The Squeeze — “Maddie Mastro: The Mental Game”

Release Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Taylor Lautner
Guest: Maddie Mastro (Olympic Snowboarder)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the mental side of high-performance sports with Olympic snowboarder Maddie Mastro. The discussion revolves around her journey in halfpipe snowboarding, her approach to mental wellness, coping with toxic influences, the psychology of fear and success, and the importance of therapy. Maddie and the hosts explore how mental health plays a crucial role for athletes, how she rediscovered her love for snowboarding, and why self-care is non-negotiable—even for those at the top of their game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Maddie’s Snowboarding Origin Story

[04:37 - 06:50]

• Maddie grew up in Wrightwood, CA, near Mountain High ski resort, making snowboarding an accessible and regular part of her childhood.
• It wasn’t until standing on a podium at 15 or 16 that she realized snowboarding could be her career.
• Her family supported her ambitions as long as she was happy.
• She describes the unusual transition from seeing snowboarding as fun to recognizing it as a serious pursuit, involving sacrifices like homeschooling and giving up other sports.

2. Inside the Halfpipe and Training Regimen

[08:30 - 18:35]

• Maddie explains halfpipe: “if you take a bowl and cut it in half... that’s what a half pipe looks like. Just like a U-shaped, large mound of snow. It’s 22 feet tall.” ([09:00])
• She notes the challenges of training due to the rarity of halfpipes in Southern California, driving her to crave the discipline even more.
• Training requires constant travel in search of good snow and halfpipes, with daily routines of mountain practice, gym/PT, and recovery.
• “Our days when we're actually training are very much consistent... we ride... and take laps through the half pipe until... one to three... come home, go to the gym, PT, dinner, bed.” ([17:57])

3. Managing Fear, Pressure, and Self-Talk

[16:16 - 21:44]

• Fear is a constant companion, even for Olympians: “I don’t think none of us are immune to, like, being scared...It’s definitely scary.” ([19:04])
• Maddie relies on internal dialogue and self-talk, especially before attempting new or dangerous tricks.
• She emphasizes the immense pressure to succeed, both internally and externally—from personal standards to fan and sponsor expectations.
• “There’s just, on a human level... your own pressures... but there’s all those external pressures that are there. Managing them is hard. I don’t know if I've cracked the code.” ([20:39], [21:38])

4. Therapy and Sports Psychology

[22:03 - 24:42]

• Therapy and sports psychology are key parts of managing her mental game.
• Sports psychologist focuses on performance and overcoming sport-specific mental blocks; therapy addresses broader mental health.
• Maddie feels having both specialists helped fundamentally shift her day-to-day outlook and approach to the sport:

  “It definitely has changed my entire way that I, like, go about my day and my sport.” ([24:15])

5. Redefining Success

[24:47 - 25:44]

• Maddie discusses her evolving concept of success:

  “My version of success is ever changing... Now, it’s what is going to make me go home happy at the end of the day.” ([25:38])

6. Identity and Shaving Her Head

[25:54 - 30:13]

• Maddie candidly shares why she shaved her head, breaking free from tying identity and value to appearance.
• “I had really long blonde hair... and I just wanted to see what it was like to not have that.” ([27:00])
• She admits to fears about femininity, societal perception, and being misgendered, but calls the experience liberating:

  “...It forced me to just be myself and be confident in that and not, like, have anything to fall back on...there’s no hair to hide behind.” ([29:47])

7. Toxic Coaching Relationship and Healing

[33:34 - 39:56]

• Maddie recounts how a toxic coach relationship deteriorated both her self-esteem and her love for snowboarding.
• The realization only came after leaving:

  “When I really realized it wasn’t good was until like I had... left... and started to unpack it... That’s when I started therapy.” ([34:07])

• The breaking point:

  “My coach should never be the reason my days are getting ruined... I’m here to snowboard... you’re not helping me do that right now. So this is not... gonna work.” ([35:52])

• She highlights that “you don’t have to suffer to achieve your goals.” ([38:37])
• Recovery involved therapy, a support system, and a new sense of clarity about what’s healthy in pursuit of success.

8. Support Systems and Relationships

[40:06 - 42:27]

• Team USA, her boyfriend (also a competitive snowboarder), her PT (“T2”), her dog, and new coaches make up Maddie’s crucial support system.
• Having a partner in the same sport brings understanding and balance to their priorities.

9. Burnout, Rest, and Self-Care

[42:49 - 46:30]

• Burnout is real and hard to resist, especially for someone who only has “stop” and “go” as gears.
• “Taking breaks is really hard... but taking a break, having time off, going home, more is not always better. It’s a learning process for me.” ([43:37])
• Maddie’s self-care tools: therapy, good showers, comfy clothes, watching favorite shows (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), sleep, and turning her brain off.

10. Barriers to Therapy in Snowboarding Culture

[46:32 - 51:17]

• Maddie notes “a mentality of, like, tough it out...Ill buff. Like, we’ll be fine,” and limited conversations around mental health in the sport. ([46:49])
• Her entry into therapy was encouraged by her sports psych, recognizing a need for extra support.
• She challenges the stigma, both in sports and life in general, around seeing therapy as weakness, pointing out:

  “Why aren’t we treating our mental health the same as an injury?... It’s literally the same thing.” ([51:49])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perspective:

  “I’m literally strapping a piece of wood to my feet and riding it down a mountain right now. Like, it’s not that deep. It’s just snowboarding.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([00:04], [16:28])

• On Therapy:

  “Therapy’s changed my life... as an athlete, I feel like in snowboarding in particular, not a lot of people go to therapy... but I think everyone can benefit from it.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([45:26])

• On Leaving Toxic Relationships:

  “I don’t want my days to be... my coach should never be the reason my days are getting ruined... That was the final day where I was like, no, this is now affecting my snowboarding.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([35:52])

• On Success:

  “What my version of success would be is, like, what’s going to make me go home happy at the end of the day.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([25:38])

• On Burnout:

  “I have two gears: stop, sit, lay on the couch, do absolutely nothing. Or, like, go, go, go, go, go.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([42:49])

• On Mental Health Tools:

  “I’m like a spokesperson for therapy because, like, someone’s like, tell me their problems. I’m like, have you thought about therapy?”
  — Maddie Mastro ([45:26])

• On Building Support:

  “I’m, like, building this whole team of people that can help support when you need it or even when you don’t need it.”
  — Maddie Mastro ([51:17])

Important Timestamps

• Maddie explains Halfpipe: [09:00]
• Discussing fear/combatting mental blocks: [19:04]
• Therapy & Sports Psychology: [22:03], [45:26]
• Toxic coaching relationship experience: [33:49]
• Shaving her head & identity: [26:05]
• Rest and self-care strategies: [44:28]
• Team and support system: [40:06]
• On redefining success: [25:38]
• Mental health stigma in snowboarding: [46:32]

Takeaways for Listeners

• Pursuing excellence involves more than physical ability; mental health is essential and requires the same investment as physical training.
• Therapy is a transformative, proactive tool—not a weakness.
• Support systems, rest, and self-defined success fuel sustainable passion in high-pressure environments.
• Abuse and toxicity, even in the pursuit of dreams, aren't necessary or acceptable; you don’t have to suffer to reach your goals.
• The conversation normalizes discussing therapy, burnout, and vulnerability—even among “the toughest” athletes.

For more on Maddie Mastro, follow her journey at this year’s Winter Olympics.