Supporting Champions

Lucy Balfour is a leading dancer at the world renowned contemporary dance company Ballet Rambert. Lucy trained at the International Ballet Academy in Christchurch, then spent ten years with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, before joining Rambert. In this episode, Lucy talks about the competitiveness of becoming a ballerina, the singular focus on realising her dream, with no back up plan. She talks about the pressure of selection and performing, maintaining self-identity throughout balanced by the privilege of being a dancer. Lucy is pregnant and gives an insight how Rambert have been supporting her to continue to rehearse and perform (Lucy performed on stage with Rambert up to 5 months pregnant) and now looks ahead with the question of whether she'll return to dance once she becomes a mum.   Show notes Lucy's journey into dance Decision ballet school or high school? First ballet contract with The Royal New Zealand ballet company Focus, rejection, perseverance and belief: developing resilience No plan B Dealing with rejection Advice for the 16 year old Lucy Balfour The day in a life for a dancer at the Rambert Dance Company Coping with the ups and downs of the selection/audition process Stay alert use rejection as a learning opportunity, learning from your peers without the pressure! Staying aware of your behaviour Getting in the right place for a new performance: preparing physically and mentally, writing down corrections in a training diary and not being afraid to ask lots of questions Late specialisation Pregnancy and performance Life after the birth Dancing whilst pregnant Facing the prospect of being a dancer and a mum Viewing ballet through a different set of eyes which will help in the future, learning more about the craft of ballet The length of a ballet career - it's not about age, it's about desire and physicality Dancer's Career Development - thinking ahead Wanting to inspire others, an ambassador for dance mamas and helping others to realise their potential at an earlier age Top tips for a career in the performing arts   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

In this episode I interview Professor Liz Stokoe, while we were both speaking at Cheltenham Science Festival. Liz is a Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University, specialising in conversational analysis. Liz shares her insights into the dynamics of conversation, some of the aggressive moves people make and how to manage these situations and what we can learn from delicate exchanges such as marriage guidance mediators and suicide negotiators. I really enjoyed this interview and found it utterly fascinating to hear Liz's insights and advice.   Show notes The future of human communication The forensic examination of conversational encounters  'Mis-greeters' and 'recalibrating' initial greetings Liz's route to conversational analysis Liz's PhD - an analysis of university tutorials. Students reluctant to show they worked hard, cool to not prepare but actually working very hard Myth busting - Gender and interaction. Zero evidence that women and men talk differently in systematic ways Identity categories such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age etc stereotype and narrow conversational focus, anything can be turned into an aspect of your identity which limits and reinforces stereotypes The concept of coaching differently because of gender 'Recipient design' - the monitoring of a conversation recipient to see if ideas are landing via body language, fractional delays in responses etc 'First movers' - challenging greetings. For example, "Where've you been?" as a mis-greeting Dealing with a first mover! Recalibrating the conversation and socializing Conflict is good, it is important to be able to challenge Responding under pressure - suicide negotiators. Live conversation analysis in a real-life, lifesaving setting Conversational Analytic Roleplay Method (CARM) - real conversation from real encounters paused…what would you do next? Learning through the expertise of others What actually works in a real-life, live encounter, rather than roleplaying guidelines The problems with traditional roleplay Mediators for relationship management. Explaining a process rather than philosophy. Are you willing…? Willing works! Single words can change the outcome of a conversation either positively or negatively Subtle changes in language create different outcomes 'Let's get things sorted out' rather than 'I can help' The field of conversational analysis in the future Sports coaching - tennis parents and kids. The conversations between parent and child at the beginning, middle and end of a competition Liz's ted talk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOG5PK8xDA&t=1042s Follow Liz on Twitter https://twitter.com/LizStokoe Find out more about Liz's CARM training http://www.carmtraining.org/   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

In this episode I talk to Jo Meek, aka the "Running Squirrel". Jo is one of the world's leading ultra-endurance runners. In 2013 Jo was 2nd woman across the line in the Marathon de Sables. In 2014 Jo was first in the Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica (a 225km run which she completed in 29h 17mins, 19s; 5th in Comrades marathon; 4th in the World 100km Champs. Jo has a 10km time of 34:36; a marathon time of 2:46; and a 100km time of 7hr 43mins. Jo offers a unique insight into managing training, discomfort of training and how she reframes challenge into a positive. Show notes   The origins of the nickname "Running Squirrel" Unconventional entrance to sport. Sport as a key to join in and be cool! Road running and now running on Dartmoor English cross-country champion, road racing and marathon and then ultra-marathon Mental resolve, persistence and hard work. Mental resolve is innate for Jo Sport Science top tips Make running your routine The pros and cons of becoming a full-time athlete What moderates Jo's training? The army, frontline action in Iraq for 4-5 months The army taught Jo the importance of looking after yourself Endurance background to ultra and the Marathon de Sables Highest British female finisher in the Marathon de Sables! Variety of races, UTMB 170km around Mont Blanc, France, Switzerland & Italy Tuning training to the event. UTMB training marathon training, long run becomes 3-4 hours and back to back long runs Training schedule, daily routine Managing winter training and darkness Mental resilience, anticipation of problems to stay positive for the race planning…control the controlables Ultra-running is easier than marathon running! The next challenge…Western States Endurance Run? Jo's top tips for ultra-training, consistency with training, fuelling and enjoy it! More from Jo at; https://twitter.com/jo_meek https://jomeekblog.wordpress.com/   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

In this episode I talk to long standing colleague, coach and friend Toni Minichiello, coach to one of the World's greatest athletes Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. I've worked with Toni since 2001 and while we've talked about everything and anything over the years, it was fascinating to capture his thoughts about the key area of communication, his thoughts, ideas, techniques and how they have evolved over the years;   Show notes Communication and conveying knowledge and ideas for maximum impact Gleaning information from the athletes of different ages/abilities/experience Athletes critiquing themselves negatively Toni Minichiello's coaching style Communication assumptions! High performers and communication Finding a mutual vocabulary/language Motivational styles and mindsets Succinct information at critical points…deliver two points Motivation, confidence…pushing the positive The coach has to make the decision based on your knowledge and experience of the athlete…coach what you see Working/communicating with a coach…add value!   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

009 Yann Le Meur This week's episode features an interview with Dr Yann Le Meur, physiologist and creator of the infographic phenomenon. Yann Le Meur - training strategies - tennis/triathlon, improving fitness, sport science & Rodger Federer Studying Sport Science, PE teacher, exercise physiology/ Heat altitude training, recovery nutrition provided a breadth and grounding in sport. Synchronised swimming, modern pentathlon - working with national team and high level athletes Act as a chameleon! Adaptation Infographics - a way of explanation, communication and interaction Teaching to make information - infographics Elite sports teams in France Consultancy and performance improvement Applied sports career top tips, fairness, relationships & hard work Create a network, work hard and challenge yourself create opportunities to create a good reputation Opportunities in sport Infographic stats: first began August 2014, 200 per year, 70,000 Twitter followers No-one was reading my paper!! A simplification of the message = infographics was born Infographic promotes what is new in sport science, the infographic is not enough, it is a simplification of the full paper which should be read Different levels of evidence - infographics have limitations   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

Episode 008 In this episode I am joined once again by Rosie Mayes, and Jamie Pringle to talk culture in high performance sport and in the wider world of business and education. Show notes Why are we talking about culture? Could you put culture on a dashboard of metrics? How quickly can you pick up on a culture? Whose responsibility is culture? Process review Culture as a determinant of performance Early experiences, environment culturing achievement If culture is poor how does it manifest in people? Getting the balance right between under or over investment in peak performance and stress The responsibility and potential for those in charge in leadership Rosie as a benchwarmer - but served a key role in team dynamics Coach decisions and responses on a day to day basis that define culture Projecting and ownership of pressures Sensitive moments in performance, such as selection and de-selection Can you get more and do it well? Purpose, autonomy and mastery High performance habits for all How does sport influence culture and culture influence sport? How do you tap into and lead "the way it works around here" Key insights into optimising culture   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

Jenny Rogers: Coaching Episode 007 Show notes   Where it all started? Jenny’s teaching career and her ‘development itch!' Where did it all start? The BBC & finding Delia Smith! Where did the development of others start? Becoming commissioning editor for The Open College, Jenny’s introduction to consulting and organisational behaviour The beginnings of one to one work and executive coaching 20:00 Becoming a coach full-time and leaving the BBC What is the coaching that Jenny provides? “The slippery-ness of the human approach to change’ The power of coaching - examples Jenny’s top tips for people new to coaching This isn’t working - working in the moment and developing a different kind of conversation Stepping outside of the conversation, navigating the difficult childhoods. Treading dangerous waters. Super-champions, high performing executives and their emotional lies  Supporting sporting systems and what executive coaching can offer sport Coaching sessions…holding a space, nudging, challenging and laughter Support for coaches Jenny’s writing compulsion A Coaching Handbook - stay curious and stay self-aware Top tips for writing    Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

Supporting Champions Podcast 006 David Fletcher In this episode I talk to David Fletcher about his career as a swimmer, researcher and expert in the area of adversity. Show notes; Early aspirations as a swimmer, but experiencing near misses as an athlete and academically Transfer of desire from swim background to early success in studies Father as a science role-model, searching and sharing academic papers Importance of internship in sporting environment Importance of breadth of experience beyond own area of specialism Interest in the stresses that athletes experiences Stresses changing based on growth of high performance system Uncovering poor organisational behaviours that adversely influenced sporting performance Seeking legal advice due to controversial nature of athlete interviews - sticking to your guns about unearthing and communicating stresses Identifying stresses and how some used stressful experiences as fuel for determination Organisational stresses - leadership styles, not being listened to, overuse of pressure training and how it spilled over How it is unethical not to prepare athletes for the pressure of top competitions How leadership behaviours permeated down to grass-root levels Adversity as a stimulus for growth - so it needs to be; - Relevant, e.g. penalty shoot-out - Progressively adaptable - Agreed Appropriate and inappropriate consequences to contravening agreed behaviours Role of early adversity as a fuel for focusing on sporting goals Theories emerging - life adversity coinciding with sporting success, and finding sport as a sanctuary Caveat that sport doesn't protect person from mental health response to adversarial events How best to support when people experience adversity; 1) give them space; 2) supporting people when they are ready to disclose - provide inspirational opportunities; 3) when a vase breaks consider creating a new mosaic rather than re-building as it was Adversity gives you honesty to review deeply Different personality traits required to succeed in sport vs life Re-emergence of 'issues' wen sport is not there Are we doing enough to support coaches? Lessons for everybody - Anything worthwhile will have its challenges - Importance of anticipating stresses and preparing for them - Importance of support network - Importance of disclosing and being open to sharing stress response Future directions in area of adversity   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

005: Emilie Thienot on mindfulness Go out there, meet people, do something! Overtime if I want something I don’t give up because I know it will happen. If I work hard and smartly I will see results. Back to the UK, the UK system and the British Sailing team. The psychology of sailing, how do you support them? Freeing the mind to make good decisions. Unlocking potential - removing psychological barriers. Communication as a team - who do they want to be as a team, underpinning values and translating to behaviours. Trust and honesty at the foundation. The skill of resetting and the ability to adapt in the moment. Mindfulness - what is it? The ability to be aware of what is going on in the moment, in a non judgemental way. What does mindfulness do? What's the performance advantage? Accepting of negative thoughts and being able to notice the difficult feelings coming in, taking a helicopter view, diffuse and choose something else to refocus on, rather than fighting with the negative thoughts. Step 1, Step 2 & Step 3 of mindfulness. Benefits and results of mindfulness application. The neuroscience behind mindfulness. Daily integration and an earlier adoption creates a more robust, ingrained technique. Emilie’s work, unlocking potential in sports and business. Using tools from the elite athlete world and applying to the corporate world. Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

004 Vern Gambetta on a career in coaching   Guru or legend?! How Vern got into sport Role models Be a generalist not a specialist It’s still the human body, what are the differences and similarities between the different sports? Maintaining an open-mindedness. Don’t make assumptions! Generations of young people with negligible physical literacy Training sessions - how do we get more out of what we do? How do you design somebody’s journey from youth to senior athlete? Avoiding early specialisation - the conflict between art and science We need to educate the coaches to be better managers the resources they have.  Early specialisation and generalising - what’s required? I am a student of history, continually asking where did this technique/coach come from? 3 Passionate about getting better at getting better   Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/ or drop us a note at enquiries@supportingchampions.co.uk then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.