The Sport Psych Show podcast

26:18

How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

The Sport Psych Show

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Join Sport Psychologist, Dan Abrahams, on The Sport Psych Show as he aims to demystify sport psychology for players, coaches and parents by speaking with some of the most influential people in sports performance today. Dan is on a mission to learn more about how sport psychology philosophies, tools and techniques positively impact participation, progression and performance in sport. He wants to learn more about how to drive participation – what motivational tools engage players and inspire people to play and stay in their sport. He wants to explore how players can progress quicker and more effectively – what is great practice and training? And how does learning in sport really happen? Finally, he wants to hear what his guests have to say about the psychology of performance – how do they think players can improve their ability to high perform consistently under pressure? Discover simple and practical tools and techniques by listening in to Dan’s conversations with elite competitors, sports coaches, sport scientists, and psychologists.

316 episodes

The Sport Psych Show

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updated 4 days ago

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316 episodes

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1
#316 Jason Dorland - Life Lessons from an Olympic Rower 40:32

4 days ago40:32

40:32

I’m delighted to speak with Jason Dorland this week. Jason is a former Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championship rower and rowing coach. After his competitive career, Jason went on to enter the teaching profession, where he taught and coached high school for fifteen years. In ten years of coaching rowing, Jason’s crews earned 12 international championship titles. Jason now works with his wife, former Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championship middle and long-distance runner, Robyn Meagher. Their business, Your Mindset Coaching and Consulting, offers Workshops, keynotes, and coaching to teams looking to better equip themselves to be their best selves and perform at their highest possible potential for longer. Jason and I speak about his experiences as an Olympic athlete, what he learned from his competitive career, and how this shaped his coaching and mindset business.…

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#315 Dr Alex Auerbach - The Pursuit of Excellence 1:08:20

25 days ago1:08:20

1:08:20

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Alex Auerbach in this week’s episode. Alex is a performance psychologist working with the best athletes in the world in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and Olympians, as well as high-performers in other domains like elite military units, Fortune 5 companies, and venture-backed start-ups. Alex was formerly Director of Wellness and Development for the Toronto Raptors, where he was responsible for all things mental health, mental performance and off-court development for players and staff. Alex has worked with NCAA Division-I schools in the Pac-12, ACC, Big 12, and Conference USA, where his work has included serving as the performance consultant for a Conference USA bowl-winning football team, ACC championship team, and student-athletes who continued in professional sport and/or the Olympic games. He earned his doctoral degree in counselling psychology with a specialisation in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of North Texas. Alex and I discuss his brilliant new book “Called to Greatness: Your Personal Playbook for the Pursuit of Excellence”.…

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#314 Dr Matthew Andrew - Developmental Activities that Underpin Expert Performance 50:40

6 weeks ago50:40

50:40

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Matthew Andrew this week. Matthew is a senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. He previously lectured at Liverpool John Moores University in Expert Performance and Learning. Matthew is interested in skill acquisition and talent identification and development. In this episode Matthew and I discuss a study he led which examined talent development in female soccer. The study examined developmental activities engaged in by professional female soccer players in England.…

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#313 Dr Hillary Cauthen - Supporting Players Through Trauma 40:44

8 weeks ago40:44

40:44

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Hillary Cauthen this week. Hillary is a clinical sport psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) with over 17 years experience working within the field of sport and performance psychology. She is an active member in her local community and professional associations, such as Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), and American Psychological Association - Division 47 (Society for Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology). Hillary is the Founder and Director of Texas Optimal Performance & Psychological Services (TOPPS) - working with individuals, families, teams, and groups to improve mental health, as well as athletic, social, academic, and professional performance. Hillary formerly served as the Director of Organizational Wellness & Performance for Austin FC and was the performance psychologist for the San Antonio Spurs, where she developed their mental performance and wellness programs. Hillary has developed private businesses that bring mental wellness curriculum to school districts across the nation, as well as an analytics company that helps predict the behavioural risk factors in players for teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and Premier League. Her work in high performance is breaking down stigma across communities which is highlighted in her book "Hello Trauma, Our Invisible Teammate.”…

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#312 Dr Sebastian Harenberg - Exploring Positional Competition 57:09

10 weeks ago57:09

57:09

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Sebastian Harenberg this week. Sebastian is Associate Professor in Sport Psychology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). He also provides mental performance consulting services to athletes and community members. Sebastian and I discuss positional competition, i.e. the competition for playing time in team sports. Sebastian completed a combined Bachelor and Master of Education in English and Physical Education at the University of Göttingen, Germany. Sebastian continued his education with a doctoral degree in Kinesiology and Health studies with an emphasis on sport psychology at the University of Regina. He then worked 2 years as a research scientist at the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region until he joined Ithaca College in New York as an Assistant Professor for Research Methods and Statistics. Sebastian’s main research interests lie in two areas: 1. Group Dynamics – his research examines processes that affect team hierarchies (competition within teams, selection, deselection), and 2. Perceptual Cognitive Training – using technology, he examines different technologies to sharpen the cognitive skills of athletes and various other populations.…

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#311 Dr Caz Nahman & Dr Andrew Kirkland - Considering Language and Environments for Good Mental Health 1:12:57

12 weeks ago1:12:57

1:12:57

I’m delighted to speak to Dr Caz Nahman and Dr Andrew Kirkland in this week’s episode. We discuss the role of language and the environment when considering mental health in sport. Caz is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Caz has also completed additional training in sport psychiatry with the ISSP (International Society for Sport Psychiatry) and is currently Deputy Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry Sports and Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group. Caz has experience working within a general child and adolescent setting as well as working in in-patient and community eating disorders services. She has previously been an elected member of the RCPsych Eating Disorders Faculty and in this role co-edited a book - New to Eating Disorders - designed as a training tool for staff new to working within this field. Caz’s interests include compulsive overexercise; youth sport; eating disorders in athletes, autism spectrum disorders in athletes, life-style psychiatry and medical education. In addition, she is keen to improve standards of care for athletes with mental health problems. Andrew is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching at the University of Stirling. He is also a member of the General University Ethics Panel, a Chartered Scientist and a BASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (support & pedagogy). Andrew has worked as a sport physiologist and coach developer at British Cycling and supports others in developing performance environments. Andrew's research philosophy is driven by impact and translation of research into practice. Specifically, he uses Implementation and Behavioural Change Science to explore mental health in sport, 'merging' his practical experience with evidence-based practice with the aim of helping others to develop more effective sporting systems.…

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#310 Dr Sam Thrower & Prof Chris Harwood - Developing Parent Education and Support Strategies in Youth Sport 1:07:51

16 weeks ago1:07:51

1:07:51

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Sam Thrower and Prof Chris Harwood this week. We discuss parent education and support strategies in youth sport. Sam is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Oxford Brookes University. His main research interests lie in the area of youth sport and specifically the psychosocial development of young athletes. He is particularly interested in topics such as parenting in sport, sport-confidence, motivational climates and stress and coping. Sam’s research in these areas has been published in a range of leading international journals including: ‘Psychology of Sport & Exercise’, ‘Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise & Health’, ‘Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology’, ‘Journal of Applied Sport Psychology’ and 'Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology'. His current research focuses on parent-child interactions and the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based sport parent education programmes. Chris is the Director of the Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Centre at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). He is a Professor of Sport Psychology at NTU where his research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of athlete development, wellbeing and performance including the roles of the coach, parents, and the wider social and organisational environment. Chris is particularly focused on the integration of psychological principles into youth sport settings and his applied research is characterised by working with the support system around young people. Chris is also prominent in the area of professional development, supervision and training of sport psychologists in the UK and international systems.…

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#309 Rusty Earnshaw & Danny Newcombe - Coaching Skills Toolbox 1:07:32

17 weeks ago1:07:32

1:07:32

I’m delighted to speak with Rusty Earnshaw and Danny Newcombe on this week’s episode. Rusty is a coach and former professional rugby union player. Rusty has played Premiership rugby with West Hartlepool , Bath Rugby and Rotherham Titans , winning the European Cup whilst at Bath. In 2000 he was selected to play for the Barbarians . And he also represented England on the IRB Sevens circuit. Since his playing days he has held various positions at the Rugby Football Union, including International Performance Coach. He is now Director at The Magic Academy, which works across sport and business supporting the development of individuals and teams. Danny is a coach and coach developer. He is currently Senior Coach Development Manager at The Premier League. Until recently, he was a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Coaching and PE in the department of Sport, Health Sciences and Social Work at Oxford Brookes University, UK. He now holds a visiting research fellow post at Oxford Brookes. Danny is also an international and domestic national league hockey coach. He is currently the head coach of the Men’s Welsh National Team and works extensively with a number of partners in the coach development space. I speak with Rusty and Danny about their considerable coaching experiences and we break down some of the skills they use in their own coaching practices.…

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#308 Johnny Gorman - Reflections on Being Released 1:11:45

18 weeks ago1:11:45

1:11:45

I’m delighted to speak with Johnny Gorman this week. Johnny is a trainee clinical psychologist and former professional footballer. We speak about the experiences of footballers who were released from clubs at a young age and the impact this had on them, a topic Johnny has recently published a paper on entitled “Inside the football factory: young players’ reflections on being ‘released’”. There is considerable research on senior players’ mental health outcomes following retirement. However, less attention has been paid to the greater numbers of young players who are deselected each year. Growing research attests to their increased risk of psychological distress including anxiety and depression. Every year, most young football players experience deselection and for some, this has profound consequences including drug addiction and even death. Yet little is known about these young hopefuls whose careers are abruptly cut short and who are released into a world they are ill-prepared for. This study brings a social psychological lens to examine how social identity processes underpin these consequences. The paper’s findings contribute to calls for deeper consideration and action around football club culture, and clubs’ responsibility to player welfare, including when players are released.…

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#307 Dr Thomas Simpson - Utilising OPTIMAL Theory in your Coaching Practice 50:43

19 weeks ago50:43

50:43

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Thomas Simpson this week. Thomas is a lecturer in Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition at Edge Hill University. He is interested in how motor learning and motor skill acquisition in children can be optimised through attentional and motivational factors. Thomas obtained his BSc in Sport and Exercise Science and his PhD at Edge Hill University. In this episode we discuss a paper Thomas co-wrote which examined the use of OPTIMAL Instructions and Feedback in Physical Education Settings. Here, OPTIMAL stands for Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning. It is a theory of motor learning developed by Gabriele Wulf and Rebecca Lewthwaite. The paper investigates how PE teachers can use instruction and feedback which promote OPTIMAL theory motor learning factors (e.g., an external focus of attention, enhanced expectancies and autonomy support) to enhance children’s motor learning.…

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#306 Dr Scott McLean - Complexity and Systems Thinking in Sport 53:28

20 weeks ago53:28

53:28

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Scott McLean this week. Scott is a Senior Research Fellow and the theme leader for Sport and Outdoor Recreation at the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems (CHFSTS) at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Scott has a background in Exercise Science (MSc, BExSc) and obtained his PhD applying Human Factors and Ergonomics methods in sport, in which he received the David Ferguson Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia for the best PhD thesis. His research spans a broad range of domains including sport science, safety science, and systems thinking. During his PhD and current Post-Doctoral research, Scott has made a number of significant research contributions which have advanced knowledge in the areas of team performance analysis, coaching, sports system modelling, applying Human Factors and Ergonomics in sport, incident reporting systems in outdoor recreation, and complex system modelling of the road safety system. Scott has experience working with and conducting research with industry i.e. professional sporting clubs and an international football team, government agencies, as well as international collaborators. Scott is also a successful and award-winning football coach, which ensures that his research has a focus on delivering practice implications.…

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#305 Bernadette Kellermann - Exploring Transitions Between Mental States During Performance 1:08:32

21 weeks ago1:08:32

1:08:32

In this episode I speak with Bernadette Kellermann. Bernadette is a Sport Psychologist and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh. Bernadette researches the Multi-Action Plan (MAP) Model and transitions between mental states in performance. The MAP Model is an action-focused, sport-specific intervention model that can be utilised to investigate and improve human performance. We discuss two fascinating papers Bernadette has written about transitions between mental states within MAP along with Prof Dave Collins, Dr Alan MacPherson, and Dr Maurizio Bertollo. In addition to her performance psychology studies, Bernadette is a violinist, composer, and tutor having graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.…

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#304 Mia KurtzFavero - Exploring the Parent-Coach Dual Role 43:09

22 weeks ago43:09

43:09

I’m delighted to speak with Mia KurtzFavero this week. Mia and I discuss a research paper she co-authored which explored the parent-coach dual role. In the paper a number of parent-coaches were interviewed to examine how they perceived their dual role to influence their coaching effectiveness and to hear what strategies they used to remain effective. Previous research looking into youth sport coaching indicates that a majority of coaches may also be a parent to an athlete on their team. While previous studies have also sought to understand how being a parent-coach might affect parents’ relationships with their own child(ren), little work appears to explore how occupying this role might affect an individual’s ability to remain effective as a coach. Findings from the paper indicated that parent-coaches have few formalised resources to aid them in navigating the issues associated with their challenging dual-role position. Given the number of parent-coaches in youth, more research needs to be done on this topic. Mia has just completed her Master’s degree in Sport Psychology. Her studies focused on coaching, specifically, helping coaches develop their inter and intra personal skills. Mia is a coach of volleyball, coaching club teams and high school teams, as well as the provincial youth boy’s volleyball team.…

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#303 Dr Jim Taylor - Train Your Mind for Athletic Success 1:10:19

23 weeks ago1:10:19

1:10:19

I’m delighted to speak with Dr Jim Taylor this week. Jim is an internationally recognised authority on the psychology of performance, sport, and parenting. Jim has worked with professional, Olympic, collegiate, and junior-elite athletes in skiing, cycling, triathlon, tennis, track and field, swimming, football, golf, baseball, and many other sports. Jim received his Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Colorado. He is a former Associate professor in the School of Psychology at Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale and a former Clinical Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver. Jim has been a consultant for the United States and Japanese Ski Teams, the United States Tennis Association, and USA Triathlon, and has worked with professional and world-class athletes in multiple sports. He has been invited to lecture by the Olympic Committees of Spain, France, Poland, and the U.S., and has consulted with the Athletic Departments at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Jim has published more than 1000 articles in scholarly and popular publications, and has given more than 1000 workshops and presentations throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He is the author of 19 books and the co-editor of five textbooks. His books have been translated into 10 languages. A former world-ranked alpine ski racer, Jim is also a 2nd degree black belt, certified instructor, and tournament fighter in karate, marathon runner, Ironman triathlete, 2x national triathlon champion, and 3x World Championships medallist.…

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#302 Dr Derek Panchuk - The Importance of Coaching Visual Perception 1:02:01

25 weeks ago1:02:01