The Focused Mind Podcast

Training the Mind to Perform at Your Limit: A Conversation with Sport Psychologist Jose Maresma What does it really take to perform at the absolute limits of human performance? Following Jose Maresma’s appearance on the CITIUS MAG Podcast, where he discussed the years of mental-performance work behind Josh Kerr’s successful attempt to break the mile World Record in July 2026, this conversation goe...

Harry Bullmore is The Independent’s senior fitness writer, covering news, reviews and features on all things exercise-related. As a keen gym-goer, coach and CrossFit trainer, he is always experimenting with new training techniques to find fun, effective ways to stay in shape – be that home workouts, Pilates, strength training or gymnastics. Before joining The Independent, he wrote on fitness topic...

Kriss Hendy, a former ice hockey player, has been working within the endurance community for over 15 years, studying, coaching, supporting and now helping other coaches and athletes as a qualified S&C and run coach. He is the founder of Strength For Endurance, whose multi-disciplinary approach ensures athletes take a comprehensive approach to endurance training; in order to overcome injury, pr...

In this episode of The Focused Mind Podcast , Stu Holliday is joined by ultra-runner and doctor Dr Jenny Hartley , fresh from her victory at the legendary Summer Spine Race and a career that also includes multiple Invictus Games gold medals . Together, they explore the psychology behind thriving in some of the world's toughest endurance events. Jenny shares the mental strategies that have shap...

Scott Frey is an experimental Psychologist from Colorado, who rose through academia to become a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience with a lab that conducted leading edge brain imaging research. Throughout his fascinating life, Scott has been a runner, participating and being a fan of the sport, and now works as an independent consultant for his own consultancy: Cerebral Performance. Like myself w...

After the huge news of the first Sub 2 marathon by Sabastian Sawe in Sunday's London Marathon, this emergency, or as was rightfully said, a celebratory episode of the Focused Mind Podcast has been released to get the reflections of both Simon Freeman (Founder and editor of Like the Wind magazine) and Alex Hutchinson (Writer of 'Endure' and Outside Magazine scribe). 2 people whose exper...

Alex Hutchinson is a former professional Canadian Athlete (a 1500m runner) and is now an award-winning writer specializing in the intersection of science and athletic performance. Holding a Physics PhD, he brings an exacting scientific mind to endurance performance and much more to his work for Outside magazine, Runner's World, The New York Times, and his own books, 'Endure' and 'T...

Thibo David is a personal trainer and coach based in London, who works with global stars in sport, business, and touring musicians. Most famously, he has been working with pop star Harry Styles, who surprised both the running (and non-running!) world a few weeks ago in the Berlin Marathon, posting a hugely impressive sub-3 marathon in only his second attempt at the distance. While Harry's effo...

A one off special collaboration between ‘The Slice of Pie’ Psychology podcast and The Focused Mind. Host of SOP, Pete Jackson, interviews Endurance Mind Coaching founder, Stu Holliday, about his unique Endurance Mind management programme for runners, cyclists, and triathletes, called ‘The Unbreakable Athlete.’ Pete delves into to ask: What is the programme? Who is it for? What psychological proble...

Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with Fraser MacDonald Oulds again, about the mental capacity that endurance athletes build not just in terms of physical, but also psychologically during build phases. We discuss practices that free up space, such as limiting social media, as well as growing capacity through emotional flexibility and broadening our training opportunities to allo...

Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with athlete, Fraser MacDonald Oulds again, about the mindset shift that has to occur when an athlete gets injured and needs to mentally pivot to rehabbing. As a Sport and Exercise Psychologist, sadly injury is an occupational hazard, but we can help athletes get favourable outcomes, expedited by individuals treating their rehab just like traini...

Endurance Mind Coaching Founder, Stu Holliday, talks with all round athlete, Fraser MacDonald Oulds, about how he has cultivated mindset shifts associated with improving his performance across his swimming, water polo, and running. Within running, from track and road transitioning more to hill, fell, and ultra distances.

Steve Hobbs (of The Milestone Pursuit run coaching company), speaks to Stu (Founder of Endurance Mind Coaching) about the benefits and things to learn about goalsetting, whatever level of endurance athlete you are.

Paul Benney describes himself as having spent 30 years at the coalface of music, media, and acid house. If you’re into electronic music, you’ll likely know his work as a co-founder of seminal 90s magazine  Jockey Slut  and its associated club night,  Bugged Out! , which began in Manchester 30 years ago. Since then,  Bugged Out!  has held residencies in Liverpool and London and now hosts a weekende...

Ryan Morley is a cycling coach, bike fitter, data analyst,and former RAF serviceman. Ryan began his racing career in time trials at the age of 15 and entered the world of road and criterium racing shortly after. As a junior, Ryan raced extensively, competing for the Welsh national team. Having worked within the cycling industry for several years,he then pursued a career in the Royal Air Force. Whi...

This is the first episode of a mini series on the Focused Mind Podcast that talks to high performers across the music business who talk about their life, mindset, and skills they've developed to have long careers. We look at what individuals have done to look after themselves and what they'd consider helpful for working in the industry in the current day. In the series, we’ve got interview...

Mario Fraioli is the host of The Morning Shakeout podcast and the author of the weekly newsletter of the same name. As well as these well-known endeavours, he spends the majority of his work as a full-time endurance running coach . In this episode, timed to drop a month prior to a number of major marathon races Worldwide, FMC podcast host Stu Holliday wanted to discuss with Mario about how athlete...

In this mini episode, Sport and Performance Psychologist Stu Holliday answers the question: Why should everyone know about the Valencia marathon? And the second question... and why should they care?! Whether you are a runner or not, this event is unique in the World of endurance sport and in the imaginations of the organisers. They put themselves in a different place to nearly all other marathon p...

Nick Steel is both a rowing and executive coach in sport and business respectively. Having had a career in the energy sector all over the World, he dug into his love of rowing to set himself up on his return to the UK providing rowing training to all levels of ability.  Last year he was selected as the rowing coach for Team UK at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf (and again for Invictus 2025 in Can...

Stu Holliday, Noel Brick, & Dan Robinson ‘The Psychology of Running’ podcast. This episode supports your understanding and use of the Psychology of Running book! Show Notes Intros and how this episode supports the book with added context Context of the RESIST project on endurance running and our respective roles and work within it. Recollections of RESIST and its impact within Sport Psychology...

Following on from previous guest Chris Madden ( Episode 20 ), we wanted to bring the head of MITC ( https://musicindustrytherapists.com/ ), Tamsin Embleton on to have a more in-depth discussion on the work we do in the music industry supporting artists, staff, and crew in person, virtually, at festivals, and how needed the work of caring professionals is a necessity in this modern day and age. Tam...

Sean Warburton (@seanaldo26.2) is a Manchester-based runner and podcaster (The Local Runners), who has completed 38 marathons, and holds a PR of 2 hours, 38 minutes. In this 3rd episode of the mini-series on Autumn marathon, we turn the spotlight on how to cope if you get injured in the build-up to your main race of the year. How can you mentally cope better, to improve both your overall well-bein...

Ross Braden is an elite British marathon runner who finished in 12th place in 2022's London Marathon (in a time of 2:14:32). A client of mine, Ross has broken client confidentiality to talk and reflect on the psych skill training we worked on together in preparation for that event, and in preparation for his upcoming 2023 Amsterdam debut appearance, he is an exceptional talent and we discuss h...

Matt Fitzgerald is a running coach, retreat owner, and to most psych-curious runners and triathletes, a prolific author on how to improve performance. A dedicated, evidence-based, (and non-academic) researcher of how to wring as much out of your discipline as possible, his pithy, and eloquent prose has helped runners at all levels improve, covering topics including training , diet , and mindset ....

Sarah Broadhead is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist based in Sheffield, UK. With extensive experience in business and sport (including 3 Olympic Cycles as the Psychologist for GB TaeKwondo), she set up ‘Broadhead Performance’ 5 years ago. In November 2022 she published her first book, Perform and Thrive: A Sportsperson’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing, aimed at athletes, coaches and psy...