Encourager

Jen shares her remarkable journey having battled with anorexia for 16 years. She describes her lived experience from being diagnosed aged 12 through to the present day, now studying for her PhD In Australia, with a specialist interest in eating disorders and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDS). 

This is a real insight into how an eating disorder can emerge and take hold of someone's life. In 2015, it was critical but something changed whilst she was an in-patient, essentially saving her. 

On her path of recovery, we met because Jen was suffering with recurring and persistent pain. It was great to hear that she continues to use some of the skills and tools that we practiced together, and how they can just be useful for living well.

Jen has made enormous progress but is not there yet. However, she has the self-awareness and skills that she uses when noticing certain feelings, to get back on track, together with incredible support from her loving family. Moving to Australia just before lockdown was an example.

Jen talks openly about her life and experiences with the hope that she can inspire others -- I am sure she will. Before recording, I asked if anything was off limits. No, she said.

Jen epitomises the name of this podcast, together with a huge dose of courage and determination. Just listen to how she conquered the waves!

In her own words: "It is now my mission to to help others believe that they too  can recover and there is a life out there for them away from their eating disorder not matter how faint that glimmer of hope may be, it is always possible." 

You can see Jen's photos and read her words on Instagram at jens_littleworld and on her website. She is an ambassador for InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders.

In this fascinating conversation, we talked about the lived experiences of persistent pain, addiction, depression and anxiety, through the lens of predictive processing. We get into horror films and why we seem to love them, having uncomfortable experiences like ultrarunning and the concept of being frozen with a certain stuck belief that is holding us back in different ways. And so much more! I will need to listen to this again :)

Mark's purpose is to make the science real. In other words, be useful for individuals and society to encourage thriving and flourishing.

He so clearly explains the model and how it may be working and applicable. We also see his openness to possibilities and a willingness to learn. 

I loved listening and hope you do too. This is great for clinicians, therapists, teachers, coaches, scientists, philosophers, and psychologists. Or anyone who is interested in being human.

Mark Miller is a philosopher of cognition. His research explores what recent advances in neuroscience can tell us about happiness and well-being, and what it means to live well in our increasingly technologically-mediated world. He is an assistant professor at Hokkaido University’s Center for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience.

Website: markdmiller.live

Twitter: @PredictiveLife

CHAIN: https://www.chain.hokudai.ac.jp/en/about/

Art and Affect in the Predictive Mind Conference (I will be talk about horror)

https://sites.google.com/view/artandaffectinpp

Papers mentioned:

Embodying addiction: A predictive processing account

Andrew is Player Pathway Coach at Gloucester Rugby Club and U16 Age Grade Coach/Talent ID for Scotland rugby. He also coaches at an independent school in Malvern.

I first heard Andrew talk about coaching when he appeared as a guest on a webinar with Prof Steve Rollnick, co-founder of motivational interviewing. I was struck by what he said. 

Andrew describes his approach and philosophy. He is all about helping the individual develop as a person and a player. Communication and building relationships using empathy and listening are at the heart of what he does.

This is brilliant for all coaches!

You can connect with Andrew on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

Great to have Chris on the pod to catch up and delve into his career and thinking as a physio in the world of rugby. His underlying philosophy is to be helpful and useful.

In this chat we get into the importance of pain education, communication, and building relationships in the sporting world. We explore tendinopathy as an example of a common persisting problem.

Having worked in the team environment for many years, Chris shares his experiences, thoughts and knowledge. So great for aspiring physios and other clinicians who want to work in sport.

Chris is a great example of someone who has followed his passion, carving out his career. This is something that we can do as physiotherapists and a message I like to share with undergraduates and newly qualified physios. 

I hope you enjoy the episode. Please do like and share.

You will find Chris on Twitter, Instagram and his website

Sarah believes that movement provides individuals with possibilities, be it independence, interacting with family, gardening and social activities, work, interests, exercise or amateur and elite sport. Increasing and maintaining physical activity is a key factor for a healthy life.

She has recently finished her PhD: The Health of Movement - Recognising Movement Choices in Individuals for Long-Term Health.

We chat about this, Sarah's work and how she has evolved as a physiotherapist over the past 25 years. 

We also discuss coaching, the whole person approach and the different perspectives of patients and clinicians. 

You can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn and read about her work on her website and on the Comera Movement site.

** warning, sexual content :) 

Terrific to catch up with Sandy in Chicago.

Sandy is a superb physical therapist who primarily works with men and women suffering pelvic pain. 

We get into all sorts of stuff around this, including intimacy, aka sex. 

What else? The person-first approach, the importance of listening, creating a safe environment, being 'pain-informed' (have we just created a new thing?), menopause, lifting the taboos, recognising period pain as a possible source of sensitisation and addressing it early, covid, online PT and more.

Enjoy and spread!!

You can find out more about Sandy and Sarah here, and follow on Twitter. 

Dan helps people of all ages and at all levels to perform, in particular in football and golf. 

Here we explore the different ways players coped with lockdown and how Dan helped them. 

Dan then gets into the role of sport psychology in professional football -- I reckon much of this can equally be applied to life, amateur sport and school sport. He talks about the 3 Ps approach: people, players and performers. 

Dan feels strongly that sport psychology should be an integrated part of the professional club, and explains why with his traffic light system: performance, wellbeing & mental health. 

This was a fascinating conversation that begs for a part 2. Lots to take away, think about and apply. 

Great for coaches, psychologists, people interested in achieving their own peak performance in life, footballers and more. I hope you enjoy.

You can read more about Dan and his work on his website. On social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Plus, The Sport Psych Podcast on Apple and Spotify, which is well worth a listen. You can listen to us chatting about pain here. 

Andy Lane is a Professor of Sport Psychology and works with athletes trying to achieve goals. He is a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), Health Professional Council registered and a British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist.

-- Great for runners, coaches, teachers and anyone who encourages others to be active.

In a typically relaxed conversation, Andy talks about training and running in lockdown before getting into a range of different strategies and techniques that we can all use to get the most out of our activities. 

The tools that peak performers use are equally applicable to amateur athletes and exercisers. We should be encouraging the use of these tools and practices, and most definitely teaching kids in school how to apply them to deal with stress and anxiety. 

1k, 10k, marathon, ultramarathon, whatever your thing, thinking about how you train, deal with injury and look after yourself will make the difference when it comes to the longevity of your running career. 

Listen in and let us know what you think -- thanks as ever. 

You can connect with Andy on Twitter where he posts articles and jokes. He is usually on the UKRunChat hour (Sun & Weds at 8pm #ukrunchat). His website is Winning Lane.

Dai puts the individual's wellbeing at the heart of his coaching, teaching and mentoring. 

What does this look like? Dai tells me how he puts this into practice, giving some great examples and sharing stories that illustrate his learnings and approach. This includes the three C's of wellbeing that Dai co-created.

Dai has a clear purpose that comes across as we talk. He is serious about education and wants to play his part in shaping a system that is suited to the generation Z. This generation only knows the digital world. We cannot simply use the same educational methods that have been employed before. Certainly the shout and shame style of teaching and coaching has had its day -- was it ever a good idea? 

With regards coaching, Dai focuses on the individual on and off the field. He gets to know them, which is the key: build trust, communicate and give them a forum where they feel safe to express themselves. 

Dai started as a teacher and has seen his own transformation over the years. In that time he has travelled the world, played and coached international rugby, was the Chief Rugby Operations Officer for Hong Kong RFU and was recently head of rugby at an independent school. 

This is a great chat for teachers, coaches and people interested in peak performance and leadership. 

You can connect with Dai on LinkedIn.

I have known Jackie since the early 2000's when we were both at Kings College London, reading the Pain Science and Society MSc with Prof Mick Thacker.

Jackie has continued down an academic path as a Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, currently engaged with her PhD on the self-management of pain. 

What do we mean by self-management? That depends which lens you look through. 

We get into that.

The rest of the time Jackie works in a multi-disciplinary pain team for in-patients. The team works with patients who are in hospital for a particular clinical reason, but also suffer chronic pain. 

Jackie describes how the team works: the creative nature, the space, the support, the autonomy, the supervision and more. At the heart is an ability to listen deeply and communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals. Much can be learned from this superb service. It also demonstrates the versatility of physiotherapy, which is a profession that offers so many opportunities and can significantly contribute to other's lives in a positive way. 

You can follow Jackie on Twitter here, read her writings on Google Scholar here, and link on LinkedIn here.