In episode #161 I chat with Author, Coach Educator and Performance Rugby Consultant, Paul Phillips.  We discuss his experiences of developing high performance cultures in professional rugby.  Paul also shares some research on tackling and how to overcome fears with helpful triggers as well as other fascinating insights. Key Learning Points: In Rugby at the lower levels fear is very prominent. Establishing values and behaviours that are coupled with a vision for the team and club is an essential part of culture development. Why can’t we generate behaviours before thoughts and emotion ..read more

Golf Psychology is only for top, elite professionals such as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm.  Only work with a Golf Psychologist if you have a problem. A Golf Psychologist will fix you in one session. Working with a Golf Psychologist will take place on a “couch.” These statements are all myths that some golfers believe are true yet couldn’t be farther from the truth.   The role of a Sport Psychologist who supports golfers is varied.  It includes sitting down strategizing and going “deep” at times with the use of psychological skills training.  However, it also includes consider ..read more

Mental Health in sport is a topic which over the last decade has become more significant and a big talking point with many elite athletes and coaches openly talking about their personal challenges and struggles.  Yet do clubs and organisations take their needs seriously? In some cases, this is arguable.  Though, thankfully it is changing for the better. Today’s guest, Dr Paul Gorczynski and I discuss this topic where he talks about his interest in mental health, his research in the development and implementation of mental health literacy strategies.  He shares some great advice ..read more

Today’s episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness is where my colleagues at Inspiring Sporting Excellence, Olivia Scott, Aditi Gandhi, Tom Short and Alexandra Harper all share what they feel Sports Psychology is and what Sports Psychology is not.  I hope you enjoy listening to their insights and gain a better understanding of the field. Key Learnings Sports Psychology is used to find ways to improve performance. Sports Psychologists help people in a proactive way to improve as well as overcoming mental game barriers and blocks. It isn’t possible to think positively all of the time. In gym ..read more

In mainstream sports psychology when helping individuals to develop their mental toughness and overcome performance challenges sport psychologists are likely to use interventions such as cognitive restructuring, visualisation, goal setting, mindfulness and other relaxation techniques to help athletes.  However, when athletes experience trauma and difficulties such as the yips or mental blocks other tools may be required to help them overcome the challenges that they face.  Today I chat with Ruth Chiles, author of The Focal Dystonia Cure, who is a brainspotting practitioner, she goes ..read more

Avoiding procrastination and becoming better organised as a young athlete is the topic of today’s short solo episode.  In Mental Toughness term’s we’re talking about commitment and sticking to promises as well as life control and having a “can do” attitude.  These are much needed skills that many youngsters struggle with, which often means their sporting performance is harmed as well as their self-worth.  In this episode, I share 3 ideas to help parents and coaches support children to overcome these challenges. Key Learnings Ask children to write a checklist.  Perhaps star ..read more

In this short solo episode, I discuss an important component of Mental Toughness – control.  In sport, business and in everyday life it can be very easy to get distracted by external factors that are out of your control.  I go on to use Andy Murray’s gutsy recent performances at the Australian Open Tennis tournament to illustrate my points sharing an exercise to help you better understand how to go about controlling the controllables and be able to set yourself process goals. Key Learnings What factors could Andy Murray control in his tennis match against Roberto Bautista Agut? Here ..read more

Welcome to episode #153 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes! This time the episode is created with rugby enthusiasts in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in rugby union or rugby league, go on to share their key takeaways. As you’ll note the majority of insights are linked to the development of mental tough athletes and helping rugby players reach their potential. The episode is a must listen for rugby coaches, players, parents, spo ..read more

Welcome to episode #152 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This week we bring to you the 3rd of 4 compilation episodes.  The key takeaways from this episode come from the world of business and entrepreneurship and lessons from the military.  Mental fitness, mental health, motivation and the importance of sleep were also topics that were unpicked.  Enjoy listening to the excellent insights! Relevant Podcast Episodes in Order and Sequence as Relayed in Episode 152 Ep106: Amy Rowlinson – Why is knowing my WHY important? Ep113: Polly Brennan – The Relationship Between Mental F ..read more

Welcome to episode #151 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes!   This time the episode is created with soccer and football fanatics in mind where the great guests that have been interviewed on the show to date, and with experiences in soccer or football, go on to share their key take home messages. As you’ll note the insights are related to the integration of sports psychology, the development of mental toughness, coach development and a lot more!  The episode is a must listen for footba ..read more