The Building Resilient Kids Podcast

Rachel Vickery- Former International Gymnast, and High-Performance Consultant

Listen Later

Episode Sub-title: “How our kids can perform better from the Beam to the Boardroom"

In this episode of the Building Resilient Kids podcast, Tim Curtis speaks with Rachel Vickery, former international gymnast turned high-performance consultant to elite athletes, special forces units, and corporate leaders across the globe.

Rachel brings her deep experience from gymnastics and years working behind the scenes with Olympic teams, the NBA, Premier League, World Rugby, and even Australia’s special operations, to share insights into how we can raise emotionally and physiologically resilient kids.

This is a deep dive into the mechanics of pressure, breath, mindset, and how adults, whether parents, educators, or coaches, can build safe, supportive environments for kids to thrive in.

 

Key Themes & Takeaways:

  • The critical role of breath mechanics in identifying and managing stress in children
  • How stress manifests differently in boys vs girls, and how to spot the signs of overload
  • Why nasal breathing, posture, and even mouth shape matter for long-term health and performance
  • The downside of early sports specialisation—and the upside of “white space” and unstructured time
  • Coaching under pressure: how language, cues, and framing can build (or break) resilience
  • The physiology of fear and how to reframe high-stakes moments with kids
  • What elite athletes and elite kids have in common: identity, allostatic load, and emotional regulation
  • The magic of teaching children curiosity over outcome—and how that shift boosts both confidence and performance

    •  

    Learn more at: resilienceshield.com/kids

     

    Resources & Further Reading

    • Rachel Vickery Official Website: https://rachelvickery.com
      • Rachel’s work in breathing, pressure performance, and resilience consulting.
    • The Unforgiving60 Podcast: Rachel Vickery” Where Rachel first joined Ben and Tim to explore high-performance and personal evolution.
    • “Growing Up in Lycra” – Seminar Series.  An exploration of the physiological and emotional challenges of early elite sport environments (referenced in the podcast).
    • Breath Mechanics Resources:
      • Buteyko Institute – Education on functional breathing techniques
      • James Nestor – “Breath” – Bestselling book on the science of breathing
      • Understanding Allostatic Load
        • Harvard Health: The toll of chronic stress
        • ScienceDirect: Allostatic load and stress physiology
        • Youth Sport & Long-Term Development Models
          • Australian Sports Commission – Physical Literacy Framework
          • NSCA Long-Term Athletic Development Position Statement

            •  

            ...more
            View all episodesView all episodes
            Download on the App Store
            The Building Resilient Kids PodcastBy Building Resilient Kids