Science for Sport Podcast 296: The Mental Game: What Athletes Really Carry with Them
This week, host Richard Graves sits down with former Great Britain and England international basketball player Kofi Josephs, an athlete whose journey through elite sport has been anything but ordinary.
From growing up in Birmingham to playing in front of Michael Jordan at the Jordan Brand Classic, suffering two major hip surgeries in the US collegiate system, becoming the British Basketball League’s highest-scoring British player, and navigating the hidden psychological battles behind performance… Kofi’s story is raw, real, and deeply relevant for anyone working in elite sport.
Now the founder of WhyNotI, a preventative mental health tech platform designed specifically for elite athletes, Kofi is on a mission to reshape how professional environments understand – and support – the person behind the performer.
This episode offers an unfiltered look at the pressures, cultural challenges, expectations, and mental load that athletes carry, and the systemic changes needed to truly support sustainable high performance.
What You’ll Learn
The hidden mental toll of elite sport and why performance alone never tells the full story.
How perfectionism, pressure, and identity shape athlete wellbeing – and where support structures fall short.
Why mental health must be preventative, not reactive, if teams want consistency and longevity in performance.
Insights into the collegiate system in the US and its cultural, emotional, and psychological challenges for young athletes.
Why separating “the athlete” from “the person” is flawed, and how reframing this changes support strategies.
The crucial role of coaches, GMs, and ownership in building environments where mental health is prioritised.
How WhyNotI is using technology, psychology, and data to influence policy, culture, and player care across elite sport.
About Kofi Josephs
Kofi Josephs is a former professional basketball player who represented England at the Commonwealth Games and Great Britain at EuroBasket, competing across elite leagues worldwide including Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and Iceland.
A psychology graduate and outspoken advocate for athlete mental health, Kofi has built a platform that blends his lived experience with scientific insight. He is the founder of WhyNotI, a preventative mental health tech solution designed to provide bespoke support for elite performers while equipping organisations with the data needed to improve culture, care, and decision-making.
Kofi now works across sport, safeguarding, and policy, collaborating with leaders from national governing bodies, Olympic sports, and high-performance environments to drive systemic change.
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