A New Way of Being

Aimee Fuller has a lot to say about fear. She is a former professional snowboarder who made history as the first woman to land a double backflip in competition and competed in two Winter Olympics. In this episode, we talk about her two Ps for dealing with fear, preparation and perspective, Aimee's ladder of excitement as well as flow, where we are totally immersed in the moment – among many other...

How to set goals properly, by focusing on what we can control and recognising what we can’t. Also – it’s about understanding the truth behind that famous Einstein quote about insanity, which he defined as ‘ doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result .’ We’re hearing from Olympic gold medal winning rower Ben Hunt Davis. He competed in three Olympic games and in the fi...

Max Lowe is a filmmaker whose father was Alex Lowe – the greatest mountain climber of his generation. Days before Max’s 11th birthday, his father Alex was killed in an avalanche while on expedition in the Tibetan Himalaya. Alex Lowe’s best friend and climbing partner Conrad Anker escape from the avalanche with his life – but was left wracked with survivor’s guilt. He headed back to the States, com...

Sir Clive Woodward's favourite mantra has to be 'TCUP'- Thinking Correctly Under Pressure. It's about thinking through potential hurdles so that when things do go awry - you are better equipped to be able to navigate them. Sir Clive's England showed the power of TCUP when winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup at the death. Clearly the possible unexpected scenarios that you could face are limitless - th...

Rates of anxiety were rising rapidly before the pandemic – and have shot up since the world changed in 2020. In 2021, 'anxiety' was chosen by children as their word of the year. It’s clearly a huge issue. One of the most powerful tools to counter anxiety is a counter-intuitive one – acceptance. So many of us distract ourselves from our feelings - not least with the help of our digital devices - bu...

Just how did Joe Wicks harness the power of social media to become the 'Nation's PE teacher'? It's all about authenticity, consistency - and ignoring the naysayers. When Joe started posting content in 2014, there was no master plan. He just loved doing it. His mates told him to give the videos a rest, but he ploughed on and eventually broke through. It's a story that is often repeated in seeming '...

"Intuition is a powerful thing. More powerful than intellect." - Steve Jobs "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - Albert Einstein The power of intuition is a difficult thing to quantify, but numerous hugely 'successful' people have sworn by it. In this week's full length con...

How walking more will boost your brain, body and creativity with professor Shane O'Mara. Most of us do it - but almost all of us don’t walk enough. It's hardly news that we are, as a species, too sedentary, and that has only increased since the pandemic hit. The fact is that we were not designed to spend as much time as we do sitting - and by upping our step count, we can enjoy huge benefits for b...

Bradley Simmonds is one of the most in-demand fitness trainers in the UK. The list of well-known people whose physical and mental health he has helped improve includes John Terry, Louise Redknapp, Brendan Rodgers, Niall Horan, Olly Murs, Declan Rice and Maya Jama. Bradley says embracing consistency is the key to reaching your goals - don't rely on motivation as that will definitely wane. He also s...

We live in highly polarised times, where largely impenetrable tribes have formed around certain beliefs and world views – so having a guide to help us communicate effectively with people who don’t share our opinions is priceless. Tim Harkness does a great job at outlining how to navigate the difficult conversations that persistently have negative effects in our personal and professional lives. He’...

David Hamilton PHD is one of the world’s foremost experts on the scientific benefits of kindness, and author of the best selling book ‘the 5 side effects of kindness’. In this bitesized episode, we talk about how kindness positively effects the alarm system of the brain - the amygdala - as well as the prefrontal cortex which is associated with decision making, impulse control and attention. It's a...

Owen Eastwood is one of the world’s top performance coaches. He worked alongside Gareth Southgate as England prepared for this year's Euros, and Team GB ahead of this summer's Olympics. He's also worked with the Scotland rugby squad, the South African cricket team, as well as the royal ballet school and the command group of NATO. Owen set out the thinking behind his success in his excellent book B...

Dedication often beats talent, and application trumps genetics. Character is key - and it's what took Alex Danson-Bennett to the top of her sport as she became Team GB's top goalscorer as they won hockey gold at the Rio 2016 Games. ** Follow me : on instagram https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ on twitter https://twitter.com/simonmundie And for the ' Mundie on Monday ' newsletter - featuring th...

Laurence Halsted - who competed at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics in fencing and was a European silver medalist - believes sport is falling short of its potential. The pervasive 'win at all costs' mentality has led to problems like doping, corruption, inhumane training cultures and mental health difficulties among athletes at all levels. Laurence argues that a significant issue is the failu...

Self-doubt is part of the human experience, but we don't have to let it dictate our actions. One of the greatest rugby league players of all time - Jamie Peacock MBE - explains how he overcame self-doubt to reach the top of his sport. ** Follow me : on instagram https://www.instagram.com/simonmundie/ on twitter https://twitter.com/simonmundie And for the ' Mundie on Monday ' newsletter - featuring...

Amy Williams MBE became the first British athlete to win Gold at a Winter Olympics in 30 years at Vancouver 2010. Her event was Skeleton - which basically involves lying face down on a small sled, hurtling down an icy track at speeds upwards of 80 miles an hour. Not for the faint of heart. It took self-awareness for Amy to climb to the top of her chosen sport. Describing herself as shy and introve...

We live in the age of the smartphone. While there are huge benefits to this, it also comes at a cost. We are more distracted and our brains are not getting the opportunity to power down as they need to. But also, it is having a significant impact on the quality of our communication and our relationships. A simple tip then - put your phone away when possible when you are in company. Going out for d...

Bill Beswick is one of the world’s top sports psychologists. He worked at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as at many other top football clubs and in other elite sports. He has also worked individually with elite athletes including Adam Peaty. Bill is chock full of wisdom and fantastic advice. The theme is taking personal responsibility – but Bill shares actionable life lessons g...

Jason Fox is a former marine who was discharged from the army with PTSD. After coming close to suicide, Foxy started 'looking inwards' to process his trauma and work on rediscovering a childlike love of living in the present. The work he did was hugely rewarding, and since recovering he has gone on to forge a hugely successful career in the media, as star of 'SAS: Who Dares Wins' as well as on Net...

Anxiety is a very common experience, and clearly an uncomfortable one. The typical response to the feeling of anxiety in our bodies - and the accompanying racing thoughts - is to try and get rid of them, or distract ourselves from them. The problem is that may actually add fuel to the fire and perpetuate the feelings. If instead we can be brave enough to turn and face the feelings directly - not a...

What are the keys to good leadership? According to England Rugby Head Coach Eddie Jones, it's about setting a vision and working backwards, planning well, being adaptable and inspirational - which can simply stem from the way you care for people. Clear and concise communication is key, as is being a keen observer of what is happening around you and making sure your team masters the basics. Eddie J...

Why being true to yourself is vital to both success and happiness. It is easy to try and fit the mould of how we think we should act - particularly at work, but in any and all life situations. Often that means conforming to how we imagine others think we should be, taking us into the risky realm of 'mind-reading'. The answer? Be yourself as fully as you can be, not least because - as the cliche go...

Everyone knows the mainstream narrative around elite athletes – that they are superhumans capable of achieving the truly incredible. True in many ways – but perhaps not the whole story. What if - in many cases - the drive required to become the best in the world comes from a place of internal disquiet? Dr Amy Izycky is a clinical psychologist and psychodynamic psychotherapist with a major interest...

Imposter sydrome is where we feel like a fraud and don't deserve the success that comes our way. It is often accompanied by uncomfortable feelings like anxiety and thoughts like "I'm not good enough" or "I don't deserve to be here". The key insight from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is that uncomfortable thoughts and feelings are normal and to be expected. It is our desire to get rid of...

John Barnes is a former Liverpool, Watford and England footballer who would like people to think hard about discrimination and its origins. He has a new book out - The Uncomfortable Truth about Racism - which explores the human propensity for creating illusory hierarchies in our minds and putting people on pedastals. John's point is - whatever our background - deep down we are all the same. While...