The Mind Room

Nov 29 2024 39 ep. 35 mins 12

The Mind Room Podcast artwork

Sport psychology insight informing people passionate about performance & mental health. Find out more: https://themindroom.substack.com

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How to setup a mental health support system in a pro sport league

Nov 29 2024 3 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comIn last week’s newsletter, I highlighted some key takeaways from my discussion with Dr. Brett Haskell, the National Women’s Soccer League’s clinical mental health and performance director. Now - for Mind Room Members only - I’m releasing the full interview.The podcast is an in-depth explor

How half-time team talks are changing

Nov 14 2024 1 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comHalf-time team talks are the stuff of legend. Alex Ferguson’s ‘hairdryer’ treatment, which the former Manchester United manager reserved for unsuspecting players during his time at Old Trafford, was once seen as a vital reminder of dressing room discipline. Steven Gerrard’s infamous Istanb

Does sport psychology have an access and inclusion problem?

Oct 23 2024 48 mins

Psychologists fighting for fair pay. ‘Fake psychs’ exploiting the lack of regulation governing sport psychology in the UK (and elsewhere). The exorbitant cost of training to become a sport psychologist.The issues facing the sport psychology profession are well documented (we’ve covered a whole host of them on The Mind Room over the last couple of years), but they deserve cont

'I had an opportunity to redefine what I do': the para rower and architect designing a route to the Paralympics and accessible sports facilities

Oct 16 2024 6 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com“I remember just being on the wards during chemotherapy, off my face on drugs, in so much pain and just sobbing uncontrollably at this documentary: that was when I was like, ‘Okay, we're doing this’” The idea of finding hope in moments of despair might sound hackneyed to some people, but J

'Coaching is more challenging than it's ever been'

Oct 06 2024 1 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comTeenagers on multi-million dollar contracts. Transfer systems (at least in the US) allowing college athletes to switch teams at the drop of a hat. Social media distractions - and scrutiny - coming from every possible angle. The power dynamic governing the coach-player relationship is always in flu

'A lot of athletes have a skewed perception of what it is to be a person versus what it is to be a commodity'

Sep 22 2024 2 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comElite sport’s struggle with issues such as identity is nothing new, but efforts to instill the type of self awareness and self reflection that might help young athletes are still something of a postcode lottery. In this Mind Room podcast episode, Jonathan Harding speaks to Julia Eyre, a sport ps

'When you have 5 minutes and $50m on the line, 'it depends' doesn't work'

Sep 05 2024 4 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comA few weeks ago, I spoke to Alex Auerbach about his spell in the NBA, gaining coach buy-in and sport psychology regulation. During the conversation, Alex touched on the role he played in influencing the Toronto Raptors’ player recruitment, none more so than during the NBA Draft (an annual event

'Athletes don't have to be super competitive, super ruthless and win at all costs'

Sep 01 2024 2 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comIn our last newsletter, Jonathan Harding wrote about a new study examining the link between personality and performance, focusing specifically on how the ‘Dark Triad’ of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy impacts sporting relationships. This week, we’re taking a deeper dive into th

Embedding sport psychology across an elite European club (Part 2)

Aug 13 2024 2 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.com“There are so many ways to do sports psychology: it just so happens that I believe an optimal culture for the incorporation of sports psychology bases its language and behaviours around a shared mental model. “That's because you can help the coaches, the physios, the club doctor, the sport sci

Exclusive: Dan Abrahams on Feyenoord, Arne Slot and how 'shared mental models' stand up to 70,000 fans (Part 1)

Aug 08 2024 3 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit themindroom.substack.comYou’re 2-1 down to your arch rivals in a game that might decide who wins the league. You’ve played as though you’re chasing only your second title in 25 years: the nerves are palpable. You have 45 minutes to put things right. The stakes don’t get much higher than Feyenoord’s match agains