When Dr. Zac Bruback talks about performance, he isn’t talking about stats, highlight reels or PRs. He’s talking about the mindset behind all of it, how athletes think, adapt, respond and grow. That curiosity pushed him into counseling psychology and mental performance, eventually bringing him to SPIRE Academy to work with student athletes on mindset training.

“I’ve worked with athletes from youth through professional levels, and the difference-maker is rarely talent alone,” Bruback said. “It’s mindset. It’s how someone thinks and responds under real pressure.”

That belief is what fuels SPIRE Sessions with Dr. Zac Bruback, a new podcast that invites listeners into the conversations and experiences shaping everyday life at SPIRE. Instead of scripted topics or surface-level interviews, the podcast focuses on the culture behind the scenes—the locker-room moments, staff discussions, teaching philosophies and mindset tools that influence the way student athletes grow.

Where the idea started

The concept came from SPIRE’s Head of Content and Media, Adam Taylor, and the marketing team, who wanted a format that could give people an authentic look at how SPIRE thinks about youth development. After hearing Bruback speak during an all-staff meeting, Taylor approached him about hosting.

“He said he felt I’d be a natural facilitator for this kind of conversation,” Bruback said. “That moment really sparked the direction of the show.”

Bruback had never hosted a podcast before, but his background in counseling gave him the foundation he needed: listening, asking good questions and creating space for meaningful dialogue.

What listeners will hear

Each episode explores the philosophies, people and day-to-day decisions that make SPIRE’s environment unique. Upcoming conversations include coaches, teachers, performance staff and guest professionals who shape the student-athlete experience.

The topics range widely, mindset, training habits, culture-building, youth development trends, education models and even the technologies SPIRE uses across campus. But every episode circles back to a single core question: What does it take to develop a well-rounded student athlete?

Bruback hopes the show encourages parents, athletes, coaches and educators to rethink what growth looks like.

“SPIRE’s model is more integrated and more intentional than most people realize,” he said. “If this podcast can help people see that, or spark new conversations about development, then we’ve done our job.”

A deeper purpose

For Bruback, the podcast is another way to highlight the importance of mental performance in sport and in life.

“Skill and talent matter, but mindset determines how consistently someone can express that skill,” he said. “And those same qualities,  resilience, adaptability, self-awareness, show up far beyond athletics.”

More than anything, he hopes the show helps normalize the idea that the mental side of sport isn’t extra or optional, it’s foundational.

Where to listen

SPIRE Sessions with Dr. Zac Bruback is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SPIRE’s YouTube channel. New episodes will drop two to three times a month.

“I hope people walk away inspired to think,” Bruback said. “If an episode helps someone reflect on how they train, learn or show up for others, then it’s worth it.”

Subscribe to SPIRE’s YouTube Channel to stay up to date on SPIRE Sessions with Dr. Zac Bruback.