I’m delighted to speak with Hannah Huesman in this episode. Hannah is the mental skills coach for the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball organisation. Hannah received her Master’s degree in Sport Psychology and Motor Behaviour from the University of Tennessee. Hannah is also the host of Mental Sweat Monday – one minute videos containing tips and tricks to help viewers work on their mental game.  We speak about using mental skills to help simplify performance; attentional cues; being comfortable with being uncomfortable; and optimism versus positivity.

I’m delighted to speak with Sian Beilock in this episode. Sian is a cognitive scientist, with two PhD’s: one in Kinesiology and one in Cognitive Psychology. Sian is one of the world’s leading experts on the brain science behind ‘choking under pressure’ and the brain and body factors influencing all types of performance from public speaking to your golf swing.  In this podcast, Sian and I take a detailed look at what ‘choking’ is and why it happens.

I’m so excited to have Dr Len Zaichkowsky and Dan Peterson back on the show. Len and Dan have just published “The Playmaker's Decisions: The Science of Clutch Plays, Mental Mistakes and Athlete Cognition” which focuses on the split-second decision-making process that produces both clutch plays and mental mistakes. This book is for coaches needing to sharpen their team's decisions under pressure, a parent who is trying to understand their child’s mental game or even a fan who has yelled at the TV wondering why their team breaks your heart, "The Playmaker’s Decisions" combines science and stories to shed light on the black box of athlete cognition. The Playmaker’s Decisions: https://geni.us/theplaymakersdecisions The Playmaker’s Advantage: https://geni.us/ThePlaymakersAdvantage

In this episode I’m delighted to have teacher, teaching mentor and bestselling author Doug Lemov back on the show.   Doug studies high performing teachers and what it is they do that makes them so effective in the classroom. Following requests from people in the sports sector, Doug has taken his experiences from the classroom to help coaches optimise their teaching ability. And in his new book “The Coach’s Guide to Teaching” Doug brings his considerable knowledge about the science of classroom teaching to the sports coaching world to create championship calibre coaches on the court and field. What great classroom teachers do is relevant to coaches in profound ways. After all, coaches are at their core teachers.

I’m honoured to speak with Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett in this episode. Lisa is a University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University with appointments at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is among the top 1% most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. Lisa is also author of several books including her latest "Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain" in which she demystifies that big grey blob between your ears.  Lisa and I take an in depth look at this phenomenal book and how it relates to sports coaching, learning and performance.

I’m excited to speak with sport psychologist Tom Young in this episode. Tom completed his Master’s at Liverpool John Moores University and has subsequently worked as a chartered psychologist in both business and sport, predominantly golf and football (soccer). Tom has always had an interest in leadership and culture and has recently published the brilliant book “The Making of a Leader: What Elite Sport can Teach us About Leadership, Management and Performance” which shares the practical principles of sustained elite performance and shows how any individual can add value to their own business or organisation by applying these insights. During our conversation we explore the book chapter by chapter.

I’m delighted to speak with Dan Clements in this episode. Dan works in elite coach development, currently at The Welsh Rugby Union. Prior roles include Head of Performance at Wales Hockey and Performance Coach Manager at Wales Rugby League. Dan has co-written a fascinating paper entitled ‘Coach development through collaborative action research: enhancing the learning environment within a national talent development system’. We take an in depth look at this paper and discuss action research; appreciative inquiry; the positivity principle and the intriguingly named ‘provocative proposition’.

I’m excited to speak with Dr Pippa Grange in this episode. Pippa is a sport psychologist and culture coach and has worked in the areas of culture, psychology, ethics and leadership, primarily in elite sport. She held the position of Head of People and Team Development at The Football Association, helping the England team reach the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. She is currently head of cultural strategy at Right to Dream, which places emphasis on flipping the script on women’s football. And Pippa has written a book, Fear Less: How to Win at Life Without Losing Yourself which shows all of us how, by starting to live with less fear, we can find our real passions and deeper fulfilment. And it’s this book we mainly focus on during this conversation, specifically we speak about scarcity narrative; ‘in the moment fear’, ‘not good enough fear’; distorted fear; and ‘see it, face it, replace it’. 

I’m delighted to speak with sport psychologist Rebecca Symes in this episode. Rebecca works with elite and professional athletes to enhance performance and wellbeing. She is currently psychologist for GB women’s Hockey. Rebecca also runs her own consultancy, Sporting Success, which has seen her work with clients including Surrey County Cricket Club, Archery GB; England and Wales Cricket Board; and England Athletics. Her work with Archery GB has taken her to two Paralympics. She has also held roles at the FA across the men’s and women’s pathways. We speak about personal and athletic identity; the impact of language; identity foreclosure; psychological recovery; and career transitions.

I’m delighted to speak with Professor Laurence Alison in this episode. Laurence is Chair of Forensic and Investigative Psychology at Liverpool University. He is a leader in forensic psychology, and specialises in the most difficult interactions imaginable: criminal interrogations. He advises and trains the police, security agencies, the FBI and the CIA on how to deal with extremely dangerous suspects. After 30 years’ work Laurence, along with fellow Forensic Psychologist and wife, Emily Alison, has written the brilliant book Rapport: The Four Ways to Read People. And it’s the central premise of the book that we focus on in this episode, looking at what rapport is; how to develop it; how to have great conversations; the HEAR principles - Honesty; Empathy, Autonomy and Reflection; the role of power; self-awareness; and the 3 key components to building expertise in rapport.