PODCAST · sports
Mondays With McVeigh
by Jack McVeigh
Mondays with McVeigh is a weekly deep dive into the mind of a professional basketball player.
Episodes
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Defence Was Never Just Effort: How I Approach Improvement
In college I wasn’t allowed to wear black shoes because he said it makes my feet look too slow. This week is about how I’ve been finding joy in improving on the defensive end for the first time in my life.
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With Less Sleep, I Do More of What I love
A season with Steven Adams at the Houston Rockets, a pound of ground beef for breakfast and a mattress on the floor. On becoming a dad, sleeping less than ever and finding more time for the things I love.
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The Game Within The Game: Earning Trust And Losing Myself.
I still remember the sting of my first day as a pro. Standing on the baseline, hands on my hips, swaying side to side while the captains picked everyone else before me.
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Confidence Isn’t the Absence of Doubt
You know the voice. The one that says you’re not enough. The one that shows up right when you need to perform. The one that gets loud when everyone is watching. I hear it too. At the peak of my career, it still shows up. The difference isn’t silencing it. It’s what you do when it speaks.
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Integrity Begins With The Toilet Paper Roll
I cried in my car. I yelled about the NBA. Then my performance coach gave me three steps that changed everything.
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Want vs Need: The Difference Between Playing Free And Choking
Coach called my name with four minutes left. Get a bucket. It was my life goal to score in the NBA, right there in front of me. I wanted it so badly that wanting turning into needing, and I missed everything. This is the difference between the two.
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For The First Time In My Career, I Walked Into The Room And Felt Calm
I walked into boomers camp past a wall of cameras waiting for Ben Simmons, and slipped by unnoticed. A few years ago that would have hurt, this time I was just happy to be there. This is a short one about what it feels like to belong in a room full of the best players in Australia.
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How I Navigated Fear, Doubt and Stress To Make the NBA
At 26 years old I started writing online in preparation for my job after basketball. 2 Years later I was in the NBA.
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Why Your Hard Work Doesn’t Translate To On-Court Performance.
I interview my skills trainer on how he approaches helping me get better. We discuss shooting, mental resilience, how we design drills and what it’s like working with shooting great Duncan Robinson.
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I Built A Community Around The Exact Thing That Was Causing My Suffering.
When I was sixteen, three coaches told me my body wasn’t good enough to compete. Two years later, three more coaches said almost the exact same thing. I carried that sentence for fifteen years and built my whole career on proving them wrong. This week I wrote about what that chase actually cost…
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How I Rewired My Brain To Perform Under Pressure
In college I choked in the biggest moment of my season and carried “choke artist” around for years. Last week my coach described me in one word: closer. This piece is the full seven year story of how I rebuilt my mind. The mindfulness, the mantras, the Big Boy drill, lowering the stakes, and the...
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Distance Creates Distance
On my 30th birthday, all I could reflect on was an old bestfriend.
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Why Grinding Alone Is The Biggest Lie In Sports
For three years in college I trained in secret. No teammates, no coaches, no one. I was going to shock the world alone. It almost ended my career. This week I wrote about the life of the lone grinder, the team I slowly built and the scariest but best decision I ever made. Asking for help.
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Even The Greek Gods Fall To The Danger Of Unbalanced Ambition
This one’s a warning story. About the Greek God Hephaestus, thrown from Olympus at birth, who spent an eternity trying to be enough. I can relate in my quest to play in the NBA. Dedicating my life to work to help me feel like I belong.
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Why The Game Speeds Up When You Need To Perform Most (And How To Slow It Down)
This one’s a shift for me. For years I’ve been working on myself. Books, therapy, journaling, articles. All pointed inward. The deepest sense of belonging I’ve ever felt came when I pointed outward. When I started giving instead. I break down the Lakers failure, the iso win, and what Cody said…
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Grief, Resentment, and Leaving Home At Fifteen
A beautiful Monday morning. Acai. Beth. Oaklynn on my lap. Then a Noah Kahan song moved mud inside me that has been thick for a long time. This is about leaving home at fifteen and the loop that’s been on reply since.
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The Trap Of Becoming What You Do
Above my childhood bed was a Dwayne Wade poster. I wanted to move like him, feel unstoppable like him. After my career high against PurdueI thought I’d figured it out. Then came Indiana. This is about what happens when your identity becomes attached to your performance.
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By Trying to Belong in the NBA, I Lost Myself
My agent called. I’ve got you a deal with the Houston Rockets. I thought this moment would fix me. Instead, I abandoned everything that got me there. This is about the ancient alarm that tells you to fit in, and what it cost me.
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The Child Within: Why You’ve Never Felt Good Enough
The feeling of not being enough has followed me my whole life. When I fail, it’s because I’m not good enough. When I succeed, I feel relief before the pressure takes over. I went looking for answers. Here’s what I found, and what I’m doing about it.
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The Story In Your Blood (What Aragorn Taught Me)
When I was five, I gave my sister a scar because I couldn’t stand losing a tricycle race. Competition was built into my blood. I didn’t understand where it came from until I watched Aragorn’s journey in The Lord of the Rings. This is about the stories we inherit, and how to stop being run by them.
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The Hero’s Journey: How Rock Lee Helped Me Survive College Basketball
I was hiding in bathrooms before practice. Counting down days until I could go home. Then I found a character who showed me the way. This is the story of how Rock Lee and the Hero’s Journey helped me go from lost college athlete to playing at the Olympics.
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How I Used Neuroscience and Stories to Help Me Enjoy Basketball Again
I used to sprint onto the court at quarter time and giggle. Ten years later, I was hiding in bathrooms before training, convinced I’d never be enough. The difference wasn’t talent or circumstances. It was the story I was telling myself. Here’s how I learned to rewrite it.
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How Mindfulness Was My First Step To Success
I was sitting on a blue couch at 11pm, greasy controller in my hand, dreading tomorrow’s game. My situation as a pro was identical to college. The environment wasn’t creating this. I was. This is the first step I took to change everything.
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How To Build A Scorers Mentality
In my rookie year I averaged 3 points per game. This season I averaged 22. This isn’t about talent. It’s about identity, fear management, and learning to embrace failure. Here is the exact process I used.
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Why I’ve Never Felt Like I Am Enough
Ive achieved everything I dreamed of — NBL champion, Olympics, NBA. And still, most days, a voice whispers: not enough. Becoming a dad made me look closer at where it comes from. This is the most honest episode I’ve created.
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The art of improving
This week is about treating improvement as a skill worth developing. Not just working harder, but working smarter. Building the mindset and method that turns repetition into growth.
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What chasing my dreams actually gave me.
This week is about recognizing what the pursuit is already giving you. Purpose. Identity. Daily meaning. The chase builds the life—whether you arrive or not.
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What Chasing My Dream Actually Gave Me
Chasing a dream—regardless of outcome—builds a life worth living. The hunt creates the life.
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How I stopped crumbling under pressure.
This week is about handling pressure—not through willpower, but through deliberate training. Lower the stakes by building a life worth living. Raise your capacity through daily practice.
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The Skill That Helped Me Keep Chasing My Dream When All Hope Was Lost
At 21, I thought my NBA dream was over. I dropped out, went home, and didn’t believe it was possible anymore. This episode is about the skill that kept me going anyway: long-term thinking. I share how a single idea from Mastery reframed my entire career, why belief isn’t required to keep moving...
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Failing, Frustration and Dangerous Expectations in 2025.
This week, I’m talking about frustration — not the obvious kind, but the quiet, corrosive kind that shows up when effort doesn’t convert into outcomes. 2025 was a year where I chased hard, worked hard, and still fell short of the goal I set for myself. And instead of motivation, what followed was...
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Flow, Fatherhood, and 47 Points.
I scored 47 points — a career high — five days after becoming a father. This isn’t a story about a “dad game” or confidence. It’s about presence, flow, and what happens when the noise finally drops away.
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I wasn’t built by wins.
From the outside, success looks clean. From the inside, it demands a rebuild. In this first episode, I share how chasing my dream nearly broke me, and what I had to change to become the kind of person who could live with success. This isn’t about motivation or basketball tips. It’s about…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Mondays with McVeigh is a weekly deep dive into the mind of a professional basketball player.
HOSTED BY
Jack McVeigh
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Mondays With McVeigh have?
Mondays With McVeigh currently has 33 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Mondays With McVeigh about?
Mondays with McVeigh is a weekly deep dive into the mind of a professional basketball player.
How often does Mondays With McVeigh release new episodes?
Mondays With McVeigh has 33 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Mondays With McVeigh?
You can listen to Mondays With McVeigh on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Mondays With McVeigh?
Mondays With McVeigh is created and hosted by Jack McVeigh.
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