Dr Cath Bishop competed as a rower at three Olympic Games, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens (and I had the privilege of working with Cath throughout her career), with highlights including winning the World Championships in 2003 and an Olympic silver medal in 2004. As a diplomat specialising in conflict issues, Cath was posted to Sarajevo, Bosnia, Basra and Iraq, as well as leading in Whitehall on the UK civilian contribution to conflicts around the world.  Cath has written a book, out on 13th October 2020, calling on us all to redefine what winning is. Cath brings extraordinary and insight together, back up with numerous anecdotes, references and her own experience to examine what winning has come to mean to society and to us as individuals and offers a fresh perspective on how we might redefine success – personal and professional - for the longer-term.   This episode is sponsored by Junius, a multi-award winning, health food + drinks company. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We’ve partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop  make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10. Notes Cath discusses the reasons for writing the book, being tested provoking debate and furthering thinking Cath was a sporting failure at school Shifting identity to an athlete and competing at the highest level. Surviving in a high intensity, high performance environment Relief at results at a high level but could it be reproduced at the Olympics Being tough, but how much can you take? When the results don’t match your physiology you realise there is more to performance Associating failing to perform with your identity, at the time they were the same thing If you come second you are a loser, but there is and has to be a different way The longer you compete the more you realise the mental and cultural side of performance has a huge impact There is a different psychology around ways to motivate it doesn’t need to be base on aggression or a macho narrative which is self-limiting The Long Win – why are we still relying on outdated mantras and beliefs? Athletes and even the athletes who are on the winning podium feeling unfulfilled and empty Role modelling values and the way in which you can role model performance Why is it important to win the medal? Why is it you train? What are the costs of the sport you love, are you buying into them, do you understand them? What is acceptable in the journey to success and what is unacceptable? Playing to the longer term metric and strategies in both sport and business Stating a wider purpose other than results How can we unlock performance in a different way? The IOC specifically states that competition is not between nations! Working in partnership with your athlete and to explore unlocking even more Links Links for Cath https://twitter.com/thecathbishop https://cathbishop.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Win-search-better-succeed/dp/1788601912 Follow us If you want to follow us on Twitter you can do so at  www.twitter.com/support_champs And me on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/ Follow our Linkedin page Supporting Champions at  www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of 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.    

This week’s guest former Formula One driver Mark Webber. During his career Mark won nine Formula one Grands Prix, finishing third on three occasions, while driving for Red Bull racing. Mark has also won the FIA World Endurance Championship with Porsche. In this interview I ask mark about how he’s making sense of his career now that he’s retired and hear all about a strange mix of feeling fortunate and experiencing the loss of his career. We discuss physically and mentally what he felt he was losing that meant he wasn’t able to compete. Mark shares how he with the help of his father was stretching to ever higher standards and he offers a fascinating insight into competing against the very best in Michael Schumacher. In a really powerful section Mark divulges what it was like to experience some of the most severe and spectacular (in the factual sense of the word) crashes. Perhaps what was just as fascinating was how Mark processed his thoughts and what struck me about this discussion was how effective Mark is at using frameworks to move to action, deliver the necessary behaviours, discipline and focus required to ascend, recover and improve. Much of this is self-taught, instinctive and so perhaps is a talent itself.   This episode is sponsored by Junius multi-award winning, health food + drinks company – Junius. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We've partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.   Show notes Mark discusses how covid-19 has affected him and Formula 1 Personality traits, competition scenarios and keeping perspective/composure Retirement and career reflections Levels of boredom Mark does not want to get in a grand prix car again Grand prix driving is a young mans’ game It’s tough at the top, winning, tough conversation/messages and self-discipline to adapt Mark’s youth, how did he rise to the top? The subtlety of feedback The paranoid perfection pressure The crunch moment – not having a plan B Moments when Mark new he was ‘good’ Winning in Europe Michael Schumacher the desire, pressure, belief and risks Adapting to scenarios, team mates and pressures The crashes Providing support to others Hindsight is their foresight Doing the basics brilliantly and focus on yourself   Links Mark Webber on Twitter https://twitter.com/AussieGrit and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aussiegrit/ 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.  

I would put this week’s guest into a very select place in the world of endurance, one that has combined four often distinct factors, first quality academic research, second in a topic that contributes to elite performance, third creates a paradigm shift that challenges how most of us think about training, and fourthly has been successfully applied to the non-elites, the serious amateur athletes or training for the general population. Professor Stephen Seiler’s has captured, described, cross-referenced and validated the unique training patterns of the world’s best athletes and has found a somewhat remarkable, counter-intuitive trend – that the training they do is polarised, that is that the best endurance athletes make their easy training easy and their hard training hard. This has become known as the polarised approach. Stephen and his research group’s contribution to endurance sport took a bit of time to become recognised, now is widely accepted, considered and underpins the practice and thinking of coaches and athletes around the world. We have a right old natter in this discussion, and in truth we could have spoken for hours more, we take a good couple of hours to explore, psycho-physiology, training, periodisation, philosophy and we both coin some new markers of over-training. We actually sort of drifted into a fascinating discussion right from the off, before we really started, which is representative of what you’ll hear, much less an interview but much more of a long-form conversation   Show notes Talking shared book titles, Star Wars Steve and Stephen discuss children and the role of parenting, ensuring you are mindful of their resilience and coaching them in their chosen field Stephen discusses his daughter’s eating disorder and the areas he needs to be mindful of. Passing on the mantle of coaching, Stephen’s role will then have been fulfilled. Gathering teams with different skills sets communicating effectively and putting the athlete in the centre Stephen discusses the routine, the mundane aspects of high performance and planning for the extraordinary. Self-doubt and elements of OCD within athletes regardless of achievement or performance level. Providing positive support to athletes during competition Getting bogged down in the details whilst forgetting the exceptional work completed over the long term Interval training relax this is not rocket science! Confidence versus certainty Agile periodisation The cheetah - moments of aggression The adaptive advantage of the polarised approach Signal versus stress Staying under the stress radar Getting the athlete and the coach on the same page The relevance of subjective indicators The hair in the yoghurt indicator! Evolution and innovation of training Resistance to change I have been a gold medallist and I can be one again Science meets arts and the development of new constructs for explanation   Links Follow Stephen on twitter https://twitter.com/StephenSeiler Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs 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 week’s episode I speak to a true innovator, pioneer and superstar of human movement – Sebastien Foucan. Sebastien was one of the founding developers of the discipline of parkour and later Sebastien stretched his practice to develop free-running – creative, acrobatic, exploratory, jumping, vaulting, rolling, climbing and interacting with obstacles and environments. Sebastien was also Bond baddy, delivering his art form on the big screen in a breath taking chase sequence with Daniel Craig at the start of Casino Royale! Sebastien has starred in Madonna video and toured with her. In this interview we discuss Sebastien’s early athleticism, the origins of parkour, the split to free-running, the assessment of risk against knowledge of his own physical capabilities, the founding philosophies and links to Bruce Lee’s doctrines and the demands of getting it right on stage and screen. We also find out who was the harder taskmaster Madonna or Bond! I’ve been in awe of Sebastien for many years and it was a compelling, deep yet fun conversation to have. Show notes Early origins of Sebastien's athletic ability Creation of parkour and the split with free running The philosophical nature of three running and the links with Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do  Evaluating risk and understanding of personal physical abilities when performing free running Importance of practice Feeling flow, in the zone, the importance of the environment Delivering free running on the big screen in James Bond Casino Royale movie The demands of touring with Madonna Sustaining performance as Sebastien gets older Mentoring others and being the Obi-Wan Kenobi of free running   Links https://twitter.com/SebastienFoucan https://www.foucan.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.

This week’s guest is Kit Holder, first soloist at the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Kit has spent his whole career dancing, he came from a family of dancers, he went to the Royal Ballet School and has performed at the highest level on stage and now is a choreographer for the Birmingham company. There’s a number of interesting angles that I took from this interview, one that he is working to the direction of a new boss the world renowned Carlos Acosta – finding out how the style, manner and expectation change with the new direction. Kit also shares an interesting hurdle he had to overcome where a particular routine and section caused a real performance blocker for him and how he overcame this limiting inhibition. Fascinating still how this experience has propelled him to study more about the psychology of performance. Kit also shares his insights into choreography, nurturing others, directing, inspiring and co-creating works with other dancers.   We’ve always been super keen to learn from diverse fields. Sport is not the reference point for all things performance – that’s something I’ve learnt since we set Supporting Champions up and begun applying performance thinking to business, education and the performing arts. To that end we've featured, west end stars, military commanders, television presenters in our interviews and there is always something ratifying about the convergence of ideas from parallel fields. This episode does the same.   Show notes Prior to lockdown Kit was performing with the Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake How COVID-19 affected the rehearsals, performances, classes and training. Kit observes his motivation during the first few weeks of lockdown Balancing road cycling and ballet The specifics of training for ballerinas and maintaining performance The film, ‘Alone Together’ Challenging audiences with performance   Dancing for a digital audience Kit’s experience of dancing as a child and following in his brothers’ footsteps From the Royal Ballet School to the Royal Ballet Company Kit set his sights on specifically wanting to work at The Royal Ballet School The inherent desire to dance Ballet dancers aesthetic  Physical performance and psychological skills Choreography Choreography of a jazz improvisation and the realisation of the bigger components that allow a ballet company to function Kit’s learnings about choreography The ability to admit you were wrong What’s next for kit?   Links https://twitter.com/KitHolder   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.

This week’s guest is Mel Marshall. As a swimmer Mel made five Olympic finals at two Olympic games’ and she is one of the most decorated swimmers for England at the Commonwealth Games. You’re likely to know Mel as much for her reputation as an elite swimmer as the coach of perhaps the most dominant swimmer on the planet at the moment – the imperious Adam Peaty. Mel has coached Adam from his pre-teenage years taking him to the top of the Olympic podium in the 100m breaststroke at the Rio Olympics and having devastated the 100m breaststroke world record breaking it on five occasions. Mel shares her tensions about what the COVID-19  crisis has taught her and how she needs to balance her energy and frustrations and when she’ll switch her focus. She shares her philosophies of coaching and how these evolved over the 12 years she’s been out of the pool and guiding others. And in a fascinating section Mel lets us in on the 4 facets of what makes Adam Peaty great, how he’s always had these and how it’s up to her to channel his voracious athletic and competitor talents. Show notes Adapting to COVID-19 personally and professionally creating working environments, winning each round but struggling with the lack of buzz personally 12 weeks out of water, what is lost in terms of physicality and psychology? Innovating programmes Building momentum for 2021, accepting and moving training forward confidently Supporting confidence with short term goals Mel is ‘on’ but she’s not ‘on on’! Mel the coach and Mel the swimmer Sticking to the process and making the coaching athlete centred Mel’s reason for becoming a coach Adam Peaty and his abilities physically and psychologically Preparation minds and bodies The difference between club level and elite level sport Mel’s proudest achievement, her relationship with Adam Coaching the shit out of emotions Knowing athletes and what makes them tick Mel’s favourite day as an athlete…it may surprise you! Coaching into the unknown and the emotional toll it takes   Links You can follow Mel on twitter at https://twitter.com/massivemel   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.

Dr Eva Carneiro is this week’s guest (I will give you Eva’s introduction in two parts). Eva is a Sports Physician and was one of the first eight pioneering doctors recruited nationally to the UK Sports and Exercise Medicine Specialist Training Programme. She worked in the New South Wales Institute of Sport in Sydney and at the Olympic Medical Institute in London in the build up to the Beijing Olympics. Eva worked at Chelsea Football Club from 2009-2015. During her four seasons as First Team doctor the team was successful in winning Champions league, Premier league, Europa league, FA Cup and League Cup titles. During her six and half years with the team she worked with a total of seven elite international football managers. She is the first woman to sit on a team bench pitch-side in Champions League, Premier League, and Europa League competitions and the only woman to become the First Female Assistant Medical Director in a Football Club in the UK.  That’s the introduction to Eva’s medical and performance credentials. Here are some details about an incident that erupted in 2015. On the first game of the 2015-16 premier league season, Chelsea played Swansea. During the game, Eden Hazard twice called for medical attention following an impact to his abdomen. The medical team were then then summoned on the pitch by the ref on two separate occasions ….  Eva, along with club physio Jon Fearn came onto the pitch to attend following rules of the game. But the manager Jose Mourinho reacted to the situation, because he didn't feel the injury warranted attention. The reaction was pivotal to Eva's case, first there was a demotion from the first team. Footage emerged of Jose Mourinho used abusive phrases towards Eva, which he denied being sexist in motivation. The subsequent furore received extensive press coverage, both for the dismissal, the claim for abuse and the character and personal attention, scrutiny and sensationalism that Eva was exposed to. Eva's lawyers filed for constructive dismissal, but before she gave evidence the tribunal the case was settled on confidential terms. But importantly as part of the settlement, Chelsea issued a statement "We wish to place on record that in running onto the pitch Dr Carneiro was following both the rules of the game and fulfilling her responsibility to the players as a doctor, putting their safety first". This was important because that statement indicates the position that Eva upheld; upheld beyond the stage of the game or its results, the Hazard situation, beyond the clash with the manager and club, beyond football, beyond sport perhaps too - in not only serving her professional duties and duty of care, but in doing what is right and not capitulating to compromise. Eva’s case received widespread media and public attention all sorts of accusations, pressures, intrusions into her personal and private life for, as I say, essentially doing her job, but perhaps the difference is that she also held her ground against all of those pressures.  If you’ve tuned in to the dirt being dealt around this case – you’re in the wrong place, that’s not what this podcast is about. However, if you want to hear from someone who has operated at the heart of one of the most successful football clubs in recent history, if you want to hear the piercing lessons from someone who has lived through unwarranted scrutiny and exposure but has held the utmost professionalism throughout and is now leading a campaign for higher standards of professionalism, ethics and governance – and ultimately is standing for doing what is right, you are in the right place. The fact that she has pioneered in a ‘male dominated environment’ makes her achievements, perspectives and voice all the more profound.   Show notes The key responsibilities of a doctor in a football club – but feeling the pressures and being effective in an elite football environment Eva’s dream as a 16 year old, buying an American College of Sports Medicine book about sports injuries on the beach Taking in the atmosphere. The adrenaline infecting every molecule of the buildings. Memories of Chelsea playing Barcelona FC in the Champions league behind Fernando Torres and getting the nod from Lionel Messi Being part of the team – adding to the culture, team motivation and dynamics Being an optimistic realist How to weigh risk and judgement for the players, performance and the club when medical issues arise. Going on the journey with the players Football restarting. Systems not in place to respect medical governance and players. Non-medically staff can have a lot of power. You don’t learn about what’s required in 3 weeks. Huge credit to the medical staff for the immense work that’s go in to ready players as best they can. Without the audit and review – competition has restarted, with enhanced protocols, but sustaining these protocols and within the culture of football could face problems. Footballers being the only people in the country going back to work without social distancing. Eva trained in accident and emergency to develop skills and understanding around trauma cases. It helped to be able to speak different languages to calm the players Keeping your mind at the pitch side Knowing your athlete is key Trauma and loss of life is a part of a medic’s job, it’s sobering and grounds your reference point. How did Eva cope through the ordeal? It’s taken time to overcoming the emotions We need to be clearer about the non-negotiables We do need to understand that medical governance is about justice Football lives in a bubble at times A new generation of players and managers that can change the culture Allowing players to feel safe and to be able to speak – leads to better performance A new style of leadership must arise Safeguarding of athlete’s medical treatment is central to Eva’s cause. How do you feel about the decisions that you make in a week, month, a year, 5 years I need to be able to live with myself   Links Eva is on twitter at https://twitter.com/evacarneiro and her medical practice http://www.thesportsmedicalgroup.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.

Nick Levett on talent development Have you ever found yourself stood along side parents or coaches shouting and barking instructions to their child? Or have you ever found yourself bursting out with commands or subtly taking your child aside to say, “Just do this”. If we have done this or seen this or felt the urge to help but done so in a clumsy way – then we’ve been an influence (perhaps not positive) on a child’s interest in not only sport but on their willingness to try. This week’s guest is Nick Levett, Head of Coaching at UK Coaching an expert in talent development. Nick has had a fascinating career coaching in schools in socially and economically deprived areas, working to develop the paths of young talent in the largest governing body in the UK – the Football Association and now a broader remit to develop coaching across the sporting landscape  Nick’s insights are edifying, that is they compel us to take a moment to reflect and learn how morally, ethically and intellectually how we support and develop others, not just aspiring young sports people, but the lessons apply to our wider influence to the people around us. Show notes Playing football at university (oh and studying for a degree) Strategic planning of modules for the best outcome rather than subject interest Working in a challenging school, Learning ‘how to communicate’ Working in the FA for 14 years Child centred work drives Nick’s ethos Student aspirations, how much do I know these kids as individuals? The coaching tension between the traditional FA coaching methods and real life experience Nick’s development of the national coaching programme Rod Thorpe teaching games for understanding (TGFU) How do you know that kid wasn’t about to work it out for themselves? Taking inspiration from Iceland and project based learning Doing things that are inherently enjoyable  What has been good during coaching amidst COVID-19 and what have learned that will be beneficial for the future? Always start with the person Academies and pathways should be teaching kids skills that are going to serve them for life Manchester United think about the people first rand the values and rights of the child What are the values of children when they play sport What’s more important, winning trophies and medals or hardest is more important to me Coaching horizons, what would Nik like to see explored over the next decade?   Links Nick's blog http://riversofthinking.com/ Nick on Twitter https://twitter.com/nlevett 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.

Caspar Berry is a former professional poker player, having been the poker advisor on the James Bond movie Casino Royale. Caspar is now a speaker on risk, not only understanding this area from the principles of the game of poker, but it’s underpinned with an economics degree from Cambridge University. In this discussion we talk about the parallels between poker and what we’re experiencing through this viral pandemic – and there definitely are some. We talk about how to get good at poker which unveils an array of applicable lessons in terms of probabilities, luck and taking opportunities when they are presented to you. Caspar has a knack of making some unfamiliar concepts feel really accessible – he’s a bright guy with whom I've loved chatting to over the years. And if a Las Vegas poker player and advisor on a Bond movie weren’t enough Caspar has one of the most fun biographies going – which I will leave him to explain. Show notes Poker and a global pandemic – it is good when people appreciate uncertainty in their lives The importance of cash and savings Caspar’s three important messages: The future is uncertain and we are way poorer than we think we are Everything is going to end eventually Insulate yourself against the downside and open yourself up to the upside Risk and decision making; short term versus long term allocation Working as an actor in Byker Grove Learning that poker and business are related, defined by decision making and resource allocation Luck - your short term deviation from your long term expectation as a result of that which you cannot control Olivia Colman & Sacha Baron Cohen – luck Don’t play the man, play the cards Casino Royale How to play perfect poker Uncertainty and predicting the future The Ludic fallacy   Links Caspar is on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/casparberry/ You can visit Caspar’s website at http://www.casparberry.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 spoke to Rob Pacey. Rob runs one of the most successful podcasts in Sport, the aptly named Pacey performance podcast, which focuses on strength and conditioning and training. He has curated close to 300 episodes since 2015 featuring some of the leading names in aspects of conditioning. In this discussion I was curious to find out what inspired Rob to begin recording episodes, and how he took the plunge. What Rob didn’t have at the time was a reputation to lean upon, he just went for it, with an infectious spirit summed up in the phrase, “Well I could do that”, or at least I could try. That optimistic spirit shines through about wanting to network, create connections, learn from people and contributing. In a cluttered world of online content we can learn from Rob’s lessons of being consistent, showing up for people and ultimately creating something of value. While he didn’t have a reputation when he first started, he does now! Show notes Dreams of becoming a professional footballer Realisations of having optimised his performance The loss felt when ending the pursuit of becoming a professional Importance of education as another outlet Mini business charging for football training Finding work as a ‘fitness guy’ Getting an opportunity because people trusted him Transition to the commercial world working for Catapult Benefitting from other podcasts and thinking, “I could do that!” Leading me to the realisation that this would be a great networking opportunity Becoming the podcast guy The strongest guests are the ones who you can have a drink with and who can talk hard science Developing buy-in is a critical theme Creating a resource for people to add value Getting the specifics out from guests, there’s a lot of assumed knowledge What has Rob learned. Editing audio, social media material, but also anticipating and communicating what the audience want to hear – becoming in tune with the industry Authenticity to who you are and aware of what you communicate on social media   Links Rob on Twitter https://twitter.com/strengthofsci The Pacey Performance Podcast can be found here https://www.strengthofscience.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.