Brendan Creed has discovered a lot about himself since he first represented his country back in 2017.

By his own admission he is a massive perfectionist, but he used to let it ruin his game.

Dealing with mistakes has been a key change in the England and GB Hockey star and he has worked closely with his team psychologist on his journey.

But that has also come at the same time as having to deal with tournament disappointment along the way.

From being named as a reserve for two World Cups, to coping with injuries, and plenty more hurdles throughout, it hasn’t been easy.

Not only has that experience changed his opinion on the topic of psychology as a result, but Brendan has also changed his outlook on himself and his sport.

It’s a journey many athletes can go through as they learn so much about their mindset and how to grow.

Despite the disappointments, the 30-year-old’s passion for hockey has never wavered.

In this interview on SportSpiel, Brendan explains why representing his country will never just be a job to him and how he constantly drives to be the best he can be.

For him, the objective of simply getting selected for your country doesn’t compute. Why would you not push yourself to be the best you can be?

He also explains how hockey can sell itself better to the general public, in an age where many sports are trying to capture the imagination and gain new fans.

He also tells us why he ventured into podcasting himself after setting up the Lets Stick Together show with team-mate Phil Roper.

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Image: GB Hockey

Music: Otis McDonald

After leaving school at the age of 18, Lauren Torley had barely touched a rugby ball.

But fast-forward to now and things are very different. Few will have predicted that just five years later she would have represented England at a home Commonwealth Games and been named as one of the most exciting prospects around – but that’s exactly what has happened.

It has been a whirlwind career so far for the speedster as she has rapidly risen to the top of the women’s game plying her trade for the England Sevens and GB Sevens as well as Harlequins in the Premier 15s.

She was a keen athlete throughout her life and had always dreamed of achieving one thing – representing her country in a sporting capacity.

It didn’t matter which sport and it was all she’d ever wish for. At the age of 22 she achieved it.

But while the journey so far may sound like one of non-stop positives, that isn’t the case. It has been far from easy.

In Lauren’s first game of contact rugby, she suffered a serious injury while she has also had to contend with the global pandemic and the subsequent disruption that brought.

And, when you think about it, she has had to learn a game while playing against some of the finest rugby players in the world. That’s one way of being dropped in the deep end.

Lauren may be relatively inexperienced compared to those around her, but her ability is clear for all to see.

She now has her eyes set on one day becoming an Olympian, and with her accomplishments so far, that looks like it could well become a reality.  

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Image: With thanks to Lauren Torley

Music: Otis McDonald

Netball used to be one of the most important things in Nat Panagarry’s life – but that has all changed.

Last year Nat’s wife Katie was diagnosed with stage four clear cell cancer and life as they knew it was turned upside down.

Suddenly playing netball for England and Loughborough Lightening paled into insignificance for Nat compared to what she and her wife were facing.

Unsurprisingly it has been a rollercoaster journey for the pair. There have been hospital appointments, chemotherapy and they have both had to tackle hurdles no one in their 30s expects to face.

As Nat admits in this SportSpiel podcast episode, there were moments of anger. Many in their situation would ask – why them? They were no different.

But there have also been moments of hope and happiness. In November the pair tied the knot and the countless messages of support they have received as they share their journey on social media have been overwhelming.

Throughout it all playing netball for Loughborough does still play a key part in Nat’s life.

Now that the 2023 Netball Super League season is back up and running that’s become very apparent, although she openly admits her approach is different.

In many ways it’s also unknown as she embarks on her first full campaign balancing everything off the court as well.

What is unmistakeable in this episode is Katie’s inspiration and the hurdles the couple face together are also a key reminder of the larger things in life.

It also serves as a reminder of how much you can take from the person you love the most regardless of how tough the situations are.

While the focus now is very much on Katie’s battle with the disease, Nat and her wife are determined to raise as much awareness as possible.

One charity who perform such vital work in that area is Look Good Feel Better, who are partnering with England Netball for the return of their annual charity netball tournament on Sunday, March 26 to raise awareness and funds for the charity.

Taking place at Warwick University, the tournament is open to teams looking to battle it out with an amazing cause in mind.

With incredible prizes and goody bags on offer it’s a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for such a vital charity.
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For more information on the Look Good Feel Better netball tournament visit: https://lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/charity-netball-tournament/

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Image: With thanks to Nat Panagarry/England Netball

Music: Otis McDonald

British track cyclist Milly Tanner has had a whirlwind last few years, and she’s determined to leave her mark.

The 24-year-old switched from swimming to cycling back in 2017 through UK Sport’s talent transfer programme ‘Discover your Power’ – a gruelling process in itself as you’ll hear in this SportSpiel interview– but she hasn’t looked back since.

A bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships in the team sprint, a silver in the same event at the 2020 European Championships, as well as competing at the Commonwealth Games last year are just some of the highlights.

But as is so often the case in the world of elite sport, it has been a rollercoaster at times.

There’s highs, there’s lows and there are days where you really have to grind to get through.

For those in British Cycling there is also the pressure of living up to some of the greats that have come before – think Jason and Laura Kenny, Chris Hoy and many, many more.

But cycling still retains that community feel and when Milly faced her first big setback – not making the most recent team for the World Championships – it was another legend in Victoria Pendleton who provided the right advice at the right time.

In this podcast Milly openly takes us through her journey into cycling, from battling back from setbacks, to initially feeling like she had to catch up after arriving in the sport relatively late.

But she also takes us through some of the causes that are close to her heart, and helped lead to her joining the pioneering Unlocked programme run by the Women’s Sport Trust.

From period poverty to body image, these are just some of things Milly wants to use her voice to raise awareness of – and is part of the legacy she wants to leave from her time in elite sport.

In a world that’s so dominated by social media and comparisons, these are messages that need to be heard.

Milly also takes us through the influence the military has in her life, including how important the impressions you leave on people are, as well as her aims in the future as she looks to fulfil her potential.

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Image: SWPix

Music: Otis McDonald

Cricketer Fi Morris has learned a lot at the age of 29. From making her county championship debut at the age of 14, to top scoring for her team in the first ever women’s Hundred final, there’s plenty to celebrate.

But it has been far from an easy ride for the all-rounder. An incident in her early 20s led to a severe decline in her mental health and well-being, which she struggled to admit and accept.

That decline led to her taking a two-year break from cricket as – in her own words in this SportSpiel interview – she ‘went off the rails a bit.’

With the introduction of regionalised professional contracts in the women’s game, Fi also struggled to cope with the pressure after she was offered one.

But throughout it all, Fi has learned some valuable lessons as she finds herself in a stronger place – ultimately to embrace what you love.

She has now recently moved to North West Thunder, to play alongside former SportSpiel guests Kate Cross and Alex Hartley, and Fi reveals how that move has given her a new lease of life.

She also explains in this podcast how the women’s game can continue to grow, her new business venture and how she became a mentor for our wonderful charity partner The Mintridge Foundation.

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Image: With thanks to Fi Morris

Music: Otis McDonald

Additional thanks go to The Mintridge Foundation for helping us secure this interview

London Dynasty Cheer has grown exponentially in a ridiculously short time, and Joanna Haeger and Grace Lowe are key parts of that.

This week’s podcast guests are the directors of LDC, as well as being athletes and coaches at the cheerleading club, and what began as a project in 2020 is now unrecognisable.

With the initial aim of recruiting 23 athletes the growth of LDC has rocketed and the club now boasts in excess of 200 members as well as five competitive, one elite and two recreational teams.

What’s more, they also have both national champs and Grand Champs victories under their belts.

Joanna and Grace explain how LDC managed to achieve all this in spite of the Covid pandemic that has dominated much of the club’s existence.

They also explain all about the sport, which can bring about many misleading connotations.

When you think of cheerleading you might think of American sports, pom poms and all sorts of performing. This isn’t it.

Competitive stunt-based cheerleading is very different. It’s fast, dangerous, jaw-dropping, skilful and any other adjective you can think of.

But above all else there is an amazing community spirit bringing all backgrounds together. After all, that’s what sport should be all about.

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Image: With thanks to London Dynasty Cheer

Music: Otis McDonald

Linn Sandstrom is one of the most determined individuals you will ever meet in sport.

Currently ranked ninth by the WBA, the boxer has won three straight title fights – the WBC Australasia Title, WBA Asia Title and most recently the WBA inter-continental title won in October last year.

In her words she is on a mission to never be “mediocre or average”. But it has been far from an easy – or conventional – journey for her.

Born in Brazil, raised in Sweden and now living in Australia, Sandstrom’s route into boxing is unique.

In Sweden she was a professional table tennis player, winning a number of Swedish titles along the way.

However, due to the lack of opportunities on offer – and issues with finance on the women’s side – she left the sport before finding her new path into boxing.

This is where Sandstrom the fighter really comes into her own. While her exploits in the ring are attracting plenty of attention there have been many doubters along the way questioning this former table tennis player.

By her own admission it has been a tough road dealing with that negativity, but what was initially used as fuel to the fire is irrelevant these days. Those doubters have been proved well and truly wrong.

Sandstrom is now on a mission to become a world champion and that hunger is so evident in this interview.

If hard work is rewarded as it should be then there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot of her in the boxing world.

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Image: With thanks to Linn Sandstrom

Music: Otis McDonald

British Olympic runner Amy-Eloise Markovc has plenty to be proud of over the last two years of her career.

The 27-year-old became European indoor champion for the 3000m back in 2021, made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, came fourth in the 5000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and she also broke the British two mile record in 2021 too.

That’s just a brief list of some of her achievements – there’s many more – and while Amy is understandably proud of her accomplishments, in what she calls a crazy last two years, there’s still a nagging sense of that untapped potential.

It’s something many athletes can relate to, the never-ending quest to consistently reach your maximum.

With 2023 now here it’s something Amy will continue to strive for as she looks to make even more progress in her athletics journey.

In this SportSpiel podcast interview Amy talks about her mission to try and unlock that potential – something that is easier said than done – with so much of it based on training and coaching changes as well as learning to protect her own mental energy – a tough balancing act.

Amy also shares a mad episode in her life where she almost didn’t qualify for the Olympics thanks to some cones, it’s a story takes some sinking in!

We also explore the progression and potential of women’s sport and why greater research is needed into periods.

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Image: Team GB and Sam Mellish (with thanks to Team GB)

Music: Otis McDonald

The SportSpiel podcast is back with a brand new series of podcasts, starting from Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

It’s been a busy last year for the pair of us, thanks to work, life and everything in between. But we’ve always wanted to get the podcast back up and running and now we have with a new schedule.

Starting from January 24th we will be releasing a new podcast every week as part of a winter/spring series in 2023. We will then be returning with a summer/autumn series of episodes later in the year.

We’re both really excited to continue what the podcast was always intended to do – tell athlete’s stories properly. Now more than ever we’ve seen the potential with areas such as women’s sport and other previously undervalued sports, and that has never sat right with us.

So we’re back with our athlete interviews to bring you closer to these amazing individuals regardless of what sport they do. All that matters is they have a brilliant story to tell or a passionate message to share. That’s what we value on this podcast above all else – in-depth storytelling and who better to bring that to you than the athletes themselves.

We’ve recorded a preview episode to give you a little snippet of what’s coming, and a bit of a life update, but above else we hope you all enjoy what we’ve got coming. Sharing and spreading the word is always appreciated!

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Music: Otis McDonald

Alasdair Hooper hosts the latest episode of SportSpiel with rising Scottish cycling star Anna Shackley.

The 20-year-old seemingly came out of nowhere back in 2021 when – then aged 18 – she signed for esteemed cycling team SD Worx.

Prior to that she had mostly been focusing on the track with the British national programme, winning multiple Scottish junior national titles before winning the elite British points race and team pursuit titles in 2020.

But during lockdown her coach reached out to the SD Worx team manager and that’s where the journey, and subsequent upward trajectory stemmed from.

Fast forward to now and the rider is focusing on the road and has an Olympics appearance under her belt, after she was picked as the only support rider for Lizzie Deignan at the Tokyo games. 

But there is no doubting Shakley’s talent and enthusiasm for learning as she aims to develop her skills even more.

In this interview the rider talks all about that quick rise, being involved at an Olympic Games unlike any other as well as her love for scotland – and the scottish weather – among plenty of other topics.

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Image: Getty Sport

Music: Otis McDonald

With thanks to SD Worx for help setting up this interview