MindStrong

Tom Mitchell is a Rugby Union International who has represented Great Britain and England Sevens at the World Series, the Olympics, and Commonwealth Games. Tom won an Olympic silver medal as captain for Great Britain in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He debuted for England at the 2012 Wellington Sevens and was the leading scorer in the 2013-14 World Series with 358 points, helping England to a fourth-p...

How do you deal with poor performance as an athlete? Is there a way to bounce back stronger after a bad game? In this episode, I talk about the most effective ways of dealing with poor performance. Expect to learn the dangers of not moving on from a bad performance, how to improve for the next competition, and how to develop the right mindset to bounce back from a poor performance quickly. [00:00]...

Lewis explains how to create process to improve your skill, performance under pressure, confidence and much more. Expect to learn, what a process is, how to create one, how to practice a process and how to trust it, even when things aren't going your way. [00:00] Introduction  [02:09] What is a Process? [04:55] Steps to Building an Efficient Process [07:25] How Having a Process Can Increase Yo...

Russell Earnshaw is a rugby union coach working in sports and business with the Magic Academy. He played Premiership rugby with West Hartlepool, Bath Rugby and Rotherham Titans, winning the European Cup at Bath. In this episode, expect to learn the impact of gamification on sports teams, vulnerability as a strength for coaches, what to do when you no longer enjoy the game, and ways coaches can ask...

Dr. Alexander Latinjak is an Associate Professor at the University of Suffolk and a Visiting Professor at the University of Thessaly. He is also a psychological skill trainer, primarily focusing on self-talk, cognitive self regulation in sports, and developing psychological programs for high-performance centres.  In this episode, we discuss the role of self-talk in an athlete's success. Expect...

Mike Brown is an English professional rugby union player who plays fullback or wing for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby. Brown joined the Harlequins senior team in 2005, having played youth rugby at Salisbury and Melksham, and began playing for the England first team two years later. During his career, Mike has won 3 Six Nations Championship titles with England and two Premiership Rugby titl...

When under pressure where does your mind go? Do you know what thoughts, actions and behaviours that you need to execute? Or do you get caught up in the distractions of it all? In this episode expect to learn: - What a pre-performance routine is - Why we have a pre-performance routine - The difference between superstition and routine - How to develop a routine for yourself - Figuring out your best...

Dr. Andrew P. Hill is a Sport and Exercise Psychology Professor at York St John University, UK. Andy's research focuses on the motivational antecedents and consequences of participation in sports and physical activity. His main areas of interest are the consequences of perfectionism (an achievement-related personality trait) for athletes, exercisers, and youth sports participants. In this epis...

Gordon L. Flett, Ph. D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Flett is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, which has cited him as one of the top 25 most productive authors in psychology. He is best known for his research on personality and depression, as well as groundbreaking work on perfectionism.   In this episode, expect t...

Aaron Walsh is an experienced Performance Coach who primarily focuses on developing leadership, culture, and mental performance programs for teams. Walsh is currently working with Chiefs in Super Rugby as well as consulting with Harlequins, Scottish Rugby, Texas Rangers, and Basketball New Zealand. He has also worked with various national teams and currently coaches multiple corporate leadership t...

Dr Mustafa Sarkar is an Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His research addresses the psychology of performance excellence with a particular focus on resilience, psychological safety, and mental health. Expect to learn, what resilience is and what it is not, the difference between resilience and mental toughness, how to build resilience, the cos...

As an athlete, you will get injured. There's just no avoiding injuries. So how can you speed up your recovery, come back stronger, and even get the most out of your time on the side lines?   In today's episode, Lewis discusses ways athletes can mentally deal with injuries. Expect to learn how you can do a better job of addressing mental as well as physical aspects of athletic injuries to s...

In today's episode, Lewis discusses managing anxiety in performance. Expect to hear why anxiety isn't necessarily a bad thing, the types of anxiety you can feel, the possible causes to your anxiety around performance, how you can manage anxiety mentally, physical and in the moment and much more. [00:00] Introduction [02:29] Lewis Growing Up as an Anxious Kid [08:00] The Difference Between...

Tara Norris is a professional cricketer who currently plays for Thunder, London Spirit, and Delhi Capitals. She plays as a left-arm medium bowler and has previously played for Loughborough Lightning and Southern Vipers. Fresh off of her debut in the WPL, Tara comes on the podcast to talk about her journey to professional women’s cricket. Expect to learn what it's like hitting a five-wicket hau...

Dr. Scott Goldman is a Consulting Performance Psychologist and the creator of the Athletic Intelligence Quotient (AIQ) - an intelligence test that assesses the innate cognitive abilities that are most utilized in attaining, developing, and applying athletic skills, strategies, and tactics. The test is being used by Olympic, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, and MLB teams, as well as multiple Power 5 Universitie...

When you're low on confidence, do you know why you feel that way? As an athlete, confidence can make or break your chances of success. You can have all the skills and talents in the world, but if you lack confidence, then it's all for nothing.    In today's episode, Lewis discusses how your anxiety and desire for control can directly affect your confidence level. He also talks about op...

Gordon MacLelland is the CEO and founder of Working with Parents in Sport. They support organizations, parents and coaches to work together and provide children with the best sporting experiences. Drawing on over 20 years of experience as a teacher, coach, director of sports and currently as a sporting parent, Gordon is able to gain a unique insight into the different stakeholders involved in the...

Maggie Murphy is the CEO of pioneering football club Lewes FC, a 100% fan-owned football club and the world's first to distribute revenue equally between its male and female teams. Maggie was elected to the FA Women's Super League and Women's Championship Board in July 2021. She previously held human rights roles at Amnesty International and was a senior global advocate at Transparency...

Nicole Silveira is a Brazilian skeleton skater and former bobsledder. She made her Skeleton World Cup debut in 2018 and has been competing ever since, placing 22nd in the 2020-2021 season. She also represented Brazil at the 2022 Winter Olympics.   In today’s episode, Lewis and Nicole talk about what skeleton skating is, her transition from bobsledding, her career as a nurse, and what she plans on...

Roger Black is a former athlete who competed internationally for Great Britain and England. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 meters sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4 × 400 metres relay gold medals at both the World and European Championships. In today’s episode, Lewis and...

Have you felt like you could never reach other people’s expectations?   In this episode, Lewis discusses the fear of imperfection and how it can prevent you from being your most authentic self. He shares personal experiences and practical exercises to help you recognize and embrace your imperfections and encourages you to show up in life as your most authentic self.   [4:55] Symptoms of Perfection...

Georgia Elwiss is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers, Welsh Fire and England. Born in Wolverhampton, Georgia is a seam-bowling all-rounder and was a member of the winning women's team at the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup held in England. In today's episode, Lewis and Georgia discuss what it's like training alongside men, how to avoid the compariso...

The number of young athletes looking to go pro is at an all-time high. This means that you could be extremely good at your sport and still not make it. If you’d like to get noticed in this fiercely competitive world, you need to work hard on and off the field. In today’s episode, Lewis outlines 5 ways you can stand out from others to get recognised, noticed, and valued for your unique talents and...

Mike Newman is a 9-times World Record holder, having now amassed an impressive 6 land speed records, 2 water speed records, and 1 aerobatic record. Mike is also the founder of the Speed of Sight charity that lets blind and disabled people take part in unique driving experiences. He believes that taking part in sporting or physical activities can help boost a person’s self-esteem and improve their...

In anything you do, you will sometimes have to wait to see the results of your hard work. During such times, it’s easy to lose motivation and give up. In today’s episode, Lewis talks about persistence and perseverance. He explains their role in people’s success and why nobody ever gets to where they want without some level of grit and tenacity.    [00:00] Introduction [01:16] The Story of Oscar Fi...