Find the Gap Podcast

Dr Mcleod and I discuss her transition into the field of psychology. She details how her work satisfies her desire and passion to educate, heal, change, and optimise the potential of individuals, groups and organisations. For her, stress is trying to do too much at once. She needs a lot to fulfill and satisfy her passion mentioned above, and as she is involved in so many organisations, she certain...

Jack and I talk about his recent transition to the NBL and moving to another state within the covid period. Even though he is only moving an hour flight away, Jack reflects on the things he misses about being back in his home state of Victoria and how stepping out of his comfort zone was something that he needed to do. He has been given a whole new set of challenges and aims to take them all on. J...

Jamie and I talk about his rebirth on social media and how his mindset has changed in the past few months, even with the struggles of COVID lockdowns. Jamie shares his experiences and struggles when starting Melbourne Strength Culture, and how he was at times driven to a point where he would consider selling the business. He reveals how he would be coaching mindlessly, and while hiding behind a fa...

Now working in the private sector, Lachie talks about his move from pro sport and how he loves working for himself. He shares how he likes ‘being the boss’, going through his own schedule and having to answer to himself within the industry. It can add some pressure, but he welcomes the pressure in order to be better. His passion and his attention to details helps him master this pressure for him t...

Ian is a very active person and loves a good discussion. He’s a strong believer that we need more laughter in the world. He should know, he’s a part-time comedian. Ian lives his life by the phrase ‘Prepare for war but plan for peace’. He has studied many different forms of combat and completed some very intense endurance events. Ian has a very proactive mind and is very passionate about learning....

Simon recollects his feeling when he got his first full time role in high performance sports, which was also his dream role. He shares his experiences going through such an intense schedule as he transitioned from one job to another while also studying at the same time, and how he was hurting mentally because of it. He also shares how his dedication and hardship during that time was worth it, and...

Steve is very proud of growing up from the country town of Ballarat. He shares how the culture and environment helped shape him into the man he is today. Steve and I discuss running as a method of therapy, and how people use this form of physical stress and exercise as a source of relief. It can give people time and space to think and can be used as a break away from the craziness of our modern wo...

Nick discusses some factors of what it takes to be a true professional within the high-performance industry. For example, putting your own issues to the side while dealing with players/athletes/clients. We also touch on how this factor impacts Nick’s mental wellbeing and how important it is to be mentally resilient. Nick shares his experiences of departing certain sporting organisations, and how c...

I had such a great chat with Dan, he is a very fun, energetic and influential figure. We talked about how academics should be used to address wellbeing. It is already to some extent, but Dan asserts that academics are key for achieving wellness for any age. There is lack of literacy about mental health. What does it mean to suffer anxiety, but to feel anxious? What is the difference between suffer...

Amelia and I discuss some issues surrounding women practitioners within a high-performance sport setting. Through her experiences as a physiotherapist among several different team environments, she has much to share on this topic. We discuss the recruitment system within high performance sport, and how women can easily fall short without doing anything wrong. We touch on breaking some barriers wit...

Tom and I discuss the pillars that make up a successful team/organisation (Hard work, trust, hard training, and leadership) and how they all work together. We discuss how he find his own confidence through preparation and planning within an ever-demanding industry. In an industry where identity is defined by your skill, Tom has created his identity around his own personal core values. Tom’s work a...

This weeks episode is the content from the Athletes Authority ON AIR podcast, talking to Christian Woodford and Kerryn Melissa of Woodford Sports Science Consulting. This episode details the rise, fall and rebirth of Woodford Sports Science Consulting in an extremely powerful, raw and open conversation on how Christian quickly rose as a figurehead in the Private Sector in Australia to 4 facilities...

Michael details how mental health is related to performance. Not just for the clients and athletes he deals with, but also for himself. Michael mentions how important identity is with regards to performance and mental health. The identity of an athlete is to perform, and sometime when performed is hindered for whatever reason, the mental health of the athlete may be at risk. This can be linked wit...

In this episode, John shares his struggles as he battled through a personal issue and a health tragedy that took him away from his work. John was very open and honest for this chat in which I am very grateful. John was told to experience the world first before becoming a teacher. He is from a small town that knew nothing about AFL, and yet his ended up being a high-performance manager for a top AF...

Nathan and I talk about the issue of being present and productive while working at home. So many practitioners within the high-performance industry are obviously used to going into a facility for their day-to-day work activities. Combining your home and work environments can be a bit of a struggle for some, especially for those who have families. Nathan touches on the fact that his daughter and fa...

Ever had a bad day? When you think everything just isn’t going your way and the whole world is out to get you. You had an argument at home, work isn’t going smoothly, or maybe you spilt your morning coffee on the carpet. Danny and I discuss what exactly defines a bad day, and how a bad day for us could be the best day ever for someone else in the world. Danny and I discussed the topic of time vs r...

Sam shares his own path through self-development and self-learning as he progresses through his career. He’s a big advocate of continued learning within the industry and believes that anyone should ‘enjoy the process’ as they progress through their own learning. We discuss the benefits of conscious breathing. Sam operates a program down in Mornington called ‘The Monkey Movement’ which is an exerci...

Jerome and I touch on the topic of confidence. To operate successfully within the physio industry, practitioners such as Jerome need to have confidence in themselves to effectively provide a service. Jerome also shares the differences and similarities of the confidence he takes into his practice as well as his own training as a sprint athlete. Furthermore, we go on to talk about empathy burnout. T...

Dr Mckay and I discuss the topic of Mental toughness within the practice of physiotherapy. This surrounds the themes of being strong while performing the tasks involved with the job, but also being tough and resilient when away from home and family for quite some time. Dr Mckay has recently returned home from the Tokyo Olympic games with the Australia Women’ Basketball team. And after a prolonged...

Michael and I discuss his experience of being made redundant at a young age and how he overcame the struggles during that time. Now in the education sector within a well-known sporting organisation in Australia, Michael shares how never giving up can lead to success. Michael also shares some important information regarding performance psychology, as he walks me through the link between physical an...

‘If you can’t lead yourself, how’re you expected to lead others’ Lachlan touches on the important point of leading by example and how its important for practitioners within the exercise and sports industry to be able to treat themselves well and lead their own positive lives in order to lead their own clients/athletes. Lachie and I also discuss the topic of work-life balance, and how Lachie refers...

Jakob and I discuss the difficult period after graduating from university. How to find a job? Will this internship really benefit me? Read the referenced paper regarding internships within the strength and conditioning industry, and how it outlines how a mutual benefit for both the internee and the organisation can be achieved. https://www.strengthandconditioning.org/jasc-29-3 Jakob is also very o...

In this episode, Rob Delves shares how his own aspirations can lead into high expectations for himself, which sometimes cause internal pressures. We go into how he deals with the expectations he has for himself and how successful this has been in his career so far.  Rob and I also talk about the importance of treating athletes as people, not as data points. In the high performance industry, m...

Coach Frank shares what he believes are the essential factors that make up a cohesive culture within a team environment. Frank is lucky to be supported by amazing colleagues within the athletics department, in which he credits for a lot of its recent successes.  Frank has certainly had some highs and lows in his career so far, and now with a family, he reflects on what he considers to be most...

In this episode, Connor and I touch on daily habits, and how important setting small goals for you day can help set the day off in the right way. Also what happens when these habits are not met for the day, how do you respond so that it doesn't ruin your day completely.  Connor also opens up about how difficult it is to find his purpose throughout his personal and professional career. He now...