283. Hayley Scamurra: Olympic Gold & the Business of Women’s Hockey

Mar 16, 2026

Hayley Scamurra, Olympic gold medalist and PWHL star from Buffalo, shares her athletic journey and mental training. She recounts the gold medal game mindset, Olympic Village life, and celebrations. She breaks down the formation and business of the PWHL, pay, trades, and free agency. Hayley closes with why athletes should fight for fair pay and never settle for the bare minimum.

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ADVICE

Breathe Focus And Name Concrete Strengths

Use breathing and concrete strengths to manage performance pressure by doing four-second inhales and reminding yourself of specific skills you execute under pressure.
Hayley counts on being a physical player, naming board battles and small tasks to center her focus and then shifts attention to teammates with a tap or praise.

ADVICE

Train Your Mind Like Your Body

Build mental tools as deliberately as physical training; use daily rituals and affirmations to sustain confidence across evaluations.
Hayley wrote "I'm a gold medalist" on a whiteboard and repeated it daily while working with trainer Nick Stoop to stay calm.

ANECDOTE

From Grad School To World Roster Pivot

Hayley expected hockey to end after college, then briefly played pro while starting grad school before being scouted by USA Hockey and invited to camp.
She quit grad school after making the 2019 Worlds roster, pivoting back into full-time elite hockey.

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This week, Jason is joined by Olympian, gold medalist, and PWHL star Hayley Scamurra!

A key member of Team USA’s women’s hockey team, Hayley opens up about what it took to reach the top of her sport — from years of elite training and representing her country on the biggest stage in the world, to finally bringing home Olympic gold. Growing up in Buffalo with NHL roots, Hayley shares how her dream of becoming an Olympian started early, and how that vision carried her through the grind of college hockey, professional uncertainty, and years of fighting for a real future in women’s hockey.

Hayley breaks down the emotional difference between winning silver and winning gold, what it was really like inside the Olympic Village, and the mindset she used to stay calm in the biggest game of her life against Canada. She also shares the business side of women’s hockey — from playing professionally for almost no money, to helping pave the way for the PWHL, navigating trades, free agency, and the continued fight for fair pay and better opportunities for women in sports.

She also talks about the support system behind her success, the role mental training played in changing her career, and why she believes athletes should never settle for the bare minimum when they know they deserve more. From gold medal moments to the future of women’s hockey, Hayley gives an honest look at both the dream and the grind behind it.

Hayley reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!

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