Demystifying Mental Toughness

200 How To Help Footballers Who Put Too Much Pressure On Themselves

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I go on to discuss a very common challenge many football or soccer players find a problem.  It's their focus, specifically when too much attent...

199 Leadership: How To Mentally Prepare Yourself For Public Speaking

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode Audrie Woodhouse, who was a fabulous actress and performer and now a successful coach and speaking consultant, shares some great id...

198 How To Help Footballers Who Feel Flat On Match Days

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some days as a footballer, for a variety of reasons you may feel flat and approach a match out of sync mentally and physically.  So what should you d...

197 Mental Health: How To Overcome Executive Loneliness

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"It's lonely at the top" - this is a comment many business leaders in organisations admit where trusted relationships, can often prove sparse.  In sp...

196 How To Help Footballers Who Are Sensitive To Criticism

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you play football at grassroots or in the Champions League one thing is for certain you will be criticised by someone.   It may be a team-mat...

195 When Being Tough In Sport Can Negatively Impact On Your Mental Health #BITESIZE

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ideally, we'd be able to recognise the need for toughness when we train and play sport and be able to switch it on and off as we please.  Unfortunate...

194 Footballers: How To Ensure Playing Out Of Position Is A Walk In The Park

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Footballers - how do you view the coach or manager asking you to play out of position? Negatively as a threat or positively as a challenge?  In today...

193 How to Help Footballers Get Out Of Their Own Way #BITESIZE

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's short bite sized episode, taken from episode #093 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I was joined by prominent Sports Psychologi...

192 Coach-Player Relations: How To Support Footballers Who Are Feeling Powerless

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It is common for footballers or soccer players to have different values and ideas about the game than their coaches.  On occasions, this can result i...

191 Sports Psychology Basics: Be Proactive If You Want to Succeed #BITESIZE

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's short bite sized episode, I chat with Dr Jim Afremow, the co-author of The Leaders Mind.  Jim shares with you his thoughts about the fiel...

190 Attention Footballers! Are You Curious About the Mental Game?

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many footballers are driven to improve. They strive day in, day out, to get better. They sleep, eat and breathe football.  Football is on their brain...

189 Goal Setting: How To Re-Energise Yourself To Aid Your Sport Performance

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most people at some point experience demotivation, where they lack interest and enthusiasm about something that they have once really enjoyed.  This ...

188 Soccer Psychology: Helping Soccer Coaches Reflect On Their Approach #BITESIZE

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's bite sized episode, I was joined by the author of the Modern Soccer coach series Gary Curneen, where he opened up on an expensive mistake h...

187 Task vs Ego Involvement: Do You Set Goals That Harm Your Performances?

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you one of those people who sets goals for yourself, but you get frustrated at not achieving them?  Or perhaps you're a coach or teacher who noti...

186 Intrinsic or Extrinsic Goals: Do You Set Goals That Harm Your Performances?

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Commitment, a measure of mental toughness is largely about making promises to yourself and then going on to follow through with those promises, withou...

185 Commitment: Leisure Athletes vs Performance Athletes #BITESIZE

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Commitment, setting goals and delivering on your promises without being derailed, is an important ingredient of Mental Toughness. In this BITESIZED ep...

184 Peak Performance: Considerations For A Good Night's Sleep #BITESIZE

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rest and recovery is hugely important for us all, especially highly motivated and driven people.  In this bitesized episode, I chat with Nick Littleh...

183 Sports Coaching: How Being Compassionate Can Help Your Athletes Perform Better

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Supportive coaching is shown to be effective in having a positive influence on an athlete's development, particularly when athletes are unsure of them...

182 An Introduction to Mental Toughness and Psychological Safety #BITESIZE

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I chat with a leading authority for Mental Toughness, Doug Strycharczyk, where I share a short bite from a conversation that we had about psycho...

181 How to Improve Teamwork using a 4Cs Mental Toughness Approach

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"Teamwork makes the dreamwork" – John C Maxwell.  This quote is the motivation behind the latest episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, where I ...

180 How To Work With Team Units To Improve Culture In Teams

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are team development strategies taken seriously in elite sport when viewed from a psycho-social perspective?    This question was the motivation for...

179 Great Captains: 8 Mental Toughness Characteristics That Can Inspire Others

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a great captain in team sports? In this week's short solo episode I elaborate on this question where I focus on the 8 key sub-measures of M...

178 Helping Leaders Recognise The Benefits Of Showing Vulnerability #BITESIZE

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a short episode where leadership is the topic that Paula Eddy Wilcox and I discuss, specifically looking at vulnerability in leaders, coaches ...

177 How to Help Young People Develop a "Can Do" Attitude

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In episode #177 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, Lisa Avery, a positive psychology practitioner talks to me about how to help young peopl...

176 How To Help Enhance The Psychological Wellbeing Of Children In Sport #BITESIZE

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, I share a short yet very important extract from episode 122, where Professor Camilla Knight chats to me about the wellbeing of spo...

175 Can't Focus? Stop Mind Reading Others So That You Play To Your Strengths

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 175 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness podcast is for athletes, coaches or parents that fall into the trap of spending too much time mind re...

174 How To Deal With Criticism So That You Don't Take It So Personally #BITESIZE

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Criticism is everywhere today, where people often share their opinions of other people very easily despite not knowing the person, online using social...

173 How To Deal With Other People In Professional Football #BITESIZE

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A measure of Mental Toughness is interpersonal confidence, which reflects your ability to deal confidently with challenges from other people.  Those ...

172 Working With Your Subconscious Mind To Achieve Better Results

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode we look at working with the subconscious mind to improve self-awareness, overcome self-doubt and reduce your chances of choking whe...

171 How To Raise Your Levels Of Vitality

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In episode #171 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, former Professional Australian Rugby League player and now an inspiring speaker and pers...

170 How To Help Perfectionists With Their Mental Approach

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Supporting athletes with perfectionist tendencies is a large part of our work at Inspiring Sporting Excellence. They often display the following chara...

169 How To Perform Under Pressure Close To Your Best #BITESIZE

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the hallmarks of Mentally Toughness is the ability to perform well under pressure.  Whether you play golf or cricket, or enjoy gymnastics or n...

168 How To Navigate Youth Sports So That Children Enjoy The Experience More

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest, trainer, coach and author Andrew Simpson and I chat about the youth sport experience today for kids, parents and coaches.  We discuss ...

167 How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf #BITESIZE

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness we dip back into the archives and take a short bite from episode 13 where leading performance coac...

166 How To Help Athletes and Coaches Reflect On Their Performances

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many athletes and coaches understand that one measure of Mental Toughness, COMMITMENT, showing maximum effort, making promises and keeping them, setti...

165 How To Master the Mental Challenges Goalkeeping Throws at You

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Goalkeeping is arguably the most difficult and mentally challenging position on the football or soccer pitch.  Common psychological challenges goalke...

164 How To Bounce Back From Trauma To Thrive #BITESIZE

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma refers to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience or event that can overwhelm an individual's ability to cope and potentially cause lasti...

163 How To Beat The Yips In Golf So That You Enjoy The Game More #BITESIZE

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The "yips" is a term commonly used in golf.  It describes sudden and unexplained losses of fine motor skills which impact on putting strokes and golf...

162 How to Find a Flow State to Improve Your Performance

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today in episode #162 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast I chat with Sun Sachs and Ed Gibbins, owners of Rewire Fitness about flow states. ...

161 How to Create a Culture of High Performance in Professional Rugby Union

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In episode #161 I chat with Author, Coach Educator and Performance Rugby Consultant, Paul Phillips.  We discuss his experiences of developing high pe...

160 Golf Psychology: What You Can Expect and Why It Can Help You

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Golf Psychology is only for top, elite professionals such as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm.  Only work with a Golf Psychologist if you have a problem. A ...

159 How To Prevent Burnout In Elite Professional Football To Maximise Performance

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you've got to the point where you've experienced physical, emotional and mental exhaustion you may have experienced burnout.  This can happen to p...

158 How to Develop and Implement Mental Health Literacy Strategies

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mental Health in sport is a topic which over the last decade has become more significant and a big talking point with many elite athletes and coaches ...

157 What Is Sports Psychology and How It Can Help You

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness is where my colleagues at Inspiring Sporting Excellence, Olivia Scott, Aditi Gandhi, Tom Short and Al...

156 There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In mainstream sports psychology when helping individuals to develop their mental toughness and overcome performance challenges sport psychologists are...

155 How Do You Help a Young Athlete Get Better Organised?

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Avoiding procrastination and becoming better organised as a young athlete is the topic of today's short solo episode.  In Mental Toughness term's we'...

154 How Do I Go About Controlling The Controllables To Help My Sport Performance?

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I discuss an important component of Mental Toughness – control.  In sport, business and in everyday life it can be very...

153 Rugby Psychology: 25 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #153 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episo...

152 30 Ways to Optimise Your Performance and Mental Health

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #152 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This week we bring to you the 3rd of 4 compilation episodes.  The key takeaways from this...

151 Football Psychology: 50 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #151 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes!   ...

150 30 Ways You Can Improve Your Performance

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #150 of Demystifying Mental Toughness! This is the first part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching 150 episodes...

149 How Do I Help My Children Deal With Strong Emotions?

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I answer a popular question that we get asked by sporting parents - how do I help my children deal with strong emotions? W...

148 How to Build Your Mental Toughness Through Skiing

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Derek Tate, an experienced ski coach and author.  We go on to discuss his book Six Steps for Training the Mind as well as mental t...

147 The Application of Mental Performance Coaching in Elite Professional Rugby

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In episode #147 I chat with Aaron Walsh, a performance coach for the Chiefs rugby team in New Zealand as well as a consultant to many more elite teams...

146 What Is The Role Of A Sports Psychologist In Football?

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I chat with John Nassoori, a freelance writer and sports journalist for BBC Sport and The Guardian, in the UK. We go on to discuss ...

145 How Can I Help My Children Who Suffer With Nerves Before They Compete?

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent. "How can I help my son, a goalkeeper who gets very grumpy and nervous the evening b...

144 Mental Strength: What You Can Learn About Resilience From The Special Forces

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I chat with Jon Watkins a resilience and transformation coach and a former special forces soldier.  Jon shares insights into some ...

143 How Your Money Mindset Influences Your Behaviour

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I chat with the author and the founder of The Money Confidence Academy, Lesley Thomas, where we discuss a subject some people are u...

142 Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics?

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 142 of Demystifying Mental Toughness, Dr Alessia Bruno and David discuss perfectionism in gymnastics as well as across other sports and wal...

141 How to Help a Child Who Wants to Quit Sport

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I answer a question posed by a parent.  "My son has had a tough time recently and often talks about not wanting to contin...

140 How to Improve Your Mental Strength: Secrets from an Olympian

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode double Olympian and former Commonwealth champion swimmer, Chris Cook joined me.  We discussed his journey to becoming an Olympian and...

139 Steve Beharall's Journey from Football Coach to CEO

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 139 of Demystifying Mental Toughness I had the pleasure of speaking to the head of The Newcastle United Foundation, Steve Beharall.  Steve...

138 Why do the Mentally Tough see Sleep and Recovery as Important

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you're Mentally Tough you don't need to sleep you can simply push through… Wrong! The mentally tough person, as research suggests is more likely ...

137 Mindfulness and ACT in Sport: Helping Athletes Perform Better

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I explain 5 reasons why you should look in more detail at the use of mindfulness and ACT in sport.  How and why this appr...

136 Overcoming Tough Times in Professional Women's Football and Bouncing Back Stronger

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I was joined by professional footballer Charlotte Potts where we had a deep and fascinating conversation about different challenges th...

135 David Charlton Gets Grilled By Grant Henderson

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, I chat with Grant Henderson a former professional rugby player, Chief Operations Officer at The MCG Group and Co-Founder of i3prof...

134 Observations: 3 Things That Stop You Achieving Your Goals

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this short solo episode, I share 2 short clips from the previous 2 episodes where I chat with Kevin Stansfield and Christina Flach to inspire and m...

133 Why Mental Toughness is Important: Lessons from Sport, Business and Loss

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following on from last week, again we look at what we can learn from the business world, entrepreneurship and sport and how they overlap.  Mental Tou...

132 How Lessons from the Great Game of Golf can Help You Win the, Equally Great, Game of Business

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I chat with author and Business Growth Expert Kevin Stansfield where we discuss what the golfer or sports enthusiast can learn from...

131 How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – Final Part

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the final part of a three-part series where I've tried to help people recognise that to develop Mental Toughness it is not simply abou...

130 How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – Part 2

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today is the second part of a 3-part series, where I share 2 more clips, this time from former England Cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy S...

129 How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – Part 1

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a short solo episode and the first of 3 episodes where I share 2 reminders of what Mental Toughness is and apply it to different domains.  Th...

128 Can You Show Vulnerability and Be Mentally Tough? Yes!

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I speak to a well respected leadership coach, The Natural Leadership Coach and host for The Game of Leadership Podcast, Paula Eddy ...

127 The Application of Mental Toughness Training in Elite Professional Rugby League

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In episode #127 I chat with fellow Mental Toughness Licensee, Paul Trainor.  Paul is a former professional rugby league player, currently a director ...

126 How does Golf Psychology Work to Lower Your Scores on The Golf Course

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's solo episode I talk about golf and what my role as a Sport Psychologist or Golf Performance Psychologist looks like, common challenges that...

125 How is Psychology used in Professional Football Clubs

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today I chat with HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, Jack Hicks- Flynn about his love for the profession.  He goes on to offer helpful insights into...

124 Long Term Injuries: How to Confront Difficult Thoughts and Emotions

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's podcast episode looks at long-term serious injuries, the psychological impact and helpful strategies to help you manage your mental health dur...

123 Supporting People: What Can You Learn About Resilience From The Military

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode I speak to Richard Dorney MBE.  Richard served in the military for almost 39 years and has a wealth of experience in dealing with ...

122 Parental Support: Helping your Children get the Most from their Sporting Experiences

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest, Camilla Knight is an associate professor in sports psychology at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom, and she is an expert in ...

121 What Is New? Developments in Mental Toughness Research and Practice

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today marks a landmark in the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast where the show has been running for 2 years without missing a week.  As a result,...

120 Sport Coach Development: Helping Athletes Perform Better by Adapting How You Communicate

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode I share some ideas for sport coaches so that they help develop mental strength in their athletes and teams.  The methods I discu...

119 An Applied Sport Psychologist Viewpoint: How to Become an Effective One

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode of Demystifying Mental Toughness, I chat with my colleague James Lau, where we discussed his journey to qualifying as a Sport Psych...

118 How to Help Golfers Overcome their Mental Game Challenges

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today's episode of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, I was delighted to be joined by Dr. Bob Winters, an internationally recognised sport ...

117 How to Help Footballers Who Have Been Released – Part Two

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week's solo episode is part two where I build on last week's episode and share 4 more ideas and further resources to help footballers who come ac...

116 How to Help Footballers Who Have Been Released – Part One

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode, I discuss an obstacle many of our clients come across, being released from football clubs. This episode is part one, of a two pa...

115 Mental Strength to Succeed: Learning Lessons from International Cricket

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I'm joined by a former international cricketer and Senior Leadership Coach, Jeremy Snape.  We go on to discuss mental toughness in cricket, th...

114 Because I Can - How To Get Out Of Your Own Way

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'm joined by Tim Bradshaw author of Because I Can, a former surveillance and target acquisition patrol soldier and covert human intelligence of...

113 The Relationship Between Mental Fitness, Mental Health and Mental Toughness

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's podcast episode #113, I'm joined by the adventurous and inspirational Polly Brennan, founder of Adventurous Coaching and creator of The Men...

112 How to Deal with Physical Insecurities as a Young Athlete

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode, I discuss a challenge that many young athletes often come across and something that we get approached by parents and the athlete...

111 How to be an Effective Sports Psychologist in Elite Professional Football

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week I chat with HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, Michael Caulfield about his route into the field and his work in elite professional football...

110 How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is very inspirational, Dan Steele was an excellent decathlete and an Olympic bronze medalist in Bobsleigh.  He was also one of the mo...

109 How to Master the Mental Side of Horse Riding

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest Maria Jeffers has a background in psychometric testing and is the Business Development Manager for AQR International, who holds the lice...

108 Observations: How to Stay on Top of Your Goals

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode, I again look at commitment, a measure of mental toughness, from different angles with the aim of helping you stay on top of your...

107 Observations: How Bad Do You Want It?

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this solo episode, I look at commitment, a measure of mental toughness from different angles.  Sharing excerpts from 2 previous episodes of Demyst...

106 Why is knowing my WHY important?

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode looks at an important element of Mental Toughness, commitment. With my guest, Amy Rowlinson, the host of the fantastic Focus on Why podca...

105 Overcoming Psychological Challenges in Elite Professional Women's Football

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I was joined by former professional footballer Hannah Bromley where we had a fascinating conversation.  We discussed the pressures o...

104 The Psychological Demands of Elite Professional Rugby

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'm joined by a South African professional rugby player, Sebastian De Chaves, who is currently plying his trade in the USA with Austin Gilgronis...

103 45 Secrets to Sporting Success

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #103 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is the final part of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our centur...

102 30 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Soccer

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #102 of Demystifying Mental Toughness.  This is part three of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our century!  ...

101 25 Mental Game Secrets to Improve Your Golf

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to episode #101 of Demystifying Mental Toughness. This is part two of four specially created episodes to celebrate reaching our century! This ...