The Sport Psych Show

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 mainly on challenge and threat states.

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.

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.

I’m excited 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. Ben has also written the fantastic 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

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.

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.

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.

I have the pleasure of speaking with Aaron O'Connell in this episode. Aaron has been coaching basketball for over 30 years. 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 and Aaron also 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.

In this episode I speak with Stuart Carrington. Stuart is a lecturer of Sports Coaching Science at St Mary's University, London. He has a background in soccer as a coach - having worked at two Premier League football clubs. Stuart also holds a Masters degree in Sport Psychology and is a REBT primary certificate holder. Stuart is also author of the soon to be released Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology Behind Football Refereeing. And it’s this book we mostly focus on during our chat.

In this episode I speak with senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at Staffordshire University, Dr Matt Slater. Matt is an Expert on the psychology of leadership and high performing teams. He is also author of the fantastic book TOGETHERNESS: How to Build a Winning Team in which he shares with readers how to develop team identity through practical ideas and examples. We speak about social identity; Reflect, Represent & Realise; shared leadership and the difference between leaders and leadership.

I have the pleasure of being joined by Dr Kathy Adcock in this episode. Kathy is a clinical psychologist, boxer and England Boxing Level 1 coach. Kathy works as a NHS Clinical Manager, working with parents and young people with a broad range of emotional and relational difficulties. She is also founder and managing director of social enterprise In Your Corner which combines non-contact boxing with evidence-based ideas from psychological intervention within community settings.

I’m speaking with Chris Bryan in this episode. Chris is an Irish International Open Water swimmer, having finished 8th at the world championships. He was the first Irish Open Water swimmer to compete at the European championships. Chris has also completed his PhD in Psychological Resilience and regularly contributes scholarly articles to psychological journals. Chris now manages a swimming academy in Dubai. We speak about hard work vs talent; intrinsic motivation and getting the most out of athletes.

I'm joined by Martin Bingisser in this episode. Martin holds several positions including National Hammer Throw coach for Swiss Athletics & Fitness coach for GC Zürich Rugby. As an athlete Martin is a 9-time Swiss national champion for hammer throw. He is founder of HMMR Media, a coaching resource covering multiple sports and he has also written Training Talk: Conversations with a Dozen Master Coaches in which he shares best practices with coaches from various sports and discusses what the best do to succee

In this episode I speak with Richard Shorter. Richard goes into sporting institutions to help them with a parent engagement strategy. He also delivers parent engagement sessions helping parents to be reflective of their parenting approach. These sessions are also fantastic for coaches to think about how they engage with players. Richard has also written ‘Conversations for the Journey: 40 Ways for you to Build Sporting Character’ that offers parents & coaches ways to talk about mental skills with players