University of Staffordshire's Performing Under Pressure Podcast

Louize Yafai is an accredited Breakup, Divorce & Life Transition Coach for individuals and sports professionals, and a member of the International Divorce Coach Centre of Excellence. In this episode, relationships are the central focus of our attention as Louize explains their relevance in performing under pressure. For example, Louize explains how individuals can rebuild their confidence after a...

Lauren Garner is the First Team Performance Psychologist for Sunderland AFC having joined the club during their promotion-winning season in 2024. Prior to that, she has been the Lead Academy Performance Psychologist at Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers. In this episode, Dr Paul Mansell and Brandon Walsh ask Lauren to describe her journey into the profession. Lauren explains in detail the impo...

Mark Pearce has spent around twenty years working for Staffordshire Fire Service. The majority of this has been spent working as a firefighter and over the last three years, Mark now leads a training programme to ensure firefighters are physically prepared for their work. In this episode, we examine pressure from the perspective of a firefighter, and we discuss how to prepare to deal with highly i...

Taylor Allen grew up in Staffordshire and began his professional career with Forest Green Rovers. After several loan spells, he then joined Walsall FC where he won the club's Player of the Season award and was named in the League Two team of the year for 2025, accumulating 18 goal involvements in all competitions. This earned him a moved to League One Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee. In a...

Jordan Brookes is a golf caddy and sport psychologist in training. He is currently completing his professional doctorate through the University of Portsmouth. Jordan also has experience of supporting academy footballers and currently works with players at Crewe Alexandra's academy. In this episode, Jordan reflects on how is able to combine his role as a caddy with providing psychological assistanc...

Gail and Andy Coady are the parents are former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain and England international Conor Coady, and his brother Harrison. Conor made over 300 appearances in Old Gold and has 10 England caps, and he has also represented Everton and Leicester City in the Premier League. In this episode, we explore the experiences of parenting in elite sport from academy football to the World Cu...

Peter Dutton is a psychotherapist and counsellor who works with athletes and occupational workers to enhance their wellbeing and performance. Peter works for Sporting Chance to help athletes in dealing with addictions and he is also a part-time lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. In this episode, he shares insights from his practice to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Karla Drew. During the conversa...

Graham Scott has spent a decade refereeing at the highest level of English football having worked his way up from the National League to the Premier League. He retired from the Select Group of Officials in 2025. In this episode, Graham explains to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Professor Matt Slater how he was able to perform well in the high-stakes environment that is Premier League football. Part of...

Ian Davies MBE is an associate professor in Health, Education and Policing Sciences at the University of Staffordshire. For 20 years, Ian worked within the NHS as Lead Biomedical Scientist and an Operational Manager, providing 24-hour analysis of specimens from patients to assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. In 2025, Ian was awarded an MBE for his services to pathology and biomedica...

Ben Osborn is a professional footballer who is currently on loan to Stockport County from Derby County. His former clubs include Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, and he has also represented England at U18, U19, and U20 level. He has made over 350 appearances in his career including 61 appearances in the Premier League. In this episode, he explains how he prepares himself to deliver on a mat...

In this special international episode recorded in the Porto region of north Portugal, we are joined by professional footballer Erin Seppi. Erin is from New Jersey in the United States of America and has represented Romanian side FC Cluj in the Champions League before joining Valadares Gaia in 2021. Valadares Gaia are one of the top sides in women's football in Portugal, and Erin is their captain a...

Jeremy Holt is a chartered organisational psychologist and a founder of the Centre of Team Excellence. He has spent over 30 years building high-performance teams in sport, business, and the military. Jeremy also coaches young players in grassroots rugby, for which he has a strong passion. He is also the author of "For the Love of the Game: How to coach identity, belonging and performance in sport....

Emma Heighway is the Subject Leader of PE at Erasmus Darwin Academy, a school based in Staffordshire. Having graduated with a first class honours degree and completed her PGCE, she has been teaching PE for over ten years. More recently, she has been promoted to Subject Leader, and leadership forms a big part of our conversation. We discuss the importance of having values that are lived, and Emma s...

Katie Clark is a HCPC accredited Sport and Exercise Psychologist. She completed her postgraduate degree at the University of Staffordshire and has since gone on to work in a Premier League football academy and in women's football, among other sports. In this episode, she explains to Dr Paul Mansell how she navigated the challenging pathway to becoming a Sport Psychologist. Katie tells us more abou...

Sara Svoboda is a Canadian rugby player at Harlequins FC. In 2021, she reached the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, and has over 20 caps for her country. Sara is also a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University. In this episode, Sara shares her methods for controlling her demeanour and behaviour while performing under pressure, both on and off the field. As an international athlete, Sara o...

James Maurice is the Lead Academy Sport Psychologist at Portsmouth FC. He has previously worked in the academies at West Ham United, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In this episode, James shares his experiences of working in this domain, as well as working for GB Archery at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. James describes the concept of 'pressure menus' to help prepare athletes for compe...

Former professional footballer Sam Winnall has completed a fascinating research project as part of his MSc, and in this bonus episode, he explains his findings to Dr Paul Mansell. Conducted with a sample of current elite strikers, including an international player, Sam investigated the role of competition for places between teammates in football. With most teams playing with only one 'number 9', h...

Nathan Magill's job is to oversee the development of thousands of referees in England. His previous experience includes being Head of Referees at Football Australia and he is also a Board Member on the Premier League's Elite Referee Development Plan. He explains to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Stuart Carrington the importance of a person-first approach to his role. This episode naturally features con...

Helen Davis is a Sport Psychologist who has extensive experience working across a broad spectrum of sports, collaborating with accomplished athletes at various levels. Her clientele includes elite professional teams and individuals, amateurs, Olympic and Paralympic medallists, as well as Commonwealth, European and World Champions. Through completing her postgraduate degree at the University of Sta...

In this episode, Maisie Brown shares her experiences of what life is like as the romantic partner of a high performance athlete. Married to Jacob Brown, a forward for Luton Town and Scotland, Maisie shares her thoughts on what it is like to navigate the transfer window, dealing with Jacob's injuries, experiencing abuse, and the scheduling issues that are part of football. This interview builds on...

Jack Cuthbertson is a personal trainer and business owner. Having worked in the industry for over a decade, he explains how he uses psychology as an integral part of his daily work. For example, he outlines how he uses goal setting, his approach to motivating his clients, and how he went about taking a calculated risk to set up his own business. This episode really highlights the role that psychol...

Nathan is a Digital Sports Editor, Presenter, Sports Writer, and Podcast Host for Wolverhampton’s Express and Star newspaper. He has covered Wolves for nearly a decade, and earlier this year, he was named Sports Journalist of the Year at the Regional Press Awards. In this episode, we explore performance under pressure in the domains of journalism and broadcasting. To what extent are deadlines a st...

Stuart Carrington is a Lecturer at St Mary's University in Twickenham, London. He is currently completing his PhD which centres around officials' performance under pressure, and he is the author of 'Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology of Football Refereeing'. In the episode, Stuart discusses the strategies that officials typically find to be helpful before, during, and after a performance. With a...

Dr Katie Sparks is a Lecturer of Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Staffordshire and a Performance Lifestyle Advisor for British Rowing. She completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2022 and has published several peer-reviewed articles relating to performing under pressure. In this episode, she tells Dr Paul Mansell and co-host Brent Horleston about the importance of m...

Jack McMillan is a former professional footballer who has dedicated his second career to supporting professional athletes on a holistic level. His specialisms include breathwork and yoga, and he has worked with over 60 professional football clubs and organisations including the PFA and Great Britain. Joining Jack and host Dr Paul Mansell in the studio are two of Jack's clients. Former professional...