University of Adversity is a show about the moments that change us — especially the ones we didn’t ask for.
I’m Lance Essihos, and I sit down with athletes, bestselling authors, doctors, entrepreneurs, spiritual teachers, and everyday warriors to have real conversations about adversity — the kind that strips away the surface and forces us to face who we really are.
We go deep into the mindset shifts, emotional breakthroughs, and practical tools that helped them rebuild. Not just to survive, but to come back stronger, clearer, and more aligned.
This isn’t motivation.
It’s what happens after the breakdown, when you’re trying to put the pieces back together and make it mean something.
If you’re in a season of uncertainty, burnout, or reinvention — this show is here to walk with you.
We don’t just talk about getting through the hard times.
We talk about who you become because of them.
The Habits That Destroy Hockey Careers Before They Start | Robert Mazin | Ep. 468
Most hockey players don't lose their career to injury.
They lose it to the weekend.
The party. The girls. The phone. The slow drift away from the one window they were ever going to get.
Robert Mazin left Latvia at 15 with no agent, no mentor, no roadmap. He found his way through hockey programs across three continents and watched hundreds of players blow their shot from the inside out. Now he runs 369 Sports and Entertainment and spends his life making sure young athletes don't make the same mistakes.
In this episode we talk about what actually separates the players who make it from the ones who don't. It has nothing to do with talent. It never did.
We talk about the window. Why 16 is the moment everything either locks in or falls apart. What happens to a young man's brain and body when discipline disappears. The death that comes when sports ends and there's nothing left to hold onto. And what breathwork and emotional fitness have to do with any of it.
This is the conversation the locker room never had.
For the players. For the parents. For the coaches who know something is missing but can't name it.
Connect with Robert Mazin and 369 Sports:
Website: https://www.369ent.com/ (https://www.369ent.com/)
369 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/369.ent/ (https://www.instagram.com/369.ent/)
Robert's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rrmazin/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/rrmazin/?hl=en)
Free 5-Minute Power Reset Breathwork: https://lance-essihos-2.kit.com/8ad61 (https://lance-essihos-2.kit.com/8ad61)
Mastering Adversity: https://www.amazon.sg/Mastering-Adversity-Unlock-Warrior-Within/dp/B0BFV6D54N (https://www.amazon.sg/Mastering-Adversity-Unlock-Warrior-Within/dp/B0BFV6D54N)
Connect with Lance Essihos:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lance.essihos (https://www.instagram.com/lance.essihos)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-w-essihos (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-w-essihos)
University of Adversity Podcast: https://feeds.captivate.fm/universityofadversity (https://feeds.captivate.fm/universityofadversity)
Email: lance@lancewessihos.com
12 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Why Healing Isn’t Enough (Build Emotional Fitness to Handle Anything)
Host Lance Essihos explores the crucial difference between healing and capacity, revealing why emotional fitness is essential for leaders to navigate burnout and AI's impact.
8 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT
Five Brutal Truths I Learned After Losing My Brother to Suicide and My Dad to Cancer
I lost my brother to suicide and my dad to cancer only eighteen months apart. Those were the hardest moments of my life and they changed everything. Grief stripped life down to what actually matters and forced me to grow in ways I never expected.
This episode is a raw look at loss, healing, and the hard truths that shape you when life breaks you open. If you’re navigating grief or heavy emotions, this will help you feel less alone.
In this episode you’ll learn:
💔 The truths grief forces you to face
⏳ How loss changes you over time
⚡ Why life moves faster than we think
🗣️ The cost of avoiding important conversations
🤝 Why relationships matter more than anything
🧩 How to cope without numbing the pain
🔥 Why adversity can become a turning point
👉 A powerful reflection on grief, meaning, healing, and the courage it takes to rebuild your life after loss.
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Email – lance@lancewessihos.com
Inside a recent episode
The Habits That Destroy Hockey Careers Before They Start | Robert Mazin | Ep. 468
Published 6 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] You know like what is my strength? What do I suck at? What can I get better at just being humble And just continually did to just work on those things and all of a sudden you see Brady Oh, he's the greatest. He's the goat. Yeah, but then when you hear him talk about how many hours he put into his craft Right, right, and I'm sure there's so many stories like that in hockey too. I mean even Gretzky like all these guys are great right they talk about Like how much practice and how much they They they studied and they were just Incredibly seriously Yeah, yeah You know, and I think a lot of players at least for me I got to an age and this is that 1617 age where it was it's fun to say I'm a hockey player I get it's fun to say I'm this or I'm going there. […]
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