The Sport Psych Show

I'm delighted to be speaking with Paula Reid in this episode. Paula is a trainer, facilitator, coach, author and adventurer. Her adventuring has led her to sail around the world, ski to the South Pole and paddle the Srepok and Mekong rivers. Drawing from her experiences adventuring, as well as from her knowledge of positive psychology having completed her Masters in the discipline, Paula developed Adventure Psychology which aims to help leaders and organisations cope, survive and thrive. We speak about adventuring; resilience; Anticipatory Thinking and self-exploration.

I am speaking with Dr Jonathan Fader in this episode. Fader was Director of Mental Performance for the New York Giants and served as the team psychologist for the New York Mets for nine seasons. He is a certified consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and a resource doctor for Major League Baseball's Rookie Development Program. Through practical strategies Fader helps athletes and teams to achieve improved results. This episode follows on from last weeks' episode when I spoke with Prof Stephen Rollnick. Fader and Stephen co-authored the fantastic book Coaching Athletes to be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sports and in this episode we will speak about the concept of "I insist you resist"; guiding vs fixing; how to be an empathetic listener; affirmations; helping build a player self-efficacy and understanding people's perspectives.

Prof Stephen Rollnick, a clinical psychologist specializing in motivation and change, discusses topics like relationship building, Motivational Interviewing, speaking to groups effectively, empathy in coaching, and practical examples of MI in sports.

I'm excited to be speaking with Dr Jennifer Fraser in this episode. Jennifer is an award-winning educator, researcher and best-selling author. Her online courses and workshops provide dynamic lessons in the impact neuroscientific knowledge has on personal development and culture-change. Jennifer set up Motion Press to help coaches, parents and those who work with children and youth learn about the practical applications of brain science via online courses, workshops and articles. She has also just finished her fourth book, The Bullied Brain: What Neuroscientists Know about Brain Scars and How to Heal Them. And it's this book we mainly speak about, specifically, the impact of 'aggressive coaching' on athletes; the importance of coaches knowing about the brain; the adolescent brain; deliberate practice; changing mindsets; what is bullying?; mastery; the role of empathy; peer connectivity and coaches helping players to 'grow' their talent.

I'm delighted to speak with Jenny Williams in this episode. Jenny represented South Australia in six sports: lacrosse, indoor lacrosse, touch, soccer, cricket and Australian rules football (AFL). Throughout her sporting career Jenny has coached many different sports including tennis, basketball, volleyball as well as the sports she herself played in. Jenny has a Masters in psychology and has worked as team psychologist in various sports including golf and AFL. Jenny has also written the fantastic book Think Prepare Play like a Champion which aims to uncover how to get to the top as a player, coach or manager. And it's this book we mainly speak about, specifically, caring for players; self-awareness; the role of luck in sport and in life; different thinking styles and patterns; flow and players preparing for all eventualities.

I'm speaking with Mark Bennett MBE in this episode. Mark is founder of Performance Development Systems (PDS) - a robust set of principles that facilitate world class learning and performance cultures and environments. PDS was designed for coaches, managers and teachers to better understand themselves and learn how to influence and get the best out of the people around them. Before establishing PDS, Mark was a British Commando and senior instructor within the Army Physical Training Corps. PDS is being used in 30 different sports from grassroots to the Olympics and professional teams as well as in schools helping disengaged children by supporting the teachers and mentors. We speak in detail about PDS and look at examples of Mark implementing it in different sporting environments. Specifically, we speak about coaches utilising their players to help them grow; helping players self-manage; building confidence in players; coaches being aware of their own coaching style - why they coach the way they do; accountability; being adaptable in the moment and the importance of reflection and review.

I'm excited to speak with Simon Williams in this episode. Simon has a football playing background, is a former football coach and is now Life Skills Manager for League Football Education (LFE). LFE was established in 2004 by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and the English Football League (EFL) to be responsible for education and welfare across all EFL clubs. We speak about the role of LFE; supporting young players outside of football; player identity; helping athletes understand the importance of having interests outside of their sport; explaining the 'why' to players; transferable skills; how the psych-social side can help a player's performance; self-awareness; grassroots coaching and Simon gives some fantastic examples of thinking outside the box to help players develop mental skill.

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.