Demystifying Mental Toughness

David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes. Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist. Today's topic David talks about how and why you should develop an attitude of gratitude into your daily routines. 2020 has been a difficult year for many people where managing your emotions, an important ingredient of mental toughness, has been challenging even for the calmest people. What You Will Learn In This Episode: The benefits of gratitude What a full or empty gratitude tank can mean How gratitude can help you when you lose the love for your sport or pastime Why being injured is a time to consider practicing gratitude How to develop the attitude of gratitude About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other. The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub

David Jueno is the founder of The Sports Business Club, an organisation which funds grassroots sport and charity / community projects across the UK. He also works as a director for Gillingham Town Football Club. As a youngster, he enjoyed playing football and the classical guitar. He spent most of his adult life working as a sales professional until his life changed due to a cocaine addiction. After a couple of years recovering from a very tough period, he has now turned his life around and inspires other people. In this emotional episode, David Jueno talks about the impact of bullying as a youngster, football in his youth, being a successful sales professional. As well as drug addiction and losing everything, to rehab and now to his goal of impacting positively on other people's lives. Key Takeaways include: Everyone is worth something. Allow yourself to make mistakes. The minute you open your mouth to start talking about how you feel is the minute half of your problems disappear. Be kind to people, you don't know what people are going through. Be careful not to have unrealistic expectations of yourself, simply do your best and be committed. Connect with David Jueno: If this discussion had an impact on you and you feel the time is right to seek support please reach out to David: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjuenogtfcbusinessclub/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidjueno/ The Sports Business Club - https://thesportsbusinessclub.co.uk/ Or some other useful contacts for you include: Gamblers Anonymous - https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/ Mind for better mental health - https://www.mind.org.uk Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/ About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport. Click the link below to join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other. The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub

This is the 3rd compilation episode which is action-packed with the best bits from the previous 9 episodes including many pearls of wisdom that the guests have shared on the show. Listening to the advice I'm hoping will be a timely reminder for you to recognize that Mental Toughness is such an important quality for you to develop if you want to move forward and kick on in your life, sport or career. Key Takeaways • Steve Hackney tells you to ignore the noise and seek to learn from the best, tried, and trusted people. • Robbie Thompson advises that referencing and tracking your progress is important for you to improve your self-confidence. • I ask you to check your self-talk and tell you that you don't have to listen to your inner critic. • Julian Dowe advises you to leave nothing to chance, to be honest with yourself and other people. • On Lockdown 2, I ask you to consider if your view on the situation is impacting your mental health. • I invite you to make the most of your time and ask yourself better questions. • Natalie Henderson tells you why journaling and getting pen to paper is so helpful to understand yourself. To motivate you so that you become a better person or athlete. • Professor Peter Clough, talks about the most mentally tough people in the world, they are not perfect and bulletproof, and now with COVID-19 they'll likely be finding it difficult too at times. • Lome Fa'atua advised you to focus on the processes that you can control to aid your performances. To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sports coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists, and mental game coaches to support each other. The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub

Lome Fa'atau is a former professional rugby player from Wellington, New Zealand. He played for the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Super Rugby, as well as Glasgow Warriors and Nice in Europe. Lome also played over 30 times internationally for Samoa. He is now a Personal Trainer and Rugby Coach with special interests in strength and conditioning, health and wellness and young athlete development. Where he works with people from all walks of life, as well as athletes. Inspiring, supporting and pushing people towards their goals. Lome believes self-belief, an element of mental toughness is a key component to being successful and uses his experiences and soft skills, as well as challenging people with resistance training to bring out the best in them. In this episode, Lome and David discuss his professional rugby career and journey into personal training. Challenges that he encountered such as moving clubs where things didn't work out and not seeing eye to eye with coaches. Dealing with criticism as an athlete and using difficulties as a fuel to get better and improve as a person and player. Key Takeaways include: Look to talk with supportive people when you go through tough times. To get the best out of people, it's important for coaches to get to know the individual on a personal level. Self-confidence appears to be a problem area with a lot of young athletes today, where they struggle with dealing with criticism or worry too much about what other people think. Surround yourself with people who are looking to achieve similar goals. Successful people are not afraid to ask questions and look for help. Connect with Lome: Storm Fitness - https://www.storm-fitness.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lomefaatau/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lome_faatau About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sport. To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other. The Sports Psychology Hub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesportspsychologyhub

Professor Peter Clough needs little introduction. Whilst at the University of Hull, Peter initiated a programme of work which led to the development of the 4Cs concept for Mental Toughness – published in 2002 and is now comfortably the most widely adopted description of Mental Toughness globally. Since that time, he has collaborated with researchers all over the world to examine the concept further and to identify links to important aspects of work and life – his name appears on around 50 peer-reviewed papers. By inclination an applied psychologist, his work has always focused on real-world issues. In recent times, together with long term collaborator Doug Strycharczyk and Dr. John Perry, Peter has been instrumental in taking the Mental Toughness concept to the next level. Professor Peter Clough goes on to share why he spent a large chunk of his career researching and studying mental toughness. How the 4C's mental toughness framework has evolved and where it has been applied successfully. Peter also shares why resilience is a great quality to have, as well as highlighting the differences between resilience and mental toughness. Which could be argued to show that mental toughness is more valuable for people to move forward and prosper during longer stressful periods, such as right now, in the midst of a pandemic. Key Takeaways The 4Cs Mental toughness model contributes to our understanding of individuals, it's part of the jigsaw however people are very complicated so it only explains a small part of our behaviours. Often people don't understand what mental toughness is and would be very surprised at some of the results that we've found in our studies. For example, research shows that marathon runners are more mentally tough than those who don't take part in extreme exercise, however surgeons are even more mentally tough than the marathon runners. Mentally tough people aren't perfect and have their own limitations. The pandemic has had less impact on mentally tough individuals in comparison to mentally sensitive individuals however their well-being has also suffered. Youngsters today are more likely to express their thoughts and feelings, they haven't gone soft. You could argue that they are tougher because they have more difficult conversations. Contact Professor Peter Clough: AQR International Website Email: headoffice@aqr.co.uk Useful Resources: Developing Mental Toughness Developing Mental Toughness in Young People About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David is starting on 30 November to help ambitions athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other. The Sports Psychology Hub

Natalie Henderson is Professional Football Coach and with many years' experience working with Premier League & International Youth Athletes, both male and female. She was also the first ever full-time female coach to work in a Men's Premier League Academy as well as a proud winner of the Premier Leagues Eamonn Dolan Award. Natalie is football obsessed and has a huge passion for trying to get the very best out of people. She hates people wasting their talent. If you were born with even the slightest bit of talent, Natalie believes that you should do everything you possibly can in your power to unlock it. She notes that too many players do not reach their potential and do not know how to look after their own mindset. As a result, she is now the proud author of the Players Padlock Pad which is designed to help young footballers unlock their potential. We discuss Natalie's journey into professional football coaching. The challenges that she has faced on her way to becoming a pioneer for female football coaches. Why she decided to write a book, and a one that is laid out as a journal. We certainly busted a number of myths around Mental Toughness including highlighting that it is not a male macho quality and that Mental Toughness can be developed with the right support and tools at your disposal. Tune in to this episode, it's a fascinating listen with so many nuggets of advice for young footballers and athletes. Key Takeaways Always seek to learn from your experiences. Never stop believing in yourself. A great question to ask yourself is "Am I doing something to make myself better today?" All elements of Mental Toughness can be learned and developed. Connect with Natalie: For details on her book - The Players Padlock Pad LinkedIN Instagram About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is putting together to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles. Click here to SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE Or if you'd like to chat to understand how we can help support you to develop your Mental Toughness and improve your chances of realising your potential. https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/contact/

David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes. Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist. In this episode, David takes a look back at a number of past episodes and talks about lockdown 2 or the off season in some cases. He goes on to discuss goal setting and how to set and review goals. David challenges you to set yourself one goal for the next 4 weeks. What would it feel like if you achieved that goal? How much would that impact your life, the energy you currently have? The way you relate to people? So what new habit are you going to put in place NOW… Key Takeaways The questions that you ask yourself are very important for your future happiness and success below are a number of helpful ideas. What is your lockdown goal? What is your goal for the next month? Ask yourself by the 12 December I will have achieved… In the next month what do I need to do to feel better about me and my future chances? What key habits do I need to put in place? Can I measure my progress? And How? In the next 7 days I am going to… About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is starting on Monday 30th November to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles. Click here to SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE

David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes. Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist. In this solo episode, discusses the UK Governments decision to take away our autonomy and introduce lockdown 2 across England. David shares information about resilience and mental toughness to clear up how they differ. As well as sharing why these traits are so vital for your mental health and well-being at present. Anyone, from any walk of life can benefit from this episode, so please feel free to share it. Key Takeaways Consider how you interpret the situation, try to think about it on a 1-10 level not labelling it bad, catastrophic or terrible. Resilient people will react to the situation positively. Mentally tough people will deal with the stressors and pressures better than mentally sensitive people over the long term. The ability to stay present will help you – as David describes how the situation reminds him when his wife Alex was diagnosed with 3 brain tumours and melanoma cancer and sadly died in 2008. Create a well-being menu to help your mental health. Ask yourself the following questions – What helps me be better person to be around? How do I want to be? How can I utilise and adapt my environment to help me? What gives me energy? Well-being Menu About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To be kept informed on developments of the Facebook community that David is putting together to help athletes and sport coaches to support each other utilising the Mental Toughness principles. SIGN UP TO THE MENTAL EDGE

Julian Dowe is a former professional footballer whose knee injury prematurely ended a stuttering career after nine years in the game. During this time he played at various levels in England, Spain, Scotland, Sweden & Latvia. Retirement allowed Julian to observe of grassroots and elite level football and it's needs. This led Julian to develop football4football. An industry-leading free online football resource which details practices, principles & methods that drive the game's best players. In this episode, David and Julian reflect on the many challenges Julian faced in his journey into professional football, as well as during his career in the game. It is clear from our conversation that Julian has some regrets about his behaviour. Consequently, he shares advice to young footballers about how to handle different situations. Key Takeaways • Having self-belief and talent, isn't enough to prosper in professional football • Surround yourself with people who care about your best interests. • Be honest with yourself, commit yourself to the sport. • Work on your confidence, with self-belief you can go a long way. Connect with Julian Dowe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliandowe/ https://football4football.com About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To join The Confident Athlete 3 Day Challenge starting on 02 November designed to help you perform better under pressure on a consistent basis, sign up NOW using the link below. https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/challenge/

David Charlton helps ambitious athletes to reach their aims, faster. He supports a range of highly motivated athletes and coaches. From ambitious youngsters and amateur athletes, as well as elite professional athletes, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour, Rugby Premiership and in The British Superbikes. Additionally, David supports business professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to improve their performance and/or mental health. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS, BASES and is a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist. David reflects on previous episodes of Demystifying Mental Toughness today. Where he refers back to Gio Valiante, Steve Hackney and Robbie Thompson's episodes that link to self-confidence. David shares his thoughts and offers some suggestions for you the listener to manage and maintain your confidence levels so that you thrive. Key Takeaways • Be aware that you can choose not to listen to the voice in your head. • You can give your inner critic a pet name and tell him or her to shut up! • Laughing at the voice in your head is a helpful tactic to relax you. • Recognise when your ego takes over and look to focus on the task in hand. • Elite athletes talk negatively to themselves, however they are quick to spot it and move on. About the Host – David Charlton David helps ambitious athletes, teams and executives achieve their goals faster by improving their Mental Toughness. He is a HCPC Sport and Exercise Psychologist and Executive Coach who supports many professional athletes, some of whom play at the highest level in their chosen sports, as well as senior executives in the business world. To join The Confident Athlete 3 Day Challenge starting on 02 November designed to help you perform better under pressure on a consistent basis, sign up NOW using the link below. https://www.sport-excellence.co.uk/challenge/