The Sport Psych Show

In this episode I'm delighted to welcome back Prof Mark Williams to the show. Mark has 35+ years experience as a research scientist, academic and consultant in high-performance sport. His research work focuses on the neural and psychological mechanisms underpinning the acquisition and development of skill. Mark is a Distinguished Professor at South China Normal University, a Visiting Professor at Loughborough University and an Adjunct Professor at multiple Universities in America. Mark has published almost 300 full journal articles in peer-reviewed outlets in numerous fields including exercise and sports science, experimental psychology, neuroscience and medicine. He has written and edited 24 books, more than 90 book chapters, and delivered more than 300 keynote and invited lectures in over 30 countries. Mark is co-author of an Amazon best-selling book entitled 'The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made. Mark is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, National Academy of Kinesiology, Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Science, and the European College of Sports Sciences. He is Chartered by the British Psychological Society as a Practicing Psychologist and a Research Scientist. 

I speak with Morten Bertelsen in this week's episode. Morten is the first team sport psychologist at F.C. Copenhagen supporting players, coaches, and staff in one of Scandinavia's leading football clubs. Morten has worked with the development of people and organisations in many contexts for the past 15 years. His work places particular emphasis on the relational side of performance - exploring how trust, communication, shared understanding, psychological safety and the quality of relationships between players can influence performance under pressure. Morten holds degrees in both psychology from the University of Copenhagen and sport science from the University of Southern Denmark. Across a career spanning more than two decades, he has worked across elite sport, organisational psychology, leadership, consultancy and education. Morten has also held teaching roles at Aalborg University and the University of Copenhagen. Alongside his work in elite football, Morten speaks and consults with organisations, leaders and teams, translating lessons from high-performance sport into practical approaches to leadership, relationships, collaboration and team performance.

I speak with performance psychologist, author, researcher, and world-leading expert in flow, Dr Sue Jackson in this week's episode. Sue's expertise is grounded in the psychology of flow: the state of optimal engagement and experience. Sue primarily works as a consultant with athletes, medical professionals, business leaders, and performing artists to optimise potential, manage pressure, and create meaningful, high-quality experiences in their personal and professional lives. She has published extensively on the subject of flow and related psychological concepts. In collaboration with her mentor and the founder of flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Sue co-authored "Flow in Sports", a book that introduced athletes and coaches worldwide to applying flow to performance. In this this episode we discuss Sue's new book "Experiencing Flow: Life Beyond Boredom and Anxiety", a book that shares practical insights drawn from decades of research, applied consulting, and direct collaboration with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

I speak with J.P. Nerbun in this week's episode. J.P. is a leading expert on culture transformation and the author of four books on leadership. He is the founder and CEO of TOC, an ecosystem of online communities, courses, and coaching for sports organisations worldwide. An ICF PCC Executive Coach, he specialises in developing high-performance leaders and teams across the sports, education, and corporate sectors. In this episode J.P. and I speak about his latest book "The Culture Captain: A 4-Level Framework for Athletes: Know Yourself, Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead the Team" which provides practical leadership tools and coaching for athletes. Drawing on his coaching conversations with over 100 elite athletes and research into the world's greatest athlete leaders, this transformational guide is designed to be experienced, not just read. Through the fictional story of Lily and real-world examples of elite leaders, readers will be coached through a J.P's 4-level leadership framework.

In this episode I'm joined by Pip Henderson, Dr Will Vickery and Prof Shane Pill to discuss a paper which examines how sport coaches conceptualise success. Pip works in the Discipline of Trauma and Injury at Flinders University. She is a member of FHMRI's Health Equity Impact Program (HEIP). Pip's research practices are grounded in meaningful community engagement. Working directly with students, players, coaches, teachers, principals, and sport and community leaders across multiple projects has facilitated her deep understanding of the value and complexities of education, sport, and health across a variety of settings. Pip has worked with a range of local and national education, health and sporting organisations, including Oceania Hockey Federation, Tennis Australia, Volleyball Australia, the Department for Education, and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). Will is a Senior Advisor at the Australian Sports Commission where he is responsible for the development and delivery of community coach education across Australia. Will has held positions at various academic institutions within Australia and the UK with a focus on sport coaching. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects across an array of disciplines (sport science, sports coaching, sport psychology). He has also held a number of cricket coaching and related roles ranging across community through to high-performance sport. Shane is one of Australia's leading coach educators and developers, and thought leaders in physical education. He is Professor of Physical Education and Sport at Flinders University. Shane's research is in the fields of sport coaching and physical education curriculum and pedagogy, and education leadership. He has authored over 300 peer reviewed and scholarly articles. Shane has been awarded Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) Life Member & Fellow status for his distinguished service to the fields of sport, physical education and recreation over many years.