Leaders Performance Podcast

Former middle-distance runner Pippa Woolven was not aware that she was suffering from RED-S – relative energy deficiency in sport – until well afterwards such was the lack of general understanding of the condition at the time. “It took several years to recover and the scars of that experience will forever remain,” she tells the Leaders Performance Podcast of her experiences of RED-S while competin...

“Our mission statement is probably a good place to start,” says Phil Church, “and it’s to increase the number of English-qualified leaders, which is managers, coaches and technical directors, working at the highest levels of the game.” Church is the Senior Professional Game Coach Development Lead at England Football Learning, which oversees the Football Association’s [FA] education pathways for yo...

“There’s more evidence to support what we do but, at the same time, there’s more perspective, but certain things don’t change,” says Jimmy Wright. “If you chase the science, if you purely chase the literature, and you forget about experience and what has traditionally delivered the results you might just miss the diamonds.” Jimmy Wright, the Team Biokineticist at the Durban-based Sharks, who compe...

“I think sport teaches us so many of our great life skills such as teamwork, becoming leaders and overcoming adversity. And I think mentoring is inherent within sport,” says Jessica Battaglia . The United States Tennis Association’s Senior Manager of Operations, Programming & Events has come onto the show to discuss the organisation’s Coach Mentoring Program, particularly in light of the fact...

“Folks coming into the organisation, whatever their career aspirations may be or their vision of leadership, we want to help them find that, whatever is genuine and authentic to them.” Ben Baroody, the Director of Leadership Development & Mental Performance at the Texas Rangers of Major League baseball, is discussing career and leadership development opportunities at the club in this latest ed...

“We want to be able to sustain excellence and in order to do that you have to move very precisely,” says John Wagle. “It’s more so about connecting with people at the right time, having the right information, listening first, serving their needs, and then nudging towards whatever the process needs to look like.” Wagle, who has just left his role as the Kansas City Royals’ Director-Performance Scie...

“There’s a tension there that exists between knowing what you’re going to cover and responding to the humans that are in front of you,” said Iain Brunnschweiler, the Head of Technical Development at English Premier League club Southampton FC. “We’ve tried to evolve a curriculum, a player development framework, that manages that tension. We want to cover specific topics and we also want to coach th...

Larry Lauer, a Mental Skills Specialist with the United States Tennis Association [USTA], has seen where things have gone wrong in the past. “Maybe too much mental training in the past has been ‘here’s a few ideas – throw them up against the wall and see what sticks’,” he tells the Leaders Performance Podcast. Larry has come on to discuss how the USTA has embedded mental skills training in its coa...

“I always say: everyone is always excited for someone else to change,” says Jeremy Bettle, with a wry smile. “It’s always difficult when you have to deliver that to the person who has to change.” The Performance Director at MLS champions New York City FC is the first guest on the Science in Sport Industry Insight podcast series, where he joins the Leaders Performance Institute Editor John Portch a...

"How do we make it more difficult for people to do what they've always done?" This question is posed by psychologist and former Leaders speaker Gareth Bloomfield in this edition of the Leaders Performance Podcast, which is brought to you today by our Main Partners Keiser . Bloomfield, who works with the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, explores the topic of behavioural change at length and del...

Chad Morrow, a command psychologist with the US Airforce, succinctly identifies the elephant in the room when it comes to multidisciplinary work. “When you hire people who are usually at the top of their game and they’ve then got to slow down to work together,” he tells the Leaders Performance Podcast. “I think everyone says they want to do that but if they’ve never done it, I’m not sure they want...

Leaders Performance Institute member Joelie Chisholm has achieved some of her best performances following heavy training sessions and puts it down to her emotional load being low. “My biggest impact on performance, and therefore recovery, is definitely mental,” she tells the Leaders Performance Podcast of her extracurricular ultrarunning exploits. The Chair of GB Climbing’s Competition and Perform...

Louis Cayer is one of the most experienced and decorated high performance coaches and coach educators in international men's doubles tennis. For the latest edition of the Leaders Performance Podcast, Cayer joined Leaders Performance Institute Editor John Portch to discuss his work with the Lawn Tennis Association [LTA]. Also on the conversational agenda are: Why tennis coaching differs from most o...

"A few years ago, there was a bigger emphasis on numbers and trying to hit specific targets and outcomes, whereas now, especially with those younger athletes, we spend more time talking about trying to show specific behaviours." Dan McPartlan, a Strength & Conditioning Coach with British Cycling, is reflecting on how his work with athletes continues to change in this latest episode of the Lead...

"I love it when athletes ask these questions," says Johnny Parkes. "I want them informed, I want them to know exactly why we're doing what we're doing and how we're going to do it because then I get more quality information and feedback from them." Parkes, the Assistant Head of Strength & Conditioning for the Tennis Program at IMG Academy in Florida, is the latest guest on the Leaders Performa...

British Olympic medallist talks as part of the Leaders Athlete Optimisation Series.

"If an athlete's shocked or surprised with a selection or de-selection, then I haven't really done my job well." Paula Dunn, the Paralympics Head Coach at British Athletics, is discussing her approach to difficult conversations with the Leaders Performance Podcast. "I should have been in contact with that person, having open conversation and understanding where they are, if they have any issues."...

“The tech environment and our understanding about learning and development has changed, but I don’t think that changes the reality of what we are doing to support how people may learn just yet.” These are the words of Dr Scott Drawer, the Director of Sport at Millfield School in Somerset. Dr Drawer is just one of the voices that has stood out in recent months in the Leaders Performance Institute’s...

Michael Cheika, the renowned rugby coach who was recently appointed Head Coach of the Lebanon men's rugby league team, explains that providing a safe environment for athletes is a good starting point when addressing social issues. "One of the huge things with coaching and leading is creating a balanced environment for players to perform in," he tells co-hosts Matthew Stone and Steve Gera. "Not ign...

"What are we trying to achieve and why?" asks Mo Bobat, the Performance Director of the England & Wales Cricket Board. "In essence we're all problem-solvers and there's enough research out there to suggest that homogenisation of thought and ideas probably isn't a great way to problem-solve." Bobat is steadfast in his belief that teams with broad in skillsets and experiences are the best-equipp...

"When you go through change," says Jill Ellis, "a lot of it is continuing to talk about culture and the team-first environment you create, but it’s also about building in strategies to make this team feel that every single person is important and every single person matters." The two-time Fifa Women's World Cup-winning coach - who also won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Leaders Sports...

"I want to enjoy walking into a building and I don't want a situation where people sit on the same table to only eat with people of a similar status," says Nigel Pearson. The renowned football manager, whose former clubs include Leicester [twice], Hull and, most recently, Watford, is discussing the environment he strives to create for athletes and staff alike when he enters a club. Pearson, who is...

Brought to you by our Main Partners Keiser . "I don't think I have any perspective or balance," says Terry Francona. "People have asked me before and I don't think I have any. I'm not sure any coach has." The Cleveland Indians Manager is talking to At Home With Leaders about balancing the needs of a team with your personal needs. "Every year it gets harder. I come home and it takes me longer to re...

"There was a meta study that suggests that 70 percent of an individual’s behaviour is determined by whatever environment they are in,” says Owen Eastwood. “That was the moment I could see it and that was the first verification of that truth.” Eastwood a performance coach who has profiled a variety of elite teams including the New Zealand All Blacks and Seattle Seahawks, and worked the England men’...

Alex Goode is one of the most decorated players in English rugby union. The Saracens’ fullback - the 2019 European Player of the Year - has won three European Champions Cups and five English Premiership titles with the north London side and amassed more than 300 appearances across 12 years. Goode, who was also man of the match in Sarries’ recent Champions Cup defeat of Leinster, gave co-hosts Matt...