Eighty Percent Mental Dr Peter Olusoga

Welcome to the brand-new series of EightyPercentMental, the podcast all about the psychology of sport and performance. Only… it isn’t just about sport and performance anymore, because in this series, we’re going to explore how psychology is important in exercise, health, and wellbeing, and how we can apply this to our everyday lives! Is exercise really good for my mental health? What’s the link between my immune system and psychological wellbeing? How can I start doing difficult things and keep going?
In this first episode, Dr Pete Olusoga and new co-host, Dr Leah Washington, speak to their expert guest, sport and exercise psychologist in training, and fitness coach, Clara Swedlund about all things motivation. What gets in the way when we try to change our habits? Why are values important to setting goals? Which way up should our cups go in the cupboard?
This was such a valuable conversation and a great way to kick off Series 4 of the 242nd most popular sports podcast in Costa Rica!
Follow Clara on Instagram: @clara_theexerpsych
Follow Clara on Twitter: @ceswedlund
Check out Clara’s website: theexerpsych.com

Sometimes the transition out of sport can be easy, a natural progression to the next stage of an athlete’s life. Sometimes it can be an intensely difficult and painful experience.  Sometimes, ending an athletic career can be a deliberate choice, other times it’s forced upon an athlete through injury, or changing circumstances. In the final episode of this series, Dr Pete Olusoga explores The Psychology of The End with two very special guests, Psychologist and Director of NBA Mind Health, Dr Kensa Gunter, and Senior VP and Head of NBA Player Development, Jamila Wideman. We discuss Jamila’s own playing career (drafted 3rd overall in the inaugural WNBA draft) and her own transitions in and out of sport, and Dr Gunter offers her insights from a psychological perspective on overcoming the challenges of bringing an athletic career to a close. It’s such an honest and truthful conversation and a wonderful way to bring this series to an end. Enjoy!
Follow Dr Kensa Gunter on Twitter: @DrKensa
Check out Kensa’s website here: drkensagunter.com
Connect with Jamila Wideman on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-wideman-503849133/

There’s no denying the strategy, the undeniable levels of skill, and the precision involved in American Football, but it’s also a sport, a little like rugby, where a good part of your time is spent picking yourself up off the floor after being knocked on your ass. In this episode of Eighty Percent Mental, Dr Pete Olusoga explores the psychology involved in collision sports. What are the unique mental challenges of taking (or dishing out) massive hit after massive hit? Joining Pete on this episode are special guests, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being at the University of North Carolina, Dwight Hollier, and Performance Consultant and Therapist, Dr Adrian Ferrera.
Follow Dwight Hollier on Twitter: @Dfin50
Check out Dr Ferrera’s website:dradrianferrera.com
Follow Dr Adrian Ferrera on Twitter: @dradrianferrera
Follow Dr Adrian Ferrera on Instagram: @dradrianferrera
Follow Dr Ferrera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-ferrera-phd-lpc-8a01724a/

Earlier this series (Episode 3.13), Dr Pete Olusoga spoke to  Laura Langton and Kit Windsor, from Team Ace of Blades, just before they set off on their quest to row across the Atlantic. Along with the other two members of the crew, Lizz Watson and Beth Motley, they set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 13th December, 2023. Forty-seven days later, they rowed their 25ft boat into English Harbour in Antigua having successfully navigated all 3000 miles of the World’s Toughest Row.
In this extra-special episode of EightyPercentMental, Laura, Kit, Lizz, and Beth are all here to talk about their incredible achievement, their magnificent voyage, and of course, about the role that psychology played on their adventure.
Visit Team Ace of Blades: teamaceofblades.com
Donate to the Team’s incredible charities: teamaceofblades.com/charities
Follow Team Ace of Blades on Instagram: @teamaceofblades
Follow the team on Twitter: @TeamAceOfBlades
Finish Line Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmWOcfUsQss

Ever fancied strapping yourself to a plank and throwing yourself down a snowy mountain? In this episode of Eighty Percent Mental, Dr Pete Olusoga explores The Psychology of The Slopes with snowboarding legend, Stevie Bell, and the Founder of the Mental Performance Center for Action Sports, Alēc Herbert. Such a great conversation around the mental aspects of action sports, preparation, professionalism, and doing things you immediately regret!
Follow Stevie on Intagram: @steviebell801
Check out Stevie’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGRWqUsePRplN3jh2gFRVw
Follow Alēc on Twitter: @MPCActionSports
Check out these incredible organisations:
https://www.hoodstowoodsfoundation.org/
https://www.shredfoundation.org/
https://stoked.org/
https://sharewinterfoundation.org/
https://yeskids.org/
https://www.snowdaysfoundation.org/
This the National Brotherhood of Skiers, it is a community-based organization for adult or already avid riders.  https://www.nbs.org/

Experiencing pressure is something we can all identify with. In this episode of the EightyPercentMental podcast Dr Pete Olusoga talks with Sport Psychologist and UK Sport Institute Technical Lead, Dr Mike Stoker about what exactly pressure is, the impacts that it can have on how we think, feel, and perform, and how Pressure Training can help us manage pressure more effectively.
Follow Dr Mike Stoker on Twitter: @DrMikeStoker
Find Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mike-stoker-01795330/?originalSubdomain=uk
Read Mike’s research here on Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mike-Stoker