The Pressure Lab

By Philadelpha Union Foundation

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Category: Mental Health

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Episodes: 11

Description

The Pressure Lab is a first-of-its-kind mental fitness podcast built specifically for competitive and youth soccer players navigating the real emotional demands of the game. This weekly podcast from HEADFIRST, a Philadelphia Union Foundation initiative, is hosted by Keith Wilford who gets into the realities of being a young athlete today. Featuring conversations with pro athletes, coaches, mental health professionals, and youth development experts, each episode is an honest conversations about pressure, identity, confidence, failure, burnout, belonging, and the emotional weight competition can put on you. No highlight reels. No empty hype. Just real stories, real insight, and practical tools for players and the people around them. If you’ve ever felt the game get bigger than the field, The Pressure Lab was made for you. About HeadFirst: HEADFIRST is a mental fitness initiative of the Philadelphia Union Foundation designed to equip young athletes with the tools, language, and mindset to perform under pressure and grow through everything sport puts them through. HEADFIRST is proudly sponsored by Independence Blue Cross and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. More information at www.myHEADFIRST.org About the Philadelphia Union Foundation The Philadelphia Union Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, dedicated to creating opportunity, building community, and developing the next generation of athletes and leaders through soccer and education-based programming in Chester, Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. More information at www.philadelphiaunionfoundation.org About Our Host: Keith Wilford is a Mental Health and Wellness Educator at YSC Academy and founder of The Wilford Movement. A Widener University All-American and MA in Counseling Education, Keith has spent his career at the intersection of sport, education, and youth development. He is a national leader in student development and has coached and counseled student athletes at some of the most competitive academic and athletic programs in the country. Tag In here: https://forms.gle/VLBmyLFjVmbtZxBb6. In a few honest words, tag in with the heart of why you’re here: why you play, why you coach, why you care, why you support someone you love in sport. Share your moment and add your voice to a space that puts every player’s whole self first.

Episode Date
Fuel Under Pressure: What a Philadelphia Union Nutritionist Wants Every Young Athlete to Know About Food and Performance | The Pressure Lab Ep. #11
Jul 08, 2026
Athlete Identity, Injury and Resilience with Union player, Ben Bender | The Pressure Lab Ep. 10
Jul 01, 2026
Catch Them Being Good: What Olympic Sports Psychology Teaches Young Athletes About Mental Performance | The Pressure Lab Ep. #9
Jun 24, 2026
Built in the Dark: How Two Philadelphia Athletes Built Mental Toughness Before Anyone Was Watching | The Pressure Lab Ep. 8
Jun 17, 2026
It's Always You Under the Jersey | Maddie Elwell on Athlete Identity, Self-Worth, and Life Beyond Performance | The Pressure Lab
Jun 10, 2026
Catch the Good: How Young Athletes Can Train Their Inner Voice and Build Confidence
Jun 03, 2026
Face the Feed: Social Media, Mental Health and Young Athletes
May 27, 2026
The Last Line: Goalkeeper Mental Health, Pressure and Identity in Youth Soccer
May 20, 2026
Resilience After the Fall
May 13, 2026
Carli Lloyd: Forged through Failure
May 06, 2026
PRESSURE GETS LOUD FAST
Apr 28, 2026