Recent Episodes
65
Nov. 10, 2026
Sean Travers on Building a True High-Performance Program
Sean Travers, founder of Tigers' High Performance Program in Ontario, Canada, discusses his journey from the Ontario Blue Jays to creating a high-performance baseball program. We discussed what it takes to build a high-performance baseball program with Sean Travers, founder and director of Tigers HPP in Ontario. Sean shares why he brought his baseball program to the Mississauga North Tigers and how it grew from two teams to ten. We discuss the culture of internal competition, player development,
64
Oct. 28, 2026
“Come Back When You Grow Up” Jeff Frye on The Mental Resilience Needed To Reach Your Dreams
Host Todd Arkell sits down with a 30th-round MLB pick with a $2,000 signing bonus, a 5'9", 155-pound infielder who spent his early years just trying not to get exposed. Jeff Frye went on to play parts of eight big league seasons with the Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, and Blue Jays, finishing with a .290 career average over 666 games. Today he’s one of baseball’s most outspoken voices, the leader of “She Gone Nation,” and he’s heading back to the dugout as a coach this summer. In this episode, Jeff
63
Oct. 13, 2026
Travel Baseball Spotlight - Inside The Culture of the Okotoks Dawgs with Tyler Hollick
This is the first in the series profiling some of the top Travel Baseball programs in North America. In this episode of The Mental Approach, host Todd Arkell sits down with Tyler Hollick, former JUCO standout, MLB draft pick, and current President of Baseball Operations for the Okotoks Dawgs. Tyler shares his baseball journey from starting his collegiate career 0-for-38 to becoming the Junior College National Player of the Year. He dives deep into the mental performance, culture, and high-level
62
Sept. 29, 2026
Pay-to-Play Childhood: The $40 Billion Youth Sports Problem with Victor Bergonzoli
Youth sports has become a nearly $40 billion industry in North America, bigger than the NFL. Private equity is buying up leagues, tournaments, and rankings while five-year-olds get "scouted." In this episode, host Todd Arkell sits down with Victor Bergonzoli, who spent a decade building elite performance-tracking tech at Dartfish (used by Olympic broadcasters and athletes like Novak Djokovic) before pivoting to lead Sports Ed TV, a platform that gives away high-level coaching content for free.
61
Sept. 15, 2026
Building Champions On and Off the Ice: OHL & Memorial Cup Success with Jeff Kyrzakos
In this episode of The Mental Approach, host Todd Arkell sits down with Jeff Kyrzakos, freshly named the 26th Head Coach of the Kitchener Rangers following their dual championship run to capture both the OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup. Drawing on over a decade of coaching experience and his own journey as a player through the OHL, NCAA, and professional ranks, Kyrzakos shares valuable insights into the evolving landscape of junior hockey. He breaks down how coaches can cultivate resilien
60
Sept. 1, 2026
Outwork Your Fears: What Top College Baseball Recruits Do Differently with Jake Valentine
Jake Valentine is the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator for University of Michigan Baseball, and we unpack the mental side of college recruiting. We talk about why every recruiting journey is unique, the four core principles Jake believes should guide school selection (academics, people, opportunity, and finances), and how social media, recruitment services, and showcases really factor into a player’s future. Jake shares what coaches quietly notice about athletes and parents—on vis