Supporting Champions

We’ve had a little break from the podcast and now I’m delighted to say we’re back and have got lots of great interviews coming up. New episodes are uploaded on 29th June. Don't forget to subscribe on your podcast platform or Youtube   So what’s changed since we were away, well we haven’t changed things around too much. We’re still exploring all aspects of human performance, whether that is getting stronger, fitter, mentally more prepared, eating better, playing better - but also how we perform in work, individually and as teams.   I’ll still be speaking to great scientists, practitioners, coaches, athletes, and people outside of sports - but who are interested how we perform as humans. Although I will be looking to add more entrepreneurs into the mix. I think with the world of work shifting and changing in recent years I want to find out more from those people who have set up businesses or are consulting for their own income.    Senior Lecturer in Performance and Innovation - Dr John Kiely all about Periodisation and questioning conventions Social Psychologist - Professor Vanessa Bohns from Cornell, all about influence Olympic gold medal winning GB Women’s Hockey coach, Danny Kerry Women’s racing driver Abbie Eaton Former Arsenal men’s team Physio Colin Lewin Performance Strategist - Ryan King Fonder of Hexis App Dr David Dunne Authors of Myths of Sports Coaching Jenny Coe and Dr Amy Whitehead Strategy and decision making expert David Joyce Psychological safety expert -Tom Geraghty   We’re really looking forward to sharing these insights with you and so make sure you subscribe on whichever platform you get your podcasts and of course on Youtube

After 100 episodes over 4 years, I take a chance to reflect on the lessons learned from hosting the Supporting Champions podcast and speaking with some of the world's best performers, coaches, support staff, mainly from sport but also from a range of other performance fields too. I'm joined by my close colleague, friend and initial podcast guest Dr Jamie Pringle to help me reflect.   Episodes mentioned in the podcast Miss Val Kondos Field https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/029-miss-val-on-coaching-a-positive-culture-in-gymnastics/ Mark Webber https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/071-mark-webber-on-racing-in-formula-one/ Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/093-redgrave-and-pinsent-on-their-olympic-partnership/ Katelyn Ohashi https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/030-katelyn-ohashi-on-finding-joy-in-gymnastics/ Mel Marshall https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/067-mel-marshall-on-evolving-coaching/ Alistair Brownlee https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/alistair-brownlee-on-a-sub-7-hour-ironman-triathlon/ Dame Jessica Ennis Hill https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/042-jessica-ennis-hill-on-becoming-world-and-olympic-champion/ Kelly Sotherton https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/014-kelly-sotherton-on-receiving-her-4x400m-medal-ten-years-late/ Dave Smith https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/048-dave-smith-on-choosing-to-live/ Louise Minchin https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/031-louise-minchin-from-the-bbc-breakfast-sofa-to-gb-team-triathlete/ Mike Powell https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/099-mike-powell-on-records-rivalry-and-resilience/ Emma Hatton https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/043-emma-hatton-west-end-star-on-sustaining-performance/ Peter Vint https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/074-peter-vint-on-data-culture-and-athlete-development/ Liz Stokoe https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/012-liz-stokoe-on-science-and-art-of-conversation/ James Glover https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/051-james-glover-on-intentionality/

A very, very warm welcome to our 100th episode. Woo! A milestone for us having started the podcast just under 4 years ago. I truly hope you have enjoyed all the episodes. If you’ve listened to them all then kudos and thanks for being with us along the way. If you’re new in, then hello and I kind of envy you as there is a back catalogue just waiting for you to tune into. When I look back now only a few sections of the conversations are specific to time, and so the discussions are pretty evergreen. It’s been a pure joy to connect with so many great minds, thinkers, achievers, aspirers, supporters of others - I’m truly humbled and want to thank everyone who has been on the show. I want to say at this point a huge thank you to Rachel who caringly curates the podcast episodes, Rachel does this with a coach's eye for not only the dialogue but also for the deeper motivations, passions, concerns and insights that people share in the conversations.    Share your thoughts about the podcast in this quick survey   This week's guest is Baroness Dame Sue Campbell. Sue Campbell trained as a PE teacher, guiding inner city children in Moss side to embrace sport.  From humble yet so powerfully formative beginnings Sue has become one of the most effective and infectious leaders in modern sport. Sue founded the National Coaching Foundation, the Youth Sport Trust and became Chair of UK Sport from its early beginnings to becoming a world superpower. Sue now leads the English women's FA, in pursuit of growing the game.  Her achievements are profound and pioneering having led the development of support for coaches, children, whole system wide sports.  Recognition for her work includes 11 honorary degrees, appointed Baroness Campbell of Loughborough and Dame Commander in 2020. Throughout her career Sue has infused teams, organisations and the people within them to become better, lift the standards all in service of celebrating the power of sport to affect lives, show us that things are possible and to do so with deep respect for each other.   Notes The importance of sport, for us and specifically children Football and its ability to reach parts of society that traditional legislation can’t The next challenge Designing a pathway for girls professional football. Creating the best professional league for women in the world Long termism Influencing Sue’s greatest challenges Growing Women’s Football in its own light   Links Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions  

This week’s guest is one of the most outstanding athletes ever, Mike Powell. Mike has held the long jump world record for the last 30 years, taking the mark from the legendary Bob Beamon - who held it himself for 23  years. The record stands at 8.95 m or in old money 29 feet 4 and a bit inches. When I do keynote speeches, one of my favourite things to do is to measure out Mike’s record just to illustrate some of the extraordinary feats elite athletes are capable of and it never, never fails to amaze me or an audience. Mike broke the record at the Tokyo World Championship in one of the most tumultuous tussles with the equally legendary athlete Carl Lewis, having played second fiddle to Carl for so many years. In the conversation Mike describes in such a colourful and engaging way how he went about pursuing the title, using Carl as a motivator, how he tapped into a coach that could take him to another level, how he harnessed sports psychology long before it was common place. If you can take a look at the youtube link in the below of the competition either as a reminder or to soak up for the first time what I would describe as one of the best head to head sporting competitions of all-time.   Tokyo World Championship final https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0WfsAwvTSU   *** Applied Pro Practitioner Courses *** https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse Notes The long jump record was a turning point in Mike’s life Mike Foul! Using fuel between Carl Lewis and himself as competition Stoking of aggression in order to fuel performance Visualisation with a sport psychologist Mike Powell’s coach Randy Huntington and his training methods Breaking the World Record but Carl had 2 jumps left and he ALWAYS came back What was it like experiencing the peak of his performance? Mike’s prediction! Adjusting to fame and the downsides Mike’s pearls of wisdom Being lean and strong is the key! Links Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A

This week’s guest is Ben Ryan. Ben coached the England Rugby Sevens team between 2007 and 2013. Ben then took a big leap of faith in taking up the head coach role with the Fijian team, leading them to Olympic gold at the Rio Olympics. In recognition of these achievements the IOC named Fiji as the best male team performance at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and Ben was awarded the Companion of the Order of Fiji, the highest order attainable on the Islands. Ben’s book documenting his journey, Sevens heaven won the Telegraph’s sports book of the year. Ben is a thoughtful, observant coach. He has a level of calm consideration for the environment he is in and the people he interacts with whether they’re a prop or a prime minister, which all manifests itself in an unambiguous focus on how he works, how he leads and how he creates the conditions for others to succeed. This approach makes him one of the most compelling coaches to listen to.  *** Applied Pro Practitioner Courses *** https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse Notes Talking in different languages Resources, foundations & communication Independent views is added value The commitment to Fiji Massaging egos Sausages! What did you learn and still reinforce whilst in Fiji? Ben’s North Star Links https://benryan.co.uk/ https://benryan.co.uk/podcast/ https://twitter.com/benjaminryan Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A  

This week’s guest is Laurence Halsted. Laurence is a former Olympic fencer, having competed at the London and Rio Olympics. Laurence retired after the Rio Olympics and is currently Performance Director of Danish Fencing.    Since retiring as an athlete Laurence has been supporting athletes in a bold new way to support the whole athlete, through holistic thinking, mentoring, developing self-awareness, care and mental health. He’s done this work with a company called The True Athlete Project and he has just published a book by the same title which lays out - in a very clear, logical inspirational and practical way.   Notes Laurence explains a little of the fencing rules Performance Director for the Danish fencing team Post Games how do you debrief athletes? How to offset conditions to create change in sport The definition of a ‘true’ athlete ‘The second arrow’ & mentoring Mindfulness as a starting point Links Applied Practitioner Course https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/onlinecourse   Where to buy Becoming a True Athlete book: Amazon- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Becoming-True-Athlete-Philosophy-Flourishing/dp/191411003X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AX88EK2ZG67S&dchild=1&keywords=becoming+a+true+athlete&qid=1631273446&sr=8-1 Waterstones- https://www.waterstones.com/book/becoming-a-true-athlete/laurence-halsted/9781914110030 www.thetrueathleteproject.org www.laurencehalsted.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurencehalsted   Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions   You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, take a look at the link in the show notes -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A

Martin Yelling is a former international runner, duathlete and ironman athlete and since retiring has, along with his partner Liz Yelling coached 1000s of athletes, and everyday folks to marathon and endurance achievements. Recently, Martin has set about creating a charitable organisation called Stormbreak. They have a purpose to; “... improve children’s mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life. Martin describes the origins of the idea, the challenge they’re working with and the hopes for what might develop.   If you want to get involved follow Stormbreak https://twitter.com/hellostormbreak https://www.stormbreak.org.uk/   Work experience bootcamp - registration closes 10th Sept https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/kps-course/ Starter Courses - Pre-register Now https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/starter-courses-2/ Applied Pro Practitioner Course - Pre-register Now https://www.supportingchampions.co.uk/applied-pro-course-preregister/     You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, take a look at the link in the show notes -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions

Duff Gibson won the Olympic gold medal in bob skeleton at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. He did so at the age of 39. Duff has an incredible story to tell about trying and trying again, testing himself in several different sports, in the pursuit of finding the one that would suit him and allow him to take a shot at being an olympian. Duff shares that exploration and with it the clear analysis of why he wasn’t suited to certain sports, ranging from physiology to politics. But this isn’t a tale of a plucky loser, picking himself up from each knock back, failure or disappointment. This is a lesson in valuing the experience along the way, experience above detail, journey above destination. Duff has such clarity on this philosophy that he has written a book called the Tao of Sport in which he lays his experiences bare and creates a campaign for us to be more cognisant and skilful in how we create the journey for young athletes in the future. Talking to Duff reminded me of the quote from Confucius We all lead two lives, the second one begins when you realise you only have one.   Notes Early athletic career Mental strategies - what if I wasn’t able to compete? The Turin Olympic gold Intimidation versus competitor support Creating an environment which support great performance not just winning It’s about execution - what makes a difference   Links https://twitter.com/duffgibson For details of Duff's upcoming book https://www.darkhorseathletic.ca/ https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-tao-of-sport?fbclid=IwAR2wQaSfF-cO4qEeQz6EPAidMW3G_kYaCqesu4sa6mgyJZuyTRhe7jkqKJI   Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions You can get bonus content from me at Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8W3kvAsvtDDsEayex-1i5A

Dan Bigham, a high-achieving cyclist, engineer, and author of 'Start at the End,' discusses his unique approach to reverse-engineering performance. He shares insights from his journey of combining engineering principles with sports to enhance team dynamics. With humor, he reflects on challenges, the importance of open communication, and a culture of curiosity in teams. Bigham emphasizes optimizing performance through critical metrics while maintaining mental well-being, revealing how happiness profoundly impacts athletic success.

Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent are as successful a sporting duo as you’ll ever meet. Steve has won 5 gold medals at 5 successive games and is a 9 time world champion, Matt has won 4 Olympic golds and 10 world championships.  They were successful before Britain became good at sport, winning before the UK Olympic system grew sophisticated. But not just the occasional win - sustained and dominant winning. I had the privilege of working with Steve and Matt from 1998, supporting them, along with Tim Foster and James Cracknell to the Sydney Olympics. I can’t tell you how much influence they both had on me as a professional sports scientist and as a person. Their focus, standards, intensity, but also thinking, understanding and at times philosophy was so impressive you couldn’t help but learn from it. You’ll hear that though in this conversation, which was surprising, fun and at times emotional.   Notes Tokyo delays how would they have responded? ‘Just what we wanted’ & ‘Control the controllables’ A hairline crack in the rig puts a race in jeopardy Are you feeling nervous yet? Changing the conversation The step up from Barcelona to Atlanta the pressure changed hugely Steve’s infamous quote and the pressure of build up It wasn’t a long retirement! The challenges that Steve felt in returning to rowing, both physically & mentally The way in which Matt & Steve supported each other, the deep level of understanding What are Matt & Steve’s reflections on pursuing a goal pushing and driving but doing it well?   Links https://twitter.com/matthewcpinsent https://twitter.com/SteveRedgrave5 Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve Supporting Champions on; Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions