Demystifying Mental Toughness

Today in episode #162 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast I chat with Sun Sachs and Ed Gibbins, owners of Rewire Fitness about flow states.   When you have a sense of control, are at peace, have a quiet mind and an inner calmness about you.   We discuss the characteristics and importance of flow states, as well as touching on how you can find "flow." Key Learning Points: Understanding sel...

In episode #161 I chat with Author, Coach Educator and Performance Rugby Consultant, Paul Phillips.   We discuss his experiences of developing high performance cultures in professional rugby.   Paul also shares some research on tackling and how to overcome fears with helpful triggers as well as other fascinating insights. Key Learning Points: In Rugby at the lower levels fear is very prominent. Es...

Golf Psychology is only for top, elite professionals such as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm.  Only work with a Golf Psychologist if you have a problem. A Golf Psychologist will fix you in one session. Working with a Golf Psychologist will take place on a "couch." These statements are all myths that some golfers believe are true yet couldn't be farther from the truth.   The role of a Sport Psychologist w...

If you've got to the point where you've experienced physical, emotional and mental exhaustion you may have experienced burnout.   This can happen to people who are subjected to high levels of stress and pressure over a sustained period of time. In elite sport prolonged and intense involvement as an athlete, coach or support member can push you in this direction where your motivation and performanc...

Mental Health in sport is a topic which over the last decade has become more significant and a big talking point with many elite athletes and coaches openly talking about their personal challenges and struggles.   Yet do clubs and organisations take their needs seriously? In some cases, this is arguable.   Though, thankfully it is changing for the better. Today's guest, Dr Paul Gorczynski and I di...

Today's episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness is where my colleagues at Inspiring Sporting Excellence, Olivia Scott, Aditi Gandhi, Tom Short and Alexandra Harper all share what they feel Sports Psychology is and what Sports Psychology is not.   I hope you enjoy listening to their insights and gain a better understanding of the field. Key Learnings Sports Psychology is used to find ways to impro...

In mainstream sports psychology when helping individuals to develop their mental toughness and overcome performance challenges sport psychologists are likely to use interventions such as cognitive restructuring, visualisation, goal setting, mindfulness and other relaxation techniques to help athletes.   However, when athletes experience trauma and difficulties such as the yips or mental blocks oth...

Avoiding procrastination and becoming better organised as a young athlete is the topic of today's short solo episode.   In Mental Toughness term's we're talking about commitment and sticking to promises as well as life control and having a "can do" attitude.   These are much needed skills that many youngsters struggle with, which often means their sporting performance is harmed as well as their se...

In this short solo episode, I discuss an important component of Mental Toughness – control.   In sport, business and in everyday life it can be very easy to get distracted by external factors that are out of your control.   I go on to use Andy Murray's gutsy recent performances at the Australian Open Tennis tournament to illustrate my points sharing an exercise to help you better understand how to...

Welcome to episode #153 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes! This time the episode is created with rugby enthusiasts in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in rugby union or rugby league, go on to share their key takeaways. As you'll note the majo...

Welcome to episode #152 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.   This week we bring to you the 3 rd of 4 compilation episodes.   The key takeaways from this episode come from the world of business and entrepreneurship and lessons from the military.   Mental fitness, mental health, motivation and the importance of sleep were also topics that were unpicked.   Enjoy listening to the excellent insights! Re...

Welcome to episode #151 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes!   This time the episode is created with soccer and football fanatics in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in soccer or football, go on to share their key take home messages. As you'll note th...

Welcome to episode #150 of Demystifying Mental Toughness! This is the first part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes. The episode is hugely insightful with a number of our guests to date, sharing many fantastic takeaways.  The messages come from different angles where a mental toughness practitioner, mental performance coaches and Olympians discuss mental toughnes...

In this short solo episode, I answer a popular question that we get asked by sporting parents - how do I help my children deal with strong emotions? When playing sport, children's lives are littered with challenges and difficulties including; being dropped from squads or teams, losing form or skills, being injured and the recovery period, selection bias, being bullied, being played out of position...

Our guest today is Derek Tate, an experienced ski coach and author.   We go on to discuss his book Six Steps for Training the Mind as well as mental toughness in snowsports. Derek goes on to share insights into differences in mindset between recreational and elite skiers, the role of fear, pushing boundaries and comfort zones, the impact of self-talk, getting into a flow state and a whole lot more...

In episode #147 I chat with Aaron Walsh, a performance coach for the Chiefs rugby team in New Zealand as well as a consultant to many more elite teams including the Scottish Rugby team.   We chat about his experiences of supporting elite rugby union players, common challenges that players bring to him, perceptions from players and coaches of working on their mental game.   Performance analysis is...

In today's episode I chat with John Nassoori, a freelance writer and sports journalist for BBC Sport and The Guardian, in the UK. We go on to discuss his research into football or soccer psychology, at both the elite end and in grassroots football.   We chat about perceptions of sports psychology, mental health and mental toughness in football.   We also touch on the difference between a sports ps...

In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent. "How can I help my son, a goalkeeper who gets very grumpy and nervous the evening before a match?"   Many children across a range of sports face this challenge, often talking themselves into performing poorly before they go out to play a match or compete. They let nervousness win.   Today's episode is set up to help parents where I...

In today's episode I chat with Jon Watkins a resilience and transformation coach and a former special forces soldier .   Jon shares insights into some challenges that he overcame in the military and the importance of mindset.   Goal setting is introduced, concepts such as self-leadership, natural resilience, adaptive resilience and psychological safety we also touch on and a lot more.   Enjoy tuni...

In today's episode I chat with the author and the founder of The Money Confidence Academy, Lesley Thomas, where we discuss a subject some people are uncomfortable discussing "money".   Lesley shares valuable insights into our money mindset and how money can impact our self-worth.   For psychology practitioners or business professionals we chat about pricing your services and conversations that com...

In episode 142 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, Dr Alessia Bruno and David discuss perfectionism in gymnastics as well as across other sports and walks of life. We go on to look at healthy perfectionism, as well as the downsides to the trait where we share some advice for gymnasts, athletes in general, coaches and parents. Key Learning Points Gymnasts are judged on their performances which can go...

In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent.   "My son has had a tough time recently and often talks about not wanting to continue with football." Sadly, this question appears to be a common one at present and shows no signs of going away potentially down to the pressures placed on children at a young age, both in their sport and education.   I do my best to give sporting par...

In this episode double Olympian and former Commonwealth champion swimmer, Chris Cook joined me.   We discussed his journey to becoming an Olympian and his role now as a motivational speaker and executive coach.   Different obstacles that he overcame were also talking points, as were how he sets goals and works to achieve them.   Chris also shares many great questions that you can ask yourself and...

In episode 139 of Demystifying Mental Toughness I had the pleasure of speaking to the head of The Newcastle United Foundation, Steve Beharall.   Steve shared his inspiring journey from being a part time football coach to where he is today.   Lessons that he has learned, challenges he's overcome as well as insights into initiatives that the foundation are involved in and what the future holds.   St...

If you're Mentally Tough you don't need to sleep you can simply push through… Wrong! The mentally tough person, as research suggests is more likely to deal with fatigue better than a mentally sensitive person however they do need to sleep. Being committed to your goals, making sacrifices, taking challenges head on and dealing with pressure requires a clear head, focus and perspective, as well as a...