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New 1 hr 9 min

EP129: Sam Holden (Entrepreneur)

Sam Holden is an ex-academy footballer who, like many, had an up and down experience - from illness to being released from Manchester United’s academy. He turned his experiences and frustrations into a product to help athletes with their mental performance, creating ‘Unlock’ alongside respected sport psychologists. Unfortunately Unlock has now come to an end but in this episode, Sam shares some of the learnings. Alongside co-host Will Boyle, we focus on some of the challenges involved with being an entrepreneur, such as how to network, how to have difficult conversations, and how self-belief in your product is so important. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 hr 35 min

EP128: Will Boyle (Captain of Shrewsbury Town)

Will Boyle is an experienced professional footballer and has represented clubs including Huddersfield Town, Cheltenham Town, Wrexham, and Shrewsbury Town. Will is also Vice-Chair of the Players Board at the PFA. In this bumper episode, hosts Dr Paul Mansell and Sam Holden encourage Will to open up about his challenges as an academy footballer at Sheffield Wednesday. Will explains where he experienced the best sense of togetherness during his career, and we debate topics such as the influence of social media, team bonding, and the role of ego. Will also candidly speaks about why working with a sport psychologist has been so valuable for him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 hr 10 min

EP127: Frank Nouble (Former Premier League Footballer)

Frank Nouble started his career at Chelsea before moving to West Ham United, making his Premier League debut as a teenager. Since then, he's played for more than 20 clubs including the likes of Wolves, Ipswich Town and Coventry City. Frank has experienced the highs and lows of professional football, has played abroad in China, and has competed across the Premier League, Championship, EFL and National League. In this episode, we ask Frank to reflect on the characteristics of being a good professional, the power of both winning and losing streaks in football, and the role of mentoring in professional football. Frank thinks back to the early days of his career, such as scoring goals for England at the U19 Euros and what it was that set him apart from the thousands of other youngsters who dream about becoming a professional footballer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 min

EP126 (LIVE): Azeem Amir (England Blind Footballer)

Something different this week - we recorded this episode live at the University of Staffordshire's Taking Theory to Practice Conference! In this episode, we are joined on the sofa by England blind footballer Azeem Amir. Azeem describes how AI glasses are changing his life and why we should be aware of "pity culture". He explains the "strengths vault" and how that boosted his self-confidence as he went into international tournaments for England. Here is the link to pre-order our new book: https://hawksmoorpublishing.com/book/performing-under-pressure-conversations-with-those-that-know Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

34 min

BONUS EPISODE: The Release of the Performing Under Pressure Book

Join Dr Paul Mansell and Professor Matt Slater as they explain the thinking behind their new book "Performing Under Pressure: Conversations With Those That Know". The book, which took two years to write, features key learnings from the first 80 episodes that were recorded, and provides a wealth of ideas that individuals, practitioners, and teams can try to maximise their performance in situations that matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

54 min

EP125: Joe Jacobson (CEO of Reading Football Club)

How do you make the transition from being a professional footballer to being the CEO of an EFL club? Joe Jacobson had an extensive playing career including making over 300 appearances for Wycombe Wanderers. Since he retired in 2024, he has moved into the boardroom, becoming CEO of Reading Football Club. In this episode, we explore how to build togetherness within a football club, and how to negotiate effectively when it comes to transfers. Joe also thinks back to his career and we discuss the psychology behind taking penalties and the importance of self-belief, with Joe reflecting on his sources of self-belief. We also discuss how players might achieve longevity in their career through "everyday everythings". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

52 min

EP124: Steve Foster (GB Masters Athlete and S&C Coach)

Steve Foster is GB Masters athlete having and possess an extensive experience in basketball. Steve is also a leading strength and conditioning coach with a passion for helping high-achieving professionals unlock their peak potential. With 10 years of experience, Steve has a proven track record of delivering bespoke training programmes that enhance performance, improve longevity, and prevent injury. In this episode, Steve explains how he gets into the right frame of mind before an international basketball fixture. We discuss how he manages and supports "everyday athletes", and how treating each client on an individual basis allows the platform for progress to be made. Steve also offers some interesting personal reflections on how his career has evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 hr 2 min

EP123: Dr Andrew Wilkinson (Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology)

Dr Andrew Wilkinson is Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology who specialises in the biopsychosocial responses to stress. He has worked at the University of Staffordshire for several years having completed his PhD at Loughborough University in 2022. In this episode, Dr Karla Drew and Dr Katie Sparks ask Andrew to reflect on how he became interested in this topic. There is a specific focus on the theory of challenge and threat, and Andrew also discusses his work on stress in firefighters. The trio also reflect on the role of psychology in aiding students' performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

About Staffordshire University's Performing Under Pressure Podcast

The need to perform under pressure in sport is undeniable. At the University of Staffordshire, we use our expertise in high performance to delve into the psyche of individuals connected to sport to understand how they are able to perform well when the stakes are high. We interview athletes from a variety of sports, sport psychologists, coaches, and other professions to provide a variety of perspectives on coping under pressure, strategies that are effective immediately prior to performance and how they react adaptively to mistakes.

Show details

Creator
Dr Paul Mansell
Hosted by
Dr Paul Mansell, Professor Matt Slater, Dr Karla Drew
Years active
2026 - 2024
Episodes
192
Copyright
Dr Paul Mansell

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