Skull Sessions
A Mental Fitness and Leadership Podcast
Join host Coach Andy Riise as he breaks down the art and science of kicking ass between the ears. Exploring resilient leadership, performance under pressure, and how to consistently train your brain to lead, grow, and win from within - through honest conversations with leaders, high performers, experts, and everyday heroes like you.
Our Host
Andy Riise (pronounced Reece) is a trusted mental performance and leadership coach, keynote speaker, author, and educator.
A West Point graduate, former Army football player, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he brings more than three decades of experience leading Soldiers in combat, teaching in higher education, and working with athletes, leaders, and teams under pressure. With an advanced degree in Sport and Performance Psychology, Andy blends behavioral science, lived experience, and practical tools—bringing a service-minded, humanistic approach marked by high energy, curiosity, and humor.
Full Bio & Speaker Kit: andyriise.com
Our Host
Andy Riise (pronounced Reece) is a trusted mental performance and leadership coach, keynote speaker, author, and educator.
A West Point graduate, former Army football player, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he brings more than three decades of experience leading Soldiers in combat, teaching in higher education, and working with athletes, leaders, and teams under pressure. With an advanced degree in Sport and Performance Psychology, Andy blends behavioral science, lived experience, and practical tools—bringing a service-minded, humanistic approach marked by high energy, curiosity, and humor.
Full Bio & Speaker Kit: andyriise.com
Vision
Skull Sessions exists to integrate mental fitness and leadership training into daily practice, allowing more people to consistently kick ass between their ears.
We believe that high quality mental fitness and leadership training resources shouldn’t be exclusive to elite performers, senior executives, and organizations with special access.
Democratizing means making mental fitness and leadership accessible to more people earlier in their careers and lives. It also means providing evidence-based, reliable, practical, and actionable information to anyone who wants to improve, without jargon, barriers, or b.s.
Normalizing means we aim to remove the negative stigma associated with the term "mental." We want to treat mental training like physical training: something you intentionally and consistently practice, especially when faced with challenges, changes and uncertai
Mission
How We’re Different
Not all podcasts are created equal in terms of quality. Skull Sessions isn’t about pop psychology, quick fixes, or trendy opinions. It also avoids long conversations that go nowhere. We respect your time.
Each episode examines the what, the so what, and—most importantly—the now what. We highlight practical points you can use immediately. You can take what’s useful, put it into action, and move forward with purpose and clarity.
Origin Story
Andy Riise and co-founder Nate Last joined forces in 2023 as mental performance coaches. They believed there was a better way to teach mental fitness and leadership through the stories of real performers who have faced pressure. After years of working together on different projects, including co-authoring the best selling book Deliberate Discomfort, they launched Skull Sessions Podcast to make practical and straightforward mental training available to more people earlier in their lives and careers.
Nate Last was the co-host during the podcast’s first season and will always be part of the Skull Sessions story. Based in the greater Salt Lake City area, he continues to support athletes, parents, and coaches to help them perform with clarity, confidence, and purpose..
Why Skull Sessions?
The name Skull Sessions reflects the idea of a pep rally, a time when people come together to focus, energize, and prepare for a big performance. It also captures the practice of gathering to think deeply, share views, and brainstorm ideas that help individuals perform better when it counts.
The podcast’s tagline honors Nate Zinsser, known to many as “Doc Z.” He is a pioneer in Sport and Performance Psychology and a mentor to Andy as a Cadet and later instructor at the West Point Center for Enhanced Performance. Doc Z famously described mental training as “the art and science of kicking ass between the ears” which always resonated with a variety of audiences.
Why Skull Sessions?
Andy Riise (pronounced Reece) is a trusted mental performance and leadership coach, keynote speaker, author, and educator.
A West Point graduate, former Army football player, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he brings more than three decades of experience leading Soldiers in combat, teaching in higher education, and working with athletes, leaders, and teams under pressure. With an advanced degree in Sport and Performance Psychology, Andy blends behavioral science, lived experience, and practical tools—bringing a service-minded, humanistic approach marked by high energy, curiosity, and humor.
Full Bio & Speaker Kit: andyriise.com