Featured highlight
Stress & College Athletics
What Keeps College Athletes Going
Joe Walsmith · Brown University
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Conversations with Ana
What happens when the pressure rises?
Conversations with athletes, coaches, psychologists and performance experts about competition, confidence, recovery and the way culture shapes all of it.
Decoding the Arena
Pressure.
Performance.
Perspective.
Performance.
Perspective.
Highlights
Start with a short highlight
These are brief excerpts from the full conversations. Choose a highlight below, then open the complete interview when you want to hear more.
Sports Psychology
What Athletes Carry Behind Closed Doors
Dr. Tyler Webster
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Division I Rugby
Pressure Without the Padding
Tate Muller
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Paralympic Athlete & Coach
What Adaptation Really Looks Like
Steven Toyoji
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Professional Performance
What the Data Sees Before You Feel It
Marques Cardiel
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Player Performance
What the Pros Know That Youth Can Borrow
Colin Cahill
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Sports Psychology
Playing Freely When the Moment Is Biggest
Jeff Greenwald
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Professional Tennis
The Jump From College to Pro
Zander Bravo
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Sleep & Recovery
How Sleep Supports Performance
Joe Walsmith · Brown University
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All Conversations
Explore the series
Browse the guests below, watch their highlights and open the full conversations when you want to hear more.
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Paralympic Athlete & Coach
Steven Toyoji
What Adaptation Really Looks Like
The Riekes Center
Adaptation
Setbacks
Mindset
Joy
Resilience
A Paralympic athlete who competed internationally and now works with young athletes at The Riekes Center.
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Clinical Psychologist & Associate Athletic Director
Dr. Tyler Webster
What Athletes Carry Behind Closed Doors
Student Success and Performance · Menlo School
Pressure
Confidence
Asking for Help
Self-Talk
A licensed clinical psychologist and experienced leader in counseling, student success and athlete performance. Dr. Webster previously worked with Division I athletes at Santa Clara University and played basketball at UCLA.
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Division I Rugby Player
Tate Muller
Pressure Without the Padding
Full-Contact Pressure
Burnout
Concussion Recovery
International Competition
Tate grew up in Dubai, was named Player of the Year and Vice Captain at Dubai College, and represented the UAE on the U18 and U20 national rugby teams before moving to the United States to compete in Division I rugby in the Ivy League.
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Head Performance Coach
Marques Cardiel
What the Data Sees Before You Feel It
Oakland Roots Soccer Club
Performance Data
Athlete Feedback
Readiness
Mind + Body
At the time of this conversation, Marques was the Head Performance Coach for Oakland Roots Sports Club and preparing to join Bay FC. He combines performance data with direct observation and athlete communication.
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Director of Sports Performance
Joe Walsmith
How a College Program Builds Mental Durability
Brown University
College Sports
Sleep
Recovery
Nutrition
Works with collegiate athletes on performance, integrating physical preparation with athlete wellness and mental durability.
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STRESS · WHAT KEEPS COLLEGE ATHLETES GOING
SLEEP · HOW RECOVERY SUPPORTS PERFORMANCE
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Senior Leader—Player Performance
Colin Cahill
What the Pros Know That Youth Can Borrow
Former San Francisco Giants
Professional Sports
Sports Science
Technology
Player Wellness
A senior leader in Major League Baseball player performance and wellness with experience spanning sports medicine, sports science and technology.
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Sports Psychology Consultant & Author
Jeff Greenwald
Playing Freely When the Moment Is Biggest
Fearless Tennis
Match Anxiety
Confidence
Pressure
Between-Point Routines
Licensed therapist, sports psychology consultant, author and former professional player who helps athletes compete more freely.
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Professional Tennis Player
Zander Bravo
The Jump From College to Pro
College Tennis
Going Pro
Pressure
School + Sport
A former Division I college tennis player who recently transitioned from collegiate tennis to the professional tour.
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Lindsey Yang
Division I Gymnast
COMING SOON
Lindsey Yang
When Perfection Is Built Into the Sport
Brown University
Perfectionism
Fear
Judged Sports
Team Competition
A Division I gymnast with firsthand experience of judged sport, perfectionism, injury, team competition and high-pressure routines. Ana’s sister.
John Hubbell
Hall of Fame Tennis Coach
COMING SOON
John Hubbell
Reading Pressure From the Sideline
USTA Northern California
Coaching
Body Language
Mental Toughness
Junior Development
A USTA Northern California Hall of Fame coach with more than four decades of experience and Ana’s coach for more than six years.
Meet Ana: Why I Created Decoding the Arena
About Ana
Curious about what pressure changes.
Ana Yang is a student-athlete and tennis player curious about why two athletes can face the same pressure—and experience it completely differently.
That question led her to explore how culture, family, expectations and identity shape performance, and eventually to conversations with athletes, coaches, psychologists and performance experts.
Performance is where pressure meets culture.
Watch Ana's introduction →