All episodes

In this episode of Going Mental, Olympic champion and Ironman legend Jan Frodeno sits down with Max Martin, CEO of the Enhanced Games, for one of the most controversial conversations in modern sport.

Together they explore whether the current anti-doping system is outdated, why Enhanced Games believes athletes should have the freedom to compete using medically supervised performance enhancement, and whether science should redefine what's possible in elite competition.

Jan challenges Max on athlete safety, ethics, fairness, longevity, recovery, sponsorship, financial incentives and the true meaning of pushing human performance. The discussion goes far beyond doping, touching on recovery, testosterone,...

Ultra running is often romanticized, but elite trail runner and physicist Francesco Puppi looks at 100-mile races through the lens of pure logic. Fresh off an incredible podium finish at the Western States 100, Francesco joins Jan Frodeno to strip away the sugar-coated heroism of endurance sports and reveal what it truly takes to survive the pain cave. From the psychological negotiation with extreme physical agony to the bittersweet reality of being handed two world titles months late due to doping cheaters, this conversation exposes the raw mindset needed to conquer the extreme limits of performance. Discover why real mental...

Sam Laidlow has just rewritten triathlon history.

Fresh off his record-breaking victory at DATEV Challenge Roth, the French triathlon superstar joins Jan Frodeno for an exclusive conversation on Going Mental.

Recorded less than 24 hours after becoming the fastest athlete ever over the full-distance triathlon, Sam opens up about the mindset behind his historic performance, the relentless pursuit of greatness, dealing with pressure, building an elite team, confidence, setbacks and why questioning conventional wisdom became his greatest competitive advantage.

With Challenge Roth once again at the center of the triathlon world, this conversation offers a rare look inside the mind...

In this episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with one of triathlon’s most iconic and polarizing figures: Chris “Macca” McCormack — 2x Ironman World Champion, 6x Triathlete of the Year, and one of the sport’s greatest storytellers.

From the fierce Kona battles against Norman Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan to the psychological warfare, self-doubt and relentless determination that defined his career, Macca opens up like never before.

Together, Jan and Macca explore the mindset behind elite performance, handling failure on the biggest stage and why the mental battle is often harder than the physical one. They also dive into...

Fresh off one of the most remarkable victories in professional cycling, Demi Vollering joins Going Mental to unpack the mindset behind her dramatic Giro d'Italia Women comeback. Just days after completing an extraordinary Grand Tour triple, Demi opens up about the final stage that changed everything, why she was willing to risk losing her podium place to win it all and the mentality that allows her to thrive when the pressure is at its highest.

Jan and Demi dive into the defining moments of her career, including racing with a broken back at the Tour de France Femmes, dealing with...

Scott DeRue has climbed Mount Everest, completed the Seven Summits, led global businesses through crisis and now serves as CEO of Ironman.

In this episode of Going Mental, Scott shares the leadership lessons he learned on the world's highest mountain, why reaching the summit is often the easy part and how high performers navigate uncertainty, risk, and pressure.

We dive into Scott's journey from a small town in North Carolina to becoming a professor, business leader, Everest climber and ultimately the CEO of Ironman. Along the way, we explore purpose, resilience, decision-making under extreme conditions and why the most meaningful...

What does it take to win Olympic gold after breaking your collarbone
just weeks before the Games?

In this episode of FRODENO GOING MENTAL, Jan Frodeno sits down with Tom Pidcock. The two-time Olympic Champion, Tour de France stage winner, Cyclocross World Champion and one of the most exciting riders in professional cycling reveals the mindset that helped him recover from devastating injuries, manage chronic knee pain and perform under immense pressure.

He explains why he walked away from one of cycling's biggest teams, how
he rebuilt confidence with his new team and what the Tour de France is
really...

In this episode, Jan opens up a deeply personal chapter by sitting down with his own sports psychologist, Henning Thrien. Henning has spent the last 15 years working at the intersection of human vulnerability and elite performance, including guiding athletes through the high-pressure cooker of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pulling back the curtain on the raw emotional reality of world-class sports, he shares fascinating, extreme insights from his practice.

Jan and Henning discuss Henning’s self-definition of being a "mental trash can" for performers, why true growth is fundamentally impossible without embracing discomfort, and how the greatest champions handle the...

Olympic Champion and MTB legend Nino Schurter joins Going Mental for a deep conversation about pressure, flow, motivation and longevity.

Nino reflects on a career that shaped modern mountain biking. From Olympic gold and World Championship titles to the mental challenges of staying on top for over two decades.

A fascinating conversation about mindset, resilience and what truly drives champions.

Enjoy!

In todays episode of Going Mental, Jan Frodeno sits down with cycling world record holder Vittoria Bussi. The first woman in history to ride more than 50 kilometers in one hour. But Vittoria’s story goes far beyond cycling.

A former Oxford PhD mathematician, Vittoria shares how losing her father changed the direction of her life, how she turned pain into performance and why obsession became her greatest strength.

Vittoria also explains how she built her own independent project outside traditional cycling structures, why she repeated one-hour simulations every single week in training and what it really feels like to push...