The Tenacity Podcast

In this episode, Fergus is joined by Dan Williams, Co-Founder of WIT Fitness.10 Years ago, Dan and his co-founder, Sam, took a huge risk and moved to London to start their own fitness retail brand. Fast forward a few years later and WIT had become one of the biggest fitness and Crossfit brands in the world having worked with global companies such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok. In 2020, the world changed, and like many other businesses, WIT had to adapt. After gaining more investment, resulting in Dan losing strategic control of the business, he made the very tough decision to leave WIT and pursue different opportunities. However, in January 2024, WIT was acquired by Frasers Group and Dan is now back involved with a majority stake to help relaunch the brand and reconnect with the evolving fitness community. Fergus and Dan discuss the journey to starting WIT, overcoming the many challenges of starting a business in such a competitive space, the evolution of the fitness industry, why the fitness community is so important to Dan, where he sees WIT in the next 5 years, and much much more… Expect to appreciate the risks of starting a business. Expect to learn more about the fitness industry. Expect to reflect on your priorities. Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 20% off with FERGUSC20https://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/

In this episode, we have 3 lessons on dealing with the pressure of the Olympic Games, taken from 3 separate guests who have appeared on the show. First, we have Dan Wallace, former Olympic and World Champion swimmer, who shares his journey and mindset to get to the Olympics, and how he handled the pressure and crowd once he was there. We then listen to Guy Learmonth, multiple Commonwealth Games 800m runner (unfortunately just missed out on Olympics selection), explain how the noise from the crowd has such a significant effect on his performance and how he struggles to compete in smaller scale events. Finally, we listen to Nick Symmonds, two time Olympian, explain how pressure affected him differently in 2008 compared to 2012 and how he learned to manage it more effectively. He also shares the mental struggles of training for something that is 4 years away.Expect to appreciate the effect that pressure can have on athletes. Expect to reflect on how you handle pressure. Expect to understand how difficult it is to compete at the Olympics. Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 20% off with FERGUSC20https://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/

In this episode, Fergus is joined by Guy Learmonth, professional 800m runner. Guy has had a very successful career so far, with a PB of 1.44.70, competing in the Commonwealth Games, multiple World Championships and in fact the 3rd fastest 800m time in Scottish history. However, it's safe to say that Guy has been a bit unlucky throughout his career. In a sport like running, you would expect the selection criteria to be black and white, however, in this episode, you will learn how this isn't always the case, and how politics and behind the scenes agendas are the determining factors in some cases. Guy explains how he has unfortunately missed out on selection for numerous British teams and championships, despite having met the qualification criteria. He has publicly accused British Athletics of "toxicity and nepotism", saying their decisions have been "absolute nonsense". Fergus and Guy cover many topics, including his upbringing and what got him into athletics, what it's like competing on the biggest stage in his sport, the life of a pro athlete, recovery, the rise of technology in running, his current issues with athletics, and much much more. Expect to learn what it takes to be a professional athlete. Expect to reflect on how you deal with setbacks. Expect to question the agenda of some sporting federations. Guy's Instagram: @glearmonth800Fergus's Instagram: @ferguscrawley Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 20% off with FERGUSC20https://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/

In this episode, I answer the questions put to me on social media, covering a wide range of topics.The questions focus on many things, including my biggest bucket list events, who have been my favourite podcast guests, 3 bits of advice I'd give to people looking to start a fitness business, how I'm feeling in life right now, my death row meal and much much more... Expect to learn more about what's happening behind the scenes. Expect to question your WHYExpect to think differently about how you train. Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 15% off with FERGUSVIVOhttps://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/

In this episode, we listen to 6 former UK Special Forces Soldiers describe what it takes to pass selection. Firstly, we listen to Gaz Banford, former Sergeant Major of the Special Boat Service, talk about the typical characteristics shown by people who pass selection and the importance of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Episode #2Then, we have Simon Jeffries, former Special Boat Service, describe an incident he had on selection that significantly changed his mindset for the rest of the course. He also highlights the hardest part of the process and the mindset required to pass. Episode #37Robin Horsfall, former Special Air Service and part of the famous Iranian Embassy Siege, explains what it was like failing selection the first time and how he changed his approach for the 2nd attempt. Episode #100Mick Hawkes, former Special Air Service and known for being captured in Bosnia alongside Billy Billingham, explains the need to be able to block out other parts of life and just focus on the task at hand. Episode #101We then have Lindsay Bruce, former Special Air Service, describe the various parts of the 6 month course, and how it's necessary to break each part down into smaller chunks and not think about the whole course. Episode #22Finally, Dean Stott, former Special Boat Service, explains how he became one of the first Army candidates to join the SBS. Episode #16Expect to learn more about what it takes to join the special forces. Expect to understand more about the Special Forces. Expect to reflect on how you view failure and adversity. Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 15% off with FERGUSVIVOhttps://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/MyProtein - get a % off with FERGUShttps://www.myprotein.com/

Dr. Fergus Connolly, elite coach, talks about high performance in various sports leagues. He discusses mindset, leadership, ego, and different cultures in elite sport. Topics include talent development, essential traits for success, loyalty in sports organizations, and struggles of young athletes. The conversation also covers commercialization in sports and navigating the journey to success.

Former New York Yankees Performance Psychologist, Lauren Johnson, discusses measuring mental toughness and techniques to control emotions. Ultrarunner Kris King shares overcoming depression, and rugby player Lewis Robling talks about using running to improve mental health. Entrepreneur Mike Gammell describes dealing with startup pressure, and barrister James Exton explains building resilience in a high-stress job. Dr. Robert Glover also offers valuable insights on personal growth.

Tom McClure, Performance Nutritionist and Hybrid Athlete, shares 5 easy tips to optimize nutrition. Topics include hydration, protein intake, plant-based diets on a budget, foot strength with Vivo shoes, and balancing healthy habits with alcohol consumption.

Dr. Sam Spinelli, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Strength and Conditioning Expert, exposes fitness industry misconceptions with Fergus. They cover topics like recovery, effective strength methods, and debunking fitness myths. Sam challenges misinformation and emphasizes basics like consistent training and reevaluating sources. They discuss the importance of barefoot shoes, back pain myths, and simplifying fitness concepts. The conversation also touches on balancing warm-ups, training time, and building healthy habits for optimal fitness.

In this episode, Fergus is joined by Dan Wallace, former Olympic and World Champion swimmer. Dan certainly had an extremely successful career, winning a Gold medal at The Commonwealth Games, a Silver medal at The Olympic Games and also winning Gold at the 2015 World Championships. But, at the age of only 24, Dan announced his retirement from professional swimming, as he felt he had achieved everything he wanted to. Years later, Dan returned to the sport having rediscovered his love for it through more of a coaching capacity and now is the founder of Swimmr, a platform that aims to deliver top-tier swimming education to anyone, anywhere. Since retiring, Dan has competed in Ice Swimming competitions, swam across the channel as part of a relay team, and is now preparing for a solo channel swim. Dan shares his journey to becoming an olympian, the mindset and training required to compete at the highest level, what it was like racing against Michael Phelps, his transition out of the sport, the many lessons he has learned along the way, and much much more… Expect to reflect on how you deal with pressure. Expect to learn about the training required to be an Olympic swimmer. Expect to realise that Ice Baths aren’t actually that difficult… Dan’s Instagram: @danwallace93Fergus's Instagram: @ferguscrawley Swimmr - https://swimmr.com/about/Join The Modern Mind mailing list 📧 http://eepurl.com/h7rdLrSponsors:Vivobarefoot - get 15% off with FERGUSVIVOhttps://www.vivobarefoot.comDays Brewing - get 20% off with MODERNMIND20https://daysbrewing.com/MyProtein - get a % off with FERGUShttps://www.myprotein.com/