Share The Focused Mind Podcast
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
By focusedmindcoaching
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.
Nick Steel is both a rowing and executive coach in sport and
Last year he was selected as the rowing coach for Team UK at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf (and again for Invictus 2025 in Canada). At the 2023 games we roomed together and shared many hours talking coaching, psychology, sport.
As you’ll hear in this episode, Nick is articulate
As I tend to work in the Endurance field, it was a
Links:
Nick Steel LinkedIn:
Hugh Jackman talking about rowing (Tim Ferris show):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzF8StNS_aw (at about 1:19:10)
Stu Holliday, Noel Brick, & Dan Robinson ‘The Psychology of Running’ podcast.
This episode supports your understanding and use of the Psychology of Running book!
Show Notes
RESIST VIDEO LINKS (as discussed in the episode):
BOOK LINK (30% off):
https://www.routledge.com/The-Psychology-of-Running/Brick-Holliday/p/book/9781032068619#:~:text=From%20evolutionary%20perspectives%20on%20why,motivations%20and%20benefits%20of%20running.
Following on from previous guest Chris Madden (Episode 20), we wanted to bring the head of MITC (https://musicindustrytherapists.com/), Tamsin Embleton on to have a more in-depth discussion on the work we do in the music industry supporting artists, staff, and crew in person, virtually, at festivals, and how needed the work of caring professionals is a necessity in this modern day and age.
Tamsin gives us her background working for the likes of Anna Calvi and Standon Calling, and a bit about her working practice and style of work. This episode is aimed at anyone in the music industry, music fans, the psych curious, or who wants to know how their favourite bands, labels, or artists may have people like us supporting them.
We talk more in-depth about our respective training, how we got into the industry, and the importance of our own self-care and emotional management, working in an industry renowned for pushing its employees' work hours, sleep patterns, and overall well-being (which is all covered in more detail in Tamsin's book 'The Touring Manual').
As you'll hear, this was a fun episode for us to have the time and space to connect and share what we do behind the scenes to support other people as a group of practitioners. We hope you enjoy it.
Links:
Jonah Hill Stutz documentary:
https://www.netflix.com/title/81387962
MITC (Music Industry Therapy Collective: https://musicindustrytherapists.com/
The Touring Manual: https://www.touringmanual.com/
Chris Madden, Psychotherapist: https://chrismaddentherapy.com/
Stuart Holliday, Psychologist: https://www.focusedmindcoaching.co.uk/
Sean Warburton (@seanaldo26.2) is a Manchester-based runner and podcaster (The Local Runners), who has completed 38 marathons, and holds a PR of 2 hours, 38 minutes. In this 3rd episode of the mini-series on Autumn marathon, we turn the spotlight on how to cope if you get injured in the build-up to your main race of the year. How can you mentally cope better, to improve both your overall well-being, and how you come out of the injury into your next training block?
What tips, techniques, and strategies has Sean applied to help him overcome missing out on training for this coming weekend's Berlin Marathon and instead focusing on coming back stronger for a Spring marathon next year? How has his psychological training skills that helped him PB twice in succession (in his 37th and 38th marathons!) transfer to the injury rehab process? Listen in to find out how.
Podcast & Book links for listeners:
The Local Runners podcast episode 46 (where I guested): https://open.spotify.com/episode/6buasVtVpb1ejzj3izxnCt?si=40c7f186940f4085
The Strength Running Podcast by Jason Fitzgerald
Endure by Alex Hutchinson.
The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald
Ross Braden is an elite British marathon runner who finished in 12th place in 2022's London Marathon (in a time of 2:14:32). A client of mine, Ross has broken client confidentiality to talk and reflect on the psych skill training we worked on together in preparation for that event, and in preparation for his upcoming 2023 Amsterdam debut appearance, he is an exceptional talent and we discuss how he works on his mental fitness in order to help him fulfill his potential on race day.
This episode is part of the Autumn 2023 marathon preparation series by Focused Mind Coaching in order to help athletes at all levels mentally train their fitness, resilience, and flexibility specifically at this time of the calendar season. With the GOAT (Eliud Kipchoge) racing Berlin Marathon on the 24th of September, attempting the World Record for the marathon distance, we aim to show how you can take a little from his thinking and my work and research and apply it in your discipline, training, and racing.
Matt Fitzgerald is a running coach, retreat owner, and to most psych-curious runners and triathletes, a prolific author on how to improve performance. A dedicated, evidence-based, (and non-academic) researcher of how to wring as much out of your discipline as possible, his pithy, and eloquent prose has helped runners at all levels improve, covering topics including training, diet, and mindset.
As a professional Sport Psychologist, I’ve wanted to interview Matt for a long time, as he has the mass reach that a lot of academics and pros don’t, but does have the respect of his Worldwide audience and athletes. This interview, from the tale end of 2022 covers his last book ‘On Pace’ which offers runners tips, tools, and intel on how to best dose out the right speed across your specific discipline.
We also cover his time training with former Focused Mind Podcast Ben Rosario of the Hoka NAZ elite which he wrote about in ‘Run like a pro, even if you’re slow’ and ‘Running the Dream’ as well as his work as a run coach with his company 80/20. We delve deep into matters of the mind that he and I respectively face as a coach and Sport Psych.
Towards the end of our interview, Matt reveals information about his latest venture, ‘Dream Run camp’ which is a runners retreat in Flagstaff, AZ, which he has set up with his wife, and to date over 20 runners have been put through their paces to make gains in their overall performance.
https://www.8020endurance.com/ - Matt’s Coaching company and website
https://dreamruncamp.com/ - Matt’s runners retreat
Sarah Broadhead is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist based in Sheffield, UK. With extensive experience in business and sport (including 3 Olympic Cycles as the Psychologist for GB TaeKwondo), she set up ‘Broadhead Performance’ 5 years ago.
In November 2022 she published her first book, Perform and Thrive: A Sportsperson’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellbeing, aimed at athletes, coaches and psychologists at all levels. In our conversation we discuss her background, history, and we can all improve our performance by having sound mental health as a platform on which to build. For avid and aspiring writers, she gives great advice about how you can improve your mental health in the writing process!
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sarah-broadhead-9952417
Instagram: @sarahbpsych
Chris Madden is a Counselling Psychotherapist based in Leeds. He helps clients explore and navigate new insights and perspectives to bring about a better way of relating to themselves, others or situations they may find challenging.
He works with clients from all walks of life and has significant specific experience of working therapeutically with clients from the music, live events and other creative industries. We recorded this conversation in the week that would have been DJ and Producer Andrew Weatherall’s 60th birthday. Chris worked with and knew Andrew well (and I’m personally guided by his philosophy and work), so it was timely and appropriate for us to meet and share our respective experience of working with musicians from a therapeutic perspective. Chris’ experience and back story is well worth your time, and his sensitive consideration of his practice serves him and his clients really well. We hope you enjoy our conversation.
***
You can contact Chris at https://chrismaddentherapy.com/
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismaddentherapy
Chinwag Interview with Andrew Weatherall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v7yP2ugmFE
A Tribute to Andrew Weatherall (Leeds inner city electronic music conference). Lead by Chris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB3Zd5_w0SI
Simon Freeman is the Editor and writer for Like the Wind magazine. It is a long-form magazine, printed every quarter 'for runners, by runners' including notable figures from the sport including Dick Beardsley, to interviews with Lance Armstrong, and Courtney Dauwalter, amongst many others covering 'why we run' rather than how to run. Digging into people's motivations, experiences, and how running plays a part in their overall life. Since starting 10 years ago, it now is self-sufficient, with a staff of 5, sponsors, and Worldwide distribution. If you like running, *you'll probably like it!*
Co-founded with his wife Julie initially in London, they now live in Switzerland and run in the mountains there, really enjoying the trails that their surroundings offer. A very focused runner in his early 30s, going from an unhealthy, overweight smoker, Simon pushed his marathon time down to a highly respectable 2:37 and has taken that drive, energy, and determination into his business. As friends of over 13 years, we took the opportunity to take stock, reflect on his own personal journey, and try and map how his thinking has evolved to help others take the lessons from endurance sports into other domains of their life, such as work, play, and business.
Something different for episode 18. Former guest, athlete, and coach, Steve Hobbs (The Milestone Pursuit) from episode 6 returns to reflect on his 10th London marathon, and his views on the elite finishers in the men's and women's race as well as the problems the marathon faces as a spectator sport. We delve into what it takes to finish well in a marathon, from a psychological perspective and contrast his experience with a first-time runner, Claire Heron, who also competed in the same race. While experienced runners have had the time to develop and refine their psychological skills and abilities, we dig into what might be useful advice and guidance for people considering taking part in their first marathon distance. What to expect, how to prepare, and tips to help them cope and manage in order to enjoy the day and get the most out of the experience. Thanks to both Steve and Claire.
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.