Demystifying Mental Toughness

Today I'm joined with Carl Bell who played football at Newcastle United's academy from the age of 13 and progressed to reserve team level before injuries meant he pursued a career in physiotherapy.   He is now a partner at Functional Intelligent Training and a sought after and very knowledgeable physiotherapist.   Carl was a goalkeeper, so we go on to discuss the unique pressures of goalkeeping, a...

Are you someone who responds positively to setbacks, knowing that these types of situations provide an opportunity for personal development?   Do you recognise that challenges are a normal part of life and welcome the fact that sometimes you may need to shake up your routines?   Do you then go on to look forward to these new experiences? Or do you worry more than most people when unexpected events...

Being comfortable in your own skin as a teenager can be difficult.   It's an age when you are physically and emotionally developing and rapidly on occasions.   You may find regulating your emotions tough, you can often be easily influenced by others, you are becoming more aware of other people's thoughts and opinions.   This can be a lot to deal with at a time when you getting to know yourself and...

In today's podcast episode, I chat with Dr. Jim Afremow and Phil White who have written an excellent book to be released in December 2021, called The Leaders Mind.   I tap into their expertise to help you, where we discuss modern sport psychology as well as different elements of the book and link it to mental toughness.   For example, we chat about a pilot, Tammie Jo Shults and how she took contro...

Today's guest is a former world boxing champion and now a personal performance coach and professional speaker.   In this episode, Billy Schwer and I discuss the controversial title of his book, Man Up.   We discuss Billy Schwer, the world champion boxer and the costs of being fully focused on glory as well as how his life now and personality has changed.   Mental health and showing vulnerability,...

The conversations that take place after competitive matches or events can often be emotionally charged for the young athlete, parents and coach.   Yet do you consider the importance of these conversations and the impact this can have on their sporting experience? This podcast episode is designed to help you take a step back and consider whether your approach is useful.   It will help you start sup...

In today's episode, we take a look at Mental Toughness and how it applies to combat sports with a well-qualified guest, Stuart Wade, who has won 4 world titles in taekwondo and kickboxing.   He's not someone to be messed with!   He's also a clinical hypnotherapist and personal trainer.   We chat about controlling your emotions and maintaining your composure after being hurt and despite being in pa...

Today's Mental Toughness compilation episode includes short snippets of advice from our most recent 9 episodes.   By tuning in you will learn more about the significance of Mental Toughness and the complexity of the trait across a range of domains. Key Learning Points: James Lau tells you about dealing with fear in tennis. Tom Jones shares his insights into Mental Toughness on the cricket field. D...

To make your way in life to be the best person that you can be, to give yourself the best opportunity in your chosen field being comfortable in your own skin and finding and developing mental strength is very important as I've emphasised in the other 2 parts of this short series. In today's episode I help you tap into some of your strengths and question your approach by going through a variety of...

In today's episode, I chat to the creator and founders of Kymira Sport and Golf in the UK, Tim Brownstone and Michael Davis, and the sponsors of our podcast show.   We dig deep and discuss the incredible technology that they have available and relate it to Mental Toughness.   Tim and Michael both have a passion for excellence in sport and are former athletes themselves, so we go on to discuss focu...

In this episode, I discuss with former professional footballer Danny Thomas, the psychological qualities that helped him break into and maintain a career in professional football.   We also went on to talk about his debut, and we discussed the challenges of transitioning out of professional football and into the workplace. Enjoy listening! Key Learning Points: Becoming a professional footballer an...

In today's episode we discuss the most demanding job on a football pitch.   No not the role of the goalkeeper, but the referee.   It's a job which rarely get any praise and requires a special type of person.   Someone who is very assertive, especially in those demanding pressurised moments. Someone who can take criticism, and a lot of it. Someone who can handle abuse, and again sadly a lot of it....

This episode is an inspiring one where Grant Phypers, a leadership coach, and I discuss how Grant defines mental toughness, we chat about how he overcame adversity in his life and rebuilt his identity and character.   We also chat about a topic men tend to avoid – vulnerability.   Enjoy listening. Key Learning Points: Mental toughness is a state of mind, it's about getting your thoughts in the rig...

Today's question comes from a parent, Anna to a talented golfer.   Anna's son, Harry is 14 years old however he lacks confidence and she worries about him.   She also recognises to succeed in golf, in other sports or in education he's going to need confidence.   So she asked me – How do I give him confidence?   I go onto share 3 ideas which can help you as a parent to help your child begin to see...

This is Part 2 of a series of episodes on being comfortable in your own skin, where I unpack 3 more common "toughness" themes where we can unconsciously behave in certain ways or put up barriers.   The barriers I discuss today are concerned with goal-setting, prejudice and delegation at individual and organisational levels.   As always, this episode is designed to help you question your approach a...

The psychological challenges in cricket are immense, whether you're a batsman or bowler, a wicket-keeper, or a fielder. The sport has got very unique challenges including the fact that it is a team sport but can frequently feel like an individual sport, the difficulty of having to accept repeated failures, and the walk of shame!   Today, Tom Jones, a highly qualified youth cricket coach and owner...

We're in the height of the summer of sport here in the UK where Wimbledon is currently being played.   For those that aren't familiar with Wimbledon I'm talking about a grand slam tournament in the sport of tennis.   Accordingly, in this episode, I delve into the psychological side of tennis. It's a game that I follow closely, and it's a game in my mind, which is hugely psychological where matches...

We are now 70 episodes into the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast.   Today our first-class guests provide many short snippets of advice with some of the best bits from the previous 9 episodes.   Listening to the insights and tips I'm sure will help you learn more about the importance of Mental Toughness, self-awareness and being honest with yourself.   Key Learning Points: Paul Lyons chat abou...

To maximize your potential, to perform at your very best consistently, and to feel truly content there is an argument to say that being comfortable in your skin will help you.   Today is part one of a number of episodes, where I will go on to unpack "toughness" some common myths around mental toughness, and some typical barriers that people put up.   I also go on to highlight some real examples, c...

Many young golfers have a dream to turn professional and then compete at the highest level, on the European Tour or PGA Tour, winning major championships.   In this episode, Andrew Nicholson, a highly respected golf coach, who has coached a number of European Tour winners and many up-and-coming elite amateurs and budding professionals tells me about what he thinks the young golfer needs to conside...

In today's episode, I answer a popular question that I get asked from parents of young athletes.   "My daughter can perform really well when she practices or trains but when she competes she often looks like a different person and freezes.   How can I help her?"   I go onto explain that there are many complexities which surround this question from cultures and environments set up, coach or parent...

Our guest today is very inspirational, Marilyn Okoro was a top-class athlete, an Olympic bronze medalist, and now an athletepreneur and mentor.   In this episode, we discuss what it takes to compete to such a high level in elite sport.   We chat about perfectionism, being yourself despite the challenges sport brings, the cultures that exist in elite sport, and how they can be helpful and equally d...

Today's podcast episode looks at how elite sporting environments can impact an athlete's mental health and psychological wellbeing.   My guest, Clinical Psychologist, Amy Izycky has recently released a book called Skewed to the Right Sport Mental Health and Vulnerability which we go on to discuss.   The episode helps you understand the intricacies of different sports such as rowing and combat spor...

If you're a football coach, player or parent of a young player or simply a fan of football you'll enjoy this.   I speak to Edu Rubio who has coached at Valencia and Chelsea and now works as a technical consultant at Crystal Palace.   The conversation flowed as we chatted about the challenges young academy footballers have and how to best support them.   We unpick Edu's interest in Motivational Int...

In today's episode, I answer a popular question I get asked by golfers, "I struggle with my confidence, overthink, and can be indecisive on the golf course how can I put this to one side and play my best golf more often?"   You'll find I share an important tool to help in this regard, visualisation, and sell the benefits of using this psychological skill to help you shoot lower scores.   Key Learn...