MindStrong
Episodes
#242 - Julianna Pillemer - The Dark Side of Going Viral Nobody Talks About
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Julianna Pillemer is an assistant professor at NYU Stern School of Business whose research explores creativity, authenticity, and the psychology of on...
#241 - Chris McKenna - Why Giving Your Child a Smartphone Is More Dangerous Than You Think
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Chris McKenna is the founder of Protect Young Eyes, a leading digital safety organisation helping parents, coaches, and caregivers navigate technology...
#240 - Alison Armstrong - What Every Woman Gets Wrong About Male Commitment
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alison Armstrong is a relationship expert and creator of the “Understanding Men” curriculum.Why do men withdraw instead of open up? Why does “If...
#239 - Dr Phil Clarke - Why People Get The Yips
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Phil Clarke is a performance psychologist and researcher.Why do athletes lose control of skills they’ve mastered for years? Why does pressure tur...
#238 - Dr Warren Farrell - The Truth About the Masculinity Crisis
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Warren Farrell is the author of The Boy Crisis, Why Men Earn More, and Role Mate to Soul Mate. So why are so many boys struggling in school, dropp...
#237 - Dr Sami Timimi - Why ADHD Is On The Rise
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Sami Timimi is a consultant psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of Searching for Normal.Why does it feel like everyone suddenly has ADHD or ...
#236 - Dr Robert Glover - Everything You’ve Been Told About Attraction Is Wrong
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Robert Glover is a therapist, coach and an author.Why do so many men struggle to be authentic in relationships? Why does “being a nice guy” oft...
#235 - Laura Vanderkam - Stop Lying to Yourself About Productivity
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Vanderkam is a time management expert and bestselling author.Why do so many people feel time-starved—even when they technically have more free...
#234 - LifeLikeCharlie - Why Going Outside Could Save Your Mental Health
26 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
LifeLikeCharlie is a singer-songer writer and content creator with his dogs, Nala and Monkey.In a world moving too fast, are we losing the very things...
#233 - Anne-Laure Le Cunff - How To Beat Your Anxiety With Curiosity
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a neuroscientist, writer, and founder of Ness Labs.So why do we consume so much self-help and apply so little of it? Why do we ...
#232 - Gabe Wyner - How to Learn Any Language Faster
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gabe Wyner is the author of Fluent Forever and a polygot.So why do most people fail to learn a language—even after years of study? What role do emot...
#231 - Dr Katharine Phillips - The Dark Truth About Body Dysmorphia
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Katharine Phillips is a world-leading psychiatrist and researcher on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).Why do people with normal—often attractive—...
#230 - Brett Bartholomew - 5 Essentials Of Healthy Communication & Conflict
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brett Bartholomew is a performance coach, communication expert, and founder of The Art of Coaching.Why do so many leaders struggle with honest convers...
#229 - Katie Mobed - How Do We Define Winning?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Katie Mobed is a performance psychologist.What happens when you win… and still feel empty? Can athletes succeed without losing themselves? How do we...
#228 - Connor Beaton - Why Men Are Struggling in the Modern World
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Connor Beaton is a men’s coach, author, and founder of ManTalks.Why are young men checking out of life? Can you be both powerful and sensitive? And ...
#227 - Clare Rowe - What No One Wants to Admit About the Mental Health Crisis
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clare Rowe is a child psychologist and podcaster.Are we pathologizing normal emotions? Should every child really be in therapy? And what happens when ...
#226 - Jonny Thomson - How Philosophy Can Fix Your Happiness
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonny Thomson is a writer for Big Think, author and online educator at Philosophy Minis.Why is happiness so hard to define? How does comparison rob us...
#225 - Dr Lewis James - The Truth About Hydration
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lewis James is a hydration researcher and professor at Loughborough University whose work explores how water intake affects performance, recovery,...
#224 - Beth Tweddle - Why Perfectionism Is Holding You Back
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beth Tweddle is an Olympic gymnast, business founder, and one of the most decorated British athletes in her sport’s history. What happens when the s...
#223 - Richard Shorter - A Guide To Being The Parent Your Kid Actually Needs
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Shorter is the man behind Non-Perfect Dad, a parenting coach and conversation specialist.Why are so many parents accidentally making things ha...
#222 - Jeremy Snape - The Undeniable Traits of High Performers
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeremy Snape, a former international cricketer turned sports psychologist, leadership coach, and founder of Sporting Edge.Jeremy has worked with some ...
#221 - Dr Michael Grugan - Why Perfectionist Parents Are Breaking Their Kids
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Michael Grugan is an assistant professor of psychology at Northumbria University.Do perfectionist parents actually help or hurt their child’s de...
#220 - Dr Amy Whitehead - 5 Myths Of Sport Performance
01 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Amy Whitehead is a sports psychologist, researcher, and author.Sport is always at the cutting edge of science, but also holds many opinions and su...
#219 - George TheTinMen - Are We Failing Men?
15 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
George from TheTinMen is a content creator, pro-men’s advocate and a researcher.Why is men’s health often left out of mainstream discussions? What...
#218 - Dr Jean Côté - The Myth About Early Specialisation
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jean Côté is a professor at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. His research primarily focuses on athlete development, coaching, and the ro...
#217 - Dr Véronique Richard - Why You Shouldn't Ignore Your Creativity
04 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Véronique Richard she is a research fellow at the University of Queensland, and a mental performance consultant for Cirque du Soleil. What is crea...
#216 - Dave Wood - How To Control Stress For Performance
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Wood is a coach specialising in stress mitigation, recovery and mental preparedness. How do we better manage stress? Does stress have a branding ...
#215 - Dr Peter Olusoga - The Dark Side Of Grind Culture
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Peter Olusoga is a sports psychologist, lecturer, and podcaster. Pete has dedicated his career to understanding the mental challenges faced by athl...
#214 - Jemima Montag - How Do We Fix Confidence In Young Girls?
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jemima Montag is an Olympic Race-walker, having won 2 bronze medals at the Paris 2024 games, two-time Commonwealth Games champion, and founder of the ...
#213 - Lola Anderson - How To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lola Anderson is a rower for Great Britain and Olympic Gold Medalist. Expect to learn why you should be confident in speaking your dreams aloud, how a...
#212 - Andrew Steele - Contrarian Views, Authenticity and Personal Branding
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today I’m joined by Andrew Steele is a former Olympic medalist, turned health tech founder. Andrew holds a much more contrarian view and is not afra...
#211 - York-Peter Klöppel - Red Bull's Head Of Mental Performance On Mental Training
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
York-Peter Kloppel the head of mental performance at Redbull. What are some of the challenges with a vast range of different athletes? What sorts of t...
#210 - Prof Joe Baker - Should We Be Calling Athletes Talented?
27 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Joe Baker from the University of Toronto. He’s author/editor of 13 books including the Tyranny of Talent, he has authored more than 300 pe...
#209 - Dr Laura Healy - How Do We Actually Set Goals Effectively?
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Laura Healy is an associate professor at Nottingham Trent University who’s research focuses in motivation, goal pursuit, and mental health/well-...
#208 - Prof Alun Williams - Can Science Solve The Transgender And DSD Athlete Debate?
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prof Alun Williams of Manchester Metropolitan University who’s research focuses on the genetics of human physical performance, injury risk, health a...
#207 - Dr Alex Auerbach - Why Don’t Athletes Take Mindset Seriously?
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Alex Auerbach, performance psychologist having worked with the professional sports teams such as the Toronto raptors, NBA, NFL, MLB, and Olympians....
#206 - Dr Erin Hoare - How Does ADHD Affect Athletes?
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Erin Hoare is an honorary fellow at Deakin University, a former professional netballer and Australian rules footballer. The conversation around neu...
#205 - Ross Dewar - How Do We Actually Build Strong Cricketers?
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ross Dewar and strength and conditioning with more than 20 years experience having trained some of the worlds leading cricketers. Cricket has a unique...
#204 - Dr Jim Taylor- Do Parent's Get Too Involved In Sport?
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Jim Taylor psychologist of performance, sport and parenting, an author and an elite level triathlete. The most number one challenge I see with bot...
#203 - Dr Adam Kelly - How Do We Identify Great Talent?
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Kelly is a Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise at Birmingham City University and Director of the RAYSDLab. How do we identify talent, how d...
#202 - Chris Mesagno - Why Do We Choke Under Pressure?
13 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Mesagno is a senior lecturer at Victoria University whose research focuses on anxiety and choking in sport and exercise. Why do we choke under p...
#201 - Geir Jordet - The Psychology Of Penalty Kicks
06 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Geir Jordet holds a PhD. in soccer and psychology and teaches and conducts research on psychology and elite performance at the Norwegian School of Sp...
#200 - 10 Lessons From 200 Episodes
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate 200 episodes of Raising Your Game I break down some of the lessons I've learnt form the past 100 episodes. Expect to learn; how the ...
#199 - Dr Julie Johnston - 8 Strategies For Coaching Gen-Z Athletes
22 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Julie Johnston is a Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Psychology at Nottingham Trent University who also competed in international swimming f...
#198 - Peter Hurley - The Importance of Drive, Character, and Trust
15 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Hurley is an elite sailor for the US and portrait photographer who is regarded as the industry leader in headshot photography having shot world ...
#197 - Adam Meakins - 5 Myths of Physiotherapy
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Meakins a Specialist Physiotherapist, Sports Scientist, and Strength & Conditioning Coach. Expect to learn why bad posture doesn’t causes ...
#196 - Patrick Gaudreau - Why We Should Aim For Excellence & Not Perfection
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Gaudreau is a professor of psychology at the University of Ottawa. Patrick’s work has spanned form achievement, motivation, performance, and...
#195 - Ben O'Keeffe - How To Take Criticism & Trust Your Decisions
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben O'Keeffe is an international rugby referee. Expect to learn: what some misunderstood qualities of rugby referees are, how to deal with criticism,...
#194 - Joe Welstead - The Benefits Of Having Athletes In Business
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Welstead is a former commonwealth swimmer turned entrepreneur and creative. Expect to learn, why athletes make good employees in business, how to...
#193 - Dr Duncan Simpson - What Does It Take To Succeed In An Academy?
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Duncan Simpson is Director of Personal Development at IMG Academy, Mental Performance Coach, and a podcaster. IMG Academy is one of the largest an...
#192 - Jack Green - 10 Tough Lessons On Athlete Mental Health & Performance
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Green. Jack is a former two-time Olympian, coach, and mentor. Jack has been one of my favourite sources of content on LinkedIn, especially havin...
#191 - Sam Ward - How To Not Let Injuries Define You
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Ward is a professional hockey player for England and Great Britain. Sam is known as one of the most prolific goal scorers in British hockey, as we...
#190 - Richard Cheetham MBE - How To Coach Beyond Your Qualifications
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Cheetham is a senior fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester. He received an MBE for his contribution to education and com...
#189 - Martin Offiah - Embracing Adversity and Nurturing Resilience in Parenting
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Martin Offiah is a former professional rugby player who scored 500 tries during his rugby league career, making him the third-highest try scorer of al...
#188 - Simon Dent - How You Learn From Failure & Doing Hard Things
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Dent is a Founder, Investor and an Ultra Endurance Athlete. Expect to learn, why Simon is challenging himself in endurance events, how to embra...
#187 - Tom Curry - Why You Should Focus On Your Own Path
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Curry is an England and Sale Shark Rugby player. Expect to learn what Tom is currently obsessing over with his time off post-hip surgery, his rol...
#186 - Sean Baker - Closing the Gap Between Local & Elite
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Baker is the founder of PEAQ Performance and Head of Strength and Conditioning Coach at Adelaide Lightning and Australian Men and Women’s Lacro...
#185 - Sophia Jowett - How to Build Quality Coach-Athlete Relationships
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sophia Jowett is a Professor of Psychology at Loughborough University whose research work mainly revolves around interpersonal relationships in sports...
#184 - Carla Molinaro - Why Having A Game Plan Works
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Carla Molinaro is an Ultra Runner, 50km World Champion, World Record Holder for LEJOG and Founder of SCY for Runners. Expect to learn how having a ra...
#183 - Prof Adam Nicholls - Coping, Leadership and Support for Athletes and Coaches
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Nicholls is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Hull and an Author. Expect to learn what Brazilian Ju Jitsu can teach about performi...
#182 - Dan Abrahams - How to Be An Effective Sport Psychologist
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Abrahams is a sports psychologist and host of The Sport Psych Show. Expect to learn the importance of understanding the human in high-performance...
#181 - Tim Harkness - Former Chelsea FC Psychologist on Mental Strength in Sport.
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harkness is the Head of Sport Science and Psychology at Chelsea Football Club and an Author. Expect to learn what we can learn from the Springbok...
#180 - Oliver Lam-Watson - How To Make The Most Of What You Have
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Oliver Lam-Watson is a British Paralympic Silver and Bronze Medalist in wheelchair fencing. Expect to learn: what makes an athlete elite, the differe...
#179 - Luke Sutton - Do We Need to Rebrand Vulnerability in Men?
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Sutton is a former professional cricketer, agent, and host of the Understanding Men Podcast. Expect to learn: whether athletes can be too nice t...
#178 - Tom Mitchell - What Is The Cost of Excellence?
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Mitchell is a former England Rugby 7 captain and commentator. Returning to the podcast for a second time, expect to learn: the pain and beauty of...
#177 - Why I Started Therapy
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On World Mental Health Day, Lewis talks about a recent journey of starting therapy and his experiences navigating the process of finding the right the...
#176 - A Guide To Mindfulness in Sport
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, Erling Haaland, and the late Kobe Bryant have in common? They all practice mindfulness. In this episode, Lewis d...
#175 - James Bracey - How To Earn the Right To Turn Pro
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Bracey is an English cricketer who plays for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. James made his international debut for the England cricket tea...
#174 - Clay Stephens - Why We Need To Let Go of Perfection
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clay Stephens is a gymnast on the Australian Olympic team. Having competed in the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, he has done all this whi...
#173 - Jofra Archer - How To Stay Mentally Strong When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jofra Archer is a England and Sussex Cricketer. He made his international debut for England in May 2019 and was part of the England squad that won the...
#172 - The Mistakes You’re Making with Your Coach
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What are the mistakes athletes make with their coaches? In this episode, I talk about some of the mistakes I see athletes make with their coaches. Exp...
#171 - Tom Mitchell - Being an Authentic Leader
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Mitchell is a Rugby Union International who has represented Great Britain and England Sevens at the World Series, the Olympics, and Commonwealth G...
#170 - How to Deal with Poor Performances
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you deal with poor performance as an athlete? Is there a way to bounce back stronger after a bad game? In this episode, I talk about the most e...
#169 - How to Create a Process In Sport
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lewis explains how to create process to improve your skill, performance under pressure, confidence and much more. Expect to learn, what a process is, ...
#168 - Russell Earnshaw | Why Vulnerability Is A Strength In Coaching
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Russell Earnshaw is a rugby union coach working in sports and business with the Magic Academy. He played Premiership rugby with West Hartlepool, Bath ...
#167 - Dr Alexander Latinjak - How To Improve Your Self Talk In Sport
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Alexander Latinjak is an Associate Professor at the University of Suffolk and a Visiting Professor at the University of Thessaly. He is also a psy...
#166 - Mike Brown | The Keys to 19 years in Pro Rugby
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Brown is an English professional rugby union player who plays fullback or wing for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby. Brown joined the Harleq...
#165 - Building a Pre-Performance Routine for Pressure Moments
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When under pressure where does your mind go? Do you know what thoughts, actions and behaviours that you need to execute? Or do you get caught up in th...
#164 - Dr. Andrew Hill | Perfectionism in Sport and Teams
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Andrew P. Hill is a Sport and Exercise Psychology Professor at York St John University, UK. Andy's research focuses on the motivational antece...
#163 - Dr. Gordon Flett - Being an Adaptable Perfectionist
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gordon L. Flett, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Flett is a Fellow of the Association...
#162 - Aaron Walsh | Integrating Mental Skills
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aaron Walsh is an experienced Performance Coach who primarily focuses on developing leadership, culture, and mental performance programs for teams. Wa...
#161 - Dr Mustafa Sarkar - How to Build Resilience in Sport & Life
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mustafa Sarkar is an Associate Professor of Sport and Performance Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. His research addresses the psychology ...
#160 - How to Mentally Deal with Injuries
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As an athlete, you will get injured. There's just no avoiding injuries. So how can you speed up your recovery, come back stronger, and even get th...
#159 - Managing Anxiety for Performance
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Lewis discusses managing anxiety in performance. Expect to hear why anxiety isn't necessarily a bad thing, the types of an...
#158 - Tara Norris | Making the Right Move for You
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tara Norris is a professional cricketer who currently plays for Thunder, London Spirit, and Delhi Capitals. She plays as a left-arm medium bowler and ...
#157 - Dr. Scott Goldman - Defining your Confidence
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Scott Goldman is a Consulting Performance Psychologist and the creator of the Athletic Intelligence Quotient (AIQ) - an intelligence test that ass...
#156 - 6 Reasons You're Low on Confidence
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When you're low on confidence, do you know why you feel that way? As an athlete, confidence can make or break your chances of success. You can hav...
#155 - Gordon MacLelland | Working with Parents in Sport
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gordon MacLelland is the CEO and founder of Working with Parents in Sport. They support organizations, parents and coaches to work together and provid...
#154 - Maggie Murphy | Turning your Anger into Passion
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie Murphy is the CEO of pioneering football club Lewes FC, a 100% fan-owned football club and the world's first to distribute revenue equally ...
#153 - Nicole Silveira | Adapting to Change and Sport/Life Balance
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nicole Silveira is a Brazilian skeleton skater and former bobsledder. She made her Skeleton World Cup debut in 2018 and has been competing ever since,...
#152 - Roger Black | Surround Yourself with People Better than You
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Roger Black is a former athlete who competed internationally for Great Britain and England. During his athletics career, he won individual silver meda...
#151 - Giving Yourself Permission to be Imperfect
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you felt like you could never reach other people’s expectations? In this episode, Lewis discusses the fear of imperfection and how it can p...
#150 - Georgia Elwiss | Training alongside Men, the Comparison Trap and Women's Cricket Future
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Georgia Elwiss is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers, Welsh Fire and England. Born in Wolverhampton, Georgia is a se...
#149 - 5 Ways to Stand Out as an Athlete
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The number of young athletes looking to go pro is at an all-time high. This means that you could be extremely good at your sport and still not make it...
#148 - Mike Newman | The Fastest Blind Man on Earth
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Newman is a 9-times World Record holder, having now amassed an impressive 6 land speed records, 2 water speed records, and 1 aerobatic record. Mi...
#147 - The Art of Perseverance
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In anything you do, you will sometimes have to wait to see the results of your hard work. During such times, it’s easy to lose motivation and give u...
#146 - How to Reframe your Negative Self Talk
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that almost 90% of our self-talk is negative? When you’re constantly thinking negative thoughts, you’ll have a hard time feeling opti...
#145 - How to Be More Disciplined
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know that discipline is the foundation for success. In life, career, relationships, health, finances, whatever it is, discipline is the key. So...
#144 - Creating The Best Birthday Gift
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you like receiving gifts? What is the best birthday gift you’ve ever received? In today’s episode, Lewis reveals the best birthday gift you’l...
#143 - Ed Jackson | Post Traumatic Growth
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Jackson is a former Professional Rugby player, who in 2017 suffered a life changing injury when diving into a swimming pool. Ed will talk about his...