The Sport Psych Show

I have the pleasure of being joined by Shameema Yousuf in this episode. Shameema is a certified mental performance consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, registered counsellor in psychotherapy, member of the American Psychological Society Division 47 and the British Psychological Society within the Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology. She also has a private practice work...

I'm delighted to have Nick Winkelman on this episode. Nick is Head of Athletic Performance and Science for Irish Rugby. Previously, Nick worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for 10 years working with elite military and NFL athletes and running coach education at Exos. We speak about the power of language; helping athletes learn better; internal and external cueing; what shapes movement; dir...

I have the pleasure of being joined by Cody Royle in this episode. Cody is Head Coach of Canada's AFL (Australian Football League) programme. He has also written "Where Others Won't" a fantastic book about high performance in sport and in the corporate world. During our discussion, we break down Cody's book chapter by chapter. We speak about coaching elite players; language; the importance of good...

I'm joined by Jeremy Holt and Dr Will Thomas from the Centre for Team Excellence in this episode. Jeremy and Will's pioneering research has shown that people in great teams think, feel and behave differently to those in ordinary teams. Jeremy and Will have worked in a range of sports, with the Royal Marines and with a number of organisations. We speak about social identity; the reasons people are...

In this episode, I speak with Professor Sophia Jowett. Sophia is a Sport Psychologist who lectures and researches at Loughborough University in the UK. She is an Associate Fellow and Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society and she consults with athletes and coaches in a range of sports. Her research work mainly revolves around interpersonal relationships in sport with an emphas...

I have the pleasure of having my former mentor Rob Robson on this week's episode. Rob is a People and Change Consultant and Psychologist working mainly within organisations to help them achieve their transformation and growth objectives. Rob trained as a Sport Psychologist and has worked in high change environments for over 20 years. He is also a competitive Masters swimmer and holds several Briti...

I'm delighted to be joined by Dr Alice Boyes on this episode. Alice is a former clinical psychologist and researcher turned writer. She has a PhD in the Psychology of Relationships and is author of two bestselling books: The Anxiety Toolkit and The Healthy Mind Toolkit. In this episode Alice and I talk about Self-sabotaging; looking for patterns; Prepare and Plan mindset; having the skills to deal...

I'm joined by Sydney based Performance Psychologist Steve Johnson in this episode. Steve was a Sport Psychology and Sport Coaching lecturer at Sydney University, Western Sydney University and University of Wollongong for 7 years. He's worked with elite players and teams including from tennis, rugby league, super rugby, swimming, football, and cricket. Several years ago he started The Wellbeing Sci...

In this episode, I speak with former professional cricketer and now yoga instructor Lewis Hatchett about his journey to becoming an elite sports competitor. Lewis experienced a slightly different development pathway in his sport. He was born with Poland Syndrome, a rare condition that means he's missing his right pectoral muscle and two ribs. When he was born the doctors said that he wouldn't be a...

I'm lucky enough to be joined by Todd Beane on this episode. Todd is a soccer coach and Founder of TOVO Training and TOVO Academy Barcelona. In TOVO Training, Beane has combined proven pedagogical practices of experts in the field of education with the visionary components of a total football legend into a dynamic and practical training methodology. Todd worked with Johan Cruyff for 14 years to cr...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with former Spurs, Sunderland and now Bournemouth and England footballer Jermain Defoe and ask him about the psychology of being a striker in the English Premier League. Jermain and I spoke about the toughest defender he ever played against and what made him so tough. We discuss the specific preparation he's always used to prepare for matchday and...

I have the pleasure of having Iain Highfield on this week's episode. Iain is a performance coach specialising in helping golfers develop their mental skills. He has implemented psychological conditioning programmes at two leading Junior Golf Academies and he was voted one of the best young golf teachers by Golf Digest Magazine in 2017. He is co-founder of Game Like Training Golf, where he introduc...

In this episode, I'm joined by 2-time Olympian Laurence Halsted. Laurence competed in the London and Rio Olympics for the British Fencing team. He won a silver and bronze medal in the European Championships and finished 6th in the World Championships. He now works as performance director for the Danish Fencing Federation. As a coach, he has developed a passion for the mental side of sport. He work...

I'm delighted to have Vern Gambetta join me on this episode. Vern has been a sports coach for over fifty years and he's worked with some of the greatest sporting teams and athletes of all time. His CV reads like a who's who of sporting royalty having worked with the Mets, the Chicago Bulls, the 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Vern is an athletic development coach using functional training to bui...

I'm delighted to speak with Lara Mossman in this episode. Lara is currently studying a PhD in Positive Psychology and Sport at La Trobe University. Her interests are in Autonomy Support, Achievement Goal Theory and Positive Psychology in football. She is the co-founder of The Strengths Exchange, a strength-based positive parenting website. During this conversation, we chat about a range of Positiv...

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Martin Turner. Martin is Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology at Staffordshire University. He's worked in a wide range of sports and is currently Lead Psychologist for the English futsal team. Martin is interested in using a counselling framework called Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) to improve the performance and enhance the mental health of competitor...

I'm lucky enough to be joined by international speaker and best-selling author Professor Damian Hughes on today's podcast. Damian is the trusted adviser to the business, education and sporting elite, specialising in the creation of high performing cultures. Damian and I look in detail at this latest book The Barcelona Way honing in on the 'culture of commitment' that Barcelona have instilled. We d...

In this episode, I chat with teacher, teaching mentor and bestselling author Doug Lemov. Doug believes that teaching is a performance profession and spends his time learning what the very best teachers do. During our conversation, Doug introduces practical methodologies that coaches can use to improve their ability to teach, including the craft of coaching on the run, the difference between teachi...

I'm joined by Great Britain Rowing Psychologist Dr Chris Shambrook. Chris is a veteran of 5 Olympic Games. He's worked with elite athletes in the most pressure-filled environments and so is the perfect person to tell the Sport Psych Show how the brain impacts learning and performance. In this episode Chris and I share notes on all things sport psychology including experiencing failure to increase...

Dr Ed Coughlan is a skills coach with a PhD in skill acquisition. He is a university lecturer and has worked with a wide range of competitors and coaches including from the EIS, GB Shooting, UEFA, Chelsea FC, St Helen's Rugby League, Scottish Curling and with a number of golfers on the European Tour. In this podcast, Ed and I discuss a range of topics including the importance of psychology within...