In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I recorded #030 of The Athlete Welfare Podcast with a legend that is Ben Gollings, of The Optimisation Hub, Crodene Ltd and an ex-Professional Rugby Player for England Rugby Sevens.I found it interesting to hear about Ben's struggles post his rugby career and the adaptations he had to make in life in order to acclimate to these demands and differences. The work in which he is undergoing with The Optimisation Hub is truly inspirational as th...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I had the privilege of recording discussion #029 of The Athlete Welfare Podcast with Mhairi Maclennan, of Great British Athletics and the co-founder of Kyniska Advocacy Throughout this conversation Mhairi demonstrated a clear, important and distinctive portrayal of her specific opinion of what athlete welfare is. This discussion revolved solely around sexual misconduct within elite performance, the effects that it has on individuals and the...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I had an insightful chat with Olivia Withers of Harlequins Women.Throughout this episode, Liv demonstrated a reoccurring theme within personality dependancy, honesty, trust, empathy and the power of holistic conversations. It was interesting to delve into the female game and how perfection could potentially be focused on equality rather than specifically individual performances, of which may not be deemed as detrimental to wellbeing. F...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I had the honour of discussing all things welfare with Charlie Beckett of Ampthill Rugby Club.Throughout we made references to the amazing work undergone by LooseHeadz and Noggin Sport C.I.C. with regards to how these organisations have made Charlie recognise the importance of being open, honest and happy as well as ignoring his opinion that "a problem shared, is a problem doubled" as he believes that more people worry about him thereafter...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I had the honour to discuss athlete welfare with Leicester City Football Club and Scottish Women's Football's Sophie Howard. Throughout this conversation, Sophie demonstrated a repetitve theme based on her own experiences. Actualities such as experiencing a traumatic exit from the 2019 World Cup, feeling as she did not belong in a specific environment and feeling as if she must "fake" her emotions in order to perform sufficiently. This...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, it was incredible to delve into athlete welfare with Paul Hewitt.I found it particularly fascinating to explore the activation of a high-performance mindset, the growth mentality and the performance zone. Sooner than originally anticipated, myself and Paul discussed self-hypnosis of which Paul actually considers as de-hypnotising people from the experiences that have in turn hypnotised them into a specific mental state. In this context, exp...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I have incredible, honest and "therapeutic" conversation with Jo Trip, a member of the Saracens Mavericks Netball Team. It was inspirational to delve into the factors and impacts of a depressive state as a result of the internal battle created by the loss of identity. Jo was stripped of her life balance that consisted of playing professional netball, studying and working full-time when she moved to the United Kingdom. She described that thi...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I hold an incredible, honest conversation with Peter Walton of whom adopts all of his experiences to create his perspectives from the player, coach and manager viewpoint. As the Head Coach of the Gloucester Rugby Academy, Peter gave an educational insight into the importance of simplicity within approaches. I enjoyed hearing about the relevance of confidence, trust, sensitivity, and simplicity in the processes of development. As cover...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I have a different, yet insightful conversation with Dan Richardson regarding the importance of nutrition in making athletes feel psychological and physically improved. Throughout we mentioned the relevance of open, safe, trusting and personalised conversations instead of formal consultations. It was interesting to discuss the freedom to roam resulting in player responsibility as well as the difference between coaching and lecturing. ...

In this episode of The Athlete Welfare Podcast, I have the privilege to welcome George Morris, an athlete, a coach at British Fencing, and a friend of mine, to the show.Firstly, it was incredible to catch up, and like with all of my guests, I am grateful for the conversations. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into philosophies, wavelengths and development. I found it inspiring to hear that one must take ownership upon their own welfare. George defined athlete welfare in one word; BALANCE.&nb...