
Controlling Your Controllables with Mike Monaco
From Wrestling Mindset by Wrestling Mindset
November 21, 2025 · 30 min
About this episode
Gene Zannetti discusses the pressures young wrestlers face and the importance of wrestling for oneself with Coach Mike Monaco.
Gene Zannetti talks with Woodbridge High School Head Coach Mike Monaco about kids wrestling to avoid disappointing parents instead of for themselves, how social media creates unrealistic expectations at young ages, and why there's no better feeling than being the underdog who lets it fly. Timestamps: 2:03 - Parental pressure and wrestling for yourself 5:44 - Professional-level coaching from a young age 7:27 - Learning from losses even when you do everything right 10:19 - Weight management and discipline 13:25 - Wrestling community brings different people together 19:06 - The sport is growing 21:14 - Being the 10 seed with nothing to lose 25:00 - Loading up districts and wrestling the best 🎯 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…
People in this episode
Host: Gene Zannetti
Guest: Mike Monaco
Topics covered
- parental pressure
- youth wrestling
- social media expectations
- underdog mentality
- weight management
- wrestling community
- sport growth
Keywords
- wrestling
- parental pressure
- social media
- underdog
- weight management
- youth sports
- coaching
Sponsors
Eat Clean Bro, Champion Athletes Sports Nutrition
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