In this episode, I want you to meet Sharief Hendricks, a valued colleague, a close personal friend, and a fellow thalassophile (a lover of the sea).

Sharief is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town and a visiting research professor at Leeds Beckett University in the UK. He is a research Consultant for the South African Cricketers Association, the Social Media Editor for the European Journal of Sports Sciences, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports and BMJ Open Sports and Exercise Medicine. On top of that, he is also the current President of The South African Sports Medicine Association. Sticking with his love of the sea, he is an academic Octopus. How striking that our talk went into the pressure of being an academic and the crazy demands the system poses to grow in our roles. 

For the song to be put on the mixtape of his life, he came up with Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. However, he wanted to ask me a question first, and his explanation behind this song became clear later in our talk.

I haven’t had such an open and honest talk on this podcast to date. Yes, I have written about the pressures in the academic context and the unlikely demands we sometimes (or often) put on ourselves. I have not made a secret about my struggles with such things. However, talking about this with a friend and respected colleague adds another dimension. And again, I wonder about the nature and nurture behind this. Is it us being drawn into academics by the characters we are? If so, it will prove difficult (if not impossible) for the system to change. Hence, we may best focus on escaping the high daily demands and finding ways to disconnect.

Stay tuned for Joseph Shaw, who will join me in the next episode. Joe is the Head of Performance at Guild Esports and the Research Lead at the Royal Ballet.