Dr. Maria Balaet is a Research Associate in the Department of Neuroimaging at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London.

Following her talk on "The Science of Psychedelics" in Sheffield in July, I had a number of questions to ask Maria, and knew if she did come on the podcast that I'd have to provide the show's first caveat. SO here we go:

*This discussion is grounded in clinical research and does not constitute medical advice*

Expect to learn what the term "psychedelic" refers to, why the setting could be just as important as the substance, the role of "belief" in improving people's outcomes, the potential mechanism that keeps mothers coming back to childbirth and so much more.

While I'm glad I'd brushed up on some neuroscience before we spoke, I think you'll appreciate Maria's ability to speak to technical and experiential themes.

Maria's links

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aset.lab/

My papers: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0562-6139

Further reading

Ariel & Saville, 1972, "Anabolic steroids: the physiological

effects of placebos"

https://jamesclear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/anabolic-steroids-the-physiological-effects-of-placebos.pdf

Olson et al., 2020, "Tripping on nothing: placebo psychedelics and contextual factors"

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-020-05464-5

Episodes you might like

#3 Alex Smith, Psychopathy in elite sports

https://open.spotify.com/episode/27e1C3n2kgdc8arkRfLhPr?si=e0e8ffa5db3441c8

#8 Maddie Brenner-Roach, What on earth is a "best" life?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NzoRWgP1ybnfjDg8yDEnX?si=956d7950f2b64305

Get in touch

https://www.instagram.com/fitnessandthinking/

https://coachjackmann.com/contact/

Lucas Hynes is a champion Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player on the UK national circuit and practicing BJJ coach.

From working your way back to fitness, to finding your best whatever level you’re at, as well as the history of BJJ – both the Gracie version and the historically more representative version! – this episode is essential for fans of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, self-improvement and anyone concerned that the youth will fall for anything these days.

Lucas’ love of learning belies his 23 years. If you’re sick and struggling to train, or simply sick of not achieving what you think you’re capable of, this episode has your name all over it.

Links

Lucas' IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucas.hynes1/

The film we reference, 'Choke' https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251637/

The film we're excited to see, 'The Smashing Machine'

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11214558/

If you enjoyed this episode, you should check out

Episode eight with life coach, Maddie, and episode six with senior physio, Niell JJ.

Fitness & Thinking newsletter

This week's newsletter dovetails with this episode and those mentioned above: https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/p/youre-a-pos-says-who-me

Maddie is a yoga teacher, life coach, and, as of this week, podcast host based in Sheffield.

In this episode, Maddie talks us through the Japanese concept of "ikigai" in the context of finding one's reason to get up in the morning, what it means to be "aligned", the Western need to be productive, her origin story as a mind-body teacher, and so much more.

This was the first time that Maddie and I had met in person, and so I had no idea how the conversation would go.

Within minutes, I was mentally taking notes, and as of this week have already put my understanding of alignment into a newsletter. I hope you get as much from this chat as I did in the moment and again editing it!

LinksMaddie's podcast, Define

https://open.spotify.com/show/3mwG5N3KiHvQjQaKukkhPF?si=5345238e8be14f16

Maddie's social media https://www.instagram.com/journeyoncoach/

This week's newsletter

https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/p/freshly-sauced

Belle Stringer is an assistant gym manager and personal trainer at a Sheffield branch of one of the UK's largest commercial gym-chains.

Belle wasn't always interested in being a PT but was spurred onto coaching others when lockdowns hit and she recognised her ability to plan routines that made her and her friends and family feel good, if not better.

In this episode you can expect to find out what problems PTs face in 2025 and specifically in a gym as well-subscribed as the one she manages in, exactly why it can be harder for female PTs to succeed – and how she used a perceived fault to her advantage – the impact of one's cycle on sports performance, which pillar of fitness could matter most for lapsed or newbie lifters, as well as what to do if the gym really isn't for you.

____

"(0:03) Is it tough to be a female PT?"

"(2:26) Fitness is about how you feel in your body"

"(4:12) Social fitness is undervalued until it's acknowledged"

"(7:23) How do you manage sports performance alongside your menstrual cycle?"

"(8:20) How does Belle personally manage?"

"(11:20) What's "ovulation brain"?"

"(13:05) Belle's PT origin story"

"(14:40) What the average person gets wrong about the gym"

"(16:50) Managing fitness amidst shifting priorities"

"(18:38) The natural flow of gym sign-ups and drop-outs"

"(21:00) The importance of enjoyment and actually sound government guidelines"

"(22:19) Community was vital for Jack getting into fitness"

"(23:00) Advice for lapsed trainees"

"(24:42) What is that?! (benefits from video!)"

____

Belle loves the work INK Sheffield do for dance in the city:

https://www.instagram.com/inkdanceuk/

And found FitOn to be super helpful for people anxious about gyms or exercising to get started:

https://fitonapp.com/

See more from Belle here:

https://www.instagram.com/fitbybelle/

This week's newsletter: https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/p/finding-stillness-in-movement

Niell Jordan Jinivon is a senior musculoskeletal specialist physiotherapist and calisthenics evangelist based in London.

As a teenager, Niell fell in love with the ways in which our bodies can move through space. As an adult, he's looking to marry his exercise with his profession, becoming the go-to physiotherapist for calisthenics athletes.

In this episode, we discuss how a lot of that pain you're feeling might be in your head rather than your joints (and why that's still valid), what to do when exercise is your life and you get injured, how to identify if what's causing you pain is the thing you think it is, whether we become our diagnoses, and what medical professionals can do better when delivering them, and so much more.

Niell's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nielljj/

And his physio account: https://www.instagram.com/thecaliphysio.niell/

F&T newsletter: https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/

Sid Islam is a champion bodybuilder turning his hand to running and climbing in 2025.

More than just his prizewinning physique, Sid's a PT and online coach, a keen learner and a loyal friend, who finds strength in community.

In this week's episode we discuss the importance of letting happiness happen, the meaning to be found in the journey, what faith means and how Sid practices, how not knowing everything is expected and necessary, and much more.

Sid's a huge character and was a major inspiration for me working as a PT in Sheffield. I hope you enjoy spending time with him as much as I do.

Links

https://www.instagram.com/sid150297/

https://www.instagram.com/impact.training2017/

This week's newsletter

https://open.substack.com/pub/fitnessandthinking/p/work-a-job-you-love-and-youll-work-everyday-of-your-life

Jack Martindale is an exceptional distance runner, clocking in at 1:13:59 and finishing 8th of 2,196 in the Lake Garda half marathon this year.

He works full-time and doesn't periodise his training – surely he shouldn't be as effective as he is?

In this week's episode we discuss finding balance between competing interests (and income streams), the importance of community and the confidence to describe yourself as your dream job title, manifesting in Jack's vision for the perfect runner's hangout.

Jack and I have found community in our respective disciplines in Sheffield and so have been aware of each other online for probably a year now.

It was class to actually might him in-person, grab some coffees following our individual runs for the days and get into Jack's take on fitness and identity.

There's a lot in here, at a much steadier pace than either of our record attempts, and I hope yas enjoy it!

LinksJack's runclub (which I joined this week!) https://www.wearerunhappy.com/My stats on marathon runners around the world https://www.livestrong.com/article/13730338-running-statistics/

What is Fitness and Thinking?F&T is currently a weekly podcast and newsletter that aims to provoke and inspire and unite people looking for their sense of self and peace of mind. Are you in?

F&T newsletterWhere it all started on Substack https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/This week's newsletter https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/p/are-you-living-or-merely-not-dead

Alex Smith is a senior researcher at the University of Bern.

"Psychopath" is one of the most misunderstood and so misused terms we might use to negatively describe people in popular culture. And yet the traits of "psychopaths" are often also seen as advantageous if not desirable, given certain contexts.

Expect to learn why you can't be diagnosed as a "psychopath", what the difference is between sports psychology and sports psychiatry, why Nike's advertising agency are on the money again, whether findings of psychopathy translate to the general population and much more.

Citations and further reading:

The Nike advert we reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwLergHG81c&pp=ygUSbmlrZSBiYWQgcGVyc29uIGFk

IOC paper on rates of mental illnesses in elite sports https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/53/11/667

Paper on mental health issues in former athletes https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/10/4/e001867

Culture paper on ultra endurance sports https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1192401/full (Alex says "the intro alone is enough!")

The longitudinal study of Canadian women's step counts

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734709#:~:text=Findings%20In%20this%20cohort%20study,intensity%20with%20all%2Dcause%20mortality

Alex's Google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=L4leHA4AAAAJ&hl=en -

Where to find more from the show:

https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fitnessandthinking/

https://www.youtube.com/@fitnessandthinking

Get in touch through:

https://www.instagram.com/fitnessandthinking/

-

If you liked this episode, you might also like:

Episode #1

https://open.spotify.com/episode/014kv0p8yiaZuz2hXiDWK8?si=5ff0090ccee0458a

Welcome to episode two of Fitness & ThinkingLast week, we discussed the five pillars of fitness: physical, mental, spiritual/emotional, social and financial.In this episode, we bring in an augmenter: creativity.I've had some incredible preliminary chats with potential guests, and in the process of piecing together a plan to catch up with all of them on their experiences and expertise pertaining to fitness, I unearthed some poems I put together as a PT on the anatomy.I'd read two good poems on working out, or what it feels like to be a gymgoer, and felt like the genre was underserved when I penned these pieces. I'm hoping they push you and me for more...If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like and subscribe – every little action like this over time could be huge for the success of the podcast. Thank you.-Fitness & Thinking isn’t a self-help blog, nor is it a guided meditation app. F&T is a weekly podcast and potentially more frequent newsletter that aims to provoke and inspire and unite people looking for their sense of self and peace of mind. Are you in?This week's newsletter:https://fitnessandthinking.substack.com/p/sleep-it-offWhile I'm building https://www.instagram.com/fitnessandthinking/Get in touch through https://www.instagram.com/coachjackmann/

Welcome to the very first episode of Fitness & Thinking.

What started out as a weekly newsletter for my online coaching group in January 2024 has become something that my peers, colleagues and friends would like to actively contribute towards.

And, as discussed in this episode, builds on the idea of five pillars of fitness (physical, mental, spiritual/emotional, social and financial) and how they're currently applying to my lifeIn future episodes, I'd like to bring in PTs, journos, healthcare professionals, graphic designers, haberdasherers, fellow poets, performers and writers to discuss and engage with fitness as they understand it (and maybe would like it to be).

For now, this is 30 minutes of to camera what F&T is, a bit of who I am and why we're here, some Primavera chat and a call to arms, chopped into a more palatable 22 minutes.

Make sure to drop a like and a comment if you like it, and let me know what you'd like to see in upcoming episodes. Cheers!