The Performance Psychcast

Welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. We are very fortunate to be speaking with Laurie McGinley.

An Ex CP Scotland international player - ranked in the top 10 players in the world in 2011.

He has 22 years of experience working in football across a variety of roles, including the last five years in senior leadership positions. In his current role as Head of Football Operations and Development, he has developed a strong understanding of leadership, business strategy and management, alongside the importance of creating environments where people can thrive.

He views his ADHD diagnosis as a superpower, bringing a unique perspective to decision-making, problem-solving and understanding individual needs. It enables him to think differently, recognise diverse perspectives and find creative ways to support people in reaching their full potential.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriemcginley1?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Dr Chris Gunn.

Chris is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and a researcher with publications focused on self-control and motivation in endurance settings. Chris is currently completing his applied sport psychology accreditation through CASES.

Chris works with endurance athletes such as runners, triathletes and cyclists, who are serious about their performance and want to develop the psychological side of their training with the same rigour they bring to their physical preparation.

Website: https://www.chrisgunnpsychology.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christopher-gunn-b4b95487?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/chrisgunnpsych?igsi=bXEwMW1mbGJjOWZ6

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Jack Rolfe.

Jack launched The Coaching Lab back in 2018 because the experience players get in sport is a pure lottery, coaches are unsupported and teachers are always short of time and often struggle to engage mixed ability groups.

The Coaching Lab was recognised by Richard Branson's Virgin StartUp as an "inspirational bright idea", accelerating their reach to impact teachers and coaches across the world play more games.

MatchPlay Cards are now loved and trusted in 75+ countries, used at the games' grassroots and with the world's elite.

Coaching Lab: https://thecoachinglab.org/pages/contact

Jack Rolfe (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter96?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Greg:

www.arcope.co.uk

George:

www.focusperform.co.uk

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Ray Power.

Ray is a renowned coach and coach educator, with a background in working with players and coaches from all over the world. Ray runs 'CoachPower', a branch of Ray Power Coach Education that focuses on the development of coaches across the game; and 1:1 with elite managers as a 'Coach Confidant'.

Ray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachpowerpro?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

X: https://x.com/power_ray?s=11

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Dr James Barraclough.

James is currently working towards becoming an accredited sport psychologist alongside his roles as lecturer and as an academy coach with the under 12 age group. He has recently completed a professional doctorate in elite performance through the University of Lancashire focusing on integrating psychosocial development in academy curricula.

James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-barraclough-d-prof-93022510?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. We are very fortunate to be speaking with Phil Phillipou.

Phil is the Director of Mindsight Sport & Next Goal Alicante!

With over 20 years of coaching experience across the UK, USA, and Spain, Phil has developed a unique approach to youth football mindset training that combines practical coaching expertise with proven sports psychology principles.

Phil's background includes working with grassroots academies, professional youth systems, and individual players at all levels. His methods focus on building confidence, developing mental resilience, and creating sustainable performance improvements.

As a certified mindset coach and author, Phil has helped hundreds of young footballers and coaches unlock their potential through his evidence-based LTAD training programs and pressure training techniques.

Website: https://www.mindsightsport.com/about

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/mindsightsport?igsh=MXVkYnkxYW95Y2RiNA==

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with returning guests, Jenny Coe and Amy Whitehead.

Amy is a Reader in Sport Psychology and Coaching and teaches across the Sport Coaching, Physical Education and Sport Psychology programmes at Liverpool John Moores University. Amy is a BPS accredited sport and exercise psychologist and has worked for organisations such as St. Helen's RFC, British Cycling, the FA, the Professional league and non-league football and European Tour Golfers.

Jenny has been involved with elite sport for most of her life, having played as a guard in basketball for Ireland and WIT Wildcats before joining UK Coaching in 2018, where she supported coaches across multiple high-performance Olympic sports on their respective journeys. Currently one of her roles is in the FA, titled, Senior Lead Workforce Development.

Jenny and Amy have edited the book called 'Women working in Sport." It offers a fresh, unapologetic lens on these challenges and moves decisively toward solutions. Through the voices of coaches, psychologists, administrators, academics and directors, this book sheds light on what's holding women back and more importantly, how we move forward.

Book: https://www.sequoia-books.com/product/women-in-sport/

Jenny: https://x.com/jennycoady10?s=21&t=PzxOOVXwQNXq8vmIVQ_W3w

Amy: https://x.com/a_whitehead1?s=21&t=PzxOOVXwQNXq8vmIVQ_W3w

www.arcope.co.uk

www.focusperform.co.uk

#focusperform #arcope #performance #sport #psychology

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Nigel Smith, Richard Dean and Nicola Bennett.

Nigel is the Founder of LIFE AFTER SPORT. Life After Sport provides professional athletes with community and holistic career transition services globally, to benefit both their existing and post-career life.

Richard Dean has been helping elite athletes perform better for the last 20 years. He has worked in several World Championship Boxing fights, with ATP Tennis players, International Cricketers, Footballers from non-league to Premier League and NFL players.

Nicola is one of the most recognisable female professional golfers, motivational speakers, and coaches. Having spent many years competing as a professional golfer, Nicola qualified as a PGA Coach and is currently the only black female PGA coach in the UK. She has developed and manages the most successful women's golf programme in the country and she is an ambassador for The Golf Foundation.

Nigel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifeaftersport?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios

Richard: mindgamepsych.com

Nicola: https://www.instagram.com/nicolabennettofficial?igsh=djFsaXJtOThqNm80

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Performance Psychcast. Today we are very fortunate to be speaking with Jo Kelleher.

Jo-Anne Kelleher is a UK-based Sport and High-Performance Psychologist specialising in emotional regulation and performance under pressure. She works with athletes, coaches and high achievers to help them understand their nervous system, perform consistently when it matters most, and turn ADHD into a competitive advantage rather than a limitation.

Jo-Anne is the creator of the Regulate, Reconnect, Reengage, Reflect™ framework, supporting coaches to apply neuroscience-informed strategies in real time without lowering performance standards.

She also offers a free resource, The Ultimate Performance Toolkit: Turn Your ADHD into Your Competitive Edge, designed to help athletes optimise focus, manage emotional intensity and build sustainable high-performance habits.

Download the free guide here:

https://keyaspirationssuccess.com/optimising-performance-for-adhd-athletes

For more information of her services, you can contact her at [email protected]

Jo-Anne's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-anne-kelleher/

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk

Dr Amber M. Shipherd is an award-winning scholar and leader in sport, exercise, and performance psychology and serves as an Associate Professor and Performance Psychology Program Coordinator at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. Recognised for excellence in teaching, research, and service, she has over 15 years of experience developing and delivering undergraduate and graduate coursework across sport and exercise psychology, injury psychology, research methods, and various applied performance domains.

Dr. Shipherd is a nationally recognised authority on teaching in sport, exercise, and performance psychology and is co-editor (with Dr. John Coumbe-Lilley) of the field's only two pedagogy-focused texts: High Impact Teaching for Sport and Exercise Psychology Educators (2020) and Equitable and Innovative Teaching Practices for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology Educators (2025). Her research program advances the science and application of self-efficacy, stress mindset, sport injury prevention and rehabilitation, and evidence-based instructional practices. Her work has been widely published and supported by competitive funding from organisations including the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and the NCAA.

A Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and Fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Dr Shipherd currently serves as Chair of the Student Development Committee and Coordinator of the Teaching Sport and Exercise Psychology Special Interest Group. She is also the owner and Lead Mental Performance Consultant of Next Level Mind Consulting and has delivered applied mental performance services since 2008 to athletes, coaches, teams, and injured individuals ranging from youth to Olympic and professional levels. She resides in south Texas with her husband and their two dogs and enjoys hiking and weightlifting.

Amber's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/docshipherd?igsh=MWIyaWhwdnY1eW12ZQ==

Amber's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-shipherd-phd-cmpc-faasp-9a655613/

Book: https://www.routledge.com/Equitable-and-Innovative-Teaching-Practices-for-Sport-Exercise-and-Performance-Psychology-Educators/Shipherd-Coumbe-Lilley/p/book/9781032697093

Greg: www.arcope.co.uk

George: www.focusperform.co.uk