The Young Player Wellbeing Podcast

On this episode we talk to the wonderful Dr Arabella Ashfield - recorded in the podcast studio at Leeds Trinity University.

Arabella has extensive experience in performance lifestyle. She has worked for the UK Sport Institute (UKSI; formerly EIS) for the past 15 years, initially as a performance lifestyle advisor with GB canoeing before progressing to a senior performance lifestyle coach with the GB Olympic Cycling Team. She is currently the Performance Lifestyle Research Lead at the UKSI.

Arabella educates us on what performance lifestyle is based on her own experiences. We discuss the responsibilities that performance lifestyle advisors have in terms of athlete wellbeing and what exactly PL's might address to support this.

We also have a detailed conversation around Arabella's research which focuses on flourishing and languishing and what these mean in relation to wellbeing and mental health.

As psychologists there is likely to be a time where we work alongside peformance lifestyle practitioners. To work effectively in a multi disciplinary team (MDT) it's important we know what they do which will optimise the way we collaborate with them and in turn maximise the support offered to the athlete(s). Arabella has provided us with a lot more clarity on the role of a PL and we hope that any practitioners tuning into this episode feel the same.

Stay tuned for more performance lifestyle conversations later this season...

We always enjoy our time down in Leeds so thanks to the team at LTU and Arabella for making this happen.

Connect with Arabella on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arabella-ashfield/

Arabella has recently pivoted towards supporting mothers through motherhood. Visit her website to learn more and access her services: https://www.ascendingmotherhood.com

Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to episode (00:00)

2. Arabella's experience in sport growing up (3:08)

3. What is a performance lifestyle practitioner? (14:18)

4. Wellbeing responsibilities as a PL (21:45)

5. Is there a focus on performance lifestyle of staff? (31:53)

6. Flourishing and languishing (37:12)

7. Boundaries between mental health and wellbeing (49:21)

8. Implications for NGB's (59:16)

9. Educating practitioners: then and now (1:06:03)

10. Closing thoughts: (1:12:56)

On this episode we speak to Karl Colley, an ex professional footballer born in Sheffield. Karl relished the dream of so many young players by signing a professional contract at 17. Karl signed with Sheffield Wednesday - the rivals of his boyhood club Sheffield United. He later had spells at Newcastle United before returning home to Sheffield, signing at the opposite side of the city with Sheffield United.

But that 'dream' opportunity of playing professional football isn't always what it seems, as revealed by today's guest. We mostly avoid 'on the pitch' stories and instead delve into some of the 'darker' sides of sport. Karl openly shares his personal experiences of isolation and how it later lead to depression, addiction and an attempt on his own life.

We are extremely grateful to Karl for his openness around his struggles which has provided us with a platform to raise awareness on gambling addiction, ill mental health and suicide.

Gambling and depression in particular are issues that are unfortunately prevalent for young athletes who may find themselves with a new, potentially large income stream and a lack of places to spend it. Failure from clubs to really check in on players and direct them towards the correct form of support can lead to the worst possible outcome in suicide. We hope this episode reduces the chances of any young athlete experiencing similar issues to Karl.

Keep up to date with Karl's current pursuits as a mentor and gambling awareness speaker by following him on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-colley-32a912167/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlcoll33/

If you are experience ill mental health we encourage you to reach out or seek support from the following organisations:

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/scotland/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

CALM: https://www.thecalmzone.net

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Gambling support:

Gam Care: https://www.gamcare.org.uk

Gamble Aware: https://www.gambleaware.org

Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to episode (00:00)

2. Karl’s journey into professional football (5:02)

3. Competing against the best at Sheffield Wednesday (21:30)

4. Isolation, depression and gambling at Newcastle (30:23)

5. How can we support young players better? (45:24)

6. Returning home and signing for Sheffield Utd (51:56)

7. Depression leading to attempted suicide (1:05:20)

8. The road to recovery (1:12:50)

On this episode we talk to the amazing Jen Coe. Jen is an advocate of greater gender equity and inclusivity in sport and is dedicated to promoting well-being across the sporting landscape. With over two decades of experience working in high performance environments, she champions a culture of performance through well-being in her work with organisations and individuals. Jen has worked from grassroots to elite level across a portfolio of sports, in roles such as coaching, analysis, coach development and sport psychology. She currently works within the women’s professional game in football as the Performance Well-being Lead an exciting role and key to supporting the players journey into, through and after professional sport.

On the episode, Jen shares detailed insight into the landscape of wellbeing support in the women’s game. Jen has been leading a bit of rebranding in the ‘player care’ space, with the role responsibilities being unclear in recent years. This rebranding has helped to streamline wellbeing support with a bit more clarity and intent. 

Jen also shares first hand experience on how wellbeing is addressed at an organisational level, ensuring that staff and wellbeing is being looked after across all of the women’s Super League and Championship teams.

Other highlights include discussion around how clubs may or may not exploit future employees due to many with ambition to work in sport being ‘obessed with the badge’. 

Thanks so much to Jen for coming on. We hope our listeners enjoy this episode.

Purchase Jen’s new book ‘Myths of Sport Performance’ here: ⁠https://www.sequoia-books.com/catalog/sport/⁠

Find Jen on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-coe-1a308a49/⁠

Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to episode (00:00)

2. Jen’s experience in sport growing up (4:40)

3. Being person - centred (12:31)

4. Performance Wellbeing Lead @ WSL and Women’s Championship (22:10)

5. Addressing wellbeing at an organisational level (33:03)

6. A psychosocial lens in practice (42:10)

7. Avoiding the ‘tick box’ approach (51:52)

8. Sharing best practice in wellbeing (58:42)

9. Exploitation of those ‘obsessed with the badge’ (1:03:25)

10. Closing Thoughts (1:12:06)

We launch season 4 with a bang as we talk to the one and only Dr Pete Olusoga. Anybody interested in sport psychology will know of Pete, whether that’s through his educational wellbeing snippets on social media, tuning in to the eighty percent mental podcast (which Pete hosts) or having been one of Pete’s many students. Toni and Brad have admired Pete from a far for some time and were buzzing to hear that he was willing to appear on the pod.

The 3 chat largely about stress, burnout and the connection with wellbeing. We offer in the moment strategies that will help our listeners to manage stress and ensure that burnout is avoided. In an eye – opening discussion, it becomes apparent that wellbeing is not solely the responsibility of the individual (who knew it?). Whether you’re an athlete, work in a sales team, or a kitchen, the organisation you work for has a duty to ensure that your wellbeing is being catered for. These are the ‘bigger picture’ ways that wellbeing can be addressed in a working environment. It is that very premise that sets up the rest of season 4.

The Young Player Wellbeing Podcast is back. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to Pete for coming on. Find his socials / podcast info below.

Listen / follow / turn notifications on for the eighty percent mental podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/143LNdkleAM1Tx3RLITImd?si=576c5624dcba4f1a

Follow Eighty Percent Mental on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightypercentmental?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Follow Pete on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_pete_olusoga?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

And LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteolusoga/

Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to episode (00:00)

2.Pete’s experience in sport growing up (3:51)

3. Experiences influencing career path (7:25)

4. Early research interests (9:26)

5. Stress, burnout and connections with wellbeing (13:26)

6. Common symptoms of burnout (25:19)

7. Strategies to manage stress and avoid burnout (32:52)

8. Wellbeing is the responsibility of the organisation (51:40)

9. Closing thoughts (1:10:20)

🚨SEASON 4 COMING MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND🚨

We know you’ve missed us, but have no fear because we are BACK. Toni and Brad have been very busy off the back of what was a hugely successful season 3.

Take a listen to find out what they have in store for you over this next season!

An opportunity to learn more about your hosts Brad and Toni, the creation and development of the Young Player Wellbeing Academy / Podcast and some key experiences that have shaped them as practitioners. The pair are interviewed by Dr Richard Simpson in the podcast studio at Leeds Trinity University.

Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to episode (00:00)

2. Why do we work in psychology / wellbeing? (2:48)

3. What is the Young Player Wellbeing Academy? (10:50)

4. What wellbeing means to us (15:35)

5. Main areas we support academy players with (20:35)

6. Importance of player - led approach (26:30)

7. Key skills developed as Wellbeing Coach's (31:10)

8. Key learnings from hosting the pod (38:34)

9. A letter to our future selves (47:25)

10. Closing thoughts (52:04)

On this episode we speak to player care consultant, counsellor, mentor and aspiring coach Jake Jervis. Jake is an ex professional footballer, having had a successful career that included spells at Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Ross County as well as time in India, Finland and Turkey.

Our latest episode is with Dr Paul Mansell. Paul is an expert on the psychology of stress in sport, having conducted a PhD focused on just that. Since then, Paul has taken up a role as a lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at Staffordshire University. Interestingly, Paul is also a podcast host, heading up ‘The Performing Under Pressure Podcast’. On the pod Paul chats to former professional footballers and other high-level performers about how they view and cope with pressure in their field. 

On this episode we talk about stress, nerves, and pressure. We share our opinions on how we view these feeling and how we may support athletes to understand them better, to benefit both wellbeing and performance.

Other highlights include learning more about Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Paul’s current and future research projects and the future of ‘The Performing Under Pressure Podcast’.

Learn more about Paul and his pod by visiting the links below.

The Performing Under Pressure Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UVgbxrwlSJKHax8CmsDOc?si=6aaaf927663343c2

Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-paul-mansell-94ab9113b/

 Talking Points

1. Intro and welcome to the pod (00:00)

2. Paul’s experience in sport growing up (3:35)

3. First interests in psychology of stress (5:10)

4. Is being stressed a bad thing? (10:30)

5. ‘Stress Mindset’ (14:40)

6. Challenge vs Threat Mindset (22:49)

7. Wellbeing and Performing Under Pressure (31:02)

8. REBT to support athletes with stress (39:00)

9. Personal strategies to cope with stress (52:30)

10. The ‘Performing Under Pressure Podcast’ (59:48) 

11. Closing thoughts (1:07:55)

On this episode we talk to Dr Luke Barnes, in a special, shorter episode which we recorded in the podcast studio at Leeds Trinity University.

Luke worked with an English Championship academy club for 6+ years as an academy psychologist. Throughout this time, Luke played a vital role in driving values, working closely with both staff and players to do so. This aligns well with Luke's PhD, which focused on integrity and English football. We discuss the work Luke implemented in this space in detail, with a focus on values, identity, self - efficacy, motivation and much more.

Dr Luke Barnes has played a key role in formalising the working relationship between the Young Player Wellbeing Academy and Leeds Trinity University and we look forward to working with him and their staff in the near future.

Enjoy!

Follow / Connect with Luke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-luke-barnes-114250267/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Follow Leeds Trinity's Sport Psych page on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltusportpsych?igsh=MXUxZTBxNmQwd3dtcQ%3D%3D

and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ltu-sport-psychology/

Talking Points

2. What is sporting integrity? (4:28)

3. Embedding psychology in academy football (8:38)

4. Wellbeing in academy football (18:16)

5. Common areas of support (24:28)

6. Internal vs external psychology support (31:50)

7. Closing thoughts (36:17)