Stay ConnectedWelcome to the Wrestling Mindset podcast, hosted by the nation’s leading authority on wrestling specific mindset training. On this podcast you’ll find a mix of interviews with Mindset Mike & company, keynote speeches and mindset training with Co-Founders Gene and Jeff Zannetti. Visit our website to learn more at https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
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Gene Zannetti talks with Ridge High School Head Coach Roy Dragon about the widening gap in high school wrestling, doing more than the top kids to close the distance, and why being a great person comes before being a great wrestler.
Timestamps:
3:49 - The evolution of New Jersey wrestling talent
5:54 - Doing more than the top kids to close the gap
7:17 - Social media's impact on young wrestlers
10:34 - Watching and learning from elite wrestlers
12:20 - The tight-knit wrestling community of the past
16:06 - Public school mindset and representing your town
20:06 - Creating great people first, wrestlers second
21:45 - Wrestling is the toughest sport for parents too
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with Warren Hills Head Coach K.C. Wanamaker about the importance of training your mind as much as your body, succeeding at public schools without making excuses, and why it's less about where you go and more about what you do when you're there.
Timestamps:
3:04 - Believe in yourself and train your mind
4:17 - Wishing he had mindset training as an athlete
8:18 - It's less about where you go, more about what you do
9:00 - Building a high-level public school program
11:44 - Stop making excuses and comparing to others
15:03 - Competing against local powerhouse programs
17:16 - Where athletes train and club opportunities
19:29 - Building youth wrestling
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti reconnects with longtime friend and teammate Matt Stanzione, Head Coach of Mountain Lakes High School Wrestling, to talk about the highs and lows of coaching, the evolution of youth sports, and the lessons wrestling teaches far beyond the mat. From childhood memories and rivalry stories to navigating setbacks as a coach, this episode dives into why persistence, relationships, and resilience matter most.
Timestamps:
3:40 – Growing up teammates: football, baseball, wrestling, and more
7:55 – Starting a coaching career while still in college
13:22 – Building the Mountain Lakes program and early struggles
18:48 – Stepping away after a low point and learning perspective
25:10 – Coming back as head coach with renewed purpose
32:14 – Balancing family, teaching, and coaching for 20+ years
40:28 – The importance of multi-sport athletes and avoiding burnout
47:15 – How COVID impacted feeder programs and rebuilding numbers
53:20 – Why wrestling makes everything else in life feel easier
1:05:44 – The power of rivalries, friendships, and lifelong lessons from the sport
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with Parsippany Hills Head Coach Chris Wells about overcoming adversity in wrestling, how social media affects young athletes, and why building great human beings matters more than just winning matches.
Timestamps:
4:03 - The importance of mindset in competition
8:16 - College struggles and rock bottom moments
10:20 - Parents' unconditional support changing everything
12:06 - Learning from losses more than wins
15:27 - Wrestling the same opponent repeatedly
17:06 - What the mind can overcome vs. hold us back from
20:14 - Fear of failure leading to self-sabotage
24:40 - Social media's impact on young wrestlers
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with Coach John Azevado about the vocation of being a coach, the importance of pressure on wrestlers and their opponents, and why we change our mentality when wrestling a bigger name than us.
Timestamps:
6:45 - Showing freestyle to Kalika
10:43 - Coaching from multiple perspectives
13:03 - The vocation of being a coach
15:34 - Wrestling culture on the East vs the West coast
17:37 - Importance of pressure
24:45 - How your pressure affects your opponent
27:08 - Why we change mentality when we wrestle big names
32:23 - The importance of faith
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with Donnie DeFillipis about wrestling parents and how easily they lift up or bring down their kids without even knowing it. They discuss the messages parents send, how coaching the parents can help, and why it's so important to show their kids that they are learning with them too.
Timestamps:
1:15 - Parents are there to help
10:05 - What messages are you sending your kids
12:38 - There is a wrestling club on every corner
15:58 - Listening to other parents more than coaches
20:40 - Parents can't control themselves
30:30 - Get better while having fun
41:44 - Parents, admit when you're wrong
45:46 - What's the best part of having a kid?
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on...
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9...
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with World Champion Avtandil Kentchadze about his pressure-forward mindset, the training differences between the US and Russia, and the impact Coach Valentin has had on him.
Timestamps:
1:42 - Coach Valentin's impact
4:58 - Pressure forward
6:24 - Wrestling beginnings
8:32 - Developing mindset
11:50 - Everyone's system is different
15:31 - American vs European style
17:40 - Training in Russia
20:16 - Competing at 86kg
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with University of Pennsylvania Head Coach Matt Valenti about David Pottruck's $20 million donation to Penn, how this will impact facilities and training, and what the plans are for the team going forward.
Timestamps:
1:42 - Stake in the ground moment
5:20 - Allocating funds
9:00 - Impacting training centers
14:20 - The best wrestlers don't need the best facilities
15:34 - Where the team is going
18:58 - What colleges bring to the table
21:34 - Penn history
26:01 - New facilities
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with US Olympic Coach Valentin Kalika about how it's harder to shift from Freestyle to Greco, why a Greco wrestler needs to have an engineer's mind, and why Judo is technically not wrestling.
Timestamps:
2:02 - Greco to Freestyle is an easier shift
12:03 - A Greco mind needs to be like an engineer
21:43 - Positions and angles
25:29 - Tips for applying pressure
34:00 - Mechanical difficulties in Freestyle
38:42 - Judo is not wrestling
43:47 - The best at applying pressure
51:55 - Wrestling with a system
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gene Zannetti talks with Yianni Diakomihalis about losing and how it indicates the need to revisit and recorrect some minor issues. They talk about going up a weight class, the pros and cons of over- and underplanning, and touch on the topic of cutting weight and that it's not always the answer to a wrestler's problems
Timestamps:
2:23 - Teaching at wrestling camps
5:48 - Get in there and feel it
11:09 - Thinking it through
15:50 - Over and underplanning
20:15 - Going up a weight class
25:55 - Cutting weight is not always the answer
32:31 - Navigating mindset through matches
39:53 - A loss doesn't mean everything is off
🎯 This episode is sponsored by:
🥗 Eat Clean Bro – eatcleanbro.com
Use code MINDSET for 15% off your order
💪 Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition – champion-athletes.com
Use code MINDSET25 for a special discount
Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and go through the archives to hear more great episodes.
If you want to support the podcast, please leave a 5-star rating & review on Apple Podcasts.
For all partnership and sponsorship inquiries, email mindset@wrestlingmindset.com
🎙Stay connected with Wrestling Mindset
🔗 Visit our website: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/
📞 Book a free consultation: https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Wrestling Mindset Social Media
Instagram: / wrestlingmindset
Facebook: / wrestlingmindset
Twitter: / wrestlingmindse
🎧 Listen to our podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/65xcqo9ZdPY36HeQOltPUI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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