Build Mental Toughness & Perform Under Pressure | Dr. Lenny Wiersma
From Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin by Scicomm Media
April 15, 2026 · 2h 20m · Episode 23
About this episode
Dr. Lenny Wiersma discusses the psychology of performing under pressure and the misconceptions surrounding fear in high-stakes situations.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lenny Wiersma — one of the most respected and quietly influential figures in sports psychology — for a conversation on what it actually takes to perform when the stakes are highest. A professor for over 25 years and a highly published scientist, We discuss Alex Honnold's recent skyscraper climb and unpack what's really happening psychologically at the absolute edge of human performance, including why the "he just doesn't feel fear" narrative is both academically wrong and deeply unfair to what Honnold has actually built. From there, we draw on Lenny's work with major league baseball players, UFC fighters, big wave surfers, and extreme athletes of all kinds to go deep on confidence versus belief, why the positive/negative self-talk distinction is the wrong frame entirely, how psychological distancing changes your internal dialogue, and what visualization actually requires to transfer under pressure. Lenny also walks through his 3-2-1 reflection tool, the critical difference between emotional control and emotional regulation, what the best coaches do in high-stakes moments, and how biofeedback gives athletes a real physiological window into…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Andy Galpin
Guest: Dr. Lenny Wiersma
Topics covered
- mental toughness
- sports psychology
- performance under pressure
- self-talk
- visualization
- emotional regulation
Keywords
- mental toughness
- sports psychology
- performance
- self-talk
- visualization
- emotional regulation
- biofeedback
Sponsors
Momentous, Eight Sleep
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