In the second instalment of our chat with Scotland Rugby legend, Tony Stanger, we move away from talking about his rugby career to what he’s been doing since.

After completing a Sports Science degree from the University of Edinburgh, Tony worked in various roles within sport. Throughout this period, his knowledge and understanding of the concepts surrounding ‘Talent’ increased dramatically.

In this episode we discuss Tony’s book ‘Red Dot Parenting’. We ask Tony what he believes parents can do to help their children achieve their potential in Sport.

You can check out Tony and his wife’s coaching business here:
https://stangerpro.com/


Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/. 

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Contact us on:
- Email: [email protected]

In episode 4 of this season we speak to Tony Stanger.

It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to welcome Scotland Rugby’s joint record try scorer to ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’.

One of his 24 tries for Scotland came against England  in the 1990 ‘5 Nations’ which went on the be iconic as it contributed to a Grand Slam win.

In this episode, we discuss what made Tony into the person and player he became. He gives us insight into his childhood and how his environment nurtured his rugby career.

We discuss many aspects of his rugby career; playing for Hawick, Scotland, the Lions and much more.

We also ask what Tony has done since finishing playing Rugby and how that affected his views on the ‘T word’.

You can check out Tony and his wife’s coaching business here:
https://stangerpro.com/


Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/. 

Listen to us on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram: @Dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT
- Website: 

Contact us on:
- Email: [email protected]

This week we welcome Meryl Cooper into the ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’ studio.

Meryl is an International athlete in Trail Running.  Typically covering 80km-100km in a race, she is a perfect example of training and resilience from both a Physical and Mental perspective.

Meryl has many strings to her bow, as well as being an International athlete, she is also a PE Teacher and runs her own running, life and health coaching business which you can check out here www.merylcoopercoaching.com.

In our chat with Meryl we discuss her background and her route into trail running. We ask her what it takes to become a top trail runner and she tells us how she makes the most of every session to return the best long term results.

Since the recording of this episode, Meryl won the ‘British Athletics Ultra Trail Championships’ in the Lake District which was 100km long and included 3,200m of incline. This result not only made Meryl British Champion but also qualified her to represent Great Britain at the ‘World Trail and Mountain Running Championships’ scheduled to be in Thailand in November.

Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/. 

Listen to us on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram: @Dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT
- Website: 

Contact us on:
- Email: [email protected]

This week we are joined by Ceri Davies.

Ceri is internationally capped in 2 different sports, representing 3 different nations; Wales, Scotland and Australia.

She started her academic career as a neuropsychologist, sport scientist and high-performance coach where she was heavily involved with pathway development and ‘talent’ identification.

Some of Ceri’s peers include the likes of Carol Dweck (‘Mindset’) and Anders Ericsson (whose research was the basis of the 10,000 hours of ‘deliberate practice’ theory). Ceri has always chosen to work on the front line with athletes and people in the pursuit of pushing human potential to it’s limits.

Now, Ceri works as a high performance consultant in a number of industries including:

- Hi-tech engineering projects including aerospace
- Sport
- Performance Profiling including ‘Talent’ identification and ‘Talent’ selection
- Politics
- Finance


Ceri is truly ‘World Class’ in her field and it was a truly fascinating and rewarding experience to have her on the show. Enjoy!!


Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/. 

Listen to us on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram: @Dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT
- Website: 

Contact us on:
- Email: [email protected]

We are back for another season of ‘Don’t Mention the T Word’ to discuss, debate and learn more about the concept of talent in sport.

In episode 1 we cover what features of the show we are keeping for Season 2, what features we are losing and what features we are introducing.

We also revisit the 10,000 ‘rule’ and discuss the various issues with it as well as giving our listeners a practice related task to complete while listening. 


Massive thanks to our new sponsor ‘Polaris Publishing’ for their support of Season 2. As a sports book publishing company based in Edinburgh, we couldn’t have hoped for a more suitable and supportive sponsor. Check out their full list here http://www.polarispublishing.com/. 

Listen to us on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram: @Dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT
- Website: 

Contact us on:
- Email: [email protected]

In the final episode of Season 1, we look back at all of the previous episodes and discuss some of the key points from each. We reflect on the journey it has taken us on and how it has changed our own perspectives on the various topics. 

Thank you again to all out listeners from Season 1, we look forward to releasing season 2 after summer and hope you will tune back in then.

Listen on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram @dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT

Please get in touch with us via email if you have any questions, suggestions, feedback or otherwise:

 [email protected]

In our last guest episode of season 1, we are joined by Hansine Marshall. Hansine was a former pupil at Broughton High School where she excelled in her studies and in sport. 

Since leaving school, Hansine has played Professional league Basketball, as well as represented Scotland, and started a degree in Biomedical Science, now specialising in Neuroscience in her 3rd year at the University of Edinburgh.  

Hansine gives us a brief education on the ‘Nervous System’ before covering specific topics; Myelination and Neuroplasticity (also knows as Neural Plasticity or Brain Plasticity). She gives us an insight into the neurological pathways that are created when learning a skill and how these pathways can often be mistaken for ‘talent’. 

Considering the ‘T Word’ is often used when a performer demonstrates “effortless skill”, this episode is a must listen for anyone wanting to understand how that has come to be. We aim to explain the biological/neurological processes responsible for someone being ‘highly skilled’ in the hope that it will encourage listeners to use the ‘T Word’ less and understand how to improve, more. 


Listen on:
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts

Like, Share, Follow us:
- Instagram @dontmentionthetword
- Twitter @dontmentiontheT

Please get in touch with us via email if you have any questions, suggestions, feedback or otherwise:

 [email protected]

Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode LSH paraplanning. If you are a financial advisors and wish to use their services, you can get in touch with them:

[email protected]

For more information on the topics discussed in this episode you should check out the following:

- ‘The Huberman Lab’ Podcast
- ‘The Talent Code’ by Daniel Coyle

Colin Dalgleish is the current Scottish and British Singles Champion in Table Tennis. He competed in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and has represented Scotland all over the world. 

However, his route to the top of the game in the UK wasn’t a foregone conclusion. He was never seen as the most ‘talented’ player throughout his junior career but since then has continued his improvement and left the others in his rear view mirror. 

We discuss his journey and attempt to identify the key moments in it, that may best explain why he has gone on to achieve such success in the game. 

Although this episode is Table Tennis specific in terms of the content, the topics of discussion are relatable and useful across all sports. 

You can follow Colin and his journey to qualify and compete at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Instagram (@cdalgy10) and Facebook (@Colin Dalgleish).


Contact us via email @[email protected]

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Instagram: @dontmentionthetword
Twitter: @dontmentiontheT

On episode 6, Craig and Chris are joined by Pamela Day and Linzi McLagan. 

Both Pam and Linzi are Dance educationalists while also having various other strings to their bow which have contributed to them accumulating a vast array of knowledge throughout their careers. 

In this conversation, we zone in on the topic of 'Grit' with a review the work of Angela Duckworth who coined the term. We discuss what it is and why it's not only relevant to the 'T word', but more important than the 'T word'.

Huge Thank You to our sponsors for this episode, Mintbox Removals. To find out more about them you can look them up at the following:

Website: mintboxremovals.co.uk
Phone: 07983665857
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @MintBox Removals 
Instagram: @mintboxremovals

Contact us via email @[email protected]

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Some recommended reading from this episode should you wish to explore more...

Grit by Angela Duckworth

This week we welcome Kevin Moran to “Don’t Mention the T word”. Kevin represented Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Squash. He was part of the Scotland team that won a Bronze medal at the European Team Championships in 2016 and is a former National Doubles Champion. 

Now, Kevin works full time for Scottish Squash fulfilling a dual role as ‘Senior Performance Coach’ and ‘East of Scotland Club Development Officer’. Part of his remit is to ensure Scottish Squash have clear ‘pathways’ between various levels of play.

We discuss with Kevin, what is a ‘pathway’? Why are they important? And what have they got to do with the T word?

Contact us via email at [email protected]
 
 Like, Follow and Share us:
 Instagram: @dontmentionthetword
 Twitter: @dontmentiontheT

Follow Kevin:

Instagram: @kevsquash

Twitter: @KevSquash

Massive thanks to our sponsors Sunstore Technologies. For further information see www.sunstoretech.com or email [email protected]