In this episode of the Skull Sessions Podcast, retired Navy SEAL Master Chief Stephen Drum joins Andy Riise and Nate Last to unpack what it really means to stay mentally strong when life gets hard. From surviving the intensity of BUD/S training and combat deployments to helping build the Navy’s Warrior Toughness Program, Stephen shares hard-earned lessons on resilience, emotional regulation, leadership, identity, and handling pressure without losing yourself in the process. This conversation goes beyond military stories and dives into practical mental performance tools that apply to business, relationships, parenting, and everyday life.

Pressure, failure, confidence, and resilience—this episode of the Skull Sessions Podcast dives deep into the mental side of performance with co-host Nate Last. As the CEO of a premier mental performance training firm and an expert in performance psychology and leadership development, Nate shares his journey from struggling with performance anxiety and self-doubt to helping athletes, leaders, and teams unlock their full potential. Together, Andy Riise and Nate explore the realities of mental toughness, entrepreneurship, identity, and learning how to perform under pressure without losing yourself in the process. This honest conversation offers practical insights and powerful lessons for anyone striving to grow through adversity and build lasting mental grit.

In this episode of the Skull Sessions Podcast, Andy Riise and Nate Last talk with Valerie Alston, a former Division I softball player and Certified Mental Performance Consultant with over 15 years of experience helping athletes, soldiers, and leaders build resilience and mental toughness. Valerie shares practical strategies for performing under pressure, developing strong mental habits, and creating environments that support growth and confidence, while also discussing the important role parents and coaches play in shaping young athletes.

In this powerful episode of Skull Sessions, Andy Riise and Nate Last sit down with Patty de Vries (“Oma”), founder of Living Well USA, to explore what it really means to master your mindset and create a life aligned with who you truly are. Patty shares her deeply personal journey—from high-level athletics at Stanford to transformational breakthroughs in mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and self-awareness. Together, they unpack one of the biggest barriers to performance and fulfillment: judgment—of ourselves and others.

In a conversation on resilience, leadership, and high performance, Skull Sessions features Dr. Theresa “Dr. T” Larson—former Marine Corps officer, founder of Movement Rx, and a leading voice in optimizing mental and physical well-being for leaders and teams. She shares her journey through trauma and the lessons that shaped her approach to building resilient, high-performing individuals and organizations.

Skull Sessions welcomes Ryan Johnson—former Green Beret, West Point boxing captain, and co-founder of Bugle. From Special Forces missions to startup leadership, Ryan shares how mental toughness, self-talk, and discipline drive performance, while Andy and Nate explore burnout, leadership, and building scalable impact.

West Point graduate and Army officer turned FinTech co-founder Jay Long joins Skull Sessions to break down building confidence, accelerating learning, and navigating uncertainty from zero to one. Andy and the team explore mental skills, recovery, and resilience—plus how to create the environment needed to perform and lead at a high level.

Skull Sessions kicks off with coach, entrepreneur, and dad of five, Sean Stringham. We dig into building Olympus Aquatics from scratch, launching Game On Live Studio in a pandemic, high-performance parenting, and the mental skills—grit, self-talk, and belief—that help athletes, leaders, and families kick ass between the ears.