In this episode I welcome back sport and performance scientist Elliott Newell. This time Elliott is joined by Olympic Canoe Slalom Coach at British Canoeing, Craig Morris.   Elliott is currently Senior Performance Pathway Scientist at the English Institute of Sport. Specialising in psychological support, Elliott works in high performance sport with an emphasis on talent development. His focus is on supporting sports in using psychological knowledge and strategies to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of performance pathways. Craig works within the elite performance pathway of British Canoeing and is just back from the Tokyo Olympics. Craig nurtures high performing people to facilitate high performing athletes, by always taking a person-centred approach, prioritising connections with self, belonging and psychological safety.

I speak to Prof Adam Nicholls in this week’s episode. Adam is a professor of sport psychology at the University of Hull. Adam’s research is supported by more than £1.1 million as a principal investigator and £1.5 million including all projects. He has published more than 85 journal articles and written 3 books. Adam and I speak about the recently released 3rd edition of his book Psychology in Sports Coaching Theory and Practice which has been fully revised and updated. Drawing on the very latest research and theory, the book introduces the psychological tools and techniques that coaches can use to get the best performances out of their athletes. Including three new chapters on the constraints approach to assessing psychological needs, mental imagery, managing perfectionism tendencies, and mentoring leaders.

I speak to Niels Feddersen in this week’s episode. Niels is a postdoctoral researcher in sports science at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Niels studies organisational culture and power relations in elite sports organisations in the UK, Norway, and Denmark. Niels obtained his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University. In the research, he collaborated with several Olympic sports organisations, the FA, and Premier League football clubs. Niels also has a background as a practitioner in sport psychology, primarily in rowing in the youth national teams in Denmark. We speak about a fantastic paper that Niels has contributed to entitled A Qualitative Meta-Study of a Decade of the Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development

I speak to Dr Suzanne Brown in this week’s episode. Suzanne is a clinical psychologist specialising in mental health and performance. She works with individuals in one-to-one therapy and with elite organisations in sport, business and education. With over 14 years of experience, she has pioneered a new way of working that bridges clinical psychology with elite performance, helping people to achieve emotional fitness across all areas of their life.  We speak about mental health in sport and how understanding yourself better can help you to flourish personally and professionally.     

I’m delighted to speak to Amy Williams MBE in this week’s episode. Amy was a Gold Medal winner in the women's Skeleton  2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. She won Great Britain’s first gold medal in an individual event for 30 years, and the first by a woman for 58 years. Amy retired as an athlete in 2012 and has spent the years since doing television presenting roles, public appearances and motivational speaking. Amy has a book coming out on October 8th entitled Talent to Triumph: How Athletes Turn Potential into High Performance in which Amy guides the reader through their entire sporting journey, using her own experiences and those of some of Britain's greatest athletes to help turn talent into your triumph. You'll learn about mindset, confidence, teamwork, overcoming barriers & setbacks, dealing with injuries, longevity, training & preparation, talent identification schemes, maximising competition/match day outcomes.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Ed Cope & Prof Chris Cushion. Ed is a lecturer in Sport Coaching at Loughborough University. He completed his BSc in Sport Coaching from Leeds Beckett University, his MSc in Sports Coaching Science from the University of Worcester and his PhD at the University of Bedfordshire. Ed has also worked at the English Football Association, where he was responsible for the design and development of their education courses. Chris is Professor of Coaching and Pedagogy at Loughborough University. Starting out as a football coach, Chris has worked at every level of the game – from community schemes, grassroots football and academy professional clubs at all age levels. Ed and Chris have come back on the show to further discuss the topic of ‘direct instruction’ in coaching. Specifically, we speak about Barak Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, linking them to sports coaching.  

I speak to Dr Camilla Knight in this week’s episode. Camilla is a professor at Swansea University specialising in sport psychology, particularly in youth sport. Her particular area of interest is around parent involvement in sport. Camilla completed her BSc and MSc at Loughborough University, and her PhD at the University of Alberta in Canada. She is also the lead of the Welsh Research Advisory and Evaluation group for the Child Protection in Sport Unit, a member of the Welsh Safeguarding in Sport Strategy group, and the Youth Sport lead for the Welsh Institute of Performance Science. We speak about parents in sport: the challenges they face; helping coaches understand their perspective; and simple ways that coaches can help to create a parent-positive environment.

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Alex Auerbach in this week’s episode. Alex is the Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, where he is responsible for all things mental health, mental performance and off-court development for players and staff. He joined the Raptors after serving as the Director of Clinical and Sport Psychology for the University of Arizona. Alex has worked with NCAA Division-I schools in the Pac-12, ACC, Big 12, and Conference USA, where his work has included serving as the performance consultant for a Conference USA bowl-winning football team, ACC championship team, and student-athletes who continued in professional sport and/or the Olympic games. He earned his doctoral degree in counselling psychology with a specialisation in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of North Texas.

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Marina Harris and Shameema Yousuf in this episode. Marina recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada. She also has a Master's degree in Kinesiology and Health with an emphasis in sport psychology from Miami University. She also spends part of her time in the University of North Carolina Athletics Department, working with athletes to improve their mental wellness and sport performance. Shameema is a HCPC registered sport psychologist, registered clinical mental health counsellor and is a member of APA, AASP, and BASES. Shameema has a private practice working with youth athletes all the way up to elite athletes. We discuss a fantastic paper Marina recently wrote entitled “Simone Biles and Team USA Redefine Mental Toughness - The true definition of mental grit and what we can learn from it” which Shameema provided her expert opinion on.  

I speak to Jonny McMurtry in this week’s episode. Jonny has been involved in high performance age grade rugby programmes across Australia for over 10 years. He is currently completing research in conjunction with University of QLD and Rugby Australia, looking at age grade players’ engagement and understanding what motivates, engages and drives players' participation. Jonny’s background and passion is understanding people’s motivation and helping them achieve what they are striving to accomplish in sport and work environments. We speak about Jonny’s findings from his fascinating research project.