How did you get into sport?

Olivia Knowles – How sleep affects athletic performance. Sleep expert and AFLW high performance manager turned general management of performance in business.

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Is it quality or quantity? What physiological and cognitive adaptations happen during sleep? What is sleep inertia? Are wearables improving sleep or can they be detrimental to the affects of sleep? We answer all the questions. Not only is Liv an expert in the field of sleep and athletic performance she has also worked directly in the trenches of elite sport having been the high performance manager for the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorne Hawks AFLW teams. In this conversation we explore how sleep effects performance and dive into Liv’s personal journey working at the top tier of women’s AFL to now applying her expertise in athletic performance to the corporate world. 

Highlights from the episode…

  • While completing her Sport Science undergrad, Liv shares how it was actually the things she did outside of her degree that eventualy led to her initial opportunities in sport.
  • Having only being graduated for a few years and with minimal experience in AFL, how Liv was able to secure a high-performance manager role with the Western Bulldogs AFLW.
  • How Liz navigated her first year with a new team, new role, dealing with new technology all while managing the overall performance of the playing group at the Bulldogs.
  • What inspired Liv to do a PhD and how she used it as a unique point of difference in a highly competitive world of elite sport.
  • Liv dives into what it takes to complete a PhD, considerations, how to be accepted, the costs, financial support, time commitment etc.
  • What practitioners wanting to work in AFLW should expect in regards to role structure, remuneration, time commitment, expectations etc.
  • How does sleep restriction affect strength training and what S&C coaches should consider when working with athletes who may be having challenges with sleep.
  • What are the adaptations that occurring during sleep?
  • Is it the quality or the quantity that is most important with sleep and if unable to get a good sleep what is the value of a nap? Is it more the cognitive or physical benefits to napping?
  • We discuss my experiment around sleeping and waking within specific sleep cycles at the aim to avoid “Sleep Inertia”.
  • Is perception stronger than reality? How you think you’ve slept may impact your performance throughout the day than how you actually slept!
  • There is an abundant of research, education, monitoring devices but how did you get your athletes to actually adhere to a sleep protocols? Liv provides advices that I've never heard before.
  • The practitioners challenge of balancing career ambition with the other prioritise as a parent, daughter, wife, team mate etc.
  • How Liv was able to leverage her skills in sport to establish a corporate career with a real estate firm.
  • What do high performance mangers get evaluated for in both sport and in corporate. 


People mentioned:

  • Fiona Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-jacobs-ba853124/
  • Brad Aisbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-aisbett-a6333b20/?originalSubdomain=au
  • Ben Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walker-67874194/?originalSubdomain=au
  • Shona Halson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shona-halson-627b74268/


Liv Knolwes contact details: 

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-olivia-knowles/
  • Website Sleep-Ed: https://fingertip.com/sleep-ed
  • X: https://x.com/livknowles1

Host: Luis Resa

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Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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How did you get into sport?By Luis Resa