The series continues with the most potent and widespread issue that is a clear standout from my research: Low Self-Esteem.

To me, this appears to be one of the most insidious and destructive issues we face in our elite sports culture.

The reason it's so destructive is because it contributes to...

The series of posts continues with the third common theme from 160 practitioners in high-performance sport. It's the challenging topic of being emotionally unskilled that is insidious, and yet deeply destructive.

A lead strength & conditioning coach told me:

"I don't know because I’m...

As we continue this series, the second common theme coming through from 160 practitioners in high-performance sport is the inability to have balance in their life.

The cost of this is massive, from divorce, short-term relationships, absent parent, physical and emotional illness.

A head of...

When I reflect on the research I've been doing for nearly 2 years, it really stands out to me the diversity of who I've actually spoken with.

It's important to highlight that I have also sought out advice from sports psychologists and psychotherapists within my network for 2...

It's been an exciting few weeks after presenting at the UKSCA conference 2023.

It was a real success, much of which has been down to the many conversations I've had about how much men behind sport resonates with so many coaches.

I feel this area is about to explode. I believe wholeheartedly that...

Introduction

Why is it so hard to set healthy boundaries?

The answer is unique to each of us.

One thing is for sure though, unshaped personal boundaries are a massive problem within performance support staff.

"I was working 6.7 days a week across a 12-month period, I wasn't seeing my kids or my...

Introduction

Do you ever stop and consider whether your role in performance sport will be a lifelong career for you?

This is one of the primary questions I support performance staff to answer, and it's not a simple yes/no answer.

It's a primary question because we are at a time of...

Do you ever feel like you're putting up a front at work?

"I feel that if I were to be my actual self and not put on this very professional image it would be seen as a weakness, I feel I would be taken advantage of."

I certainly did when I was a coach in Olympic sports, and many other...

Without question, it takes a huge amount of vision, dedication, and skill to have gained the experience you have in high-performance sport.

Yet this devotion to vision, dedication, and skill creates a huge blind spot.

We fall into the trap of unconsciously filling our blind spots by seeking...

You'll know by now that I'm very open about how I struggled so hard to prove myself and my "success" when I was coaching in Olympic sport.

I did this because my definition of a great coach was so skewed towards results, the status of prestigious jobs and seniority.

I'd assigned such value and...

For a long while, I had thoughts of leaving my strength & conditioning career in high-performance sport.

I wanted to pursue a business with my wife that would give me control over my work & personal life for me and my family, allow us to travel whilst working, be my own boss, and provide...

One of the major struggles of my career, as well as many other performance support staff, is the inability to be present.

They're always thinking about what's next, whether that's career instability or progression, qualifications, the latest CPD, the stages of the season or Olympic cycle,...