I’m delighted to speak with Jamie Taylor in this episode. Jamie is a former a coach and PE Teacher with a keen interest in human performance. He was head academy coach at Leicester Tigers and now works in the Pathways Team at the English Institute of Sport supporting Olympic and Para-Olympic talent pathways to develop their practice in talent development.  We speak about motivation and commitment; the importance of self-regulation in sport; understanding your athletes; missing windows of developmental opportunity; parents nurturing their children’s sport and allowing children to have a range of experiences.

I speak with Dr Carla Meijen in this episode. Carla is an HCPC registered sport and exercise psychologist and a senior lecturer in Applied Psychology at St Mary’s University, London. She graduated with an MSc in Social Psychology from the University of Amsterdam, followed by an MSc in Performance Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. Carla then completed her PhD at Staffordshire University, where she focused on challenge and threat states, examining athletes’ cognitive, affective, and cardiovascular responses to demanding situations. Carla has also edited the fantastic book ‘Endurance Performance in Sport’. And it’s this book we mainly focus, specifically we speak about challenge and threat states in athletes; endurance performance; motivation; ‘if-then’ planning; automatic association; attentional focus; process-driven goals; flexible goals and the importance of reflection.

I have the pleasure of speaking with Ian Peek in this episode. Ian is a transition & performance coach, helping his clients achieve their goals whether that’s transitioning to a new level of achievement or maintaining their position at the top of their sport or industry. Ian holds a Master’s degree in Sports Coaching and is a PhD researcher. He is also a PGA Master Professional - the highest educational level in The PGA - which recognises PGA Members who make a significant effort to improve themselves as golf professionals and maintain the highest degree of excellence for themselves and their operations. We speak about the biopsychosocial model; the importance of looking at all aspects of a person’s life as a coach; coaches being great actors; being the best version of yourself and the importance of adaptability as a coach.

I’m delighted to speak with throw-in coach, motivational speaker and author, Thomas Gronnemark in this episode. Thomas is the throw-in coach for Liverpool FC as well as for other European clubs. Thomas has himself had a very varied sporting background having played soccer for over 18 years and moving into athletics in his late teens. He was on the Danish National team for both athletics and bobsleigh and he holds the Guinness World Record for the longest throw-in. After having not been able to find any information on coaching throw-ins, Thomas decided to create his own course on the subject which then led to him specialise in coaching throw-ins. We speak about athletes speaking up about nerves and anxiety; evaluating performances; asking for help; experiences not perfection; the importance of having a throw-in strategy and maximising energy.

I’m delighted to speak with football writer and consultant, Ben Lyttleton in this episode. Ben has always been interested in the psychology of performance. After writing his first book, Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty he started working with clubs to help them improve their penalty taking strategies and record. Ben has also written the fantastic book EDGE in which he discovers the innovative methods some of the world's top football clubs use to develop talent. And it’s this book we mainly focus on, specifically we speak about team cohesion; teams taking a holistic approach to developing players; what makes teams successful; retaining players; the transfer window and buying players at the elite level; types of motivation; decision making (Cruyff Football); resilience and creativity.

In this episode, I speak with pain physiotherapist and pain coach Richmond Stace. Richmond became interested in the area of pain while working as a nurse in his younger years. He went on to obtain a rehabilitation and science degree, a physiotherapy degree and a Masters in pain science at King's College London. He then jointly set up Understand Pain – a social enterprise that aims to help society have a greater understanding of pain and what can be done to improve our lives. We speak about how our perceptions inform our reality; understanding why people react differently to the same experiences; narrative influencing pain (and life); acceptance is not giving up and focusing on what you can do (not what you can’t).

I’m delighted to speak with author and journalist Jonathan Harding in this episode. Jonathan has just released the brilliant book Mensch: Beyond the Cones, which takes a detailed look at the German football coaching system and what sets it apart. In the book, Jonathan outlines attributes that modern German coaching embraces to succeed. From the practical aspects on the training ground to why the German coaching system produces so many talented players.  We speak about the German Lehrer coaching course; situational development; today’s players needing to be told the ‘why’; creating ‘safe’ environments for players; the importance of coaches being ‘people managers’; personality characteristics and styles of coaching; coaches having a connection with their players; self-skills for coaches and what is next for German coaching.

I speak with Blaine McKenna in this episode. Blaine is a UEFA A soccer coach, former academy director and founder of Life Sports Performance Coaching which provides a range of education and sessions to coaches and players enabling them to get better faster. Having completed his Masters is Sport Psychology, Blaine started to incorporate mental skills into his coaching curriculum and has taken his brand of coaching all over the globe from Kuwait to Thailand.   We speak about culture impacting style of play; game-based training; autonomy-supportive coaching; establishing a leadership group within teams; creating a motivational environment; teaching transferable life skills to players; self-determination theory; focusing on strengths and planning sessions with sport psychology in mind.

I have the pleasure of speaking with Aaron O'Connell in this episode. Aaron has been coaching basketball for over 30 years.  Formerly a business entrepreneur, Aaron describes himself as a continuous learner having completed a Masters in Applied Sport Psychology and currently undertaking a Masters in Applied Coaching. We speak about having a coaching philosophy of putting the individual first; building self-awareness as a coach in order to help players; asking players for feedback; reflection; growth mindset; taking the pressure off younger players; team identity and Aaron gives some fantastic ideas to help players develop as people and as players.

I’m delighted to have Nick Coley on this episode. Nick is Head of Learning and Development at Evans Cycles and is currently undertaking his Masters degree in Sport Psychology. Nick has competed in cycling from a young age, including mountain biking and cross country, he is now an endurance mountain bike racer. We speak about the importance of training the body as well as the mind, ‘trying out’ different psychology strategies to find what works, self-awareness, self-reflection and self-talk and utilising sports psychology in a business setting.