On this episode we speak to Neil - Addington - Lefringhausen. A man who has plenty of experience integrating psychology in Scottish Football, spending 4.5 years as the academy psychologist at Celtic FC. As psychologists working in Scottish football, we take the opportunity to learn from Neil's experiences and consider the implications for our work but also for others supporting young athletes.

Working as a sport psychologist in any team environment can be daunting. We're thankful to Neil for being open on the challenges he experienced but also offering solutions. This includes discussion around fitting in to the environment as a psychologist, 'undercover' psychology with U9's, using ACT in academy football, the importance of coach buy - in and much more.

Currently, Neil works as a Sport Psychologist at the Scottish Institute of Sport, supporting athletes at an individual and team level across various sports. We also discuss this role and draw out the key differences and skills required compared to his time at Celtic.

Thanks to Neil for coming on!

Connect with Neil on LinkedIn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-addington-lefringhausen-28907b61/

Talking Points

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

2. Neil's journey in sport (3:20)

3. Academy psychologist at Celtic FC (10:25)

4. Immersed in the environment as a psych (20:22)

5. Engaging U9's - U18's (27:02)

6. Challenges with coach education (33:28)

7. Using ACT 'in the moment' (45:45)

8. Support wellbeing of players and staff (55:12)

9. Psychology in player development plans (1:04:13)

10. Sport Psychologist at the SIS (1:13:59)

11. Closing thoughts (1:18:08)

On our latest episode we speak to the brilliant Marketa Simova. Marketa is a Performance Lifestyle Practitioner at the UK Sport Institute. As part of her role, Marketa supports the wellbeing of Olympic level athletes in swimming and diving, most of whom competed at Paris 2024. We spoke to Marketa fresh off the back of the games (3 days to be exact) to deepen our understanding of performance lifestyle and the detail of support that is put in place to support the wellbeing of Olympians.

There is a bit of a blur around the difference between performance lifestyle and sport psychology. On the episode we sought Marketa's knowledge and experience to explore this in more detail. In doing so, we get a border picture of how an MDT operates in a high performance context. Other highlights include Marketa sharing the implications of her PhD research and the consequences of a toxic performance environment.

This acts as the second episode of season 4 that was recorded in the Leeds Trinity University podcast studio. Thanks to LTU as always for having us down and to Marketa for chatting with us.

Find out more about Marketa via the following links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketa-simova-592438184/

Talking Points

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

2. Marketa's journey in sport (3:51)

3. The difference between performance lifestyle and sport psychology (11:03)

4. Mini case study (25:15)

5. 6 pillars of support as a PL (37:18)

6. Toxicity from media in sport (43:22)

7. Wellbeing of high performance coaches (45:49)

8. Toxic performance environments (52:49)

9. Closing thoughts (1:15:12)

On this episode we speak to the inspiration that is David Smith MBE. Without chatting to David, you'll likely know him as an athlete and for his triumphant gold medal win at the London 2012 Paralympic games in para - rowing. Chat or listen to him and you'll quickly learn he is so much more. David's story is massively influenced by his life changing health challenges. In 2009, in a routine check, a tumour was discovered growing in David's spinal cord.

At the point of recording David has went through 7 spinal surgeries. He was forced to retire from competitive sport in 2016 when he was paralysed from the neck down during surgery. He has faced death more than most human beings and experienced massive physical and mental changes to who he was once as an athlete. On numerous occasions he could've thrown towel in, but David finds himself in round 14 of the fight and going nowhere.

On this episode David shares various experiences and skills that reveal how he has coped with his challenges. This includes seeking support in the form of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and living this in his day - to - day life. It involves drawing on psychological skills taught from sport (e.g. resilience, discipline) and importantly surrounding himself with the people that matter most to him. On a rollercoaster of a journey, David now finds himself on the Young Player Wellbeing Podcast - inspiring us and hopefully all of our listeners.

Thank you David.

David's details below. Please connect with him!

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-smith-mbe-108a0719/

Talking Points

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

2. David's unique intro (4:38)

3. David's journey in sport (11:46)

4. Emergency surgery and it's impact (26:09)

5. Sport as an escape (46:47)

6. A conveyor belt of athletes (58:53)

7. Closing thoughts (1:19:12)

On today's episode we pick the brains of the brilliant Gordon MacLelland. Gordon is the CEO and founder of 'Working with Parents in Sport', and the parent to sporty kids of his own, making him the perfect guest to address a topic we've been keen to explore for a while.

In sport, it can be quick to overlook parents as we are so focused on supporting the athletes. There might also be a bit of anxiousness around working with parents, but the importance of parents in sport can't be overstated. Without them, sport simply can't happen.

The roles and responsibilities of the sporting parent are stressful; driving hours to training / matches, buying kit and paying fees, the car ride home, balancing priorities. If we want to have a positive influence on young athletes, then we need to support parents with the issues they face, which undoubtedly has a knock on effect.

We discuss the pros and cons of running social media accounts for child athletes, the car ride home, shifting culture to influence parent support, an athlete centred approach to supporting parents, how Gordon manages being a sporting parent himself + much more.

We hope our discussion with Gordon is useful for parents and provides them with information that helps them to support their child in sport. We also hope that it provides a different perspective for working with parents in sport for coaches and support staff.

Visit Gordon's website to learn more and access his services: https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk/author/wwpisadm01/

Follow WWPIS on Twitter: https://x.com/_WWPIS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workingwithparentsinsport?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@wwpis

Connect with Gordon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-maclelland-0bb4b0143/?originalSubdomain=uk

Talking Points

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

2. Gordon's experience in sport growing up (4:07)

3. Personal experiences influencing career path (6:36)

4. 'The Athletic Triangle' (15:28)

5. Common areas of parent support (28:32)

6. Parents running social media account for kids (43:48)

7. Success stories (53:44)

8. Being a sporting parent himself (59:58)

9. Closing thoughts (1:08:52)

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)