A New Way of Being

Learning to manage your mind is crucial to happiness and success - in sport and in life. Professor Steve Peters famously created a model of the mind that was the subject of his first book The Chimp Paradox – to help us develop techniques to do so.  He argues that learning how to manage your inner chimp is the key to peace of mind, as well as getting ahead in sport and in life.  ** For the newslet...

How our beliefs and perceptions shape how we experience ourselves and the world. A sports psychologist who has worked with a number of top athletes, including previous DTMTS guest Lucy Gossage, Davis explains the key understanding that it is not people or events that make us feel or behave in a certain way, but rather our perceptions and beliefs that are crucial. Davis shares tips on how to uncove...

The art of embracing moderation to be happier and healthier with snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan. Having struggled with various addictions throughout his life, including food, drink, and even running, snooker legend O’Sullivan tells how learning to exercise restraint in all areas of life, including in planning his playing schedule, has extended his career and left him feeling healthier and happie...

How to create a winning culture with in sport, business and life with Sir Clive Woodward. After Woodward was appointed England coach in 1997, he went about transforming the culture of the team using many of the lessons he had learnt running a small business - taking England to the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Here he shares his thoughts on how to create a winning culture within sport, business and lif...

How to deal with pressure and thrive when the stakes are high with elite performance coach Dave Alred. Alred is the go-to elite performance coach of many of the world's best athletes, including golf major champions and World Cup winners including, most famously, Jonny Wilkinson. He started his career as a teacher, though, and it was during that period that he developed many of his guiding principl...

How to use the ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism to cope with the ups and downs of life. See clearly, act correctly and endure and accept the world as it is; these are the three key pillars of stoicism. Best-selling author Holiday teaches us how to use this ancient Greek philosophy to cope with the ups and downs of life, and explains why we should focus on objective judgement, unselfish action...

Taking full responsibility for your life and facing challenges head on with the former Manchester United psychologist Beswick is one of the world's best-respected sports psychologists, having worked at United under Sir Alex Ferguson during the club's dominant reign.  In this episode he talks about developing a ‘fighter mindset’; ie taking full responsibility for your life and facing the inevitable...

Judging behaviour but not the person with the ex-armed robber reformed through sport in high-security prison. Having grown up around some of the most notorious criminals in the country, McAvoy spent ten years in the UK's highest security prisons – where he had an epiphany that transformed his outlook and identity.  McAvoy – now a Nike-sponsored Iron Man athlete – proves that a leopard can change i...

Giving your everything and having no regrets with Olympic gold medal winning hockey player Alex Danson After suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2018, Danson – one of Britain’s greatest ever hockey players – shares why the most difficult aspect of her accident was the loss of identity, connection and purpose. She has now come to see what happened as a gift that has enabled her to have more balan...

Why emotional intelligence can be more important than IQ. An internationally known psychologist and author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence , Goleman explains how EQ is about understanding ourselves better, managing our own emotions, and using empathy to better understand the feelings and emotions of the people around us.  In this episode, he explains how we can develop it – as well...

Resolving complicated feelings, recognising patterns and understanding yourself better – with the 1996 Formula One World Champion. When Hill secured the Formula1 Championship in 1996, he ensured that he and his father Graham Hill entered the record books as the first father-and-son pair to win the sport’s biggest prize. But sadly, his dad was not there to celebrate the achievement; he tragically d...

How to use mindfulness to thrive with Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe Mindfulness is about focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Puddicombe, former Buddhist monk and founder of Headspace, has arguably done more than anyone to popularise mindfulness.  He speaks about how...

Why having self-doubt is normal and how preparation and perspective are key, with the six-time Olympic gold medalist. Having won six Olympic gold medals during a dazzling cycling career, becoming World Champion 11 times, Hoy is perfectly placed to explain how to develop the right attitude. He explains why looking a fear of failure in the face can be utterly transformative, and how thoughts of winn...

The power of accepting yourself and letting go of the need for approval. Billy Monger is a racing driver who, after having both his legs amputated after a crash, was back behind the wheel of a car within a year. Since the accident, he has been thrust into the limelight, but he has not lost sight of what is important; positivity, kindness and authenticity.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

Exploring your own limits and trusting your own judgement with the England cricketer and World Cup winner. One of England’s greatest cricketers and an integral member of the team that won the World Cup in 2019, Buttler tells how staying in touch with the childlike enthusiasm for what you are doing and by taking delight in exploring your own limits you can tap into your deepest potential. Hosted on...

Why being true to yourself is vital to success and happiness with Wales rugby legend ‘Being true to yourself’ is something Warburton values highly – and it can as simple as saying no to something that doesn’t feel right, he explains in this episode. The former Wales rugby captain also talks about the importance of knowing yourself and keeping your personal standards as high as possible, the benefi...

Being willing to throw yourself into something without any guarantee of a successful outcome – with the former Special Forces soldier. Ollerton is a former Special Forces soldier turned TV star and author who passed the SAS's gruelling six-month selection process – testing his physical and mental endurance to the limit – before spending six years with the SBS. But it was after leaving the special...

How to address insomnia and anxious thoughts with the Sleep School founder Meadows uses an approach known as ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - which teaches you to relate to your uncomfortable feeling and emotions in an often counter-intuitive way. (ACT has helped a number of top sportspeople including Sir Alastair Cook, who talked about it in our earlier episode). This approach is a power...

How to overcome fear with the legendary Free Solo climber and Oscar winner As the saying goes, there’s nothing to fear but fear itself. In this episode, free solo climber Honnold, the man who scaled a 3000 foot vertical cliff without ropes, discusses fear and how to overcome it. His conquering of the awe inspiring El Capitan in America has been described as ‘one of the greatest athletic feats of a...

The importance of a positive outlook in achieving success is crucial, according to legendary jockey Dettori. While he tells us he aims to be in a positive frame of mind every time he leaves the house, which has contributed to his remarkable longevity, he says it also has a tangible effect on his horses, who can sense the frame of mind he is in and react accordingly. That may well explain how he fa...

Why all the greats have hard work in common, with the England cricket legend. As well as being England captain, Cook was one of the most prolific batsmen cricket has ever seen. He remains England's most capped player, and is still their leading run scorer in Test matches – and he says it is in a big way down to his work ethic. Here, he gives us tips on managing our inner critics, tells why all the...

Setting a positive example with former Team GB hockey captain and Olympic gold medal winner Kate Richardson-Walsh. As Team GB hockey captain, Richardson-Walsh captained the UK to a historic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She talks about actively seeking out other people to learn from, the importance of having tough conversations, and explains why it’s worth finding out how you react to press...

The value of observing and evaluating yourself in order to grow as a person. Unlike many athletes, rugby league great Peacock made a smooth transition out of the sport upon retiring, thanks in no small part to his ability to separate his personal from his sporting identity. He explains the importance of living your values, what sport teaches you about problem-solving, and the value of observing an...

Most of us do it - but almost all of us don’t do it enough. Yes, we're talking about walking. It's hardly news that we are, as a species, too sedentary, and the fact is that we were not designed to spend as much time as we do sitting or slouching around. Walking is what we are designed to do, and our ability to walk long distances helped humans become the dominant species on earth. It helps to pro...

Exploring the stories we tell ourselves and the impact they can have on our lives with Ironman champion and cancer doctor Lucy Gossage. A 13-time Ironman Champion and oncology doctor, Gossage tells us about how she learned to understand how the way she was talking to herself, and the unconscious beliefs she held about herself and the world around her, impacted and hindered her performance. She unc...