#145 Inside the Mind of an Elite Athlete with Annie Vernon, Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion Rower

What is it like to be be competing to be the best in the world at your sport? In this week's episode, we talk with author and Olympian Annie Vernon about why sport psychology is as important to understand as building physical strength, how to build confidence and stay motivates, and what to do the you or your athlete has Raceday jitters.

Highlights from the Podcast:

• Annie shares how she got into rowing as a child
• Does coming in second mean failure?
• How did Annie recover from the results at the 2008 Olympics?
• Annie discusses where the title of her book Mind Games came from.
• Why is mental skills training looked at with a negative stigma?
• Annie shares ideas on specific sport psychology skills from her book
• What does confidence mean and how do you build it?
• Why do coaches have to be careful about he words they use?
• How to deal with Raceday jitters.
• Everyone has their "one moment" in their sport…how do you feel about it now?

With nearly a decade at the top of Britain's most successful Olympic sport, Annie has a proven track record in the cauldron of seven World Championships and two Olympic Games.

She became a World Champion for the first time in 2007 and this set the scene for an assault on the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where their crew of four attempted to be the first British women's rowing team to become Olympic Champions.

Read more about Annie here: http://www.annievernon.co.uk/about-annie-vernon/

Resources mentioned:

Mindgames - Determination, doubt, and lucky socks: an insider's guide to the psychology of athletes by Annie Vernon

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Sexism in elite sport exists but men and women are different — let's celebrate that by Annie Vernon

Connect with Annie Vernon:

• Twitter: @annievernongb
• Instagram: @annievernongb
• Website: http://www.annievernon.co.uk

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