State of the Podcast 2026: Finding Our “Why” and What’s Next
If you've been listening to The Mentally Fit Athlete, you may have noticed we've slowed down a bit.
That wasn't exactly the plan.
Life gets busy. Clinical work gets busy. Sometimes there simply aren't enough hours in the day to record, edit, write articles, and do everything else that goes into running a podcast.
So instead of pretending everything was business as usual, Lydia Garcia, MSW, and I decided to have a conversation about it.
The full episode is embedded above.
Rather than discussing a specific mental skills topic, we talked about why we started the podcast, what's working, what's not, and where we'd like to go from here. Somewhere along the way, it turned into a conversation about something much bigger than podcasting.
It became a conversation about finding your "why," being willing to experiment, and giving yourself permission to grow.
Why start a podcast in the first place?
Lidia asked me a simple question.
Why did I start this podcast?
The answer wasn't particularly complicated.
I like creating things.
I like talking with interesting people.
Podcasting gives me an excuse to slow down, have conversations I probably wouldn't have otherwise, and hopefully put something useful into the world. If someone has a question about performance anxiety, OCD, confidence, or mental skills, maybe they'll stumble across one of our episodes and find something that helps.
Of course, if someone decides they'd like to work with me afterward, that's wonderful.
But that's never been the main reason I wanted to do this.
I think athletes run into something similar.
Sometimes we become so focused on outcomes that we lose sight of why we started in the first place. Scholarships. Playing time. Rankings. Statistics. Those things matter, but they're usually not what got us into the sport.
For most of us, it started because it was fun.
One thing I appreciate about sport psychology
One of the ideas Lydia brought up is something I've been thinking about for a while.
These conversations aren't really just about athletes.
They're about performance.
Sure, we work with athletes. But many of the same mental skills show up in dance, theater, music, debate, public speaking, and countless other situations where people perform under pressure.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy clinical sport psychology so much.
The lessons don't stay on the field.
I don't always know exactly where things are going
One thing I admitted during the conversation is that I don't have some giant master plan.
People sometimes ask what the goal is.
Honestly?
I enjoy doing this.
Would I like the podcast to grow? Absolutely.
Would I like it to become a resource that athletes, parents, coaches, and other providers regularly use? Of course.
Would I love for it to lead to more workshops, writing opportunities, and conversations? Definitely.
But I don't wake up every morning thinking about download numbers.
I'm much more interested in making something that feels worthwhile.
The rest can come later.
Experimenting instead of trying to get it perfect
Something else that came up during our conversation reminded me a lot of improv comedy.
Before becoming a psychologist, I spent years doing improv. I still use improv games when teaching mental skills to athletes because they're a surprisingly effective way to practice attention, flexibility, self-talk, and staying present.
One of the lessons improv teaches is that you don't have to get everything right on the first try.
You try something.
You see what happens.
You adjust.
In the episode, Lidia and I kicked around all kinds of ideas.
Maybe we answer more listener questions.
Maybe we have recurring segments.
Maybe we bring on more guests.
Maybe we create more YouTube Shorts.
Maybe some episodes stay structured while others are simply conversations.
We don't know yet.
And I actually think that's okay.
Athletes often feel like they need the perfect training plan before they begin.
Sometimes it's enough to begin, pay attention, and adjust as you go.
Creativity first
If you've followed my work for a while, this probably won't surprise you.
Marketing is not my favorite part of having a private practice.
Creating is.
I enjoy writing articles.
I enjoy recording podcasts.
I enjoy teaching workshops.
Social media?
That's a little more complicated.
During the episode, we talked about trying to find a way to share more of our work without turning it into something that feels draining. For me, that probably means continuing to create first and worrying less about chasing every new trend.
Ironically, I think that's often true in sports as well.
When athletes become consumed by outcomes, they usually stop enjoying the process that helped them improve in the first place.
What's next?
One thing Lidia and I both agreed on is that we'd like to be more consistent.
We're planning to answer more listener questions, experiment with shorter episodes and YouTube Shorts, and continue exploring topics that athletes, performers, coaches, and parents are actually curious about.
There are also plenty of subjects we've only begun to scratch the surface on, including anxiety, OCD, confidence, perfectionism, injury recovery, women in sport, and the changing landscape of athletics.
If there's a topic you'd like us to cover, let us know.
Some of our favorite episodes have started with a simple question.
Watch the full conversation
If you'd like to hear the entire discussion, the full episode is embedded at the top of this page.
It's a little more reflective than our usual episodes, but I hope it gives you a better sense of where we're headed and why we're excited to keep creating.
Looking for support?
If you're an athlete or performer struggling with anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, insomnia, or performance pressure, I'd be happy to help.
I provide clinical sport psychology for athletes and performers throughout California via secure telehealth, and I also work with teams throughout Southern California.
If you're looking for support in your area, you can learn more here:
Los Angeles: Learn more about clinical sport psychology for athletes throughout Los Angeles.
Long Beach: Learn more about working with me from Long Beach and the surrounding communities.
South Bay: Learn more about clinical sport psychology for athletes and performers in the South Bay.
If it sounds like we'd be a good fit, feel free to schedule a consultation. I'd be happy to learn more about your goals and answer any questions you have.