Eighty Percent Mental

In this episode of Eighty Percent Mental, Dr Pete Olusoga is joined by Dr Mark O’Sullivan for a deeply insightful conversation on youth sport. We talk about the nature and evolution of coach education and the impact on coaching practice in youth sport, and we discuss the very purpose of youth sport itself. Who is it for? What is it for? And how does that impact on the kids who want to play! Follow...

After taking a few weeks off Dr Pete Olusoga is back with another episode exploring the psychology of performance. We’ve had actors, singers, dancers, strength athletes, coaches, speed demons, and endurance masters on the podcast this series, but one thing we haven’t really considered yet this series is the psychology of The Team. How do we get a group of individuals to start performing as a high...

It’s brutal. It’s violent. It’s two people trying to hit each other until one of them can’t hit back any more… but it's a sport that has always had, and still has, huge appeal.  What is it that makes athletes want to take up boxing in the first place? What kind of mindset does it take to get in the ring? What are the mental skills and strategies that might help prepare an athlete to compete in a s...

If you’re nervous about flying, imagine the nerve required to fly a 25ft plane through a 30ft window at 250mph. In this episode of EightyPercentMental Dr Pete Olusoga speaks with veteran Red Bull Air Race competitor and champion aerobatics pilot, Mike Goulian , and gets the perspective of veteran Mental Performance Coach, Dr Adam Naylor , on the psychology underpinning some of Mike’s most memorabl...

In this episode of EightyPercentMental, Dr Pete Olusoga talks to Kit Windsor and Laura Langton, exactly 50% of Team Ace of Blades , the all-women crew set to row (and definitely not sail) unsupported across the Atlantic in December 2023. Laura and Kit talk about the mental challenges of being on the waves for over a month, the mental preparation that’s going into such a huge undertaking, their hop...

If you haven’t seen Netflix’s Physical 100, then you’re missing out! One hundred contestants in top physical shape compete in a series of gruelling challenges to claim the honour – and cash prize – as the last one standing. The challenges required strength, skill, stamina, but also a tremendous amount of mental effort. For this special episode, Dr Pete Olusoga managed to grab an interview with one...

In this episode, Dr Pete Olusoga explores the Psychology of The Student Athlete. How do high-school, college, and university students balance studying with sports while trying to make it as an athlete, pursue excellence in academics, all while going through a pretty intense period of personal growth and self-discovery?  To find out, Pete talks with Dr Duncan Simpson, Director of Personal Developme...

In this episode of the #EIghtyPercentMental podcast, Dr Pete Olusoga talks with International Weightlifter and multiple British record holder, Jenny Tong about the Psychology of Strength. Just a great conversation about identity, motivation, confidence, and whether toilet paper should go over or under.   Jenny Tong is a GB International Weightlifter, multiple British record holder and BWL Pathway...

There is a long history of sports leading the way on a number of different social issues. For decades, our sporting heroes have been torn down, vilified, and ostracised for standing up for what they believe in and fighting for issues that go beyond the sports arena. While some people were supportive when Gary Lineker spoke out about the government’s asylum policy in 2023, others were quick to roll...

Success and winning are often thought of as synonymous, but if you’re not first, does that really make you last? We live in a society that is constantly trying to sell us a very specific version of what success should look like and in this fascinating episode of EightyPercentMental, Dr Pete Olusoga is joined by Olympic rower, author, and speaker, Cath Bishop, world-leading trampoline coach, Paul G...

What a special episode this is! Dr Pete Olusoga is joined for a fascinating conversation on the psychology of performance by the queen of British soul, Beverley Knight, MBE . An award winning recording artist and musical theatre actress, Beverley Knight has been a mainstay of British and world music scene for over two decades and offers some intriguing insights into the world of performance. Also...

The stars are out as Dr Pete Olusoga explores the psychology of stage and screen with the wonderful British actor (and Coronation Street veteran), Shobna Gulati. Joining them is Psychologist and Lecturer at Lancaster University, Dr David Tod , for a fascinating conversation about the psychology of acting. What are the mental processes involved in preparing for and taking on an acting role? How can...

Eighty Percent Mental host, Dr Pete Olusoga, attended the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. As well as winning an award for Distinguished Public Communication, Outreach, and Awareness for producing this very podcast, Dr Pete spent time talking with conference attendees, including the one and only Professor Bob Weinberg (of Weinberg & Gould fame!...

Continuing the mission to explore the psychological aspects of performance, Eighty Percent Mental host Dr Pete Olusoga explores ‘The psychology of... Speed’ with two-time World Superbikes Champion, James Toseland. Also featuring Sport Psychologist, Shameema Yousuf, this episode explores the motivation, the risk, the psychological skills involved in going really, really fast!  James Toseland on Twi...

In this episode of EightyPercentMental, Dr Pete Olusoga gets to grips with ‘The Psychology of... Dance’ with Kit Holder , First Soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet and Dr Sanna Nordin-Bates , Associate professor in sport psychology, at the Swedish School of Sport & Health Sciences in Stockholm. What are the mental challenges involved in such a creative art form? Find out in this inspiring epi...

This episode is pure gold. With the help of two special guests, Coach Marc Steutel and Dr Kristen Dieffenbach,  Dr Pete Olusoga investigates ‘The Psychology of... The Coach’. How do coaches incorporate sport and performance psychology into their coaching? How can coaches be vulnerable and authentic in their practice? How can psychologists and coaches work most effectively together? All of this and...

Welcome back to Series 3 of Eighty Percent Mental. In this series (or season if you’re American), Dr Pete Olusoga is going to explore some different areas of performance – and not necessarily just sport performance. In this first episode, Dr Pete talks to endurance athlete, Greg Hewitt, and Sport Psychologist, Dr Amy Whitehead, about The Psychology of Endurance. Why do people put themselves throug...

In this Super Special Winter Olympic Review, Dr Pete Olusoga is joined by Dr Chelsi Day , Sport Psychologist at ‘The’ Ohio State University, and Dr Leah Washington , resident Olympic Superfan and professor of sports medicine and sport psychology to talk about the ups, downs, ins, outs, and triple Salchows of the Beijing 2022 Winer Olympics. From drug scandals to ‘minor’ broken necks, and managing...

A ‘win at all costs’ culture can make it almost impossible for people in high-performance environments like sport to show any sort of vulnerability, to concede that pressure takes a toll, to admit that they are not in fact superhuman. But many sports performers are beginning to change this narrative. In the final episode of Series 2, Dr Pete Olusoga is joined by expert guests, Shakiba Moghadam and...

At the start of Series 2, we ran a poll to find the Greatest Sports Movie of All Time… The Movie GOAT. Somehow, Remember the Titans won… still not sure how that happened, but pretty sure it’s your fault. Anyway, in this episode, Dr Pete is joined by Dr Meghan Halbrook, Dr Tammy Sheehy, and (not the first) returning guest, Todd Cauthorn, to discuss what we can learn from some of the great sports mo...

From diving to doping to serious crimes, hardly a day goes by without an athlete getting themselves into some sort of trouble. In this episode Dr Pete is joined by Sport, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Dr Mitch Abrams, and Assistant Professor of sport and exercise psychology at Georgia Southern University, Dr Megan Byrd , to ask: do we deserve better from our sporting heroes? We talk about wh...

The conversation should always be about more than just sport. In this EPM Special, Dr Pete Olusoga is joined by organisational psychologist and best-selling New York Times author, John Amaechi OBE , for an honest and inspiring conversation about racism, anti-racism, and what we all could or should be doing to make our communities fairer for everybody.   John Amaechi OBE on Twitter: @JohnAmaechi  ...

Dr Pete and Hugh Gilmore (featuring in his final episode) investigate how we might bring psychology into the weight room. Lead Strength and Conditioning coach at Sheffield Hallam University, Dave Hembrough , and ALTIS Programs Director and Performance Coach, Nick Ward , discuss the mental challenges they encounter, their use of psych ‘skills’, and what they wish they’d known about the mental side...

When words like diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness are mentioned, they’re often met with a mix of confusion, defensiveness, and responses like “well I just treat everyone the same, I don’t see difference.” In this episode Dr Pete is joined by Dr Ale Quartiroli and Shameema Yousuf to talk about the need for Cultural Awareness, and the importance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the...

2.08 – EPM Special: Pete & Hugh’s Olympic Review Less than a week after the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 2021 Olympics, Dr Pete and Hugh are joined, once again, by Dr Chelsi Day , Sport Psychologist at ‘The’ Ohio State University, and Dr Leah Washington , a professor of sports medicine and sport psychology, to chat about literally everything that happened at the Games. We discuss our favouri...