅ The answer is my Ultimate Mindset Program – the next cohort (my 1️⃣4️⃣th) which I will be starting next month in January.

No question, this is the most impactful program we run at Top Mental Game.

9️⃣ total live sessions
6️⃣ x small group sessions
3️⃣ x 1:1 sessions

Plus, for the first time ever, 3️⃣ bonus 1:1 sessions to be used ANYTIME after the program is over.

✅personalized goal-setting program
✅personalized pre-competition routine
✅personalized visualizations sent to their phone
✅personalized reset routine to help them back bounce afer in-game mistakes
✅Lifetime access for parents and athletes to my online program called The Blueprint

Your athlete will build confidence, increase their resilience, and improve their ability to perform under pressure.

Don’t take my word for it, read the testimonials from athletes and parents who have been through this program.

4 of the 8 slots already filled so act fast!

All sports. Ages 13+. Hit me up for details.

“Talent sets the floor. Mindset sets the ceiling.”

www.topmentalgame.com

04/12/2025

I had a fun two days of working with over 60 leaders at on two customized, half-day workshops on .

I’ve been fortunate to work with Russo over the past couple of years in different capacities - executive coach, executive team leadership development, manager/director level leadership development - and they are always first-class.

I have zero surprise at their impressive growth and success.

Why?

Because they invest in their most important asset - their people.

The best organizations know that leadership development doesn’t happen by itself.

They know that is not a “nice-to-have” in order to grow, it’s a “need-to-have.”

Thank you to Rebecca Rabbat and Steve Klos for the partnership and coordination.

And shout out to the multiple “repeat offenders” and awesome Russo leaders who have had to put up with me throughout multiple sessions - Courtney Mulligan, Adam Pasternack, John Yurkow, John Calabrese, Erik Greiner, and others!

Also great to engage with new leaders I met, including Christopher Minks, Doug Bartels, and Sam Pallotta.

25/11/2025

Have you ever felt judged? Try speaking before dozens of NJ’s top judges.

This time, thankfully, it wasn’t because I was in trouble or did something wrong.

I was invited to speak about leadership to two groups of my home state’s top judges at the annual NJ Judicial College.

My morning session included NJ supreme court justices and assignment judges in the audience, including several who I refer to as “repeat offenders” - those who I’ve been fortunate to work with in past workshops and keynotes.

Among those in attendance was Director Michael Blee, the Administrative Director of New Jersey’s Courts, a true servant leader in every sense of the word and someone who walks the walk with deeds, not just words.

My afternoon session was an equally impressive group of emerging leaders in the NJ judicial system, including several judges who were only months into their initial appointments.

Both groups were awesome leaders who were eager to become even better.

23/11/2025

Hands down, an epic day yesterday!

I got to watch one of my all-time favorite athletes – .oliphant – play in the Army vs. Air Force hockey game.

Holt’s one of my first TMG athletes – he’s now a firstie and team captain with

I first started working with him when he was a standout at Lawrence Academy in MA.

I then worked with Holt in junior hockey with the in the .

I’ve also worked with his younger brother Mack, who is now a senior defenseman at .

Holt’s girlfriend, a lax team captain at Arizona State, is another TMG alumna!

I can remember strategizing with him when Air Force’s coaches were coming to watch him in junior hockey.

We would regularly connect throughout his time at the Academy, including when Holt was a freshman and trying to make a name for himself on the team.

And what a name he’s made for himself.

After being named an assistant captain his junior year, Holt’s wearing the C his senior year.

He has 2 game-winners in his collegiate career.

The first was against #8 Michigan State.

The second against Army.

Holt is one of the grittiest, most intense players I’ve ever been blessed to coach. A true throwback.

Not just a team-first guy.

Holt’s a team-ALWAYS guy.

When Holt graduates this summer and goes to flight school, he hopes to fly the F-22, one of the world’s most advanced aircraft.

I asked his mom how she felt about that.

“There’s nobody I’d want defending our country than Holt, and he’ll attack it like he has everything else in his life.”

Boom.

I also got to spend time with , a TMG alum and plebe on the wrestling team, who walked up from the barracks after hearing we were there. Legend!

And my daughter got to meet Holt’s parents, including Amy who was HER mental performance coach! Shout out to !

While awaiting Holt, Richard Vince, one of my former West Point students came up to introduce me to his wife, Briana, who is teaching at !

On top of all that, I got to spend QT with my daughter, the one and only Schmoops!

Proud to introduce her to these legends, and proud that these legends met her!

21/11/2025

It was a privilege to talk and to students.

My former CTC colleague and friend is crushing it at BYU and was gracious enough to invite me to speak to his students.

In addition to sharing my experiences briefing the nation’s most senior leaders in the U.S government and military, I also talked about serving as an executive coach for general officers and Senior Service Executives in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

As the CTC Director, I made every mistake in the book when it came to understanding the needs of senior leaders in the U.S. national security space and how they thought.

Just ask my teammates!

But in making those mistakes, I am well-positioned to impart some useful advice to those who might be interested in pursuing a professional career in the U.S. national security enterprise.

I talked about the importance of learning:

✅ The power and mobility of the security clearance (aka W***y Wonka’s golden ticket)

✅ How to listen (so much of our success depends on asking the right questions and really listening to the answers)

✅ Learning how to write well, and how to write in the style of your boss(es)

✅ Learning how to read the room (like reading the principal’s body language)

✅ Learning human behavior, org culture, and politics

✅ Learning when to take your shot (and maybe more important, when not to)

✅ Learning when to speak truth to power (like when their instructor told me my work wasn’t good enough to publish… and he was right)

And my most IMPORTANT advice?

Watching Ken Burns’ The American Revolution documentary on PBS.

Amazing to see so many of today’s national security challenges and dilemmas reflected in that period.

Thank you, Dan, for the opportunity to engage with your students!

20/11/2025

Congrats to for dominating the post-season 🏐 awards.

ASUN Player of the Year: Emilee Hill

Defensive Player of the Year: Cassidy Trahan

Freshmen of the Year: Addision Burke

Also shout out to AG Hynes and Carson Ledford who made the 2nd and 3rd Team All-ASUN as well!

I’ll be rooting for this squad in the ASUN tournament that starts today!