World-Renowned Sports Psychologist Jeff Troesch: What It Takes to Be Great, the "It Factor," & Why You Don't Actually Want to Be an Olympian

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Sports, Running

4.9 • 821 Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For nearly 40 years, Jeff Troesch has worked behind the scenes with NBA players, MLB All-Stars, Olympic medalists, and national championship programs.

He's coached athletes at every Olympic Games since 1988, helped shape the mental systems at IMG Academy, and consulted for USA Track & Field.

In 2025, he distilled 150 mental performance lessons into one book: One Day Better.

Jeff doesn't preach positive thinking, he teaches neutral thinking. His approach encourages athletes to define what "one day better" looks like for each specific session, preventing the overwhelm that comes from fixating on long-term goals. Adaily decision, not a distant destination.

Jeff’s career path wasn't linear. After a marketing degree from Washington State University and four years as Media Relations Director for the Seattle SuperSonics, he returned to school for an advanced degree in sports psychology. He launched his performance career in 1987 as an NBA consultant, later expanding into MLB with the Mariners and Tigers.

"One Day Better" isn't a slogan: it's a system. Whether you're chasing an Olympic Trials qualifier, a high school PR, or just trying to stay consistent when life feels chaotic, the mental game is the game.

You don't need to win the season today. You just need to win the day.

Tap into the Jeff Troesch Special.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Most athletes think mental performance is about staying positive, but it's not.
0:04.7	Today's guest, Jeff Troach, has spent 40 years and worked with Olympians at every Olympic
0:09.5	Games since 1988, one of the craziest facts I've ever heard of on the podcast,
0:14.3	proving that the athletes who reach the promised land aren't the ones who hate failure less.
0:18.4	They're the ones who use it better.
0:20.1	Today breaks down exactly how.
0:21.9	If you get this right, everything changes, your training, your races, your entire relationship
0:26.1	with the sport. If this episode helps you, do one thing, share it with a friend. Give us a five-star
0:31.1	review and make sure you are subscribed to the show. On the back end, it shows a majority of
0:35.4	you listening or not subscribe. So whether you're listening on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, please subscribe so you don't miss more conversations like this in the future.
0:43.0	It takes literally five to ten seconds.
0:45.3	I hope you all enjoy this conversation.
0:46.9	It was remarkably impactful for me.
0:48.8	And as I said, a minute ago, it will give you the tools to be better at mental performance.
0:53.3	And that will ultimately benefit your training and your racing.
0:56.2	So without further ado, I will no longer stand in the way between me and the knowledge
1:00.4	of the legend himself, sports psychologist Jeff Troach.
1:10.0	Jeff Troach, you've worked with countless athletes, Olympians, nearly every level, every sport I'm reading about.
1:19.1	What's the number one key defining characteristic of the most successful people you've worked with throughout the years?
1:26.5	Wow.
1:27.3	We're going to start out of the gate with that one, huh?
1:29.4	Okay.
	...

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