The Focused Mind Podcast

Training the Mind to Perform at Your Limit: A Conversation with Sport Psychologist Jose MaresmaWhat does it really take to perform at the absolute limits of human performance?Following Jose Maresma’s appearance on the CITIUS MAG Podcast, where he discussed the years of mental-performance work behind Josh Kerr’s successful attempt to break the mile World Record in July 2026, this conversation goes deeper into the psychology and practice behind elite performance — and, crucially, what athletes at every level can take from it.Rather than re-telling the story of Kerr’s World Record, we explore what happens when an athlete has physically trained to their limit and the final barrier is no longer fitness, strength or preparation — but the ability to get out of their own way and allow everything they have trained to come through when it matters most.We talk about flow, what it means to access a state where performance becomes less conscious and more instinctive, and why learning to perform rather than trying to control performance can be such a crucial distinction.We explore the idea of training your mind in the same way you train your body — deliberately, progressively and consistently. Mental skills aren't simply something an athlete reaches for on race day when things go wrong; they can be trained under pressure so that the athlete becomes familiar with regulating themselves, embracing discomfort and responding rather than reacting.That takes us into some of the unconventional methods Jose uses in his practice, including cold-water immersion and sauna work. We discuss how deliberately putting yourself into uncomfortable situations can become a form of mental training: learning to stay present, regulate your response, tolerate discomfort and choose how you respond when every instinct tells you to escape.But ultimately, this isn't really a conversation about cold plunges, sauna or any individual technique.It's about removing the psychological barriers between an athlete and the performance they've already prepared themselves to deliver.Whether you're attempting to break a World Record, run your first 5K, return from injury, compete at an Olympic level or simply discover what you're capable of, the same fundamental question applies:Can you trust the work you've done enough to get out of your own way when it matters most?Jose and I explore what that looks like in practice, how we work with athletes to develop those capabilities, and why the mind shouldn't be treated as the final piece of preparation — but as something that needs to be trained alongside the body from the very beginning.This is a conversation about elite performance, but it is ultimately about something much more universal: learning how to access your best when the moment arrives.

Harry Bullmore is The Independent’s senior fitness writer, covering news, reviews and features on all things exercise-related. As a keen gym-goer, coach and CrossFit trainer, he is always experimenting with new training techniques to find fun, effective ways to stay in shape – be that home workouts, Pilates, strength training or gymnastics. Before joining The Independent, he wrote on fitness topics for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Fit&Well, Live Science and TechRadar. In this interview with Sport Psychologist Stu Holliday, we cover areas as diverse as Cornish pilot gig rowing, Tom Holland’s training routine for the Spiderman movies, the sport of heavy rock lifting, and 30 day challenges that everyone, regardless of age or fitness, can do!We also tie together the link between movement, fitness, and emotional well being and health, which can benefit all endurance athletes. You can follow him on Instagram @harry_bullmore_fitness_writer.

Kriss Hendy, a former ice hockey player, has been working within the endurance community for over 15 years, studying, coaching, supporting and now helping other coaches and athletes as a qualified S&C and run coach.He is the founder of Strength For Endurance, whose multi-disciplinary approach ensures athletes take a comprehensive approach to endurance training; in order to overcome injury, prevent overtraining and keep doing what they love for many years to come. I've worked in a multi-disciplinary approach with Kriss and his team with some SFE clients and been on their podcast. After a long spell of having a number of clients of my own dealing with injury and rehab, so it felt like a good time for us to hold an open session with my EMC clients, ask some questions and share many endurance athletes concerns with Kriss' expertise. Even if you are fully fit and thriving, Kriss holistic approach (covered in this podcast) holds advice that you will definitely find helpful.Kriss can be found @https://www.instagram.com/strengthforendurance/Contact me directly on endurancemindcoaching @ gmail.com to get Kriss' foundation test SFE Standard tests!

In this episode of The Focused Mind Podcast, Stu Holliday is joined by ultra-runner and doctor Dr Jenny Hartley, fresh from her victory at the legendary Summer Spine Race and a career that also includes multiple Invictus Games gold medals.Together, they explore the psychology behind thriving in some of the world's toughest endurance events. Jenny shares the mental strategies that have shaped her journey—from a 20-year military career to becoming one of Britain's leading ultra-runners—and how she developed the confidence to continually step outside her comfort zone and pursue new challenges.The conversation covers:How she prepared mentally to win the Summer Spine Race.Managing her inner critic using the Chimp Model (and why she calls her chimp "Stan").Coping with extreme endurance pain and fatigue.Maintaining focus, motivation and optimism during races lasting more than 100 hours.How psychological skills influence not only her running, but also her work as a doctor and everyday life.Jenny also discusses her experience using The Psychology of Running, explains why cold-water swimming has become such a powerful mental training tool, and shares how she helps both athletes and patients overcome fear, embrace discomfort, and build lasting resilience.Whether you're an endurance athlete, healthcare professional, or simply interested in the psychology of high performance, this episode is packed with practical insights into developing a stronger, more resilient mindset.We hope you enjoy the conversation!

Scott Frey is an experimental Psychologist from Colorado, who rose through academia to become a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience with a lab that conducted leading edge brain imaging research. Throughout his fascinating life, Scott has been a runner, participating and being a fan of the sport, and now works as an independent consultant for his own consultancy: Cerebral Performance. Like myself with Endurance Mind Coaching, he doesn't limit himself to running, though, his brain training techniques have been used with all kinds of endurance sport at all levels of ability. In this talk that compares our 2 worlds and digs into Scott's practice and what all endurance athletes can do to work on their performance 'above the shoulders', we discuss:Scott's background growing up; in academia, and as an athlete.The role of running and endurance and how it helped him become a professor and his beliefs about how confidence and projects compound.The role of neuroplasticity in learning and adaptations via deliberate training can aid performance.What can and can't be trained, how these methods came in to practice and how athletes can incorporate brain training into their existing training.