University of Staffordshire's Performing Under Pressure Podcast

Louize Yafai is an accredited Breakup, Divorce & Life Transition Coach for individuals and sports professionals, and a member of the International Divorce Coach Centre of Excellence. In this episode, relationships are the central focus of our attention as Louize explains their relevance in performing under pressure. For example, Louize explains how individuals can rebuild their confidence after a difficulties in a relationship and how to negate the effects of 'people pleasing' behaviours. Louize highlights the importance of boundaries and provides a useful analogy regarding how to consider this concept. Louize also explains the role of self-compassion in her work, and the professional skills that she values the most in her role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lauren Garner is the First Team Performance Psychologist for Sunderland AFC having joined the club during their promotion-winning season in 2024. Prior to that, she has been the Lead Academy Performance Psychologist at Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers. In this episode, Dr Paul Mansell and Brandon Walsh ask Lauren to describe her journey into the profession. Lauren explains in detail the importance of listening and reflection in her role. She gives examples of the types of questions she asks players so she can best support their psychological needs. We also ask Lauren to explain how she works at a team and organisational level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Pearce has spent around twenty years working for Staffordshire Fire Service. The majority of this has been spent working as a firefighter and over the last three years, Mark now leads a training programme to ensure firefighters are physically prepared for their work. In this episode, we examine pressure from the perspective of a firefighter, and we discuss how to prepare to deal with highly important situations as well as navigating any setbacks. Mark outlines how he deals with being 'on call' and knowing that a major incident could come through at any time. The conversation also turns to leadership - how does Mark motivate the firefighters that he works with to stay physically fit? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Taylor Allen grew up in Staffordshire and began his professional career with Forest Green Rovers. After several loan spells, he then joined Walsall FC where he won the club's Player of the Season award and was named in the League Two team of the year for 2025, accumulating 18 goal involvements in all competitions. This earned him a moved to League One Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee. In a moving and poignant episode, Taylor describes how the tragic passing of his father was marked by the players and staff at Walsall FC. He outlines the individuals who have shaped his psychology, and on a personal level, the psychological factors that influence taking set pieces. Taylor also describes the importance of confidence and how he maintains a high level of self-belief. We also discuss the psychology behind Walsall's challenging end to the 2024/25 season, and what it was like to prepare for a play-off final at Wembley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jordan Brookes is a golf caddy and sport psychologist in training. He is currently completing his professional doctorate through the University of Portsmouth. Jordan also has experience of supporting academy footballers and currently works with players at Crewe Alexandra's academy. In this episode, Jordan reflects on how is able to combine his role as a caddy with providing psychological assistance to golfers during their round. He discusses some of the practical strategies that he applies, such as how irrational self-talk could be tackled. Jordan also shares his insights on the use of imagery in golf and why it is important to consider tournament preparation on a holistic level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Dutton is a psychotherapist and counsellor who works with athletes and occupational workers to enhance their wellbeing and performance. Peter works for Sporting Chance to help athletes in dealing with addictions and he is also a part-time lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. In this episode, he shares insights from his practice to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Karla Drew. During the conversation, Peter outlines the role of dopamine in addiction and explains how mentoring can be a valuable approach to support career transitions. Peter also describes how mental health can impact performance and how we might be able to spot when a teammate is suffering from poor mental health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ian Davies MBE is an associate professor in Health, Education and Policing Sciences at the University of Staffordshire. For 20 years, Ian worked within the NHS as Lead Biomedical Scientist and an Operational Manager, providing 24-hour analysis of specimens from patients to assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. In 2025, Ian was awarded an MBE for his services to pathology and biomedical science education. In this episode, Ian offers his unique perspective into the challenges and psychological effects of working within a demanding clinical environment. He goes into detail about the inherent stressors of working with sick patients and how to handle these, as well as his thoughts on what makes an effective leader. Ian also explains how he is designing graduate courses to better equip prospective NHS scientists with the ability to lead and perform under pressure. With thanks to Jacob Rowlands and Holly Cadman for their technical support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Osborn is a professional footballer who is currently on loan to Stockport County from Derby County. His former clubs include Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, and he has also represented England at U18, U19, and U20 level. He has made over 350 appearances in his career including 61 appearances in the Premier League. In this episode, he explains how he prepares himself to deliver on a matchday. He describes his ideal type of leadership, including what changed at Derby County towards the end of the 2024/25 season when they survived relegation having looked certain to go down. Ben also explains his business interests and how he is utilising mentoring in schools to support the development of adolescent boys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special international episode recorded in the Porto region of north Portugal, we are joined by professional footballer Erin Seppi. Erin is from New Jersey in the United States of America and has represented Romanian side FC Cluj in the Champions League before joining Valadares Gaia in 2021. Valadares Gaia are one of the top sides in women's football in Portugal, and Erin is their captain and goalkeeper. In this episode, Erin reveals the kind of skills that are in her psychological toolkit that can help her to perform under pressure and deal with mistakes. Our first goalkeeper on the show, Erin also explains the psychology of a goalkeeper and how that might be different to outfield players. We focus on leadership and Erin describes how a senior leadership group can shape togetherness at Valadares Gaia. Erin also explains how she was able to deal with studying while playing to a high level, and how she is developing skills now that can underpin life beyond football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeremy Holt is a chartered organisational psychologist and a founder of the Centre of Team Excellence. He has spent over 30 years building high-performance teams in sport, business, and the military. Jeremy also coaches young players in grassroots rugby, for which he has a strong passion. He is also the author of "For the Love of the Game: How to coach identity, belonging and performance in sport. A playbook for grassroots coaches".  In this episode, Jeremy gives an overview of the "TRIBE" method outlined in his book, which gives a guideline for creating a sense of togetherness or "us" within a team. Additionally, Jeremy talks about his approach to team leadership and the importance of social identity. He recounts his experiences working in senior officer training, as well as working with some of Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma Heighway is the Subject Leader of PE at Erasmus Darwin Academy, a school based in Staffordshire. Having graduated with a first class honours degree and completed her PGCE, she has been teaching PE for over ten years. More recently, she has been promoted to Subject Leader, and leadership forms a big part of our conversation. We discuss the importance of having values that are lived, and Emma shares how this is the case for students and staff alike. We also discuss ways to motivate young people, the importance of goal setting, and how to make a learning environment inclusive. Emma also shares her approach to fostering the development of leadership in young people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Clark is a HCPC accredited Sport and Exercise Psychologist. She completed her postgraduate degree at the University of Staffordshire and has since gone on to work in a Premier League football academy and in women's football, among other sports. In this episode, she explains to Dr Paul Mansell how she navigated the challenging pathway to becoming a Sport Psychologist. Katie tells us more about her work around the training ground and on a matchday, and she reflects on strategies that she finds to be effective when working with players. Katie outlines the balance between working at group-level vs. 1-to-1 and how she works through the coach to develop an effective environment for performance under pressure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sara Svoboda is a Canadian rugby player at Harlequins FC. In 2021, she reached the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, and has over 20 caps for her country. Sara is also a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University.In this episode, Sara shares her methods for controlling her demeanour and behaviour while performing under pressure, both on and off the field. As an international athlete, Sara offers a unique perspective on the ways in which she has been able to support her team following some significant setbacks, sharing her findings on the usefulness of being mentally flexible in response to adversity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Maurice is the Lead Academy Sport Psychologist at Portsmouth FC. He has previously worked in the academies at West Ham United, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In this episode, James shares his experiences of working in this domain, as well as working for GB Archery at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. James describes the concept of 'pressure menus' to help prepare athletes for competition. We discuss the role of mentoring and the findings from James's PhD which examined the parent engagement in academy football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nathan Magill's job is to oversee the development of thousands of referees in England. His previous experience includes being Head of Referees at Football Australia and he is also a Board Member on the Premier League's Elite Referee Development Plan. He explains to hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Stuart Carrington the importance of a person-first approach to his role. This episode naturally features conversations about the learning and development of referees, but more so, the development and leadership of individuals. Nathan shares the one question that underpins his leadership, how the FA support referees in dealing with abuse, and why he has no non-negotiables when it comes to referees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Davis is a Sport Psychologist who has extensive experience working across a broad spectrum of sports, collaborating with accomplished athletes at various levels. Her clientele includes elite professional teams and individuals, amateurs, Olympic and Paralympic medallists, as well as Commonwealth, European and World Champions. Through completing her postgraduate degree at the University of Staffordshire, Helen explains her transition from teaching into sport psychology. With host Dr Paul Mansell, we explore Helen's experiences of working at Wimbledon, and Helen outlines how a lightbulb moment helped her to see pressure in a different way as a competitive swimmer herself. We also discuss supervision of trainee sport psychologists, and Helen reveals what she thinks sport psychology will look like as a discipline in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Katie Sparks is a Lecturer of Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Staffordshire and a Performance Lifestyle Advisor for British Rowing. She completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2022 and has published several peer-reviewed articles relating to performing under pressure. In this episode, she tells Dr Paul Mansell and co-host Brent Horleston about the importance of mindfulness and how it can facilitate performance. Although not an easy skill to develop, mindfulness can be learned by anyone and can reduce rumination and anxiety. We also discuss self-compassion and how parents can learn these skills to better support their child. The role of mentoring in academy football is explored, as well as how we might reduce the likelihood of choking under pressure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode contains a trigger warning - see episode description below... Dr Andrew Wood is a HCPC registered sport psychologist with a specific interest in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. He has worked with many businesses and teams as well as previously holding lecturer positions at the University of Staffordshire and Manchester Metropolitan University. Joining Dr Paul Mansell in the studio as a co-host is England blind footballer Azeem Amir. Andrew worked with Azeem during his time as the team's sport psychologist. Andrew reflects on what it is like to work in para sport and how adopting rational rather than irrational beliefs can facilitate performance under pressure. Andrew also candidly speaks about his experiences of long Covid. In an emotional and enlightening episode, Andrew shares how he coped with some incredibly dark times, and we should warn listeners that there is a discussion about topics that might be upsetting. If you or someone you know is in crisis, Mind UK are a charity that offer free mental health support via their website https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/ or by calling 0300 102 1234. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kate Richardson-Walsh was the captain of Team GB women's hockey side that triumphed at the Rio 2016 games. She's been capped a record 375 times for her country. Kate was awarded an MBE in 2016, an OBE in 2017, and was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2016. Alongside guest co-host for this episode Helen Richardson-Walsh, Kate and Helen were the first same sex married couple to win an Olympic gold as part of the same team. In this episode, Kate describes the importance of vulnerability as a leader and how this may create a sense of togetherness. She explains how she has dealt with the ups and downs of her career, and she reveals the key question that helped her to move on from one of her most difficult moments. We also discuss the behaviours and actions required to be a gold medallist and how this may instill ruthlessness in a team. Finally, Kate explains how she navigated the transition into retirement from being an athlete. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Karla Drew is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Staffordshire. She is a former Team GB heptathlete and since retiring, has gone on to complete her HCPC sport psychologist accreditation. In this episode, Dr Paul Mansell and co-host Nika Pavic facilitated a conversation with Karla about her experiences across those three different domains. Karla explained her recent experiences in applied research, such as the role of mentoring during the transition from academy to senior football. She explains how she was able to perform under pressure as an international athlete, such as reflecting on her use of visualisation. We also discussed some of the cornerstones of her work as a sport psychologist including the appropriateness of self-disclosure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices