University of Staffordshire's Performing Under Pressure Podcast

Dr Tim Pitt is a Performance Psychologist and a Director at Mindflick. He has experience of working with the English Institute of Sport, Manchester City, and with athletes in hockey and para table tennis. Tim completed his PhD at Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2017, and in this episode, he reflects on what he has learned about performing under pressure. Joined by guest co-host Dr Andrew Wood,...

Dr Phoebe Welcome is a Counselling Psychologist and completed her PhD entitled "The women's experiences of being partners of elite male footballers in England" at the University of Manchester. She is also the wife of professional footballer Kevin Long. Kevin has represented the Republic of Ireland on 17 occasions and has played for clubs including Burnley, Birmingham City, and Toronto FC in the ML...

In this special bonus international episode, Lorenzo Tonello describes his journey from being an undergraduate student at the University of Staffordshire to an intern at Real Madrid's academy. Now the First Team Rehab Coach and an Injury Recovery & Assistance Performance Coach at FC Pro Vercelli in Italy’s Serie C, Lorenzo describes a typical working day and some of the challenges he faces in his...

Matt Hancock is the Chief Executive Officer of Port Vale FC and the Chair of the Board of Directors at Staffordshire FA. Prior to joining Port Vale, Matt spent a significant amount of time working for Burton Albion FC in community-based roles. In this episode, we explore performing under pressure through the lens of a senior leader in professional football. What is it like having difficult convers...

Sarah Knapp is a HCPC registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist. Sarah completed her MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Staffordshire in 2021 and has since worked with several teams and individuals including Northampton Town FC Women’s team. Sarah also conducts freelance work through her business “Mindset for Performance”. In this episode, Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Tsvetelina...

Erica Meg Parkinson is a midfielder for Portuguese top division club Valadares Gaia. The 18 year old has won over 40 caps for England at youth level and was selected for her first senior squad by Serena Wiegman in April 2026. In this episode, Erica reflects on the strategies that help her to perform well on the pitch, such as having consistent routines, journalling, and quickly moving on from mist...

David Robson is a science writer and author known for his expertise in psychological and neuroscience research. He has written for publications such as New Scientist, The Guardian, and the BBC, often focusing on how human thinking, behaviour, and belief systems shape our lives. David has written books including The Intelligence Trap, The Expectation Effect, and The Laws of Connection which explore...

Nathan Thompson has made over 450 appearances in professional football. He began his career with Swindon Town and spent 8 years with the club where he was voted player of the season on two occasions and was named as club captain. He then moved to Portsmouth, winning the EFL Trophy against Sunderland in 2019, before serving Peterborough, Stevenage and MK Dons. In this episode, Nathan describes the...

Emily Smith is a National Series champion in mountain biking and has prolonged experience of working in the British Army. In this episode, she explains to Dr Paul Mansell how performing under pressure might enhanced by visualisation and how she is able to cope with the intense demands of her physical training. We also discuss resilience and Emily reflects on how she helps to prepare young army rec...

Dr Lisa O’Halloran is a HCPC registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, and she completed her PhD at Liverpool John Moores University. Lisa is the founder of LOH Consultancy Limited and has worked with a range of individuals and sports teams including Coventry City. She is also an experienced lecturer having held positions at Nottingham Trent University and Coventry University. In this episode, s...

Emma Gage is a Sport Psychologist In-Training and a World Record holder in Masters Swimming. Emma completed her MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Staffordshire in 2025 and is also the owner of SwimWod. In a varied episode, Emma tells hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Karla Drew how she went from being a national medalist as a young swimmer to winning world titles in the masters...

Conor Niland is a former professional tennis player who reached a career high ranking of 129 in the world. He competed at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the US Open, where he faced Novak Djokovic. In 2024, his book “The Racket” won the William Hill Sports Book of the year. In the book, he described in detail that life on the tour is not always glamourous as we might imagine. .. In this episod...

Maria Bertelli is a former elite footballer and volleyball player. She played football for clubs such as Charlton Athletic, reading the Women's FA Cup final in 2007. Maria also represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and has since gone on to coach volleyball at the University of Derby and for Darkstar. In this episode, she outlines how she coped, and continues to cope, with the deman...

Mikele Leigertwood has held a number of roles at Reading FC. He made over 100 appearances for them as a player and was part of the team that secured promotion to the Premier League in 2012. Since then, he has held the roles of Academy Loans Manager and First Team Coach. As a player, Mikele also represented Wimbledon, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and QPR, as well as winning 11 caps for Antigua...

Kane Hemmings is approaching 500 appearances in professional football, and has scored over 160 goals for clubs including Rangers, Dundee, Tranmere Rovers, Oxford United, and Mansfield Town. In this episode, he explains to Dr Paul Mansell and Brandon Walsh how he likes to be led so that he can perform at his best. Kane also provides great detail as to how he prepares and executes penalties. The tri...

Dr Catarina Morais is a Sport Psychologist and a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Psychology at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto. In this international episode, she shares her insights from her applied experiences with athletes as well as her research. Catarina describes the essential skills that should be prioritised by sport psychologists such as having a constant awareness of t...

Lewis Warrington came through Everton's academy and made his Premier League debut in 2024. Since then, he has represented Tranmere Rovers, Plymouth, and Leyton Orient before singing for Walsall for the 2025/26 season. At the time of recording, Lewis was still at Walsall, but the 23-year old has since re-joined Tranmere Rovers. In this episode, Lewis explains to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Jack McMil...

Krystian Pearce is an experienced former professional footballer. He has made over 600 appearances in his career for clubs such as Mansfield Town, Notts County, and Port Vale, having begun his career in Birmingham City’s academy. Krystian has also represented England at U17 and U19 level, and starred in the U17 World Cup in 2007. Known as Chief, the Birmingham-born defender also has 13 caps for Ba...

For our landmark 100th episode, it is a pleasure to welcome Conor Coady to the show. Conor is the former captain of Wolverhampton Wanderers and made over 300 appearances for the club, leading the newly promoted side to back-to-back 7th placed finishes in 2019 and 2020. Conor began his career at Liverpool and has represented Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Everton, Leicester and Wrexham. He is...

Dr Mel Morrison is a HCPC registered Educational and Child Psychologist. Also known as ‘The Sporty Ed Psych’, Mel completed her Doctorate in Applied Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Birmingham in 2023, and she now works as an Educational and Child Psychologist for Walsall Council. In the episode, hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Laura Jackson de Domene ask Mel to reflect on her work...

Paul Anderson is the Head Coach of Derby County's Under 15 side. He is also a former footballer having signed his first professional contract with Liverpool, where he won the FA Youth Cup in 2006. It was with Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town where he most made his mark as he made over 300 professional appearances. In this episode, Dr Paul Mansell and Sam Westley quiz Paul on his experiences as a...

David Wheeler amassed over 600 appearances in his football career, representing clubs such as Exeter City, Wycombe Wanderers, and Queens Park Rangers. Since retiring, he has begun his formal training to become an accredited sport psychologist, building on his Masters degree. In this episode, Reading first team coach Danny Schofield joins host Dr Paul Mansell to quiz David on his perceptions of per...

Dr Jonathan Katz is a Consultant Psychologist with 39 years experience of support provision within psychiatric settings and has supported athletes, coaches and support staff at major championships. His experience includes supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes including at several Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. He was also the Head Coach of Team England at 5 Commonwealth Fencing Champions...

In this special international episode, we welcomed Dr Sara Mesquita into our studio at the University of Staffordshire. Having previously been the sport psychologist for FC Porto's U19 as they reached the top, she now works with the women's team as they begin their quest to reach the Champions League. Sara is also a Lecturer at the University of Porto. Speaking to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Karl...

Joanna Hill is an experienced leader within forensic policing in Staffordshire having amassed 25 years of experience in this domain. In this episode, she explains to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Katie Sparks how she is able to perform and lead others in this demanding and stressful occupation. Joanna explains why forensic policing, despite often being glamourised in the media, is fraught with chal...